Highlights - Shawty's

Twizel is a small town in the MacKenzie Basin that was built in 1968 as a town to service the local hydro plant. Today it remains a great stopping point for travellers and a staging point for keen astronomers wishing to take advantage of the clear, dry mountain air.

We stopped there on our way through from Tekapo to Queenstown and dropped in to Shawty's, a small cafe in the Twizel Mall.

Like most New Zealand cafes it was licensed - and they are in the process of expanding their bar (a lounge bar known as 'Grappa').

The coffee was superb (or Supreme to be precise!) and the Afghan we bought was just the right balance between dense and crumbly to satisfy. Owner and barista Troy was knowledgeable about the coffee and had a great menu that was amazing given the small size of the town.

I can't think of many small rural towns in Australia where you can waltz in and find a cafe in an open space with a playground for children that also serves top notch coffee and food. In fact I can't think of any at all - a bit sad given the size of our population.










Who: Shawty's
What: Great coffee, food and Grappa (apparently!)
Where: 4 Market Place, Twizel, South Canterbury, New Zealand
Contact: 64 3 4353155
When: 18 September 2009
Accessibility: Very Good
Web: Shawty's