Reviews of Foundation Cafe. (Coffee Shop) in Christchurch (Canterbury).

Foundation Cafe

710 Reviews

229 Comments

Coffee shop

Cafe

The Cateringbelle t/a "Foundation 60 Cathedral Square, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand

View all the reviews

Description Map Open Hours Reviews Contact Photos

Description

Information of Foundation Cafe, Coffee shop in Christchurch (Canterbury)

Here you can see the location, open hours, popular times, contact, photos and real reviews done by the users.

This place has good reviews, this means that they treat their customers well and you’ll feel great with their services, recommended 100%!

Map

Open hours of Foundation Cafe

Monday

7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Tuesday

7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Wednesday

7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Thursday

7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Friday

7 a.m.–4 p.m.

Saturday

8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Sunday

8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.

Popular times

Monday

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Tuesday

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Wednesday

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Thursday

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Friday

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Saturday

8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Sunday

8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15

Reviews of Foundation Cafe

R. S.

Fantastic cafe! Great service. I had the best open steak sandwich of my life here I reckon.

J. R.

Great scone, one of the top chch scones. Uo there with the birdwood and the current Champs south town club. Also some cool menu options. Loaded scone for one. Scone with bacon and eggs, lovely. Great iced americano, can not fault the coffee. I've enjoyed everything I've had so far and the staff are all, without exception, lovely.

L. D.

Had the mushrooms on toast and their plum and cinnamon smoothie. Delicious and well presented food served by inviting and friendly staff in a beautiful and humming setting, what more could you ask for?

D. M.

Reliably good eggs and good coffee. Staff are fun and contribute to the vibe. Next time I’ll ask for my eggs without green waste though 😜

A. T.

Nice bar, right there when you want to have a bite of something and you are at the library. The bar is very nice looking and the staff is very nice and welcoming. Food is fine for local standard which promote a good look over the taste. Overall it's a nice bar and I like it. Recommend

B. O.

Great food and coffee plus some of the friendliest staff in the city, particularly the bubbly girl who works the tills. Never have a problem getting a table either. Highly recommend!

J. S.

Food is great quality and fresh. Service was super friendly, but just a tad too friendly. I wanted to hang with my friend not have to do so much regular small talk, friendly though it was.

A nice cafe on the bottom level of the Christchurch library. Serves a diverse range of people. Good coffee and a nice environment. Its well staffed and does quite a good job clearing tables and serving customers when its busy.

L. L.

Beautiful new library building and this is a well fitted cafe to it. Place is a little too busy so really can't afford to have a super friendly atmosphere that I would usually expect from a cafe. If you want somewhere quieter experience, go upstairs. Buzzing with people lining up, going in and out with all the takeaways and sit ins, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the music. Nice Sonos system playing music for the people with a quality that really felt like a live music, I actually turned around to see if anyone was playing. This is part of the whole experience that builds up to be great.

E. N.

Seriously, come try this place out. The menu is exquisite and the culinary level here is outstanding. The coffee as well. And the staff make coming here often a real pleasure as they love interacting and are just warm-hearted, sincerely nice people. An added bonus is you can read any Turanga book or magazine here as you sip on coffee or tea. Love this cafe!

A. R.

Very friendly service and really nice food. Really pleased we just stumbled across this place while out for a walk. They have quite a few vegan and gluten free options and will make something to your request. Non-vegans should try a cheese scone. This place is recommended.

C. M.

Tasty almond croissants, coffee was OK, but seemed a little off. Might just have been soy or something.

P. A.

Might be very busy during the lunch time, try sometime after maybe. I was editing my work around this time. The ambience is just perfect: not too busy not too quiet. Oh, thanks for playing Jack Johnson's by the way.

S. R.

Open clean space cafe in the central city library. Grab a book and have a read with a coffee!

T. P.

The perfect start to the day. The breakfast plate - poached egg on sourdough toast with onion jam, mini granola and fresh fruits. Why don't more places do this. Yummy.

b. s.

I knew this place was quite new, so I was prepared to cut them some slack. But I didnt need to. The coffee was really good. And for breakfast I had an eggs bene with bacon. This was really really good! Everything was cooked well, nice zesty hollandaise sauce and a nice little salsa on the side which I wouldn't normally be keen on for breakfast... but it worked!

s. s.

Very busy cafe located on the ground floor of the library. It offers cabinet food, lunch menu, wine and non alcoholic drinks. Order and pay at the counter, table service available. Pram and wheelchair access available. Toilet located at the rear of the cafe. Window seats available.

