Duo Café

Duo Café on Clyde’s Sunderland Street wears two hats, and one of them belongs to a particularly Mad fellow. By day it’s a neighbourhood café with an all-day menu and consistently good coffee; by high tea, the tiered stands and floral china are out.

This cosy spot in historic Clyde is the second café from Daniel and Bobby Thomas-Smith, hence the name. If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Bella’s in Alexandra, these two are to thank. Their motto, “think global, but always local”, sits comfortably in a town they’d rather add to than cash in on.

Step inside and she’s all character. Hardwood flooring, a timber-lined ceiling, blue walls and couches, bursts of flowers and a dresser guarded by porcelain bulldogs. Sink into a studded red leather chair to admire the tea sets and chintz jugs. Add gold frames, vintage finds and a few nods to Wonderland, and you’ve got a café that favours warmth and discovery over corporate polish, complementing the region’s heritage rather than outshining it.

Café favourites share the menu with seasonal specials, so you can expect meals like stacked corn fritters crowned with a poached egg or a rösti breakfast with all the trimmings. The cabinet’s pride is the Famous Cheese Scones (customers’ words, not theirs), baked to a recipe more than two decades old from Bella’s. For even longer than that, Daniel has championed Kiwi beansters Gravity Coffee, so it’s their brew you’ll be sipping. Prefer yours by the teapot? Be sure to attend The Mad Hatter’s High Tea (there’s a version for little hatters, too). Beyond regular café life, though Duo is hardly regular, the venue hosts live music, special dinners and community events.

On a coffee run, out strolling with the family, fresh off the Otago Central Rail Trail or perhaps travelling from much further afield, Clyde still enjoys a varied bunch of visitors who quickly feel at home. Much the same can be said for Duo.