Cafe Baku in Taupo

It was crowded - usually a good sign. Noisy environment inside as well as music. Coffee good but very slow in coming.

Breakfast here tasted great. Food selection is huge. Environment is super cosy. Definitely busy during public holidays but I’m glad they were opened.

Yummy food.Great quality for the money you spend, with beautiful views of the lake and mountains and an overall great atmosphere

Maybe it a personal choice but all five of the coffees we ordered were sour, especially the last one...Good vibes though

Not good service from staff, there were 3 of us dining, but one of our orders were forgotten, no apology given. Specifically asked if a cake had nuts in it, because of a nut allergywas told no, first mouthful contained nuts, luckily not a life threatening allergy, no apology given.

Amazingly quick service. We were a table of 15 and got served within 20 mins. Kudos to the chefs and front end staff.Food tasted fresh and the coffee hit the right spot after a huge party the night before.We sat at the seating area across the road which was very handy to accommodate all of us together.Still got our food on time from friendly staff members.Highly recommended for larger group of people.

Busy is usually a good sign but not here. Wait staff seemed uninterested, got the order wrong, and then got defensive about it. Food was average - the omelette was pretty uninspiring but the waffles were good. Coffee was bitter. It is a missable place.

Food here was so delicious! There was lots of variety in the display, all looked so good we wish we could’ve ordered more! We had the big brekkie and the beef hot pot, was so warming and tasty, would definitely recommend for a chilly day.

Nicd food service. We are not waiting too long. Also, the food price is friendly.

Very nice interior. Warm friendly atmosphere which is nice for a rainy day. Really great French toast. Though there were quite a few tables that werent cleared so we had to move the dishes from the table to another but otherwise a fairly tidy establishment.

Simple order took more than 1hr. Even with walking up to the staff 3 times. The fastest was the fries arriving after 15min. But coffee and a simple bottle of coke took 1hr.

Such a mess, we waited 1h for a coffee and cabinet food. Staff was rude when inquiring about our order. In the end they even forgot half of it. Didnt look understaffed, staff was chatting happily behind the counter. One star for the comfy lounge chairs!

We were waiting about one hour for just coffee and a muffin. Working in hospitality myself I get that it can get hectic, especially when you’re understaffed (which - to be fair - a sign stated). But the staff did not seem in a rush at all, in fact they were standing around chatting. Multiple people went up to them and asked about orders and they just seemed annoyed rather than sorry.

A really busy weekend brunch when we went here. But the staff were friendly and accommodating so that we had a really enjoyable time and no stress.The food was exceptional and filling. Fueled us well for the day.Top notch guys 👌 - thank you

Dishes everywhere, clearly understaffed, what I did like was the how quick the food arrived to our table. Kids meals were presented in a bucket with cute little sauce holders. Very nice club sanwich that I purchased and took on the lake cruise.

Walked in for breakfast, not even a single hello from the staff, even when we are already face to face at the counter. When we ordering the coffee, a lady who taking the order couldnt hear me properly so she was just leaning one side of her ear towards me so I would repeat. When we asked for the size of the cup, she just pointed to the back where the cups are without saying a word. This kind of service is kinda putting me off. We finally walked out of the shop without getting anything from them. Who wanna spend money for poor service!.

Had brunch there this morning, cabinets look very impressive so that was a great start.....however I ordered Eggs scrambled ( well cookedon ciabatta with bacon and black pudding.....rather disappointing when it arrived....the eggs were cooked but not well done, when I pressed my fork against them they were quite watery, the toast was barely cooked, the bacon wasnt Crispy and to me streaky bacon should be as its quite fatty, and the black pudding was cut so thin, and was like mush...ugh....take a bit more time and care, food came out quite fast and Id rather wait another 15 mins to get a better plate of food...add more love...its not that hard....I also bought a Bacon Scroll to take home....warmed it up for afternoon tea and the bottom was quite soggy.....broke it open and then entire middle was raw dough and mushy bacon and veges, It was basically inedible apart from the outside bits. Not a great experience from this café unfortunately.

Looks good from the outside, busy always means good service and food. I cant say its amazing. The server was a severe mumbler, we couldnt undestand her, the waitress served hot drinks over my baby and your crammed in like sardines in a can. The oats have a jar of milk placed smack bang in the middle of the bowl - put it on the side 🙈 Would not be back for a sit down meal however if I needed a almond croissant Id do takeaway.

My wife and I had two separate meals at the cafe, and they were delicious on both occasions. The food was well prepared and we didn’t have to wait too long before it was served.The staff were friendly and helpful, and well presented.We will be going back there for breakfast again when we are next in Taupo.