K. Y.

Cafe located at this beautiful public library, the space is very relax and comfortable, the smoothies was nice, but the lemon curd donut is a bit let down. Extra star is for it locating in the library 📚

K. S.

Always pretty busy and good selection of food and coffee is always good. One downside is it seems to be quite noisy so I find it hard to hear some conversations. Think it may be the style of the cafe but generally a good visit.

Good coffee,,,coustomer recognition,,fresh yummy food ,,good local fare,,reasonable prices,,,happy friendly service,,in the heart of the garden city, relaxing atmosphere..😊close to town library and tourist hub.

V. D.

What an amazing service, food, sweets and coffee. If by any chance you are in the library most probably you already tasted their products, if not...... you have to do it. The coffee is really nice and all the other varieties of chai, teas, etc. The sweet are espectacular as well as the savory items from the window display. They serve breakfast, snacks, small plates, you name it , they have it. Very good quality products and amazing customer service. Every Thursday I’m having coffee with the girls there and always has been an enjoyable evening. Can’t miss it

R. Y.

Highly rate this place. Great food. Great service and great hangout spot for family with kids. Surprisingly good coffee too. Really not just your average library cafe!

M. M.

A very nice cafe. Good seating. The food and more importantly the coffee was off a good standard. We also got served pretty quick. Will definitely go back.

M. W.

Great cooked breakfast scrambled eggs

S. K.

A good atmosphere and exceptionally friendly staff, especially the woman who served me. Made up for the lack of smiles (hidden by masks) - thank you!

R. R.

Fantastic place. Oozes welcome and charm. Professional service led by a wonderful woman who is overheard praising her staff for their abilities and reliability. Coffee is perfect and a wide range of delicious healthy food to select at reasonable prices. Am going back every day while on holiday here.

J. E.

We sat outside for lunch after visiting the library. Perfect coffee and you can hear the music from the square. Will be great when the new convention centre opposite is completed! We waited a little while for our lunch and were treated to extra fries and a chocolate brownie for this reason. Totally unexpected and miss three was very happy with extra chocolate! Thanks ❤

J. H.

Perfect coffee and nice atmosphere! Cabinet food was yummy as well :D

P. W.

Had lunch here with friends. Great variety of food. Reasonable prices. People I was with all chose different food and everyone enjoyed it. Good selection of vegetarian and vegan food. Service was good. Didn't take long for food to be delivered to table; important when having lunch.

A great eggs bene with salmon, bacon & mushrooms gave me no cause for complaint. Cool relaxing urban decor & vibe was extremely pleasant.

K. N.

Absolutely in love with the staff’s energy! Really kind and helpful :)

E. (.

Nice breakfast options, friendly staff, and magazines! 📚☕🍰 Plus Cake!

E. G.

Food fresh, healthy and beautifully served. Staff professional and friendly.

D. B.

Nice cafe with delicious food. They also make their own Kombucha in house.

L. M.

Beautiful food! Loved my croissant (I misread the sign offering butter OR cream cheese OR jam, but the lovely staff member let me have all 3 when once I discovered my error 😍), what a treat. Generous serving of hot chips... Very busy around lunch time, queue can get very long, so I'd recommend an early or late lunch if you're not keen on crowds. Nice light environment. Friendly wait staff. Have been three times so far and loved everything we've ordered each time. (No idea about coffee sorry, I don't drink it)

G. G.

We called in for a late lunch on our visit to the city last weekend. A large cafe, with a wide range of food offered. But the highlight was the high energy, super fast and friendly service by the young waitress - a great asset to this business. We had beetroot salad, which needed a bit more dressing just a personal taste thing.

Great service. Yummy food, as usual. Thanks.

V. M.

Just wow. What a find. So many fabulous #glutenfree options to choose from. Fabulous salad and lemon cake. Such a great space too.

K. J.

Second or third time here - always a great feed and drinks

J. R.

Amazing Service, the manager was more than super helpful. We had an amazing time with awesome food and excellent hospitality. 100/100 Stars

R. M.

Very good selection of cabenat food that caters for most tastes. Good cooked meal options and find. Busy but cozy atmosphere. Library nextdoor and plenty of activities to keep the family entertained. Central location is walking distance to the shopping areas and places of interest.

Enjoyed the break away from everything having a lovely meal and drink.

