Zone Cafe sits in the HomeZone Centre on Owens Place in Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, and holds a 4.4 rating from 330 Google reviews. Reviewers single out the friendly service and fresh food, with generous portions, the scones and the open steak sandwich coming up again and again.
In a good cafe, the cabinet and the plate do the talking: fresh baking, properly made coffee and portions that don't leave you hungry are what bring people back. Regulars tend to judge a cafe on consistency, the same standard week after week, and on whether the people behind the counter take requests on board. In a seaside suburb like Mount Maunganui, a sunny outdoor table is worth as much as anything on the menu.
Judging by the regulars it has kept, Zone Cafe has quietly made itself a fixture for Mount Maunganui locals around the HomeZone Centre.