I went here for brunch. I ordered a Latte and the French toast. That latte was really good. It was…read morenice and creamy and had a nice foam design on top. The French toast was great. It was soft and fluffy. It came with a whole fried banana and huge bacon slices. There was a couple apple and orange slices on the side. Staff were really friendly. Service was really fast. There was indoor and outdoor seating. They have a small car park in front. The outdoor seating is dog friendly.

Great little cafe in the new set of shops in Mount Wellington. The staff were lovely although…read moreaccent was a little hard to understand, plus they give you a coffee card but your not allowed to take it away with you which I found odd because I've never come across that before. However found them very accomodating with our order which was the Big Breakfast they gave us an extra egg instead of sausages and it was all really tasty. Will happily go there again but first thing in the morning is definitely quieter. Price wise was ok for quality basically in par with your standard cafes.

Another Sierra! Sad but true, it's the probably the best place to have coffee at Pakuranga Plazza…read more But that's not to say that the coffee isn't nice, it's pretty good actually, it would just be really nice to see an independent cafe in here sometime. The staff here are particularly welcoming, but they are efficient and extremely quick baristas, and if you're getting takeaway they always bring it over to you, rather than making you stand glumly at the counter. They also always have the daily newspapers in, which I like, plus a little selection of magazines. The food is standard - fine but nothing special.

Very nice atmosphere, good food and coffee. Might be a chain, but I'd come back. And the service…read morewas very friendly!

Not that down with the Pleasantville surroundings but I am down with Charlie & George…read more I recently stopped here for breakfast on the way to an early meeting in Mt Wellington. Having spent next to no time in the area, I was stoked to find C&G, and even more stoked when I walked in and saw they use Kokako beans. For brekkie, I ordered the smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, which came out with dressed salad of rocket, onion and capers. I usually prefer such accompaniments on my bagel, undressed, but with the generous amount of salmon and C.C already on there I totally forgot about it. Also, they mix fresh herbs through their cream cheese - big tick in my book. Perhaps, what stood for me the most though, was the service. Just little things - like the barista chatting to me while she made my coffee, bringing over water as soon as I sat down or asking how my meal was part way through - sometimes it's just the little things that make all the difference. On a final note, they have terrariums for table numbers!

The coffee is great and so is the design and atmosphere of the cafe. However we were a bit…read moredisappointed on the food in terms of taste and presentation. The order was very quickly served but it lacked the presentation n taste that I look for in a Saturday brunch. I don't need to rush and would appreciate a lovely presented brunch. The egg benny ordered was bland and do not stand to the usual cafe standard in that price range.

It reminded me a lot of my local Belmont Little & Friday before it got really popular. A local cafe…read morein the middle of a residential suburb. If you drive past, you wouldn't think twice about it - there's no prominent sign and it's not accompanied by a line of shops either. It was hard to narrow down to ordering one thing on the menu - everything seemed so appealing from baked ricotta to three cheese macaroni. It isn't your typical eggs benny type brunch menu. We ordered three items on the menu with a promise to share (secretly as a backup plan if it didn't hit the spot). Luckily my fish cakes was my favourite. The fish cakes were so full of flavour and spices, and went well along with the different textures of sauteed silverbeet and fried potato - which was not chunky potato as expected but literally pieces of potato chips. Yum! The salmon was too salty on its own and should have been eaten with the rice and pickled vegetables. A simple and clean dish that could be good if you didn't want anything heavy for brunch. The skirt steak with tortillas were ahh-mazing and I like that you make your own tortillas so you can stuff as much or as little. I wish it came with more wraps though! I'm so happy I found this gem of a cafe in Ellerslie. I was expecting good food but it was even better than what I had hoped for. Unlike other trendy cafes which are experimental with their flavour combinations, you'll understand everything on the menu. Extra points for having Little Island ice cream to finish with. In love with the coconut flavour!

My sister and I came here for lunch one day because she had heard good things, and we agreed with…read moreeverything she had heard! Had a bit of trouble finding it beause it's slightly tucked away, but once we did, we found ourselves at a very cute little cafe. Love the interior, a very nice space! Smashed avo on toast is usually the same everywhere you go, but not here! The smashed avo here comes with lime, coconut and macadamia nuts on grainy bread and is truly a taste sensation, especially for an avocado enthusiast like myself. Great coffee too!

