Tauranga's Nourish Cafe among NZ's best

Nourish Cafe Te Puna.

A Tauranga cafe has been named one of 18 finalists vying for the NZ Café of the Year 2014 title.

The Te Puna cafe joins Capers Epicurean in Rotorua and Columbus Coffee in Whangarei as the top three cafés in the Upper North Island region by diners. Now it's the judges' turn to cast their votes.

For the next four weeks, the café owners will be carefully studying every customer trying to spot the discreet judges who have the enviable task of sampling the fare of each of the 18 finalists.

Nourish Cafe Te Puna

The competition is now in its third year and the top finalists as voted by the public have been voted by more than 39,000 people, who placed their votes for the 1123 eateries across six regions.

Papamoa Beach woman Linda Mathers also won a new Renault Clio Expression valued at $26,990, after voting for her favourite cafe.

The top three café finalists in each of the six regions are:

Auckland
Charlie & George Café, Mount Wellington
Local Café, Whangaparaoa
Grand Espresso Café, Orewa

Upper North Island
Capers Epicurean, Rotorua
Nourish, Tauranga
Columbus Coffee, Whangarei

Lower North Island
Springvale Café, Whanganui
Lush Café & Gelato, New Plymouth
Ten O'clock Cookie Bakery Café, Masterton

Wellington
Sweet Vanilla Kitchen, Lower Hutt
Elements, Lyall Bay
Karori Park Café, Karori

Christchurch
Purple Weka Café & Bar, Riccarton
Terra Viva Café & Deli, Burnside
Savoire Café & Wine Bar, Merivale

South Island
Rhubarb, Dunedin
Ironic Café, Dunedin
Jester House Café, Tasman

Head judge Kerry Tyack said judging involved a rigorous assessment of each café with the process comprising three tiers of judging, a hallmark of the competition.

"The competition has two goals. The first is to alert Kiwi consumers to the range of fantastic café fare that's available right around the country. The second is to identify and recognise the best of the best and to reward their efforts.

"Judges are looking for a combination of stylish ambience, a warm welcome, attentive service as well as appetising and satisfying food and drink. Overlaying all this is a conscious celebration of the entrant's region, its produce and any features that makes it special.

"And of course, there needs to be clear evidence of the wow factor that keeps happy customers coming back to the café."