My partner and I recently had our first experience at Caffe Massimo and was pleasantly surprised…read more It's a stone's throw from Takapuna Beach and there's a carpark just across the road, which made it the perfect location. The waitress that served us was friendly and to the point (in a good way) which I liked, as we were already hungry by the time we'd arrived! The layout is simple and I especially liked the flow of the outdoor area. There wasn't much foot traffic through the restaurant that night so our food came out fairly quickly. We'd ordered the risotto balls and half a dozen mussels with bacon and parmesan. Both were well priced and tasted amazing! I'm not usually one to order mussels at a restaurant, but I'd heard Massimo's ones were good and the decision definitely paid off. I ordered the King Prawn & Crispy Chicken Noodle Salad as my main, and its one of the best salads I've had in a long time. The tangy mango salsa they add to it is wonderful and brings all the ingredients together perfectly! I also got to try the Angus Eye Fillet; it was cooked a perfect medium rare and tasted great with the kumara and portobello mushrooms. We were too full for dessert but tried out their mochas, which tasted great and will definitely have us back to try out their all day menu. Caffe Massimo is easy to find and definitely worth a visit whether you're after a coffee, brunch or a three-course meal.

My friends and I stumbled upon this place while roaming around Takapuna trying to find a restaurant…read morethat was cheap but delicious - and boy did we stumble right! Apparently this place has only recently opened to evening hours and we were grateful for that. From the minute we walked in, we felt at home. The staff were relaxed and extremely friendly, the music playing was exciting but not too noisy and the decor was delightful - we felt like we were chilling out at a friends bach. Two of us ordered alcoholic drinks and they were both delicious. My friend purchased a lemon, lime and bitters with vodka and I ordered a G&T. They were nicely presented and were a great size (I didn't feel like I was getting ripped off!). Another friend ordered a mango frappe and not only did it look good, apparently it tasted good as well! She said that it was thick, which she prefers. For dinner, I ordered their salmon dish (gluten free) and some fries. I would recommend sharing fries next time I go here, as despite having a smaller main meal, I left feeling very full! My friends ordered a mixture of fries, bread and dips and a couple of their burgers. Overall, we left feeling satisfied. My total added up to $42. We stayed for an hour or so after finishing dinner and were not rushed out. Due to the atmosphere, we felt relaxed and enjoyed spending time there. After discussing our thoughts on the place, all my friends want to come back again - maybe to try their delicious dessert, or perhaps for breakfast!

First time at this place and all I can say is 'divine'. Love the presentation. I had the 'Big…read moreBreakfast' and it was very filling. Lots to choose from the menu and they also have a cabinet too. Owners are friendly key to great service. Definitely will be back again to try something different. It's a quirky little place but has a great feel to it.

What a wonderful place to meet and eat. This "cozy" place takes coffee shops to the next level,…read morenot only offering great coffee but home cooked meals. I had the chicken omelet and not only did it meet my expectations, but the presentation and service was wonderful. I am from the US and it is the first meal I have had in New Zealand and it has made my morning.

Being vegan, the fact Mondays is a 5 minute walk from where I live is a wonderful thing. Hannah of…read moreHealth Yeah and Eleanor Ozich of Petite Kitchen have joined forces to bring organic whole food to people out of a cute cafe in Kingsland. Tucked down a driveway off the main road, watch for the sign and follow the gold arrows down to a range of gluten free, sugar free and dairy free food. In the cabinet daily is fresh pressed juices, nut milks and kombucha along with raw desserts from The Raw Kitchen and other daily changing glorious healthy, nourishing organic delights. First time I went, I bought the tiramisu although the vegan rhubarb and coconut cake was tempting. Keep an eye on their Facebook page which serves as an ever changing visual menu. Yes, there is coffee. Get down to Mondays and nourish yourself.