Friendly, enjoyed the scones and the coffee. Relaxed

H. M.

Best scones in Chch! Awesome food, fantastic coffee and lovely staff

B. H.

Really love this place. Great food- lots of tasty dishes and a well varied menu. I appreciate the veggie options. Nice atmosphere. Friendly staff. Strong WiFi. Great central location in the ground floor of Turanga. Highly recommend.

J. R.

Nice place ...I did find this tasty treat...

M. U.

Loved it here! Books, hot cuppa, delicious food, what more could you ask for!! Staff are super friendly and professional.

A. S.

Wow! Another example of a great library cafe. Lovely aspect, warm and sunny, great tasty food incl vegetarian.

Food was good coffee good staff were nice.

K. B.

Actually stumbled upon this cafe. What a great find. Good coffee, we ordered the big breakfast and shared it between 2 people it was very generous size. I didnt have a cake but they looked freshly baked and delicious. It must be popular with locals and there were people coming in all the time.

D. H.

Great food coffee and service. Value for money as well and you can get a park near by. Get yourself there early is best. Cheers.

s. s.

All the other cafés had closed for the day so we didn't have any other options but to try here. The service was warm and friendly. The coffee was OK. Not bad but not great just average. The location is great and it is nice to sit and people watch. They had a good selection of food left but we didn't try any so can't comment on that. I am in no hurry to go back as I think there are better options.

Love this new cafe. Great selection of very interesting cabinet food and amazing menu selection. Service is super friendly and efficient, a rare experience these days . I now have a new favourite place to go . Thanks

Ok for a coffee stop. Check on the big build out the window it's called a convention centre bet the foundation cafe gets crazy busy then

A. S.

Best Peach n Cream cheese muffin in town. Super friendly staff especially 'the blonde's lol. Highly recommend

M. R.

Very nice place. Great food and reasonable prices. The place is awesome e very comfortable. The crew is very nice and the waitress called Beth is the best one!!! Extremely friendly and very attention to the clients. The food (mainly sandwich) are very tasteful. And the library beside the Cafe is wonderful place.

r. h.

Great place for breakfast. 12 of us dined there for 4 days.wonderful service and well priced. An easy walk from the heritage hotel

M. M.

I’m a well travelled chef and seems I’ve stumbled upon a brilliant breakfast chef. The big breakfast was the best I’ve ever had. She cooked the ingredients perfectly, everything was beautifully seasoned and oh my gosh the lime hollandaise is spectacular, nice little twist instead of lemon and vibrant in the morning. Well done. If I could I’d steal the chef for my own cafe lol

C. B.

Great Cafe at the library. Quick service considering how popular this place is. Good choice of food. Pot of tea was excellent.

S. T.

Healthy food options but some nice sweets too. Generous tea supply for many cups. Nice environs within the library and the cathedral just over the square

s. c.

Lovely atmosphere with a greats election of savoury and sweet foods. Great green tea

L. M.

Very average. Wrong order was given to us but was corrected, coffee was barely like warm & found that the table we sat at was too close to the area where the customers line up, leaving us with people's backsides well within our comfort zone.

12 Nurses having a reunion enjoyed a great lunch on Sunday. Excellent food and superb service! Special thanks to Susan, SJ and Mary who couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly!!

I. B.

Whilst Christchurch is cafe rich right now, this place makes the library an even greater attraction than its multi-million attraction. The selection of teas, coffees & cold drinks (including alcohol) is certainly fine, however, the choice of cabinet & menu food raise the bar at this establishment. The variety of cakes & scones makes your decision so hard because they look tasty & deliver likewise. We were last here until 8:30 pm, long after the library itself closed, the staff are all very pleasant & accommodating.

Nice place to meet friends at the cafe or go to the Library.

J. E.

Woking around no gas this morning....doing a geeat job. Building problems mean no gas but the staff are finding good options to full in some of the blanks caused by this orobkem.

D. K. M.

This opens early compared to all other places. This is located at ground floor of Christchurch library building. The indoor seating space is quite large. Not many vegetarian options. But coffee is good. Mostly the cafe sort food options available.

D. O.

Great eating options! We had to visit two days in a row to sample the options

K. C.

Tried their famous cheese scones and they did not disappoint in taste or $$. Great service and nice location to sit and get some work done too. Excellent customer service.

J. S.

Nice busy little cafe, beautiful food, heaps of options, lots of vegan options too. Great, fast, smiley service. Great place to grab lunch and catch up on the latest magazine/journal/newspaper.

