Come And Enjoy A Fairy Tale Experience For All Ages
Delicious Food, Tasty Snacks, Local Wines & Beers
Your taste buds are sure to be satisfied with our range of breakfasts, lunches and tasty treats. Everything is freshly prepared on site using only the finest local ingredients wherever possible.
We have a range of dairy and gluten free options for those who have special dietary requirements.
Fun For Kids Of All Ages With Our Friendly Eels & Adventure Garden
We are a family friendly cafe, and children have enjoyed feeding our eels for almost 3 decades (and our eels love to be fed). We also a have large garden with lots of spaces to explore and activities to enjoy.
This makes it the ideal place when the big people like to relax, while the little ones run off steam!
High tea
An afternoon tea experience that embraces traditional charm and style. Perfect for you to enjoy with your friends and family for any occasion.
The Perfect Place For Children's Parties & Other Events
If you are looking for somewhere to host a party then look no further. We have set ‘party packages’ where we take care of the organization stress for you. We can even manage the cake if you need.
We don’t just cater for little kids, we can provide a venue for big kids too. Just let us know your needs.
Enjoy A Romantic Getaway In Our World Famous Boot
Inspired by the classic nursery rhyme, our Boot B&B offers a whimsical place to get away from it all. The Boot offers total privacy, and a truly unique experience.
Guests also get to enjoy a fresh cooked breakfast from the cafe as part of their stay.
“The baking is amazing, Steve’s garden concoctions a delight, they run school holiday events, a mad “Boot” B&B, the garden is a standout and the tame eels spooky-but-charming.”
– Catherine Smith, NZ Herald.
Join The Birthday Club &
Eat For Free On Your Birthday!
Always a great place to have a meal when you are up that way but make sure you book ahead because it is so popular. Great variety of food and very family friendly.
Carolyn Ford
10:18 20 Jul 19
Fun ace to visit, just a few kilometers from Nelson on the Tasman road halfway to Motueka. Playground fun for the kids, a big show house, a la the Little d Woman Who Lived In Shoe. Story. You can rent the shoe house for a fantasy, is red weekend away. The cafe serves great food from a varied, but not too extensive menu, caters well for kids. (Our grandkids had a ball, running all over the place, chasing Henson, playing on slides and other play equipment, exploring the sculptures, playing games, dressing up, and feeding and stroking the huge eels that came right to the edge of the creek looking for food, which the kids fed them by hand off sticks.) The kid menus are good, the food was well cooked and served a la Carter in the garden or inside the restaurant. There was a pleasant selection of drinks, both alcoholic and otherwise, served by very friendly staff. We chose to eat outdoors in the beautiful Nelson sunshine. Well worth a visit to this magical place.
Keith Douthett
12:12 12 Jul 19
So much love and respect for the wonderful people running this café. They have a love for people and nature. You can't go wrong visiting. They've even inspired me to drop some poetry into this review based on my recent experience with them. "...and the fire of love is ablaze; and when the fire of love is ablaze, it burneth to ashes the harvest of reason."
Zane Melsom
01:09 11 Jun 19
Love this place. Been twice in a month since discovering it. Setting is great, so peaceful but also fun and creative. Fun for kids and kids at heart. Also super fun to feed the eels. Service is always good and friendly. Food is yummy and fresh. Their lemon cheesecake is devine! 😍 Had that both times I've been it's so yum, tastes like homemade. I will be back many more times I'm sure 😊👍
Chrystal Oosthuizen
00:41 03 May 19
We went to an evening of entertainment with a buffet offering two courses. The food was far better than I expected for a buffet and the staff were very friendly an very attentive for such a busy night. This is a wonderful location for lunch as well.
Roger Fraser
22:28 05 Apr 19
We love visiting Jester house, great for kids, the food is always great and the service is friendly. We bring all of our visitors to this uniquely brilliant place. Thanks jester house
Steven Williams
03:46 31 Mar 19
The Jester house is one of the coolest cafes in Tasman. They have a bunch of games of the kids, great food, great service and great coffee. Located right on the great taste trail there is a stream running through the cafe grounds where you can even feed eels. This place is cool highly recommended!
