From the lovely young couple who brought us The Grassy Knoll (RIP), this new addition to the Shore…read moreis already becoming popular with the locals. Just a mere hop, skip and a jump from the motorway exit, Willow is easy to get to - even for city dwellers. The only downside to it's location is that it's in the middle of a block of office buildings so it's somewhat lacking in the view department. However, with such great food and service, the view, or lack thereof, is pretty easy to get past. As for the menu, it's full of modern takes on brunch classics. For example their porridge, which is served with chia seeds, steel cut cinnamon, fruit jelly and fresh cream. Yum! I, however, couldn't go past their eggs benedict, which they serve with a savoury Japanese pancake instead of an english muffin and a wasabi hollandaise. The pancake was full of herbs and spring onions, and the wasabi hollandaise was lemony with a subtle kick. If I had one complaint it would be that the pancake batter was a little stodgy. Mention must also be made of the coffee. It was absolutely perfect! So good, in fact, that I couldn't help but order another one after my meal. I never do that.

Willow opened three weeks ago and is a welcome addition to the North Shore cafe scene. The cafe is…read morelocated literally just off the Greville Road off ramp on the Northern Motorway, at 42 Tawa Drive. I arrived on a crisp winter morning with a craving for good coffee and scrumptious food. My companion and I were promptly greeted and our coffee orders taken, two soy flat whites which arrived in record time. Coffee was great, however it was served in very small cups. It was so good I almost ordered a second cup when offered but I had a grumpy toddler in two & didn't feel like tempting fate. I ordered the smoked salmon which tasted like it was house smoked, and it was perched on top of rocket leaves, avocado slices and a charred pea and corn fritter. The salmon was topped with a dill sour cream, and the plate garnished with a sticky balsamic reduction. Unfortunately I could not detect any dill flavour in the sour cream and although the salmon was plump and tasty, it was a tad overlooked for my liking and had two pin bones left in it. These small falters would not deter me from returning to this delightfully bright and airy cafe. Their spacious & picturesque courtyard was screaming out for warmer days to arrive as soon as heavenly possible. Lovely customer service which was very attentive without being at all intrusive.

Good coffee. Lemon coconut cake was tasty but not as fresh as it could have been. Nice atmosphere,…read morevery friendly staff. Great sheltered outdoor area with wind screens and heaters against the winter chill

Fantastic food. Friendly staff. Amazing coffee from Bobby.read more

I used to be a regular here back in 2012 before their renovation which got rid of their cute (and…read morehandy) kids play area. Because of that, I wasn't in a hurry to return since when ever I go to cafes, I always have at least one pre-schooler in tow. I decided to give them a go last week with an Entertainment voucher being part of my motivation. I'm a bit torn as whether to rate them 3 or 4 stars since I had two very different experiences with two different staff. I was barely greeted by the first, whom informed me that yes, they still had highchairs. During my meal this staff member took a seat in the booth next to me to talk for ten minutes to their friend about smoking in cars and how their whole family smokes etc etc. Very unprofessional and off putting. Then when clearing my dishes I thanked them & felt like I shouldn't have with the look I was given. Again, the same happened when paying for my meal & I wasn't even asked how it was. The second staff member when noticing my presence immediately welcomed me to grab a seat & they would bring the highchair over. This person took my order, served my coffee and food & obviously enjoyed their job. I enjoyed a generous sized omelette which was light and fluffy and steaming hot when it arrived on the table. The coffee was very good too. The interior changes have given the café a fresh, contemporary face lift with quirky colored cardboard animal heads (think stag, rhinoceros, etc) adorning the walls and a striking rouge color theme throughout. If one of the above mentioned staff members would have been sick that day it would have been a 5 star review.

Service was fast and friendly even though they were very busy. We had a gourmet chicken sandwich…read moreand creamy mushrooms. The chicken sandwich was good but the creamy mushrooms were so sweet we only took a couple of bites. When we went to pay they asked how the food was & we told them about the mushrooms being too sweet they only charged half price for them which was nice. Coffee was made well & tasted amazing.

Another excellent family evening at MMK, great food and service, staff are friendly and…read moreaccommodating of our family's various needs. Highly recommend.

