A friend of mine had asked me if I found Pho during the course of my Australia / New Zealand trip…read more It hadn't occurred to me that I was nearing the end of my stay in New Zealand in September 2018, when that idea popped into my head. You see, I finished having Pho in each of the 50 United States of America earlier this year 2018 in Alaska. What was next? Countries! You betcha! And as such, I found a Vietnamese Cafe that also served Chinese cuisine near my hotel in Auckland, New Zealand. Sam Woo Vietnamese cuisine restaurant was country #3, as I know I've done Pho in Canada in 2015 as well. As you may have noticed, it's a cute goal of mine and I totally love Pho. I arrived here at Sam Woo's after checking the yelp app for possible locations nearby without having to take an Uber. With luck, I found Sam Woo'd about 750 meters away from the hotel. I thought it was a regular restaurant with intimate settings, but as it turns out, it was basically a medium large cafeteria style set up that reminds me of my childhood in school. It was a little weird and eerie, but what could I do. The service was spotty and they were almost like being in a Chinese restaurant, walking crazy trying to service every table that was occupied. It did feel like a busy Chinese restaurant, but the ambiance was as mentioned, like a high school cafeteria in the States. Didn't feel like a nice intimate restaurant, but that's just me. It works here and that's important. The overall experience here at Sam Woo's Vietnamese cuisine restaurant was okay & good, yet decent at the same time. The atmosphere was almost like a fast food joint + high school cafeteria mixed into one. It was for sure when I came in around 8pm on a Sunday night. I was just in shock at the entire set up, but what can you do really. The main thing about this place is that there is a MINIMUM of $15 order amount before you can use your credit card. I didn't notice the sign at the cash register before when I was getting ready to pay. Be advised if you are not from Auckland and are deciding to eat here. I ended up ordering a take away order of chicken fried rice before I could pay for my order. In hindsight, it was a good thing, since I can have breakfast in hand while heading to the airport the next morning. I guess it was better than airport cuisine, that's for sure! But of course, be aware of the minimum credit card order amount of $15. The restaurant was clean enough and the service was good but decent. Like many Chinese restaurants, Service is quick the servers are seen rushing from table to table taking orders and rushing back to the kitchen. Same thing here at the Sam Woo's Vietnamese cuisine restaurant. Since I was on foot, walking from my hotel 750 meters away, I did not use the parking lot. Although there was adequate parking options here for anyone, it is limited. Best bet is to come here early to secure a spot. If nothing else, parking on nearby streets is usually available. For my country quest for Pho - New Zealand, I ordered a bowl of combination Pho and had an order of fried spring rolls to complete the meal. The order came by within 15 minutes, with the Pho coming out first and the spring rolls coming within 3 minutes after the fact. The bowl itself was smaller than what i was used to and it did not include bean sprouts. Thought that was heresy, but different countries have their own thing, I guess. It was a good decent meal to quiet the stomach and have my Pho fix while in New Zealand. While it may not be the best best, it was within walking distance from my hotel and that was important for me. I wasn't impressed with the whole decor of the restaurant, but it is what it is. The prices here are a little pricey, even for New Zealand standards, but you just gotta roll with the punches, especially when you're a tourist in these parts. For the most part though, I can't say that I enjoyed my time here at Sam Woo's Vietnamese cafe, but it was alright, and cool at the same time. Thankful that they were here near my hotel, so I didn't have to take an Uber to get here. And so, if you are near the area and needing Pho or Chinese cuisine for dinner or lunch, consider checking out this places. May not be the best, but it's a good place for a quick lunch or dinner on the go. It's A-Okay really. 3.5 stars for the overall experience. 3.5 stars for the food and service. Felt like a Chinese restaurant serving Vietnamese cuisine, not the other way around. That's just me though. 3.0 stars for the ambiance and the prices. Support local! C

Love, love, love the spicy bean curd/tofu. Deep fried silky tofu sprinkled with garlic and chili,…read moresitting on a bed of carrot and cabbage salad. Yum. VERY generous helpings. Their smoothies are very popular, especially the coconut smoothie. And with good reason. They are delicious. Do try one. The place may be lacking in atmosphere, but who cares when the food is so delicious, cheap and generous in serving size.

Don't know never found place. Way too hard…read more Must be set up poorly. Once you start you have to finish or you have uncompleted draft .

Shaky Isles is probably 1 of the more recommended places we heard about it in Auckland, and after…read moreeating breakfast there, we could see why it's so popular. The interior has a modern warehouse vibe with cool bits of artwork and greenery spread throughout. As normal for Auckland, you order/pay at the counter whenever you're ready, and your food/drinks are brought to your table. Water and utensils are help yourself as well. Between the 4 of us we had 3 long blacks and 1 pour over coffee to start off. The coffee was quite strong here, but that jolt of energy is exactly what you need in the morning. For food we tried their lamb kumara meat pie, bacon/egg breakfast meat pie, and their breakfast croissant sandwich. The meat pies' homemade flaky crust was the best part of breakfast, and the croissant sandwich was delicious as expected. Shaky Isles was just as good as people recommended it to be! It's a cute cafe with lots of variety and personality. Solid spot to start your day off right at an affordable price! We'll be back again soon!

This coffee place was underwhelming, though very cute. I liked the branding a lot…read more However, I didn't love the attitude of the person who took my order, nor did I love the oat milk latte I ordered. It tasted very burnt. I'd expect better from a chain.