A long trip is made so much better with great food, and having two wonderful meals at the same cafe makes that much easier. Thank you for the marvelous traditional breakfast, and a vegan lunch truly worth writing home about :)

I’ve been a customer at this cafe before and had really good experience but today I was a little taken back by the extremely poor service and functionality across the entire team. It was a little busy when we arrived but also checked about the wait time. We waited 40 minutes for three takeaway drinks and a pastry, as a hospo worker myself I get that things can get hectic it would’ve but it would have been nice to have been told about the very long wait time. I went up to the till to check on the pastry and was completely ignored and walked past by three staff members. Then the manager spoke to me with a confronting tone I was told that it had been sitting on the counter for a long time and that I should have been waiting for it. We had been sitting within a couple meters of the coffee machine to make sure we didn’t miss anything when it came out. There was no accountability held by the manager or staff, I was simply just told that I should’ve been more aware. I am very disappointed by the overall service and hope that some improvements and better systems are put in place so that the overall flow of service is consistent and attentive.

Nice and busy place to eat by the lake view and affordable price and quality of foodhad this spinach and mushroom on toast it was absoluty amazing at great price.and great cafe vibes by the lake taupo.

Great place on the waterfront, very busy which is a good sign. Heaps of variety of dishes so something for everyone, cabinet and menu items, with a Mediterranean twist. Everything was fresh, and hot. Good value for money. Friendly fast service even when busy. Nice interior design inside also.

Cafe Baku was amazing for our morning breakfast spot on our vacation. Great atmosphere, although a sign showing “short staffed” we were amazed by how the kitchen was moving and what looked like all hands on deck from all staff members. Our coffees were great, our meals were delicious and I would go there again hands down. Lots of options for brekky as well as options for takeaway desserts and refrigerated salads and sandwiches. 4/5 due to timing. Took about 40min, I just wish we were notified it would take that long just for anticipation of our hungry bellies. Would 100% go again 🙌

Great for lunch will go again.Busy but didnt have to wait.Had the Spanish omeltte, actually not a true Spanish omeltte, as had no potatoe but still tasted good. My wife had the vegetable pastry good too. Bothe meals a decent size and price wise average.

I enjoyed my breakfast experience there.It seemed to be a popular place as I entered they had a few tables available.You have a choice of sitting on stoolsStandard chair and tables or soft chairs .Washroom 🚻 facilities.A sign indicating asking to be patient as staff limited from the covid epidemic.The cabinet food just looked delicious and fresh 🥙 🥧 good options to choose from.I ordered the scrambled eggs and tasted delicious 😋 also a nice healthy drink green goodness which was great .Service and staff was wonderfulMost definitely coming back again.

Very popular cafe location close to the waterfront. Plenty of options on their menu + everything in the cabinet!Coffee was good and food we ordered, would recommend!

What brilliant, efficient and helpful staff. Their happy, positive relationship with each other flows onto their customers. We visited for breakfast and lunch. Excellent Covid procedures. Flowing movements to food and reception area. Fantastic food options, pleasant conversations on options and quick, responsive meal delivery. Very happy to go again. Tables cleared efficiently as itvwas so BUSY :-Seemed like no Covid in a Covid pandemic.

Nice cafe.Lots of seating and lots of choice.Parking is 60mins outside and can be busy so just check before leaving your vehicle.

French toast was very dry. I asked a waiter nicely if thats how its done at the cafe, he said no, apologised, and took it away. After about 20 minutes later, another dry french toast was presented. Might as well have omelette on toast. Friendly waitress and coffee was average. Griddle Cake was okay.

Loved this Taupo lakeside cafe for great variety of teas and food. Fresh and interesting. Good prices, friendly staff and very well presented. Would go again.

So good!Although it was packed with people for New Years, we were told it would take a half hour wait. No problem with that. Our food and drinks were out in 15 mins. Customer service = amazing.Edit: We came back 3 times in the days we were staying in Taupo and ordered the Beef Quesadilla twice, the Turkish Roll once, and my last day there I ordered the Vegetarian Wrap.

We googled and were recommended to this cafe, but felt a bit disappointed for our first experience there. We ordered Big breakfast and Bacon Corn Fritters, which should be easy dishes to prepare. However, we waited for over one hour, and Big breakfast was not warm already. The Corn Fritter was not bad though, but we dont think it should take an hour to prepare as its premade in the cabinet.The Cafes got heaps of food to choose from, but the long wait did affect our mood of the day...

Ordered eggs benny and added extras breakfast sausage and potatoe rosti - it was delicious! Amazing! Good quality food... one of the best eggs benny ive had... will be going back there when in Taupo :)

This café is sooo cheap and the food is absolutely delicious! I had eggs on toast with mushroom on the side and the portion of mushroom was so generous, neatly presented and cooked in the most juicy delicious gravy ever! We got 2 meals, 2 sides, and 2 hot drinks for $37! Really happy. Wish this place was in Auckland.

