Fig Tree Café is a spacious all-day café tucked into a leafy Upper Hutt suburb, set inside a beautifully restored chapel with lofty ceilings and an abundance of natural light. The setting is a big part of the appeal, with casual outdoor seating for sunny days and enough space to comfortably seat parties of all sizes.
The café is known for spectacular coffee, made with award-winning, locally roasted Karamu coffee, and an extensive all-day menu covering breakfast classics, brunch dishes and a full cabinet of house-made goodies. The menu leans into hearty, flavour-forward dishes like the Korean Fried Chicken Burger and Shakshuka, alongside café staples such as eggs benedict, corn fritters and a full cooked breakfast, with daily specials changing regularly.
Fig Tree Café is set up to be practical as much as pleasant, with two private booths available for work meetings, a change table for babies, and additional parking out back. With close to 1,200 Google reviews, it has built a strong local following as a popular go-to spot in Upper Hutt, worth booking ahead for on busy days.
Fig Tree Café occupies a genuinely unusual setting for a neighbourhood café - a beautifully restored chapel tucked into a leafy Upper Hutt suburb. The lofty ceilings and abundance of natural light give the space an airy, open feel that's become part of the café's identity, alongside casual outdoor seating that comes into its own on warmer days.
The café is set up to work for all kinds of visits. There's spacious seating for parties of any size, two private booths available for work meetings, a change table for babies, and additional parking out back - practical details that matter as much as the food and coffee for a spot that draws a steady local crowd.
Coffee is central to the Fig Tree experience, made using award-winning, locally roasted Karamu coffee. The all-day menu leans hearty and varied, running from café standards to more adventurous options. The Korean Fried Chicken Burger - crispy buttermilk chicken with slaw, pickles, kimchi and gojuchang sauce - sits alongside a proper Shakshuka, with poached eggs in a smoky tomato sauce topped with feta and coriander.
For a classic cooked breakfast, the Fig Tree Breakfast brings together house cured bacon, sausage, hash brown and two eggs on sourdough, while the Vegetarian Breakfast offers a plant-forward alternative with avocado, mushrooms and beans. The Eggs Benedict range covers four variations - Classic with ham, Florentine with wilted spinach, Montreal with salmon and avocado, and a Bacon Benedict - all built on English muffins with housemade hollandaise.
Daily specials add another layer to the menu, changing regularly so there's always something new alongside the regular lineup. A full cabinet of house-made goodies - cakes, muffins, slices, scones, melts, pies and salads - rounds out the offering for anyone after something quicker or lighter.
Fig Tree Café marks its menu clearly for dietary needs, using V for vegetarian, VG for vegan, DF for dairy free and GF for gluten free, with many dishes available in an adapted form on request. Staff are happy to be told about dietary requirements at the counter, and the café says it aims to cater to a variety of needs rather than offering a one-size-fits-all menu.
Sides let customers build their plate further, from a simple hashbrown or roasted tomatoes to mushrooms in coconut cream or a bowl of Mr Chips chips - useful for topping up a smaller dish or sharing across the table.
Fig Tree Café is located at 386 Fergusson Drive, Heretaunga, Upper Hutt. Café hours run from 6am on weekdays, 7:30am on Saturdays and 9am on Sundays and public holidays, though the kitchen keeps slightly shorter hours than the café itself - worth checking if you're after a full cooked meal versus just coffee and cabinet food. A 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.
With close to 1,200 Google reviews, Fig Tree Café has built a strong reputation locally - reviewers highlight the coffee, the food, and the atmosphere, while also noting it's popular enough that reserving a table, or being prepared to sit outdoors, is a good idea on busy days. Reservations and catering enquiries can both be made through the café's website.