Gravel & Grace is a cafe at 128 Wakefield Street in Gracefield, Lower Hutt, holding a 4.6-star rating on Google.
Cafes live or die on the first few hours of the day. The flat white is the drink New Zealand cafe-goers judge a place by, and a machine that stays consistent through the morning rush says more than any menu ever will. The cabinet — that counter of slices, filled rolls and sweets — is the other honest sign: anything made on site tends to go early, so arriving before mid-morning gives you the best pick. And a steady stream of regulars who barely need to order is the surest sign you have found a good one.
For a corner of the Hutt that mostly gets on with business, a well-liked cafe on Wakefield Street is a handy thing to have on the doorstep.