Melrose House Cafe — Restaurant in Nelson

The place is beautiful but the staff need to get organised and behave a bit more professionally! I booked a table for lunch 4 days in advance explaining I had guests flying in to Nelson for this and wanted it to be special. Also that our table must be inside. The person on the phone seemed very accommodating. I checked flight times and rang back an hour later to give a more exact time of our arrival. A different person answered the phone and said there was no trace of a reservation! I went through the whole thing again and said this had made me a bit nervous. I was assured they would have a nice table for us and it would be kept ready in case of any possible delay. We duly arrived to be told there was no reservation and they were full. They had no trace of my name or phone number which I'd given them. They said they could put a table further down on the sloping lawn. Due to the bad health of one of my guests we did not want to sit outside. They (the 5 people milling around the reservations book) then pointed to a tiny table by the door and said 'well you'll have to sit there'! At no point was there any apology offered - and they then had the audacity to say I'd cancelled?? A kind family came and offered us their table as they were almost ready to leave. Sadly never again despite this being a beautiful venue. It seems they concentrate of high teas and lunch was just rushed through as quickly...

We had an VERY bad experience at Melrose Cafe today, but thanks to that we had a throughly wonderful one at Brick eatery at Monaco Resort. I have been going to Melrose Cafe for years so decided to take my daughter there for her 21st to shout her a lovely meal at the historic home. I physically went in around 2 weeks ago and spoke to a lovely staff member who let me reserve the table in the window. We spoke about flower petals and balloons at the table. We got there this morning and they had shoved us in a spot that was between the kitchen and dining space with outside cane chairs. I said I had booked the one in the window, they said you can't reserve a specific table. They then moved us to another table with two straight backed chairs due to bad back. I then went to the bathroom, came back and my daughter told me that we could only stay for 30 minutes and the table was booked for three people not two. What a complete stuff up to which was suppose to be a very special occasion. I was not to happy. The lady told me it was raining and they needed to accommodate other patrons, which is fair enough. But I think its very poor customer service that they had moved our reserved space and not even bothered to ring me to let me know, or even explain when we arrived. They said basically we could have the one in the doorway or go outside. I will never step foot inside...

Firstly, I think I have to address the amazing quality of service. The staff are sufficiently attentive without being annoyingly intrusive, and are super friendly - such good customer service. Furthermore, the speed of service (food/drink preparation) has to be mentioned.

Next, the ambience that this place provides is 2nd to none. I'd recommend sitting on the deck outside (especially when the sun is up)..looking and smelling the greenery around is enough to refreshen the senses. The leaves rustling in the wind makes it seem as if the trees are talking to each other. You can even roll in the grass if you want to 🤭 - it adds an extra dimension to the experience.

Lastly, I have to address the quality of food and drinks. Starting with the coffee, they possibly have the best hazelnut latte that we've tried in New Zealand. We had ordered the big breakfast & poached eggs on toast and those were great choices!

Overall I'd recommend this place to...