Cafe Express Waiouru — Restaurant in North Island

A pizza gem at Waiouru, this place has been recommended by one of our friends (a French guy to be spefic) who knew much of authentic Italian food.

So on our way back from Whakapapa towards south, we had lunch at this place.

Upon entering, you would definitely take note how dim the space was, would really be better if the place is brighter.

The lady over the counter was quite intimidating though with how she speaks. We were a group of about 15 people so when ordering our food, we felt unwelcomed. As some of us are unfamiliar with the menu they are offering, we asked a little to confirm if that's what we would prefer e.g. serving size, prices. Her tone of voice was a strong one when answering. Upon paying, she stated loudly "do not forget your orders!", and inside my head, I was like "okay, ofcourse I won't?". But to be fair, maybe she's not having a great day or due to the massive orders we requested, or it's just because we were asians and she's not ( because the way she has spoken with other "non-asian" customers are in a decent, respectful tone/manner).

On the other hand, the food was 10/10 and exceeded our expectations! So yes, food was exceptional (ordered Pizza Margarite and lemon meringue -must try! Funghi, Hawaiian Quattro Stagioni, and Pesto, Carbonara, Fetuccine) but the service did not sit well with me...

Our visit to this restaurant today was nothing short of frustrating. Three of us were returning from a business trip in Wellington and decided to stop in for a meal. We ordered our food and explicitly requested to dine in, but were given all our meals packed in cardboard boxes instead. When we pointed out the mistake and reminded them of our dine-in request, the response was both dismissive and condescending.

We were told to grab our own plates, which were dirty, so we asked for clean ones. Instead of offering assistance, the staff member told us to "just eat it from the cardboard box." At this point, we were already feeling uncomfortable, but things only got worse. When I approached the lady to voice our concerns, she snapped at me with, "What do you want now?"

I explained that as paying customers, we expected basic service and respect, but her attitude remained rude and unhelpful. We felt incredibly unwelcome and out of place in the restaurant, and the overall experience left a sour taste in our mouths. It was clear that they didn’t value their customers, and I would not recommend this place to anyone. The lack of professionalism and basic courtesy was disappointing and frankly,...

We arrived here Saturday morning for breakfast. My husband ordered 7 big breakfast for 6 of us😄 poor lady who took the order did let us know it would take awhile because it was her & I think her husband who was cooking our food. It was worth the wait, the BEST BIG BREAKFAST EVER!!! We have had many big breakfast at other places but it's like 2 or 3 strips of bacon but here at Cafe Express there was so much bacon that we ended up taking some back with us which is a first for us. It is a beautiful, very cosy environment, clean bathroom & prices are great. We went back sunday morning for another round of big breakfast meals, this time for 7 of us😂 thank you to the couple who great a wonderful, awesome 100% customer service. Next time we visit we will definitely be...