The Espy Café sits at 10 The Esplanade in Whitianga, directly across from the water and overlooking the wharf and the estuary channel. An NZ-owned family business operating as Remz Catering Services Limited, it takes real pride in its food, beverages and service, looking after local customers and visitors to what they call their part of paradise. Breakfast, lunch and sweet treats are served in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere — inside one of the seating spaces, or out on the deck with its amazing views.
The café pours espresso with passion and, being fully licensed, always has something cold from a wide range of drinks. Free WiFi is available (just ask for your voucher), gift vouchers can be bought in whatever value you choose, and dietary options are offered from both the menu and the display cabinet — tell the team about any special dietary needs and they will try their best to accommodate you. Reviews highlight quick service even when the room is full, very good coffee, affordable options for kids and adults, and a dog-friendly welcome.
One of the café's sweetest attractions is its in-house ice cream parlour, serving amazing Mövenpick ice creams, desserts and shakes — including shakes and a fudge the team describes as award-winning. The Lemon Tart earns a special mention from returning visitors who call it the treat to order.
Beyond the café floor, The Espy offers wide-ranging catering: out-catering for events, working-style lunches, lunch packs for fishing day trips, canapés, buffet dinners and three-course plated dinners. After hours, the café itself can be booked and transformed into a private venue with a bespoke menu for your occasion. There are also Heat and Eat ready meals on a rotating weekly menu, and online ordering with local delivery for $10 — free on orders over $20 including GST — covering the area from the Mowai Park intersection to Brophy's Beach.
Perched at 10 The Esplanade, directly across from the water in Whitianga, The Espy Café occupies one of those locations people plan their day around. The unique building overlooks the wharf and the estuary channel, and the deck out front delivers the kind of view that turns a quick coffee into a long one. It's an NZ-owned family business — trading as Remz Catering Services Limited — and its stated philosophy is a simple one: great food and fantastic service are the heart of any community.
That philosophy shows in how the café talks about its guests. The team takes pride in its food, beverages and service, and loves looking after locals just as much as visitors to what they call 'our part of paradise'. Reviews back it up: guests describe meals coming out quickly even with a full room, staff who are welcoming, friendly and 'spot on', and a spot so good some admit they'd eat here every day — because they already do.
Breakfast, lunch and sweet treats are served in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere, inside or out on the deck. Espresso is poured with passion into every cup, and since the café is fully licensed there's always something cold from a wide range of drinks. The menu earns praise for affordable options for both kids and adults, and dietary options are available from the menu and the display cabinet — mention any special dietary needs and the team will try their best to accommodate you.
Free WiFi is on hand (ask for your voucher), and gift vouchers can be purchased in whatever value you choose — an easy present for anyone who loves this stretch of coastline.
Past the counter sits one of the café's biggest drawcards: an ice cream parlour serving amazing Mövenpick ice creams, classic desserts and shakes — shakes the team proudly calls award-winning. Alongside them is another beloved local treat, the café's award-winning fudge, made to be taken home. And if you take your cue from returning visitors, one order is non-negotiable: 'if you want a treat, get the Lemon Tart.'
Catering is where The Espy's roots show — the business operates as Remz Catering Services Limited, and the range is broad. They offer out-catering for events, working-style lunches, and pre-made lunch packs for fishing day trips, plus canapés, buffet dinners and three-course plated dinners for celebrations of every size.
The café building gets in on the action too. After hours, Espy can be booked and transformed into a charming private venue, with a bespoke menu crafted for the occasion — from elegant canapé receptions through to spectacular three-course plated dinners or a delicious buffet.
Eating at home? The Heat and Eat range offers ready meals on a rotating weekly menu — call the café to find out what's on this week. Online ordering brings the menu to your door: local delivery is $10, and free on orders over $20 including GST, within the zone running from the Mowai Park intersection to Brophy's Beach. Orders placed by 11am are delivered or ready for pickup the following day, with pickups ready by 4pm. Outside the zone? Sometimes — ring the café and ask.
The café is dog friendly according to happy guests, so the four-legged members of the family can come too. Come for breakfast before a day on the water, settle in for a long lunch on the deck, or stop by the parlour for ice cream and fudge with the kids.
However you arrive, the formula stays the same: pride in the food, pride in the service, and a waterfront view across to Whitianga Wharf that no great coffee could upstage. Come on down, the team says — they can't wait to look after you.