Ambience Cafe — Restaurant in Wellington

Ambience Cafe in Paraparaumu Beach boasts a prime location along the coastal road, offering diners sweeping views of Kāpiti Island and the sparkling ocean. With outdoor seating bathed in sunlight, it’s an inviting spot on a clear day—perfect for soaking in the laid-back beach vibe.

On arrival, the bustling crowd meant a wait in line, which I didn’t mind given its popularity and my first-time curiosity.

However, the excitement soon faded. The slice of cake I ordered was merely passable—inoffensive but unmemorable. The real letdown was the coffee: a single-shot long black that arrived shockingly acidic, to the point of being undrinkable. For a café that seems to pride itself on its atmosphere, the quality of the brew felt like a glaring oversight.

It’s puzzling how personal experiences can diverge from glowing online reviews, but honesty matters. Perhaps timing or an off-day played a role, and I’ll cautiously hope for improvement next time.

On the bright side, the cafe’s proximity to the beach saved the outing. A serene stroll along the shoreline, just steps away, offered the highlight of the visit—a reminder that even imperfect café trips can be redeemed by Kāpiti’s...

I don't often write reviews and when I do I think that the purpose should be to give feedback that is useful. We had been to this cafe before and had a good experience. So we went today, Valentine's day for breakfast and it was not a good experience.I had bacon, scrambled eggs, hash, toast and my wife had french toast. Firstly mine: the bacon was burned, the eggs were very bland, the toast soggy and the hash not a hash but a potato cake of some sort. It was all served in a large bowl which was ridiculous as it all slid together. My wife's french toast was soggy and tasteless and also served in a bowl so it all mushed together. Both dishes had very poor presentation. Sigh... it would have taken so little to make it right. These are not difficult meals to do very well. Okay, he coffee and hot chocolate were great. Will we return? Not sure. Let's see if there is a response to this review that gives me a good reason to. Please lift your game Ambience - every plate that goes out...

Had a lovely lunch here yesterday at Ambience. This was our second visit but it was back in Summer. We sat inside in the little room off the main cafe but were told on arrival that it could be cold. Boy it was cold and so drafty from outside side doors. We had a 95 year old with us so wasn't ideal. We ended up getting blankets from our cars to help with the cold. This is not really acceptable at a cafe where you spend a couple of hours. You need to feel warm. Even when we were there in summer one of the ladies mentioned yesterday it was drafty back then too.

The staff were apologetic and said they would speak to the Manager. Apparently something was done re doors being closed or open at back of cafe and did made a little difference but not really ideal. It was fully booked so could not move to another table.

We all enjoyed our meals very much and service and staff are very friendly and helpful but you need to do something about this room especially in the middle of...