Cabbage Tree Cafe is the kind of place you stumble upon when you don’t have any real plan, other than wanting to take a break from driving. It was located in the tiny town of Tīrau, so you couldn’t exactly miss it. There were plenty of people walking in and out, which are always a sign of things going right at a restaurant.
Was there a wall completely filled with signatures and a giant pot of mussels that made me forget I was on my way somewhere else? No, not what I was expecting. But it ended up being more then your average roadside stop, and since you might pass by here while driving around New Zealand, I thought I’d write it down for you.
A Surprise Meal at Cabbage Tree Cafe
Cabbage Tree Cafe
I saw some chalkboard signs advertising the day’s specials. There was also outdoor seating running down the front of a proper verandah set-up. We parked across the road and crossed over to find a few people already sitting out with their coffees.
Nothing fancy, just well kept and welcoming enough that I wanted to go inside. The whole building had that weathered timber look that suit a small country town perfectly.
It wasn’t as quiet on the inside as I’d anticipated for an early afternoon week-day session. A table by the window became available so we sat down and I took a moment to stare at the servery where the espresso machine were going full-blast. Everything felt lived-in and not polished.
The timber floorboards creaks underfoot, and shelves in the bar area were piled high with bottles and jars. This gave it a casual clutter, the sort of look that makes a cafe feel real rather than styled.
And then I saw the wall. From floor to ceiling, an entire section right beside the stairs are completely filled with names, all written in permanent marker until you can hardly see any timber at all. They didn’t even hesitate when I asked if we could add our names too; they just handed me a marker.
Honestly, it could of been really gimmicky, but it isn’t. I think this is partly because it has been happening for so long that the wall itself has developed a character of its own. We managed to fit our names in a space near the bottom.
They looked at the menu and ordered some cappuccinos, served in their chunky ceramic cups which holds the heat well. It wasn’t groundbreaking stuff but it was solid coffee, made properly with no faffing around, just how I like it after a few hours on the road.
The only reason I ordered the mussels was because you don’t see them on every small-town cafe menu. And I’m glad I did. It was served in a nice big pot with some bread to soak up the broth.
The mussels was tender but not rubbery, and the broth was full of enough flavour that I drank every last drop. Fair warning: I wasn’t expecting such good seafood so far inland. But they obviously knows what they’re doing.
The burger my partner got was also on offer; it came piled high with onion rings and required two hands to attempt eating. The burger itself look juicy and meaty (as far as I could tell). The onion rings were crisp, but not so much that they’d be crunchy once buried beneath several inches of meat.
It didn’t last long, a sure sign of a good meal.
During our meal, a stray dog strolled up on to the deck and laid down as if he lived there. No one batted an eye and the dog appeared happy to watch passersby come and go. I enjoy stops like this because of the easygoing atmosphere.
Before leaving I took a glance at their complete menu. It features breakfast and brunch, along with a pretty good selection of dishes available throughout the day. Had I not been on such a tight schedule, I’d probably have returned the following morning for some.
What might have been a quick petrol and toilet break became a proper meal to remember at Cabbage Tree Cafe. The mussels was good enough to bring me back. Adding my signature to that wall made me feel as if I was making a tiny mark on a spot that is clearly important to all the other customers who return.
Next time you find yourself driving through Tīrau, pull over for this, it’s worth stretching your legs for. Ever been taken by surprise by a cafe in a small town? Let me know in the comments.