Ciabatta Café and Bakery

As the day wakes up in Rotorua, early-morning workers make their way into Ciabatta Café and Bakery to treat themselves to a coffee and a pastry before hitting the office or building site for the day. One of those places that is deceivingly large, Ciabatta Bakery has plenty of room for big tables of visitors, or little nooks if you feel like dining alone. The tables cleverly made from the map of New Zealand are sure to quickly split the Southerners from the Northerners - take your pick at sitting next to Bay of Plenty in one room, or Banks Peninsula in the other. Owners Alex and Sue say the shared tables were a way to create a sense of community in the space - have a seat beside someone new and see how easy it is to start a conversation over a coffee and a cronut.

A wall plastered with notes from fans of all ages makes an impressive statement, coz you know you’re in popular territory when the accolades are literally writing on the wall. Ciabatta Bakery is the kind of place where the food is so good that hardly any marketing was needed. Word spread and now the bakery and café has regular customers from all around New Zealand and even some from Sydney (who make sure to pop in whenever they’re in town).

At the heart of all bakeries is the food of course, and Ciabatta Café and Bakery is no different. Come early enough and you’ll be privy to the glorious sight of fresh pastries being wheeled out of the kitchen and into the display cabinet. Choose from an array of cronuts, filled tarts, croissants, turnovers and streusels, or if it’s a savoury lunch you’re after the Swiss-inspired filled ciabatta sandwiches should do the trick.