Good view. Great food. Great Service…read more I often come here in the weekends to just sit and chat with friends and family. The cafe is just big enough to have some privacy yet not so big that it feels like a big empty restaurant. There is semi outdoor seating with protective cover on windy days with a great view overlooking the water. The counter has a huge selection of mouth watering dishes from pastries to salads. It has all the staples of a typical cafe menu to everything in between.

Last Sunday, as I waited in the queue to order my regular iced coffee and fruit salad, I overheard…read morea woman behind me saying "There's so much choice you don't know what to have", and her friend replied "And it all looks so good". And its true. Ara-Tai café has a mouth-watering selection of counter food (try the giant iced cookies or a blueberry bran muffin), as well as breakfast and lunch menus featuring the classics like eggs Benedict and more specialty seafood dishes. I've never had a bad food experience here, and perhaps that's why whenever it's open, it's heaving. Airy, clean and fresh inside, you get a cheerful view of the marina through the big windows, and it's totally family-friendly. They also have a generous amount of outdoor seating if you want to bring you dog. Well worth the wait in the queue.

Aroma Shed is indeed a shed transformed into a cosy cafe along a busy strip of Cascades Road. It…read morehas a parisian theme for the decor and especially delicious coffee. The owner is a friendly South African named George, who tells you they only use real chicken and beef in their pies, as well as real passionfruit in their freshly baked muffins. They are well known for making delicious pies and burgers, which are super cheap at only $4-$6 each. The muffins are under $3, which is really unusual for any cafe. I'd say some more variety in their food and a bit more effort in their decor would improve the experience a great deal. I enjoyed my coffee break here though, and would happily go again sometime soon. I'll be ordering one of their famed burgers next time. It's reassuring to know everything is made on site, and the owner is proud to be in the business of fresh products.

Tried this place for the first time today after reading a Yelp review and I must say their pies are…read moreto die for! The pastry was tasty and thin and there was heaps of filling in it ratio approx 20% pastry 80% filling. We had the Mince Potato Top pie and the Eds Signature Pork Belly with 5 Spice pie and both were so tasty! Completely different flavour to your standard bakery pies and more expensive but at approx $5 each it is worth it! We also tried the cream donuts which were fresh and divine but really sweet so a good thing they are finger sized. We got a couple of other goodies but too full to try them till later on but this is out new #1 fav bakery that we will definitely be going back to again. Downsides are only small but Pies were a little colder then most but a quick zap in the microwave and they were nice and hot again. Selections are limited but if you are not fussy then there is plenty to try. That's it They have a pie cabinet with a good selection A dessert cabinet with limited but still good selections Sandwich cabinet with limited but still good selections Small cold drinks fridge Didn't try coffee as I couldn't dine in and not sure if they offer takeaway but overall Eds is a hidden gem in Mount Wellington that you have got to try its worth the trip even just for one of their pies.

The pie alone is worth 4 stars ! On the corner of…read moreCommissariat rd in Mt Wellington is a small block of shops . And in this is Eds coffee and cake , now this place is by no means fancy but it's clean and the staff are friendly . On a day where the weather was less than desirable, my tummy was saying "falafel "but my heart said loudly and firmly "pie "!! So having done a recon of this place the week before I knew exactly where to go to . I had eyed up the 5-spice pork belly previously so went straight for it . Priced at $5.80 it is on the expensive side for a pie and generally at that price you'd hope for it to be life changing ! And it was . With a flaky pastry top and a golden short pastry base , rich spiced gravy and morsels of pork belly it is delicious ! The pork belly in the pie did contain the fat and for me I put that aside as I'm not a huge fan . But after getting halfway thru there were also some small cubes of potato - a nice addition . Would I eat another one ? Yes , judging by the way there was a constant stream of workers stopping for a pie fix . Am I coming back ? Yes and yes !

Great food and service! Best breakfast place and very cute decor. Nothing to complain about at…read moreall!! Will definitely be back here. Food was on point and had something for everyone...some even ordered to plates!

There is such attention to detail in every aspect of the food prepared. I've had the Big Breakfast…read moreand the Eggs Benidict. The Eggs Benidict with king salmon on house made ciabatta bread-a perfect poach and delicious. The big breakfast had scrambled eggs with a vaguely citrus taste that was different but wonderful, sausages squares of whipped feta and exquisite roasted heirloom tomatoes and delicious potatoes. As I mentioned every item on the plate is completed to perfection. I'm dying to try their fantastic looking pastries.