D. C.

Awesome cafe producing the finest food at a moderate price awesome staff always smile and very helpful and knowledgeable about food. A well designed cafe apart from a small kitchen for the staff use plenty of food in the display cabinets and very relaxing atmosphere lite and airy built in with the library rating 10/10 . A well designed library heaps of space and plenty of quiet area for either relaxing or studying. The cafe always busy during the day ,the cafe/library is well suited in the Christchurch central area within walking distance to everything shops and colombo street in all directions. Library design 10/10 .well done to the Christchurch city council .

R. K.

Kids loved this library while we stayed in Chch. Lots to see and play here. Lego station has got volunteers looking after and guiding the little inventors all along. Parents can grab a book to enjoy their own time. Will definitely come back.

T. M.

Nice coffee but meals a little small and not a large menu for breakfast.

R. T.

Went for dinner. Had the fish of the day. Pan fried with lemon butter crispy potatoes and a green salad. Really nice and plenty of fish. Excellent experience.

W. B.

Very busy, so I was expecting a huge wait. I was pleasantly surprised to receive our coffees and food within a few minutes, it was fantastic coffee and great food. Top marks!

A. B.

Fabulous atmosphere, such characters working there! Great music, food and a good selection of beers!

j. r.

Went in this morning for a coffee and a cheese scone. Both were lovely. The coffee was one of the best ive had in a while. Would definitely recommend.

P. R.

As always good service Did not order food but when I have that is always good too.

K. F.

Absolutely delightful cafe, great staff provided exceptionally friendly service. Lovely atmosphere for quiet work or a catch up 😊

C. C.

G. B.

Great food, atmosphere and experience. Also fantastic being in the heart of Tūranga too.

C. H.

The staff were super friendly with great service and the food was delicious too. Would recommend

J. P.

12 Nurses having a reunion enjoyed a great lunch on Sunday. Excellent food and superb service! Special thanks to Susan, SJ and Mary who couldn’t have been more helpful and friendly!!

Great variety for GF and vegetarian as well as yummy sweets

Great coffee

Whilst Christchurch is cafe rich right now, this place makes the library an even greater attraction than its multi-million attraction. …

Great place but a shame not open till 8pm anymore. Was great to go there after work and get a great feed. Shame.

Delicious food, lovely staff

E. W.

Great food, service was solid. Also very cool to have a full service restaurant inside your local library

L. L.

I like the lemon doughnut!! And the environment is lovely.

J. M.

Great coffee, and savoury loaf. Enjoyable spot for lunch. Friendly and helpful service. Highly recommend!

The food was good but expensive. There was a lack of normal tables on a Wednesday lunchtime.

I was at the Cafe during the lunch time when it was busy. The waiter was very helpful on two separate occasions.

M. F.

Lovely cafe. Peaceful, reasonably priced and very comfortable. I'm not one for going to cafe's but I really liked this one.

Awesome service with a welcoming smile

D. B.

Best breakfast I've had in all of NZ. Massive portions, amazing bacon, and friendly staff. Thanks!

G. G.

Very nice food and friendly staff blue berry pan cakes and bacon for breakfast yummy

P. B.

Great space, but where are all the books?! I like the café, and the light-filled atrium with its scary stairs is glorious, but the effect is of a university quad without the centre of learning.

Excellent staff and good food!

P. A.

Love the place... Really yummy cabinet food and amazing pot of teas. Definitely dropping in with mum again 🙂

Pleasant venue with plenty of choice on breakfast menu. Good coffee.

Great food, atmosphere and experience. Also fantastic being in the heart of Tūranga too.

K. T.

Delicious food. Lots of variety. Attentive, friendly service and a great drinks list (alcoholic and non).

Incredible food and fantastic coffee. Best scones in the world!

They use Otis Oat Milk and make delicious coffee!

Awesome cafe lovely staff and delicious fried chicken!!!!!

F. L.

Cake Slices were nice. hot chocolate drink certainly was not HOT.

Vibrant and buzzy, a great place to hole up with a magazine from Tūranga. Really friendly staff, and a large selection of cabinet food

Nice vibe, clean and fast friendly service

Great variety for GF and vegetarian as well as yummy sweets

Awesome cafe n people who work there. Awesome food n service

Great food always and service is primo!!

E. P.

Loved the cauliflower salad and he enjoyed the bacon and egg pie Good coffee.

Beautiful food, wonderful service, will definitely be back!

Love it, good family food and hangout.

