Esk Street, Invercargill

Come in out of the southerly.

Breakfast, lunch and a proper flat white, with a cabinet baked fresh every morning and Southland cheese rolls toasted to order.

See the menu

Tue to Fri: 7am to 3pm
Saturday: 8am to 3pm
Sunday: 8:30am to 2pm
Monday: Closed

A sunny window table with two iced coffees, a cane chair and a green-tiled wall

A flat white with a heart of latte art, seen from above on a dark timber table

Still, grey-green water meeting a sandy, pebbly shore under a heavy sky — Grey-green water and big southern skies: the colours we built the café around.

Our story

Named for the tide at the bottom of town

Twice a day the tide fills the New River Estuary, right up to the edge of the city. We liked the idea of a café with the same steady rhythm.

Doors open at seven. The coffee's on, the cheese rolls are coming out of the oven, and the regulars are already in their usual seats with the paper. Tidewater is a neighbourhood café in the middle of Invercargill: we bake the cabinet ourselves, cook breakfast and lunch from scratch, and pour a house blend roasted in small batches here in the South.

Come in out of the weather, bring the kids and the dog (there's a water bowl at the outside tables), and stay as long as you like.

Ovens on, every morning: 5am
Seats inside, plus 8 out front: 40
A cheese roll, or 3 for $11: $4

What we're known for

Four good reasons to come in

Espresso dripping from a steel portafilter into a yellow cup

01 The coffee

A proper flat white, every time

Our house blend is roasted for us in small batches here in the South: chocolatey, a little nutty, and made to sing through milk. Every shot is a double, the milk is steamed to drinking temperature, and if it isn't right, we'll make it again.

Oat, soy, almond and lactose-free milk are always on hand, and there's a pot of batch brew on the go all day for the filter crowd.

Flat white$5.50
Long black$5.00
Batch brew, with refills$5.00
Fluffy for the kids$2.50

See all the drinks

$4each, or
3 for $11

02 The local favourite

Southland cheese rolls

Also known as Southland sushi.

If you're not from round here: a cheese roll is a slice of white bread spread with a cheesy, oniony sauce, rolled up, toasted until the edges crunch and finished with a lick of butter. Generations of school fundraisers, ski trips and church fairs have run on them.

Ours are rolled by hand every morning from our own cheese sauce and toasted to order. Take a frozen dozen home for the freezer: they travel well, if they make it out of Southland.

One cheese roll, toasted$4.00
Three cheese rolls$11.00
Frozen dozen to take home$40.00

Sugared pastries, iced buns and a crumb-topped cake laid out on the counter

03 The cabinet

Baked here, every morning

The ovens go on at five. By seven the cabinet's full: date scones, ginger crunch, custard squares, mince and cheese pies, sausage rolls and a quiche or two. When it's gone, it's gone, so early birds get the custard squares.

What's in the cabinet

Gluten free
Vegetarian
Vegan
Dairy free

04 Something for everyone

Gluten free, vegan and dairy free, done properly

Every dish on our menu is clearly marked, and you can filter the menu to see just what you can eat. Gluten-free bread gets its own toaster, and there's always a vegan brownie and a gluten-free cake in the cabinet.

Filter the menu

A look around

Inside Tidewater

Morning sun through tall windows onto timber tables, with strings of sea-green glass hanging by an old brick wall — Old brick, big windows, morning sun

Milk being poured into a white cup of coffee, finishing a feathered latte art pattern — Every shot is a double

Smashed avocado and a poached egg dusted with paprika on grilled sourdough — Smashed avo, $22

Three golden pies in foil trays on a dark background — Mince and cheese, the only pie that matters

Scones on a blue stoneware plate, one topped with jam and whipped cream — Scones, still warm at ten

Flax leaves glowing in late sun above a rocky stretch of coast — Coffee first, then the coast road

Kind words

What the regulars say

Best cheese rolls in town, and I've done the research. Crunchy edges, plenty of butter, and they'll pack a frozen dozen for the drive north.

Hine, InvercargillSample review

We came in soaked from Oreti Beach with two kids and a wet dog. The dog got a water bowl, the kids got fluffies, and we got the best flat whites of the whole trip.

Mark, DunedinSample review

The gluten-free options are properly good, not an afterthought. Orange and almond cake every Saturday, and they always ask about the toaster before I have to.

Priya, GoreSample review

Find us

On Esk Street, in the middle of town

We're in central Invercargill, a block up from Tay Street and just along from the Kelvin Street corner. Look for the sea-green door and the dog bowl on the footpath.

Tidewater Café
Esk Street, Invercargill

03 218 3249

Opening hours

Opening hours
Tuesday to Friday	7am to 3pm
Saturday	8am to 3pm
Sunday	8:30am to 2pm
Monday	Closed

Parking and directions

Esk Street, a block north of Tay Street. Street parking out front, and a big car park two minutes away.

A table spread for a crowd: waffles with berries, fried eggs on toast, coffee and orange juice

Functions and catering

Feeding a crowd?

From a morning tea for the office to Dad's eightieth in the back room, we'll look after the food so you can look after your guests.

Morning tea plattersfrom $12 a head
The back room, seats 30from $250
The whole café, eveningsfrom $600

Plan your function