Love this cafe it's the best. Used to have the best view in the world before they built houses on…read moreit now you can't see much of anything. I used to enjoy climbing the hill to wail into yonder valley like a banshee, alas no longer, but sentimental to me all the same, as now I may enjoy a beverage with someone special as I reminisce. Convenient and super dog friendly.

We have lived in Torbay for a year and finally got around to going to the Long Bay Cafe for brunch…read more We arrived to a pretty full cafe, no outside tables which was disappointing as the lawn is pretty big so could have accomodated more. There was a bit of a wait on food but we were told this when we ordered so that was ok. The food was actually pretty good which we were really pleased about as it's kind of our local cafe. The prices were a little high would be my only criticism. Great view of Long Bay

Amazing coffee, amazing food and amazing service nuff said…read more Amazing selection of domestic espresso equipment. If ya want coffee at home this is the place !

Altura do real good coffees- highly recommend their trim flat white- beautiful pale brown moon…read moresurface. Their baristas are great- have also had their dark brown, fern-patterned cappuccino. Awesome because they have a great menu at the front of the store which describe all the coffees they have on offer- perfect for those who are still learning all the different types of coffee. Ordered their Mini Breakfast- which is half of their big breakfast. Got the eggs scrambled- choice of how they are cooked. Came with a piece of toasted 7 grain bread (or ciabatta) and a small package of butter. Also with a few strips of bacon on top with a roasted tomato, roasted mushroom, interesting choice of cheese kransky sausage and hash brown. A mix of several savoury components for a hearty start to the day. Good choice. Friend got their french toast which looked delicious with brioche bread. Have both indoor and outdoor seating with tarpaulin walls that still let in sun. A small courtyard fully outdoors as well. Able to see the roasting of coffee beans, purchase whole coffee beans, espresso or equipment as well as get something out of their great cabinet. Have a lot to offer- definitely go check it out.

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.

Super delicious. They have fluffies for kids which are just warm milk with cocoa sprinkled on top…read moreand a marshmallow. I had the spicy labneh with two poached eggs. It comes with spicy bell peppers on delicious toast. Super good! Service is great and quick. They have free WiFi. Also the almond croissant is the best. The best Jerry! Oh and it also has a great kids playground right next door that the kids can play at while you eat! It's not completely closed off so small kids would need supervising. My kids (6 and 4) didn't need supervising. Plus a changing table in the bathroom.

Good food.But service can do better. Very slow. They pick on who to serve. Servers no energy at all…read moretaking orders. Took us 30mins waiting for someone, until we got up and just walked out. Hopefully this will change.

Great cafe on the main highway into Auckland. All proceeds from the cafe go to At Risk Youth. Food…read morewas amazing. I had the Eggs Benedict. I highly reccommend. The staff were super friendly and really made me feel at home.

Food: A very diverse menu with options for all, from sugary French toast to healthy kale options…read more Coffee is good and served appropriately and with many milk options. Ambiance: very trendy and cliche in a great neighborhood with lots of food and shopping options. Inside is very clean, open with light and inviting with a plethora of bright hues and colors. Service: very quick, accurate, and attentive.

I went here with the family. I ordered the chicken and waffles and loved it. Watch out Roscoe…read more All components were fresh and tasty. The other star of the show was the scrambled eggs. It stood no chance against my son. Beautifully cooked and flavorful. My wife got the sticky rice and my son the pancakes. Both were a bit sweet for my tastes but prepared nicelyand layered with fresh fruit. Worth a try.

Cute bakery that has made itself a destination nestled into a quiet side street. The large space…read morehas a walk-in counter, a place for seating as well as a large kitchen area. We ordered a cake for my daughter's 5th birthday the same day. Ordered at 8am, was supposed to be ready at 5pm. When I arrived they admitted they had completely forgotten about it! They charged half price and delivered to our house which was appreciated given the circumstances. Not ideal as we weren't able to enjoy the awesome look of cake for that long before doing the candles, cutting and getting to bed. The cake itself was awesome with chocolate ganache and piled high with berries on the top. Would go again as long as forgetting orders isn't a regular thing.

