In my experience, most cafes will have high chairs and at least a box of toys + books for little ones to use - which is great! Sometimes though it’s nice to have a dedicated space for the kiddies so you can enjoy a hot drink (while it’s still hot) and keep an eye on them from a distance. Hamilton has some awesome options. I have listed my top 10 recommendations below:
You can pick your own fresh berries in summer and play on the fun playground with life sized wooden aeroplanes, helicopters and more. I can confirm the food + real fruit ice creams are delicious too.
I visited Agora Cafe a lot when my daughter was just starting to toddle around. It has a great space for kids with plenty of toys and things keep them busy. In my experience this cafe is very family friendly and no-one seems bothered by little ones enjoying themselves (being a little noisy). All proceeds from Agora Cafe go straight back into the community too!
I mean, look at this playground. Built right next to a farm, you can sometimes pat and feed the pigs, sheep + lambs! Also, hands down the best date scones in all the land.
While this cafe doesn't necessarily have a dedicated space for kids, it is conveniently located next to the Perry Bike Park. Open all year round and free of charge, the bike park at Horotiu has areas for under-fives, school-age and advanced riders - including a road safety area, circuit pump track and a junior mountain bike trail. It's nice and open and easy to keep an eye on the littlies from the cafe.
The Jukebox Diner Hamilton is a 1950s themed diner located at the Classic Car Museum. It serves a standard kids menu (milkshakes, waffles, hot dogs + fries etc) and has a fenced area for the kids to play. Lots of colour and things to look at on the walls too.
A cafe and function venue, there is plenty of outdoor space for the kiddies to run around. I would have been all over that pirate ship when I was a kid.
Stunning cafe, delicious food + a fun little play room filled with classic books and NZ toys. Get the lamington, trust me.
Really spacious seating perfect for wriggly kids that like to sit down, stand up, walk around, pull their chair in and out... you get me, right? This cafe is also attached to a stunning plant shop that houses large fish tanks to look at - great for exploring after your meal.
Located next to the Hamilton Lake Domain, park yourself at an outdoor table with a hot drink and send the kids off to the playground (age depending of course).
While The Sugar Bowl doesn't have a specific area for kids, I just had to include them because they serve the BEST fluffies. I'm talking Tiny Teddies, marshmallows, sprinkles - the works!
Did I miss anywhere? Let me know which cafe is your kiddies favourite in the comments below.
Tania of LMB
*the images in this post were sourced directly from the cafe websites or Tripadvisor HERE.
Jam in Queenwood is pretty good – a little play area, an outside sandpit on a nice day, convenient parking right outside and delicious scones
Alice on