RiverStone Cafe sits on the Main Highway in Otaki, on the Kapiti Coast, and holds a 4.4 rating from 821 Google reviews. Reviewers praise the flaky-pastry pies (steak and cheese gets a particular nod), toasted panini, friendly staff and good value, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating; scones and coffees that come with a chocolate bar get regular mentions too.
A highway cafe has to win over two crowds — locals who return weekly and travellers after an honest feed between towns. The best of them fill the cabinet fresh each morning and hold their coffee standard through the mid-morning rush, because passing trade gives no second chances. A cabinet still full at eleven, and a corner table of regulars who barely look up, are the surest signs you have found a good one.
On the main road through Otaki, RiverStone is exactly where such a stop belongs.