Delicious breakfast, super speedy and very yummy and fluffy coffee, especially since they were full and we thought we would have to wait for ages. Great service, the cabinet food looks amazing also .

One of the best breakfast/brunch go to places in Taupo that we had breakfast two days in a row with my family. Works breakfast with ciabata is my favorite.

During the holidays and weekends, this place is always packed. Though I can see why because the food and price is decent. Service was not bad. Had the steaming mussels thinking it will be temperature hot, but it was just luke warm hence the 4 stars. The flavours and portions were great, just wished the dish was hot.

Lovely place and food here. Different from any other restaurants around. Baku is a capital of Azerbaijan and the owners must be bringing some great flair to its food and presentation. If you are from a former Soviet republic and nostalgic for a minute, try Reuben sandwich 😄

Picked this Cafe because of a lot of positive comments about their coffee. Mine wasnt bad but not that exceptional either, I would try some other rosters next time I come into Taupō. Apart from me being picky on the coffee, the food was really good and all the staffs I met and served me were very friendly and nice :)

My daughter n law and I have been testing out the BLTs at Taupo’s cafes and rating them. Mine with gf bread.. toasted.Unfortunately today at Cafe Baku I was told they couldn’t make one so I had a salad with the falafel ( asked for hot but were mostly coldmy DNL had the steak sandwich which looked amazing.I was then given a takeaway BLT by the ever amazing manager Jo who always is out to please and make your experience satisfying.Exactly what a manager is there for.Thanks Jo . We will be back to try again. In the mean time I have dinner sorted tonight ☺️

Beautiful food! However very bad experience! There was a crawling friend on my Griddle cake. Been returned to the kitchen, waitress brought it out under 30 seconds. We have no idea where the bug has explored around to, so we ask for a re-make. The food is delicious, but the waitress basically dump the food and cutlery on the table. Very disappointed to experience this service at such a well-known eatery.

Exceptional service & the food goes above & beyond expectations. I ordered a cheese, bacon & tomato on toast with a regular flat white for $8.50.The torture came with aioli & a small side salad. Very impressed! Food was lovely & arrived hot, coffee was great

Best cafe in Taupo!There are a lot of delicious looking ready-to-eat treats as well as a large menu of brekkie and lunch options. We enjoyed the ham + asparagus vol-au-vent and bacon scroll —with nice side salad each, flat white, banana milkshake and a mighty fine almond croissant.Ample indoor seating, a few tables outside (but might have more after construction finishes), and a clean loo. Other highlights include fast service, friendly staff and of course delicious food!Will definitely be back to try more, might be our favorite cafe in all of NZ!

I didnt have much time to grab anything from main menu. Just wanted to grab something quick. I was attracted towards their cabinet food more and so happy to see that they had so many vegetarian options for a vegetarian like me. Exactly i knew, I have to get something from here. So I tried the vege scroll. Even though it was busy, I got my food within 5 minutes. Great service. Also the scroll had a really good combination of vegetables in it. Did go really well with each other. But somewhere I felt, there could be some more flavours added to the mixture to make it taste more nicer. It was bit bland. Not too much though. Just a suggestion. Overall, I enjoyed it. Worth the value for money. I will definitely come back to give another try 😊

Perfect cafe for a stop over in lovely Taupo. Excellent range of food, coffee & beveridges. Our lunch meals were delicious. The childrens meals were generous and tasty served nicely in small buckets. Quick service. Clean restrooms. Indoor or outdoor seating. Non smoking cafe. Yah. Million dollar view the day we were there. We will certainly be back here.

This is a lovely cafe to visit, absolutely love the decor. The staff are friendly and very welcoming. The menu is on the moderate price range but that is reflected in the food as it is tremendously flavoursome and portion size just perfect. Our group ordered salmon, mac and cheese, salad and I ordered a turkish style sausage roll which came with a bit of salad. I would highly reccomend Cafe Baku to anyone visiting Taupo. The coffee was also at a good standard.

This is just beside one of the most creative and unique Mac Donald’s. this is one of a kind. The food here was great. I really really loved the Amazing Stout Pie. It’s to die for. Phenomenal!Will definitely recommend this place for a quick bite. Place is always crowded due to its location. Great views of the sea and the amazing #taupo

Beautiful spot with a view of the waterfront. Lots of seating inside and outside. Friendly service, plenty of prepared food options to choose from, or you can order from the menu like I did. Food and beverages were prefect. If youre in Taupo by the water, this is a good spot to stop in for a coffee or food.

I had an awesome breakfast with my partner here. Variety of menu items, friendly to all people who are vegetarian or gluten free. The ambiance and staff members are nice, just made my 2019 year. You gotta try Baku toast, it was sooooo tasty.