Hester's

With its polished, pink-washed decor and woven cane seating, Hester’s is a café you’d want to take your mother to. Given that it’s in fact named after the co-owner Hamish Watts’ grandmother, that’d be about right. 

This cutie of a café is tucked away under a usually bustling office building in Wynyard, and is serving up casual, light breakfasts and prettily plated-up dishes to linger over later on in the day. Hester’s is the third jewel in Applejack Hospitality’s crown in the Wynyard area, sitting alongside tiny coffee hole-in-the-wall June’s Shoppe, and lavish dinner and bottomless brunch hangout Bopp and Tone. It’s truly a family affair – not only does Hester share a kitchen with Bopp and Tone, as well as a head chef in Sa Va’afusuaga, the café's namesake was married to 'Bopp', who inspired the name of Hester's sister restaurant. 

A sit-down breakfast in the city might not be a common affair, but you might want to take the time here. Try the house-cured salmon in a pretzel roll smeared with dill cream cheese, onion and capers; or butter-roasted mushrooms with buffalo curd and salsa verde on sourdough. Slice into the French toast with coconut crumble and crème fraîche for a decadent morning option, or sit back with a house-baked pastry or two and a coffee from Gabriel’s coffee. 

Lunch plates are still casual yet no less impressive. Options include a seared tuna niçoise salad; or a crisp crumbed snapper with gremolata and your choice of thin, shoestring fries or a salad; or try a plate of king prawns lying prone and doused in garlic and chilli. For a meatier main, opt for char-grilled sirloin steak, or the lamb ragout on pappardelle. As the sun streams onto the outside tables, you might hear the call of a daytime tipple along with lunch – browse the short but sweet by-the-glass wine list for rosé from M&J Becker in the Hunter Valley or Murray Darling prosecco. Otherwise, choose from a selection of sparkling sodas, kombucha and cold-pressed juices.

Stop by Hester’s between 6.30am to 3.30pm on weekdays.