Hi Mate is a cafe at 50 Riverbank Rd, Otaki, on the Kapiti Coast, rated 4.8 from 153 Google reviews, with updates shared on Facebook. Reviewers single out the warm welcome, the roomy, relaxed interior, and plates like the bulgogi burger, eggs benedict and the bulgogi and prawn oil pastas.
Otaki owes much of its cafe trade to State Highway 1: it is the classic stop between Wellington and the lower North Island, where roadside cafes live on coffee and cooking worth breaking a journey for. The best small-town menus pair cabinet standbys like eggs benedict and mince on toast with dishes from the cook's own table, which is how bulgogi and bibimbap turn up beside the benedict. Regulars ask what the house does best rather than playing it safe, and arrive ahead of the weekend rush.
Hi Mate is exactly that — a friendly, roomy Riverbank Rd stop, handy for travellers and plainly loved by locals.