It reminded me a lot of my local Belmont Little & Friday before it got really popular. A local cafe in 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! read more

See all

My sister and I came here for lunch one day because she had heard good things, and we agreed with everything 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! read more

Open Table - Smashed avocado with lime, coconut and macadamia nuts on grainy bread - Cafes Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Absolutely love this place. Not the most visible location but it's worth the effort. The place- small corner cafe style but has surprisedly good number of seats. Some indoor some outdoor, some communal seats also. Open plan, lets you enjoy the fresh breeze from outside. The food- fresh organic free range foods. Have to try their fish cake with silky egg yolk flows over the top. The taste is to die for. Also recommend the pullpork sandwich. The drinks- you must try their freshly squeezed juice! There is also a selection of tea and Kokako coffee. The service- great! Friendly and accommodating. Wanted to get some soup for my son. They don't have soup on the menu but at my request they whipped something up down the back. Have to make this place one of my regular stops. read more

See all

I'm impressed. It's all that I hope for in a neighborhood cafe - unique, informal, personal, stylish, smart, with a pinch of hip-ness. They were audacious enough not to have a sign outside with their name. As recommended by another reviewer, I went for the Asian breakfast - Japanese salted salmon, rice, a fashionable poached egg, and a colourful array of pickled veggies. Amazing and very pretty. An absolutely unique breakfast dish in the middle of suburban Auckland. This is the kind of surprise I look for in any new cafe. My wife had poached eggs on brown bread with a special tomato sauce, plus bacon on the side - thumbs up from her. She loved the cookie. We also had a raspberry-filled doughnut to start, while waiting for our food and coffee. One hiccup, though - they forgot our coffee. But, when alerted to their error, they were hugely apologetic and gave us the coffee for free. I counted about three sorry's from the manager and one sorry from the young waitress. Instead of being irritated, I was suitably amused. Being in the middle of Ellerslie, away from any busy area, this feels more like a special, secret place, that appears when the sun comes out. I'll definitely be back. read more

See all

5 stars as a show of my support for local businesses! By local I mean the burbs. Way to go guys for taking the plunge and landmarking your name in the area. I'd choose the short drive out to Ellerslie for brunch any day instead of waiting in line at fancy popular inner city cafes. Good coffee, beautifully presented dishes and friendly staff. These guys do take orders at your table (perhaps they've taken on feedbacks from previous review). The smoked kahawai is delectable, well executed. My friend ordered a quesadilla off the kiddie's menu, she loved every bite of it, even commented that was exactly how she'd make it at home herself - not a bad compliment from a true Mexican! read more

Open Table - Smoked kahawai - Open Table - Cafes Near Me - Auckland, AUK

My partner initially noticed this cafe on Kickstarter and we decided to contribute to it because we thought it sounded great - a local cafe with quality ingredients. We have been here a few times and the food is always really fresh. The coffee is amazing. I am alway tempted to order another but 2 cappuccinos in the one day might be pushing the caffeine limits! At the most recent visit I ordered the fruit crumble and my partner had the white beans and fennel sausage. The crumble was very tasty, but i felt like I needed a bit more yogurt as it was quite dry. There were only a few little drops of yogurt. The fruit under the yogurt was very good.The peach was seriously sour though and kind of hurt my mouth to eat. I had to leave some because it was intense. You get a very large amount of crumble, so good if you are feeling hungry. The sausage and beans was also very good, with a great mix of flavours. I think the sausages are from the Ellerslie butchers - using local ingredients is always good. This is a great little cafe. Definitely try the coffee. FYI the doughnuts look amazing too, I will have to try one next time!! read more

Open Table - Fruit crumble and white beans with sausage - Cafes Near Me - Auckland, AUK

See all

I'm torn between giving Open Table a 3 or a 4 star review. I think 3.5 is probably fair. The coffee is always good (Kokako - which means they sell cold brew as well). Went here with a friend for lunch and I had the broadbean falafel which was faultless and amazingly. My friend had eggs on toast with a side of hollandaise. Eggs and toast were great but the hollandaise was a real let down - buttery and flavourless. To be fair though the hollandaise was an extra order and they don't normally serve it so can't be too critical. The service is probably the only thing that could do with improvement. Mains are $18-20 each and for that price you'd expect table service but you still need to order at the counter and get your own water etc. Lots of cafes in the area which are full service for the same price - but the food does make up for this. I'll definitely be back here again! read more

A fresh feel with the hipness others have described for a quiet suburban street. Promptly seated with menu and a bottle of water. Coffee divine although slightly hot and so I had to wait for a while before I could drink it. My friend Earl Grey tea arrived on a hip tray that matched the vibe of the cafe. The fish cakes an interesting mix of spices with the poach egg taking the heat out of the spice. It was noisy although only moderately full. The toilets large and nice and clean. read more

Open Table - Fish cakes and the smashed avocado. - Cafes Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Good coffee and amazing food here...not the usual bunch menu, some good surprises here. We had fish cake with fried potatoes and poached egg, apple pancake with greek yorhurt and streaky bacon, both taste really. Lots of locals here on a Sunday morning...was looking in the cabinet for bakery items ( from bread and butter) but W's nothing left I guess there is no delivery on Sunday? Overall, it's a great little cafe for the locals here, friendly staff and great food! We will be back read more

See all

Enjoyed nice service and beautiful food today which was the perfect start to our trip out of town. I was hard pressed to choose from a very good looking bunch of menu options. Japanese salmon was excellent, and the hubby loved his fish cakes. Little girl devoured all her Apple pancakes with cream and caramel and a side of sausages (add on). Unfortunately we don't live nearby but will be telling friends to go there!! read more

Open Table - Japanese salmon, back is tasty fish cakes and left Apple latkes - Cafes Near Me - Auckland, AUK

Great little place hidden in a residential area. The food was great and the workers were very nice and accommodating. We were in New Zealand for 7 days and found this place via Yelp. The food and service were so good that we made it a point to eat here again before our flight back home. read more

Hidden amongst the relative suburbia of Ellerslie lies Open Table, one of Metro's hottest new cafes of 2014. Having heard word of mouth rave reviews about it for the longest time now, I finally let my Sunday brunch wanderlust lead me to this little (mostly) organic cafe and I'll admit, I'm impressed. The decor is minimalist chic in the raw power ponsonby style that seems to be trending for new places, but the menu isn't as typical. I was surprised at the lack of Eggs Benny and Waffles on the menu, replaced instead by adventurous offerings such as Apple latkes! Pictured below is the chicken quesadilla and the chocolate berry smoothie. The quesadilla was cheesy chicken perfection, but the choc berry smoothie didn't quite hit the mark for me, being more berry than chocolate. The service was also memorably great. All in all, would definitely recommend this local gem to anyone looking for a suburban brunch with a difference. Happy Sunday Auckland read more

Open Table - Chicken Quesadilla and Choc Berry Smoothie (more on instagram @edibleauckland) - Cafes Near Me - Auckland, AUK