David B-C
01:21 30 Mar 19
This was a very nice stop on our way from Able Tasman NP to Nelson and I highly recommend everyone to plan a stop here. We enjoyed delicious sea food, wine, good coffee and nice freshly baked cakes. The place itself has a lot to explore and is perfect especially for kids with the huge playground and the eels which you can feed. The outside sitting area is so relaxed and the local staff makes you feel at home. Thank you 🙂
Alexander Weigel
21:07 26 Mar 19
Charming garden surrounds, country-style setting, interesting menu, delicious food. Loved it so much visited twice during our too-brief holiday.
Maxine Shortland-Jones
04:44 18 Mar 19
We loved our visit to Jester House! The food was great and there was lots for the kids to do. Everyone loved their meals and the staff were fantastic! Our kids loved getting the eels too!
Jordan Benfield
04:55 01 Feb 19
We had the famous Jester House hash brown breakfast and it was fabulous. The wait staff are friendly and efficient and greet regulars like family. Highly recommend a magic place.
Jack Mitchell
06:19 27 Jan 19
A very pleasant couple of hours spent with friends. The staff were all very friendly and polite. I was delighted by the book swap. will drop some more in for you, the next time we are passing.
dave hender
09:43 24 Jan 19
Awesome. Always a great place to visit with the family and friends. Food was delicious! A local cafe that we visit often.
Daryl Combes
05:23 24 Jan 19
Extremely charming place with excellent food and friendly staff. There's even a great little playground for the little ones. And feeding the eels is obviously amazing. If your in the area do yourself a favour and stop by!
Holger Nahm
21:03 23 Jan 19
Here’s where you come for unique experiences. Feed the plentiful eels, wander through the garden surprises and even stay the night in a shoe. Yep that’s right a shoe! Or simple enjoy the cafe and country surroundings.
Anita Brown
18:29 12 Jan 19
Love this place. Great outdoor dining with plenty for the kids to do. Friendly helpful staff and tasty food...also Mussel Inn beer on tap!!! Bonus
Karina Amey
22:28 30 Dec 18
Lovely cafe, good food, great space for the family. Feed the eels in summer, explore the cafe grounds for fun with the kids.
Ben Hann
08:49 16 Dec 18
Happy spot. Nice food in interesting surrounding. Suitable for all ages and a free meal on your birthday. Meet a happy 3 year old on his birthday.
Josephine Tucker
10:35 25 Nov 18
It's not just food but also a day out. The foods very organic and home grown you can taste the freshness. There is loads of thinking for young kids that keep them entertained for hours and eel feeding!
Daniel Rowse
00:28 17 Nov 18
What a fantastic place to go to drink coffee, eat and hang out with friends or just spend some time alone. Lovely setting beside the creek in amongst the trees. Very friendly staff who give efficient service with a smile. One of my favorite places 🙂
Kieran Mckay
21:09 17 Oct 18
Awesome awesome cafe with a difference. Love the composting toilet, unique garden and the eels. On the more conventional side the sandpit and playground is great. The food is delish. We pop in every time we are in nelson.
Aleisha Worthington
00:46 11 Oct 18
Loads of fun for kids & adults. A very magical place. Feed the eels for $2 and remind your toddler NOT to eat the food (raw meat) provided for the eels! Ha ha.
Lucy W
20:40 10 Oct 18
Excellent but because it is so popular sometimes the wait is lengthy! On a nice day a great outside setting...Family friendly & fun!
Diana Rainbow
02:34 26 Sep 18
Great place for food & coffee. Must do if you are in the area. Atmosphere, setting & service make it a place to visit.
Luana Hamilton
22:49 20 Sep 18
All good except spoiled by being charged an extra 50 cents for a cup of hot water, cold water makes my fillings painful. I had purchased a meal and coffee $ 27.00. Cold water is no charge and the only difference is the cost of heating a cup,of water, come on!I received a phone call to say they have reviewed and in future will not charge for hot water when coffee etc purchased, well done, so full marks on all counts.
Hilary Marks
00:46 05 Sep 18
My brief stop at Jester Cafe was absolutely 5/5. I can see why this place was NZ Cafe of The Year once upon a time. The 'Sushi Bowl' was an inspired deconstruction and so fresh. Many thanks to the staff who accommodated my needs (ashtray, speedy meal). Beautiful surroundings, great food and service. Thank you!!!
Ben Barrett
08:18 10 Mar 18