K. P.

On a pension found it a bit expensive for me nice food

One of my favorite places. They also have a small stand at the 2nd level.

Not the best donut I’ve had but it is the bay donut I’ve had in New Zealand. $5.50 for a berry and cream filled donut.

J. C.

Beautiful large windows to watch life go by while sipping a coffee. Lovely food also

K. W.

Really good breakfast. There was 5 of us. Everyone enjoyed the food

Perfect by the library, nice desserts and coffee. Quite expensive but it is worth it.

Great place For a bite after your library visit Fabulous menu with seasonal selections to peruse 👍🏻📚

A. M.

Good food, reasonable price, superb staff and a wonderful atmosphere.

D. B.

Best cheese scone I have ever had

Best cafe in Christchurch by a long shot!! And I have been to many

Delicious food, friendly staff, lovely atmosphere

A great restaurant in a brilliant complex. One reason I'm happy to pay rates for our library

A. B.

Music too load (probably annoying because late afternoon, so not busy)

lovely food and atmosphere children very well entertained upstairs

F. R.

Best cheese scones in chch!

C. T.

Fantastic service!!! Wonderfully friendly staff, and good coffee!! 😊

Great coffee but they charge 1$ for almond milk, it’s a bit ridiculous 🙄

Great selection of all day breakfast.

S. H.

Great food and service. Best scrambled eggs in Christchurch!

M. G.

OK, not the best experience nor the best coffee

M. B.

Good food and service in Central city. Ideal to explore library

Great place to have a coffee and a snack while spending time in our wonderful new library

Quicky little cafe in the library nice food and friendly staff

Great local cafe to meet work colleagues for a coffee.

Really friendly staff, good food, nice location

This place is excellent. Most look up again!

Good food nice busy cafe

Just visited for takeaway long black which was very good so happy

Scrumptious food and very friendly staff

Cafe inside Christchurch Tauraga Library having a delicious hot chocolate.

Friendly chef, waiter and librarian!

Expensive meal but nice staff

Great bagel and eggs. Fast and friendly service.

the food was delicious and the staff were very helpful

Best cheese scones in Canterbury.

V. W.

Amazing food and service! You need to check this place out 😁

I had lunch here with a perfect Cheeseburger! Loved it!

Great food and coffee friendly service

Very delicious cake and coffee!

Lovely coffee, lovely service, lovely people.

Great breakfast excellent service

Lovely staff, great coffee and snacks

Good service, nice food and coffee

Great coffee

Great range of food and drinks

J. C.

Only had a coffee. Long Black was okay.

Very friendly people, good affordable food

Best Cheese Scones in town!

Raw vegan bounty bars to die for!

Food. Very good. And tasty

Best cheese scones in ChCh

Great for a quick bite, friendly staff

Some of the best cheese scones in Canterbury

Always fantastic!

Nice atmosphere, lovely staff, good was good.

High quality food, service and coffee!

Great chips. Great coffee!

H. I.

Very nice environment and great coffee

Great eggs bene, great avo smash

Great coffee! Delicious French toast!

Lovely atmosphere and good coffee!

Excellent food excellent friendly service

So friendly staffs n good service quality .....

C. Z.

Delicious pastries and the hot chocolate was like Heaven.

E. P.

Best cheese scone in the city. 😋😋😋😋😋

Very tasty and good friendly service

Best cheese scones ever.

Good coffee. Great scones

D. W.

Great eggs benedict. Simple, not overly complicated.

Great spot in the square, attached to the library.

Mocha not hot enough

Great pie

great place to meet and work and eat

Great location, helpful and friendly service.

Good coffee. Good food.

Nice Cafe with good food

Best magazine collection in the southern hemisphere

5 star good service

Great place to have a meeting

Food was amazing

Was really nice awee bit costly

a. k.

Good food good coffee

Well worth a look

Good busy place to go

Great friendly service

Beautiful cheese scone

Good Feed Good coffee

Bit noisy.

Very nice.

Proper iced chocolate

Good

Cold

(Translated) Super nice servers. And good little sandwiches, burgers etc to eat quickly at noon. (Original) Serveurs super sympa. Et des bons petits sandwichs, burgers etc pour manger vite fait un midi.

(Translated) The cafe is okay. The coffee is neat. Maybe I just had bad luck with the sandwiches. (Original) Das Café ist okay. Der Kaffee ist ordentlich. Bei den Sandwiches hatte ich vielleicht einfach Pech.