The food and service was good, very friendly and fast delivery of food…read more The bathroom was disgusting. Toilet clearly hadn't been cleaned in a long time with stains all through it and pubic hair and dust on the seat and lid. The sink, mirror and taps all covered in dust and in need of a good clean. No paper towels to dry hands. Do better!

Delicious! I needed…read moreto bring back dinner for my brother-in-law, my husband, and me, so I asked an in the know local for their recommendation on best takeout in Takapuna. They quickly responded "Tok Tok". Their most favorite mentions from the menu were the Popping Prawns, Crispy Duck, Shaking Beef, and the Fried Rice... I ordered it all ;)! I'm so glad I did. I literally salivate when thinking about the meal. Ordering over the phone was a breeze, and a friendly. I walked into the restaurant, and was quickly shown a seat at the bar where I could wait, instead of waiting at the entry. The restaurant was packed, and it was clear to see Tok Tok is a hip and cool place to be, as well as welcoming. About ten minutes early, I decided to order a Chilli Margarita from the cocktail menu. I received my cocktail promptly. I had enough time to finish the refreshing work of art, right as my order came out.

I was visiting a friend in Auckland and she booked Tok Tok for dinner on a Monday night. The…read morerestaurant was packed and had a great vibe. We sat outdoors in a fully covered patio that had heaters for cold rainy nights and it felt cozy. The food was excellent. We ordered beef steamed buns, fish curry, miso eggplants and shaking beef. They all tasted amazing. We did family style amongst the four of us and it was the perfect amount of food. I'll definitely come back here whenever I'm in Auckland again.

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.

Environment is pretty good, but little expensive. The food and tea are quite good, and service…read morethere is fantastic, I love this cafe!

We went here on a Sunday morning with high expectations of the cafe. It is a long drive from…read moreAuckland CBD - 25 kms, to be exact - so it had better be worth the trip. My wife had the French toast, which she didn't like, and I had the pork sausage. The sausage itself was yummy and the relish was good, but the balance of flavours was ruined by too much rocket leaves. We also shared a cronut: I like cronuts but this one was made cloyingly sweet by a topping of sugar icing. Too bad. Is it me? Are the flavours suited for a different taste? I really wanted to like this place. I'm hoping it was just an off-day. Aside from the food, the service was great. Staff were friendly. Their EFTPOS machine was unavailable so the manager just trusted me to pay later, which I did. Afterwards, we made a quick trip to the nearby market, and drove to the new ferry terminal for a look-see. These extra attractions made the journey nearly worth it.

Catalina is a brilliant licensed cafe and restaurant located in Hobsonville Point out in West…read moreAuckland. I would never have even known it existed if it wasn't for my boyfriend living nearby. And what a shame it would have been to miss out on this little gem! As I tend to do every time I go out for breakfast, when I went to Catalina I ordered the 'big breakfast'. Poached eggs, sausages, tomato, homemade relish, mushrooms, hash browns, crunchy buttery toast - it was the perfect way to start my morning. But what made it even better was the delicious berry smoothie I coupled with it. I highly recommend both these options, and according to my coffee connoisseur of a boyfriend, their coffee is pretty good too. The outdoor area of Catalina is beautiful - really spacious with big umbrellas and a courtyard, it's the perfect place to enjoy breakfast in the morning sun, or even a cold wine in the late afternoon. Tip: Every Saturday and Sunday farmer's markets are held in the park right next to Catalina, where great knick knacks and curios can be purchased for a bargain

Booked a table for 11 people two weeks before Mother's Day, only to arrive and find the cafe had no…read moreidea what to do with us. Staff seemed uninterested that we even had a booking and a young staff member was left to "sort us out" while clearly stressed and unsupported. When we asked to speak to a manager, they refused to come and talk to us. After waiting 25 minutes, the owner finally showed us "our table" and walked away... except the people sitting there were still waiting for the food they had ordered. It was obvious the cafe had no proper booking system and had filled tables with walk-ins instead. A quick "sorry" means very little when you've clearly made no effort to honour bookings people made well in advance, especially on Mother's Day. Really disappointing experience and unfortunately I wouldn't recommend this cafe.

Cute cafe with a bo-ho feel in the heart of Pt. Chev. Super friendly staff, great all day brunch…read moremenu and awesome coffee. No holiday surcharge either. Great j

You simply have to try this cafe. Variety of menu options and cafe atmosphere will provide even the…read moremost selective patron something to enjoy. Fun to find cafes where expectations from yelp reviews are exceeded!

I arrived at around midday for lunch at Bungalo with my partners mum and sister, with us also our…read morewee babies both under six months old. Great parking at the back of the building which is an old bungalow house converted into a cafe, of the same name! Clean and stylishly decorated inside and out, the outdoor patio/deck is perfect for a sunny warm day eating our meals. I ordered mince on toast off the menu at the counter, and was visually tempted by lovely sweet eats at the counter display- such as chocolate brownies and fruity muffins. I have to say the views out the back are lovely, looking back towards Auckland the City of Sails, and if you love a nice strong cup of smooth coffee you are sitting in the right cafe. A perfect spot to meet friends for a catch up also and they are child and baby friendly which is a plus. Delightful and Airy and sunny just a great cafe.