Zenders Café and Venue is a family-built Waikato gathering place inspired by Dutch heritage. Opened in 2018, its characterful Newstead building recreates family farmhouse plans from the Netherlands, turning the story behind the architecture into part of the visit. The cafe serves brunch and lunch every day, while private dinners, weddings, celebrations and business functions use the wider venue by arrangement. Extensive car and bus parking makes those larger occasions straightforward to organise.
The cafe classics cover both light starts and substantial daytime meals. Eggs Benedict sits on potato rosti, the big breakfast adds bratwurst, bacon, mushrooms and hash sticks, and French toast combines banana, bacon, berry coulis and mascarpone. A vegetable rosti stack and smashed avocado broaden the plant-based options. Later choices include steak sandwiches, three burger styles, salmon with potato gratin and hollandaise, and pumpkin ravioli in a saffron sauce.
Dutch favourites give Zenders its clearest individual identity. Sweet or savoury Dutch pancakes come with bacon and poached apple or a creamy mushroom filling. Kroketten can be beef, chicken or vegetable, while boerenkool pairs kale-and-potato mash with smoked sausage. Frikadellen, nasi goreng and kapsalon loaded fries extend the theme, and a sharing platter assembles croquettes, bitterballen, cheese soufflé, sausages, sauerkraut and kale for two people to compare together.
Dessert continues the Dutch thread through appeltaart, tompouce custard slice, oliebollen and speculaas ice cream, alongside brownie, affogato and a petit-four platter. Coffee is joined by tea, smoothies, milkshakes, beer, cider, wine and alcohol-free choices, while the daily cabinet carries fresh savoury and sweet food for a quicker stop. A children's menu, dietary options and broad venue facilities let the cafe serve casual catch-ups without losing its capacity for formal celebrations.
Address: 44 Hopkins Road, Newstead, Hamilton 3286, New Zealand
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Zenders Cafe and Venue Menu
Dutch Favourites
Bitterballen (6 pieces)
Traditional Dutch meatball appetiser, mustard mayo
Dutch kroketten (Croquettes)
Beef, chicken or vegetable, petit leaf salad, wholemeal bread, mustard mayo
Boerenkoel (Kale and potato mash)
Rookworst (GF smoked sausage), jus
Frikadellen (Dutch hot-dog)
Frikadellen sausage, baguette, gherkin, onions, sauerkraut, cheese, fries
Kapsalon (Loaded fries)
Fries, pulled braised beef, satay, melted cheese, cos lettuce, red onions, fritessaus (Dutch mayo)
Dutch sharing platter (Serves 2)
Kroketten (vege, chicken or beef), bitterballen, kaas souffle, polenta, selection of Dutch sausages, sauerkraut, gherkin, boerenkoel (kale)
Soup of the day
Wholemeal or sourdough bread
Nasi goreng (GF, Ve option)
Indonesian fried rice, courgette, onion, carrot, fried egg
Dutch style pancakes
Streaky bacon, poached apple, applestroop
Creamy mushroom, caramelised onion, spinach, cheese (V)
Half portion
Fish and chips (Pan fried /GF available)
Battered fish, fries, mixed leaf salad, homemade tartare sauce, fresh lemon
Cafe Classics
Eggs your way
Poached, scrambled or fried on wholemeal, ciabatta or sourdough
Zenders eggs bene
Poached eggs, potato rostis, wilted spinach, hollandaise
Zenders big breakfast
Two eggs your way, wholemeal toast, bacon, Bratwurst sausage, mushroom, wilted spinach, hash sticks, tomato relish
French toast
Brioche bread, banana, bacon, berry couli, mascarpone
Vege rosti stack (Ve, GF)
Vege rosti, wilted spinach, mushroom, falafel, avocado salsa, pesto
Smashed avo (V)
Toasted ciabatta, beetroot hummus, cherry tomatoes, feta, dukkha
Open steak sandwich
Beef, garlic butter, caramelised onion, mushrooms, jus, fries
Burger and fries
BEEF: cheese, lettuce, onion, sauerkraut, mayo, beetroot chutney OR: CHICKEN, bacon, cheese, bbq sauce, salad, mayo OR: VEGE burger, beetroot bun, onion rings, salad, mayo, tomato relish
Salmon fillet
Pan seared salmon, seasonal greens, potato gratin, crumbed poached egg, hollandaise
Pumpkin ravioli
Creamy saffron sauce, nuts, rocket leaves, parmesan
Kids Menu
Mini cheese burger, fries, tomato sauce
Chicken nuggets, fries, tomato sauce
Fish and chips
Desserts
Additional sweets and pastries available in our cabinet
Affogato
Espresso, vanilla ice cream, stroopwafel pieces
Sharing platter for two
Selection of petit fours, slices and macarons
Chocolate brownie (Ve/GF friendly)
Home made chocolate brownie
Dutch appletaart
Home made traditional appletaart, cream or yoghurt
Oliebollen
Dutch doughnuts (Subject to availability)
Tompous
Custard square
Speculaas ice cream
Homemade speculaas spice ice cream, stroopwafel pieces
Duck island ice cream
Assortment of flavours available
Sides
Bitterballen, 6 pieces
Small garden salad
Kaas souffle (single)
Kroketten (single)
beef, chicken or vegetable
Small fries, tomato sauce
Kumara fries, mayo
Patatje oorlog (Loaded fries)
Dutch-style loaded fries, fritessaus, satay, red onions
Coffee
Regular 6.00 or Large 6.70
Flat white
Latte
Speculaas latte
Cappuccino
Mocha
White chocolate mocha
Hot chocolate
White hot chocolate
Tea
Earl Grey Special
Jade Green Sencha
Ginger Lemon Kiss
Pure Organic
Peppermint
English Breakfast
Blackcurrant
Lemon
Cold Drinks
Coke
Coke no sugar
Sprite
Bundaberg ginger beer
Lemon lime & bitters
Sparkling water
Vanilla
Wine, Cider and Beer
Pinot gris
Chardonnay
Sauvignon blanc
Pinot Noir
Shiraz/Syrah
Merlot cabernet sauvignon
Rosé
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+ Log your visitHow prices compare
Against typical prices in Hamilton
- Flat white Typical in Hamilton: $5.50 $6.00
- Latte Typical in Hamilton: $5.50 $6.00
- Cappuccino Typical in Hamilton: $5.50 $6.00
- Hot chocolate Typical in Hamilton: $5.75 $6.00
- Mocha Typical in Hamilton: $6.00 $6.00
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