Not was I was expecting but still utterly delightful!…read more As Tracey mentioned, Mondays is owned and operated by two well-known food bloggers, who have a passion for organic, natural and nourishing food. I follow both of them on instagram and their pictures are always incredible - who knew healthy food could look so good! Anyway, three weeks after opening I finally made it to their new store in for lunch with Dad. It's a lot smaller than I expected with a row of window seats and a couple of tables outside. All up, it would seat 15pax max. As for the food, they had three options - all of which came in takeaway containers. Dad went for a vegetarian noodle salad, which was kind of like a healthy pad thai. He seemed pretty chuffed with his choice and after stealing a forkful, I understood why! Full of flavour, fresh, light, delicious. I opted for the tomato, lentil and preserved lemon soup, which came with a warm bread roll and butter. A real winter warmer! We couldn't resist sharing a piece of raw, vegan tiramisu cheesecake to finish. It was expensive but pretty incredible. A nutty base with smooth layers of coffee and vanilla sprinkled with raw cacao powder. A fabulous addition to Kingsland! Stop in for coffee and cake on a sunny day or pick up lunch to takeaway.

Needs more creative meals and prep for food same food and is boring and the staff why 9 of them…read moreworking at one time its a weird operation

We stopped for breakfast on a weekday and it was packed with locals - first food sign. Friendly…read moreservice and good selection. And the food was surprisingly excellent! I had the salmon and spinach Benedict, and the Hollandaise was super yummy, especially with a squeeze of fresh lemon. Hubs had the Big Breakfast which was hearty and filling. Indoor and outdoor seating.

This place is huge with a nice sheltered patio out back, an unsheltered patio and lots of seating…read moreindoors. The staff is casual and let me there on my laptop for hours. Wifi was a bit slow but free and available! Food was good and they have weekend brunch.

Everytime I visit the Fridge, it is for a creative meeting funnily enough: to discuss theatre…read moreprojects or media interviews. I would have the say the staff are transactional, not that friendly so this does not fare well with me. The Fridge offers a cooked menu with all the normal contenders: Eggs Benedict, hash browns, paninis and so forth. Apparently the gourmet pies are die for, sadly I didn't feel like one. They also do scrummy salads and homemade sweets including rocky road and lamingtons. This time I had a mammoth banana and chocolate-chip muffin that I couldn't finish, with a triple shot coffee. The coffee was average and the experience sitting outside in the courtyard was pleasant. The Fridge is mad busy with locals so be prepared to wait in line! :)

Like some other Columbus Coffee cafes this one sits inside the Mega 10 store ( D.I.Y , Hardware,…read moreTool store ). This is the first time have been in it and we'll overall can say was not disappointed. It was pretty busy being the time of day it was and on a Sunday when all the D.I.Y 'ers are about. So service on the queue was quite slow ; but maybe that was because the people ahead couldn't quite decide what to have..!!! But once ordered it did not take long for the order to come out. I had a cappuccino, which was good. To eat had a pork and fennel sausage rolls, served with salad ( not a big amount) and despite the size was delicious. So much so we got another. Also tried the berry tart which was pretty good too. All in all, despite slow service at first worthy of 4 stars.

My friend and I were staying at the hostel across the street, and happened upon this restaurant as…read morea happy accident while Googling places to eat close by. We came with the intention of ordering the flatbread, without much expectation, but were blown away. The flatbread was crunchy on the outside with a pillowy inside texture and the flavor was bursting! You could taste all the spices and the roasted garlic was unreal. We also ordered a special, which was the Polenta with prosciutto and butternut squash, etc. and the lemon rosemary fries. I have never tasted food with such flavor and perfect use of spice. It was so good, we came back again the following night and tried the Lamb Shoulder. We were again impressed with the flavors and texture of the food. Do not be fooled by the paper, handwritten menus. This restaurant exceeded our expectations and the cooking and recipes are phenomenal. If you're looking for unique flavors that all work together to give you the meal you never knew you were missing, this is the place. Cheers, from a visiting American.

Had just arrived in Auckland and it was late, so finding a dinner place wasn't very easy. We…read morestumbled upon the Peach Pit, as it was close to our accommodations and it was exactly what we were looking for. Small, but good wine selection. The food menu is limited but really interesting flavors and combinations. We had the steamed bun with lemongrass chicken. I would have preferred two smaller buns as the one large was difficult to handle, but still tasty. The miso carrots and Japanese eggplant dishes were good as well. Really appreciated the quiet atmosphere.

Great little neighborhood cafe!…read more Run by a Kiwi chef with his Russian partner. Friendly and helpful staff. Great coffee. A good selection of branch type food. They are starting to bring in more lunch type material. Seasonal menu, adds new ingredients every few weeks. Always amazed by the taste. Has a small children's play area. Highly recommend this place if you have little ones.