Arthur St Kitchen is a relaxed, arty café on Arthur Street in central Timaru, just off State Highway 1 — a spot Lonely Planet has dubbed Timaru's funkiest eatery and TripAdvisor recognised with a Certificate of Excellence in 2017. The formula, as the café tells it: great coffee, contemporary café fare, good tunes, and a mix of arty inside seating and sunny outdoor spots. Inside there are three spacious rooms; outside, two sunny seating areas including a courtyard. Breakfast leans on all-time favourites like eggs benedict, bagels and pancakes, served Monday to Friday from 7am to 11am, with espresso pulled from C4 Coffee's flagship Krank blend. The lunch menu changes with the seasons to follow fresh produce, and the cabinet is stocked with innovative freshly prepared items, grainy salads, refined sandwiches and pastry treats — with vegetarian and gluten-free options every day. Baking happens onsite daily: biscuits, slices and much-loved muffins, plus fresh sourdough loaves every Tuesday and Friday. Beyond food, the café hosts a live music gig each month, hangs a new exhibition from a local artist monthly, offers free WiFi, magazines and the local daily paper, baby changing facilities, and a shelf of local delicatessen products — from cinnamon honey and Cajun spice mix to the secret-recipe red pepper sauce and organic Viberi blackcurrants from nearby Pleasant Point. A basket delivery service brings it all to your door. Whether you want to relax, meet friends, hold a business meeting or simply grab a coffee on the run, Arthur St Kitchen is a favourite with locals and visitors alike.
Arthur St Kitchen doesn't try to be anything other than itself — a relaxed, arty café on Arthur Street in central Timaru, a quick turn off State Highway 1, where the coffee is serious, the baking is daily and the welcome is warm. The café describes its own recipe for success as great coffee, contemporary café fare, good tunes, and a mix of arty inside seating and sunny outdoor spots. Lonely Planet has called it Timaru's funkiest eatery, and in 2017 TripAdvisor added a Certificate of Excellence. Locals simply call it the place to start your day.
The café's motto — "First I drink the coffee. Then I do the things." — sets the tone. Espresso is pulled from Krank, the flagship blend of C4 Coffee, a roaster that sources high-grade green beans from quality suppliers around the globe and roasts each origin in-house in small batches for maximum freshness. Whether you're settling into one of the three spacious rooms or grabbing a cup on the run, many visitors leave with a bag of Krank to keep the ritual going at home. It's sold decaf or regular, as whole beans or ready ground for your espresso machine or plunger.
Breakfast at Arthur St Kitchen is built on all-time favourites — eggs benedict, bagels and pancakes — served Monday to Friday from 7am until 11am. After that, attention turns to the lunch menu, which changes with the seasons to follow the availability of fresh produce. The cabinet is the heart of the room: innovative, freshly prepared items, grainy salads and refined sandwiches made with flair and care, alongside pastry treats. Vegetarian and gluten-free diners are well looked after, with gluten-free options available every day.
The baking is a point of pride. Sourdough loaves come out of the oven every Tuesday and Friday — regulars time their visits around them — and the kitchen bakes an array of biscuits and slices onsite daily, including a muesli slice built from 21 different ingredients. Muffins have earned their own billing on the café's highlight reel.
Part of Arthur St Kitchen's appeal is what surrounds the food and coffee. Seating spreads across three spacious rooms inside, plus two sunny outdoor areas including a courtyard. Free WiFi makes it a natural spot for business meetings, and a great selection of magazines and the local daily paper keep solo visitors company. Each month brings something new: a live music gig in the café and an art exhibition from a local artist on the walls. Families are catered for too, with baby changing facilities.
Before you leave, browse the shelf of local delicatessen products — much of it made in or for the kitchen. There's cinnamon honey, a Cajun spice mix blended from 14 different herbs and spices, the long-time customer favourite balsamic dressing, and the café's secret-recipe red pepper sauce, which goes with everything from vegetarian dishes to meat and little savouries. You'll also find Viberi blackcurrants, certified organic and grown nearby in Pleasant Point, sold freeze dried, rolled in chocolate or soft dried with apple juice. For those who'd rather have it all come to them, the café runs a basket delivery service.
Arthur St Kitchen is open Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm, and closed on weekends. Its position just off State Highway 1 makes it an easy stop for travellers passing through Timaru, and attentive staff make it an easy habit for locals. Whether you want to relax, meet friends, hold a meeting or simply grab a coffee on the run — this is the place to be.