Catalyst is a daytime Dunedin cafe and restaurant with a clear point of view about how food reaches the plate. The Princes Street venue opens for breakfast and lunch throughout the week, close to the Octagon and the city's street-art trail. Dinner is currently paused, so the experience is concentrated around the hours when breakfast, brunch and lunch naturally overlap. That focus gives the room a useful rhythm: an early start for breakfast, a longer meeting over lunch, or a central-city pause built around a deliberately sourced meal.
The sourcing policy is unusually visible. Catalyst works with Dunedin farmers and suppliers, favours ethically farmed ingredients and includes responsibly sourced wild game as part of its approach to conservation. These choices are not presented as a separate worthy add-on; they define the kitchen's identity and the questions it asks before cooking begins. For diners, that means a meal connected to local producers and to the realities of the surrounding region, rather than a generic cafe offering whose ingredients could have come from anywhere.
Waste reduction continues that thinking after service. Food scraps, leftovers, paper napkins and other paper are diverted to a local lifestyle farm for composting, closing part of the loop beyond the dining room. The kitchen also makes breads, craft sauces, cakes and slices from scratch for its take-home shop. This combination is revealing: Catalyst treats sustainability as a system that includes purchasing, preparation, waste and retail food, while still giving customers the immediate pleasure of carrying home something baked or prepared in the restaurant's own kitchen.
Weekends add a more social format through reserved Bubbles & Brunch sittings, pairing a main meal with a managed selection of bubbles, beer and cocktails. Guests at the same table can still choose from the standard menu, which makes the package practical for mixed groups. Catalyst also offers private venue hire for gatherings of up to 100 people, with food and drinks tailored to the event. These options extend the cafe beyond an everyday breakfast stop while preserving the same emphasis on thoughtful food, conviviality and an identifiable Dunedin setting.
Address: 286 Princes Street, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
Moved or closed? Tell us: Moved·Temporarily closed·Permanently closed
Catalyst Dunedin Menu
Day Menu
Eggs on Toast
DF. w/ pasture-raised eggs, poached, scrambled, or fried; served on toasted ciabatta. add chilli oil + 1; on GF potato rosti or GF seed loaf + 3
House-made Granola
GF. w/ seasonal fruit, blackberry compote, blueberry labneh, coconut crunch. served with milk of choice.
Banana Bread
w/ banana brûlée, Bay Rd peanut butter mousse, walnuts, organic maple syrup.
Carrot Cake Waffle
GF. w/ blueberry labneh, blackberry compote, lemon drizzle, organic maple syrup. add bacon + 8
Cooked Breakfast
DF GF. w/ poached pasture-raised eggs, roast mushrooms, fennel sausage, ‘poaka’ streaky bacon, hollandaise; served on a potato rosti.
Green Benedict
DF V. w/ poached pasture-raised eggs, broccolini, roast mushrooms, fresh greens, hollandaise; served on toasted ciabatta. on GF potato rosti or GF seed loaf + 3
Bacon Benedict
DF. w/ poached pasture-raised eggs, ‘poaka’ streaky bacon, fresh greens, hollandaise; served on toasted ciabatta. on GF potato rosti or GF seed loaf + 3
Salmon Benedict
DF. w/ poached pasture-raised eggs, house-smoked ōra king salmon, fresh greens, citrus hollandaise; served on toasted ciabatta. on GF potato rosti or GF seed loaf + 3
Avocado Toast
VG. w/ lemon cashew cream, almond dukkah; served on toasted ciabatta. add grilled Whitestone halloumi + 6; on GF potato rosti or GF seed loaf + 3
Chickpea Smash
VG GFO. w/ chilli smashed chickpea & sweet potato, lemon cashew cream, harissa, cucumber kimchi; served with toasted ciabatta or GF seed loaf.
Moroccan Lamb Salad
GF. w/ seared & spiced lamb loin, cherry tomato, cucumber, salsa verde, garlic yoghurt, pistachio.
Seared Steak Tartine
w/ Silver Fern Farms ribeye, chimichurri, house pickles, herb cream cheese, crispy shallots ; served on toasted focaccia.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
w/ fennel sausage, chilli, garlic, cherry tomato, parmesan.