This quaint cafe, located in an otherwise quiet residential street of Takapuna/Belmont, is always…read morebusy and as soon as you see the cabinet it is not hard to see why. Beautifully presented and devilishly decadent cakes, pies, tarts and donuts line the shelves just waiting to be devoured. Order at the counter, grab your plastic zoo animal, which serves as your table number, and pull up a pew at the communal table. Trust me, the food tastes every bit as good as it looks!

I am very glad have this cafe near my home. There are some cafes around Apollo dr in Albany area,…read morebut I can't find good cafe like Black and Gold that can make good coffee and serve nice foods. Black & gold uses coffee bean from Supreme, which has strong flavour and body. that means if good barista makes coffee much better than other coffee but if poor barista makes coffee with that bean, it taste just bitter and worse. Fortunately, you can be served from top baristas in Auckland at Black and Gold. David and Kayoko are very famous baristas in New Zealand and they have worked for many years in coffee industry. David is a judge of National barista competition and also Kayoko is a calibration barista last few years when barista needed to be educated. So busy or not, they always serve the best coffee. That is great benefit to visit this cafe. I have not had many meals but I had porridge before. Even porridge is not a favourite menu to me, but I had that by chance, It was really delicious, so I can recommend without hesitate. Cabinet foods are beautiful, looks nice and taste even better. I like lemon loaf, actually addicted with that. Just one thing, they do not open on weekend, so I hope to spend time on weekend morning at there someday.

It's early days but I honestly believe that Black & Gold and I are going to end up in a serious,…read morelong-term relationship.... What's to love? Well, what's not to love. The coffee (Supreme) is strong & smooth, the space is light and open but what really got me was their cabinet food. So often cabinet food in cafes is disappointing - stale, unimaginative and carb-heavy.... not at Black & Gold. Today I got their mushroom, beetroot & goats cheese pide lightly toasted to takeaway. The flavour combo is already a winner but add in a garlicky aioli and wow... best sandwich I've had in a while. I also couldn't help but notice their glorious array of sweet treats, plenty of which were gluten-free. I didn't indulge this time but I get the feeling that resistance is futile so i'll report back on the sweet department soon! Super excited about this new(ish) addition and it's close proximity to my house!

Ok...my last review here was not so good , but I thought I would give them another chance and go in…read moreagain but this time try a different selection from the menu. This time I had the usual large cappuccino and chose a eggs benedict with bacon. What a good choice it turned out to be and totally washed away the memories of the experience last week. It was so DELICIOUS. Sure if you look at my photo of it , it doesn't look up to much but this is well and truly made up for by the taste experience. Everything was cooked to perfection. Maybe it sounds like I am going a bit overboard over such a simple dish, but this well and truly deserves it. Well sometimes good things come in small packages , yes ? So much so I shall definitely be back to try this again. Oh, and before I forget the service was as good as always too. I feel the deserve the 5 star not just because of the quality of the dish this morning , but the improvement , ,maintaining the service standard and I have heard recently that some of their sandwiches etc on display are worth trying too. I just hope they keep it up!!!

Tried to find out a country-style Cafe&Eatery in Albany area. Suddenly the Wine Box came out…read more Renovated from a previous old house, or maybe an old chapel, the wine box stands out among all other buildings around. With a terrace facing the Main Street with shed, sofa and green plants, it could be a cozy spot to kill your afternoon leisure time. However, after walking in, sitting down, the whole space runs a bit out-of-time. It could be decorated better, with its original structure. I could sense the food might be a bit lagged checking the menu. So we just tried something quite basic. Flat white arrives, totally matching its name, flat and white... you can barely taste the coffee. Then the chicken live pate with manuka&cream sauce gives out some unpleasant flavor which I could not bear, the BLT came out fairly normal. I was a bit upset with the bacon not crispy, bread over toasted and dressing too plain. Then we just ended up having chips for making this lunch up. Maybe it was tucked so far away from the city, however, it should not end up offering food with this standard. Black Cottage Cafe is a good example for a country-style Cafe&restaurant. Try harder and do not let it fade away.

Cosy little spot and great food, Peppered Scotch with Mushroom Risotto is a must have! Plus the…read moreHead Chef is the Man!