The Matakana market is new and quite spiffy looking with restaurants upstairs and downstairs, a…read moremovie theater and other amenities. I was hoping to do better for vegan options than a few sides and salads. They offer a "Vegan Power" salad - which seemed promising. It arrived at my table - nicely shaved carrot, fennel and arugula - drowned in a tasteless, overly oily dressing - the flavor of the carrot and arugula vanished. Only the Granny Smith apples that weren't dressed had any punch. I also had an order of vegetarian spring rolls which were over cooked and flavorless -- the French fries were ok but ... come on: you can do better than a tasteless salad or falafel plate and French fries for vegans, Manakato! There wasn't even a vegan entree.

I had my first experience at Paper Moon just before Easter weekend and I loved it. We were a little…read moreearly for our reservation so my partner and I made the most of Mairangi Bay Beach being a stone's throw away. We had actually made the reservation while we were on the way there, and luckily we were able to secure a table. The person on the phone did ask if we were okay with being seated at the back of the restaurant, which was fine with us. As it turns out, the back of the restaurant was completely separate from the loud groups drinking at the front of the restaurant- added bonus! It wasn't particularly rowdy but it was nice to have dinner and be able to talk at a conversational volume. Our waitress was so lovely, she took great care of us and is the best waitress we've been served by in a long time (we left a tip, of course!). We were really impressed by her service, and my partner loved that she asked if we wanted a break between out entree and main (we definitely did, and had never been asked that before, at any restaurant). For our entree, we shared the tapas platter. This is seriously ideal if you're wanting to try a few things at a good price. We were treated with risotto balls (the best i've had!), deep fried camembert and other great treats- it was the perfect way to start a meal! The tapas combination changes everyday, which means you can try something a little different each time you visit. Our mains were excellent- the fish of the moment and the chicken burger. Both were excellent and perfectly cooked. Paper Moon provided one of the best meals I've had in a long time, and while it's a bit of a drive for me (living on the other side of Auckland), it's a great spot that's definitely worth the drive.

Went for breakfast and was persuaded to have the special - smashed avocado, which came accompanied…read morewith bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. I requested crispy bacon and the hollandaise on the side. When the meal came out it was clear that the smashed avocado was not he star of the meal. Two slices of toast were the central focus with eggs and bacon slapped on the plate. The avocado was more of a blended purée in a small pile to the side of the plate. The bacon was undercooked (relative to my request). When asked how I found my meal I responded "pretty average". The waitress responded with "oh well everyone is different" and walked off. When I went to pay the bill I had the same waitress so said "the thing I didn't like was that the avocado was far from the being the star of the show and was purée baby food, the eggs were barely warm and the bacon wasn't crispy". She stopped me at that point to tell me the bill was $25.90. I paid, walked out and will not go back as they clearly don't care.

Both the indoor and the outdoor seating are very pleasant. The cooked breakfast was ok, the coffee…read morewas ok. What makes this place worth visiting is the environment.

5 stars for a beautiful location and service and the Best fluffy omelette and good coffee - but…read moreplease new owners - provide better quality toast bread - charge a wee bit more and provide quality ingredients - and would suggest water blasting your outdoor chairs.

We stopped in for a quick lunch after our trans Pacific flight, and our family of 7 loved our…read moremeals. Three of us had the crumbed fish and chips - outstanding! Two had the brisket sandwiches and found them to have a great mix of flavors. The other two had breakfasts - avocado toast and Belgian waffle. Both were top notch. You have to love a place that serves both breakfast and lunch in the middle of the day. The staff was very efficient and friendly. We sat outside and enjoyed a nice Sunday afternoon lunch. Georgia was our server and could not be lovelier. We highly recommend this place for a quick bite.

Came for coffee, but ended up ordering iced mochas on my daughter's recommendation. We had a good…read moreseat by the big open window and the mochas hit the spot. Nice surprise to be offered a topup of our drinks. Thought we must have been special but Chelsea, our waitress, said they do it for everybody. Give this place a try, I hear the pizzas are really good too.

We don't normally give 5 stars for cafe food these days, but we have no hesitation in doing that…read moreafter calling in to DD's Country Cafe in Waitoki today. It was Sunday and raining and because of the slips in the Dome Valley we were diverted on to SH16, heading back home to the Bay of Islands. There was a huge selection of freshly made and delicious food. The sandwiches were so good and the light and tasty scone was nothing like the overheated lump of lard that we seem to have served up in cafes now. The coffee was hot and of a good strength and the young staff was very efficient. What an unexpected find. These people deserve to do well.

great place to go for a morning tea or lunch closes 3:30 great staff totally recommended! place…read morehas a real charm to it!