Sides
Chilli oil
Ciabatta
Pasture-raised egg
Avocado
House-made gluten free seed loaf
Halloumi
Roast mushrooms
Potato rosti
Fennel sausage
‘Poaka’ streaky bacon
House-smoked ōra king salmon
Kids
Egg on toast
DF. Pasture-raised egg poached, scrambled, or fried; served on toasted ciabatta.
Carrot Cake Waffle
DFO GF. w/ blueberry labneh, blackberry compote, lemon drizzle, organic maple syrup.
Bubbles & Brunch
Your choice of a meal and beverages from the list for 90 minutes from the time of your booking. Late arrivals do not incur a late start time. We will serve drinks to your table and doubling up on drinks is not allowed. One drink per time per person. All drinks and plates are included in the set price. Coffee, meal additions, and drinks not listed aren’t included in the set price. 70 pp
Eggs on toast
DF. Pasture-raised eggs poached, scrambled, or fried; served on toasted ciabatta. Add chilli oil + 1; Make GF with seed loaf or potato rosti + 2
Peanut butter & jam toast
Banana bread, whipped Bay Rd peanut butter, berry jam, organic maple syrup and Ocho chocolate.
Waffle
DFO GF. Carrot cake spiced waffle, blueberry labneh, berry compote, lemon drizzle, organic maple syrup and honey-roasted walnuts.
Eggs benedict
Make GF with seed loaf or potato rosti +2
Green
DF V. Poached pasture-raised eggs, broccolini, mustard roasted mushrooms, fresh greens, herb dressing and hollandaise; served on toasted ciabatta.
Bacon
DF. Poached pasture-raised eggs, ‘Poaka’ streaky bacon, fresh greens, hollandaise and bacon jam; served on toasted ciabatta.
Avocado toast
VG. Avocado, lemon cashew cream, fresh greens and almond dukkah; served on toasted ciabatta. Add grilled Whitestone halloumi + 5; Make GF with seed loaf or potato rosti + 2
Chickpea smash
VGO GFO. Chilli smashed chickpea, sweet potato, maple whipped ricotta, cucumber kimchi, fresh greens, and toasted ciabatta.
Moroccan lamb salad
GF DFO. Seared and spiced lamb loin, fresh tomato & cucumber, mint, salsa verde, garlic yoghurt, and pistachio.
Dry champagne
sparkling cava
Peach Bellini
peach syrup, sparkling cava
Aperol Spritz
aperol, sparkling cava, soda
Mimosa
orange juice, sparkling cava
b.effect Wanaka lager 4%
b.effect Daywalker ginger beer 4.2%
Virgin Sunrise
grenadine, orange juice, soda
Curious AF Apero Spritz
Curious AF Grapefruit Margarita
Orange juice
Cola
Coffee
BioGro Organic, Fairtrade & Climate Neutral from ‘Kōkako Organic Coffee Rosters’
Black
White
Mochaccino
Hot chocolate
Kids fluffy
Bottomless single-origin filter
Nitro cold brew (without milk)
Tea
BioGro Organic by ‘Websters Tea’
Earl grey
English breakfast
Sencha
Chai
Kawakawa
Peppermint
Berry
Cold Pressed Juice
GF VG. Pressed in house using fresh ingredients. Takeaway + 1
Orange
Orange, carrot, ginger, turmeric, lemon.
Green
Kale, spinach, cucumber, celery, apple, mint, lemon.
Smoothies
VG
Tropical
GF. Passionfruit, mango, pineapple, coconut milk.
Local
Otis oat milk, Bay Rd peanut butter, Ocho dark chocolate, banana, vanilla. add espresso shot + 2.5
Berry
Mixed berries, Otis Oat milk, banana, flax seed.
Karma Drinks Organic Range
Orange juice
Apple juice
Cola
Cola sugar-free
Lemonade
Lemon, lime and bitters
Kombucha
b.effect earl grey kombucha
b.effect jasmine kombucha
Ārepa
Performance
Calm & clarity
Antipodes Sparkling
Antipodes Sparkling
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+ Log your visitHow prices compare
Against typical prices in Dunedin
- Eggs benedict Typical in Dunedin: $24.00 $29.00
- Hot chocolate Typical in Dunedin: $6.00 $6.20
- Mocha Typical in Dunedin: $6.50 $6.70
- Chai latte Typical in Dunedin: $6.00 $6.00
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