Milligans Cafe & Store sits in a tastefully renovated historic building at the corner of Cross and Chelmer Street in Oamaru, just a short walk from the Oamaru Public Gardens. Run by Milligans Food Group, the cafe pairs freshly prepared cafe food and drinks with a store stocked full of the company's own dairy and pantry products.
The cafe's coffee is specially blended and roasted to Milligans' own specification, and the drinks menu includes a lovely selection of cold drinks alongside the ever-popular Frosty Boy range of sundaes and shakes. Where possible, the kitchen uses organic produce from local suppliers, adjusting the menu with the seasons while keeping customer favourites on offer.
The attached store sells Milligans' own hard cheeses, Eclipse Dairy products, Granny Faye's tempura and pancake batter mixes, dressings and sauces, plus a selection of gourmet teas and the cafe's own coffee beans. There's indoor and outdoor seating, a children's playground, and a customer car park, and the cafe also caters private functions by arrangement.
At the corner of Cross and Chelmer Street in Oamaru, Milligans Cafe & Store occupies a tastefully renovated historic building just a hop, step and jump from the Oamaru Public Gardens. Run by Milligans Food Group, it combines a full-service cafe with a store selling the company's own dairy and pantry products.
The building itself has a story worth telling. It was built in 1910/11 by local aerated water and cordial producer Mr F. Chase for his son Frederick and daughter-in-law Anne. Constructed in the year of King George V's coronation, the house was named "Koroneihana," the Māori word for coronation — a detail that reflects the character built into the property from the start. The Chase family had a similar house built in Pitt Street, Dunedin. Many families and stories have passed through the building over the decades, until Milligans Food Group purchased it in 2011 and restored it to the cafe and store it is today.
Milligans Cafe offers a full range of cafe food and drinks, all freshly prepared on site. Coffee is specially blended and roasted to Milligans' own specification, and the cafe also serves a lovely selection of cold drinks. One of the most popular parts of the menu is the Frosty Boy range, which includes sundaes and shakes. Wherever possible, the kitchen uses organic produce sourced from local suppliers, and the menu shifts with the seasons while still keeping long-standing customer favourites on offer.
Alongside the cafe, Milligans runs an attached store stocked with its own brand products. This includes Milligans' hard cheeses, sold at some of the best prices around, along with Eclipse Dairy products, Granny Faye's range of tempura and pancake batter mixes, dressings and sauces, a selection of gourmet teas, and bags of the cafe's own blended coffee beans to take home.
The cafe offers both indoor and outdoor seating, making the most of its historic setting near the Oamaru Public Gardens. Families are well catered for too, with a children's playground on site, and there's a customer car park for easy access. Milligans Cafe also caters for private functions by arrangement, making it a option for group bookings and celebrations.
Milligans Cafe & Store is open Monday to Friday from 10.00am to 4.00pm, and closed on weekends and public holidays. It's located at the corner of Cross and Chelmer Street in Oamaru, close to the Oamaru Public Gardens, and can be reached by phone or email for enquiries about visits or private functions.