Brunch your way around the Hutt Valley

Twenty Eight has earned a reputation for its different and delicious food. Locally-sourced ingredients make up modern brunch and lunch dishes, often served with an interesting twist. The team makes everything from scratch. The crisp focaccia bread, cheese scones, and delicate cakes are all testament to this. The minimalist interior creates a feeling of respite from the bustle outside.

Full of personality and quirky charm, Cake & Kitchen is a place the locals love to go. Known for its vintage-retro décor and delicious food and coffee, the café has a warm and inviting atmosphere.

The cabinet is full of baked goods, fresh sandwiches, and delicious pastries. A simple selection of brunch and lunch dishes rounds out the offering. There are plenty of gluten-free options, including popular cheese scones.

Located near the Upper Hutt train station, this neighbourhood café attracts a diverse crowd. Friends meet for catch-ups over coffee, groups gather for lunch, and freelancers work from their laptops in quiet corners.

Dough Bakery has perfected the craft of artisan bread making using the best local and seasonal ingredients. The bins are full of crusty sourdough, soft focaccia, and aromatic rye bread. The bagels, milk buns and brioche have all been lovingly kneaded and proved overnight. Take a loaf home, or linger in the café with a coffee and something from the cabinet. There are doughnuts, fresh sandwiches, and crispy house-made pies to choose from, along with decadent sweet treats. The menu champions bread, with eggs on sourdough, toasted sandwiches, and more. Set inside Whirinaki Whare Taonga, the huge light and bright gallery space is one of community and connection.

Seashore Cabaret is big on personality. A visit to this eclectic and casual café is the perfect pick-me-up on your seaside stroll. Pinball machines and amusements line the back wall and merry-go-round horses swing from the ceiling. It’s a jumble of carnival objects but in the best possible way.

The menu is filled with food that’s fun to eat. Crisp curly fries, ice cream and soda floats, and extra thick thick-shakes. Housed in the historic Petone Rowing Club, the café overlooks the Petone foreshore with views across the Cook Strait.

Comes & Goes serves up beautiful Kiwi-Korean-influenced brunch and lunch dishes. From the cups of coffee to the eggs on toast, everything looks like a work of art. The waffles come garnished with flowers, and wafer-thin circles of radish garnish the soba noodle salad.

Despite the artistic flourishes, the menu is simple and uncluttered. This same sense of design applies to the modern minimalist interior. The white walls and blonde wood furniture creates a sense of calm and allows the colour palate of the food to shine.

Bellbird’s food pays homage to beautiful New Zealand art. Housed in The Dowse Art Museum, this busy Lower Hutt café showcases local produce. Each dish draws influence from New Zealand and around the globe, with timeless staples like a Vietnamese chicken salad and buttermilk chicken sandwich.

The cosy atmosphere makes for a great place to sit with a coffee and book in hand. Or, find a spot outside on the large deck when the sun is shining and watch a hum of activity unfold on the forecourt.