Rouge — Restaurant in Waikato

*edit 07/04/2025 :

Very disappointing visit yesterday, Sunday 6th April 2025. We arrived, 5 of us, at about 09h15. Ordered coffees and breakfast. There were about 3 or 4 other tables, the place was not overly busy. We waited about 15 or 20 minutes for our coffees to arrive.

After 35 minutes, I went to enquire about our breakfast (3 x poached eggs on toast, 1 x french toast), and was told it would still be about 15 minutes still. We finally received our food 53 minutes after placing order.

The poached eggs arrived with nothing but the 2 eggs, 2 slices of toast, a butter, and a spoon of "store-bought" avo-smash. It looked terrible, there was no relish, nothing else on the plates ... looked very unappetising. The food tasted ok, but was certainly not worth waiting nearly an hour for.

So disapointing as this is a cafe that we want to support, but there wasn't an apology, an explanation or anything offered when the food was delivered.

My family moved from Auckland to Cambridge 2 years ago, and in all my visits to Cambridge, after trying out all the cafés, Rouge was the cream that rose easily to the top. It's my Cambridge family's daily stop, and a favourite for us when we visit.

The food, which I believe is mostly made on-site (baked goods etc) is amazing quality and presented beautifully. The portions are really good value, and everything we've tried has been outstanding.

The serving staff are all so polite, professional, knowledgeable about the menu, and always wanting to make your experience 5 star, going the the extra mile, and when we've witnessed any mistakes in orders, or something not quite to a customers liking, they always seem to bend over backwards to make it right.

Amazing courtyard when the weather's good, with patrons dogs welcomed, and a real vibe from passing foot-traffic, as well as great tables and atmosphere inside.

This is one place to put on your list of "must-do's" when you visit. A real pleasure to go to a coffee shop where customer service is top of the priority list.

5 Stars FOR...

As a visitor from Auckland, with family living in Cambridge, this is the only cafe we ever go to for coffee, cabinet food, or brunch. The food is all made on the premises, is amazing quality, and very constantly far above average. Prices are very good, and portion sizes are very generous. The service has always been of a very high standard from baristas, waitering staff, to the manager and chef, who always comes out to check on whether customers are satisfied. Great courtyard for enjoying the sun, and letting fur babies sit...

Kitchen was closed even though it was lunch time. Coffee was nothing startling and the carrot cake needed more carrot. As the place was nearly empty, it took them a long time to make our coffee. Their response was that they thought that my comments are a bit harsh and tried to blame the government in the fact that they were not allowing immigrants in hence the kitchen was closed because they could not get these people to work in the cafe. Maybe there is no unemployment in Cambridge and the surrounding districts. But...