Here she goes again with another bakery review. We picked up a late lunch here the other day, on…read moreour way out to Beach Haven. The place is unassuming and doesn't leap out at you in a promising or tempting way, in fact we only ended up coming in here because I had to visit the pharmacy next door. So I was surprised to find that their pies are excellent. I'm a stickler for a good pie, so I know my stuff. The butter chicken one was a monster, I was almost intimidated when I took a bite. Creamy filling bursting out of the thing... tastewise, I think I detected chicken stock or some such ingredient that was a bit unexpected, but it was still delicious. My friend had a steak, bacon and cheese, which I took a bite of before he wrestled it back. It was the 'good' kind of steak pie, with dark, thick gravy and succulent bits of meat. And we followed with a piece of ginger crunch each. It looked lacklustre but was actually delicious. The base was super crumbly and buttery, which I love. I couldn't help noticing the big mirror installed at the back of the store, directly opposite where customers stand... and wondering if it doesn't affect their bottom line. I can just imagine customers gazing wistfully from the mirror to the pie cabinet and back again, ultimately settling for a diet coke ;) (jokes, jokes)

What makes this bakery so special for me is not just that they give a free muffin or other bakery…read moredelight away with your morning coffee ..but above all the service. Quick and done with a smile on their face. Plus the cappuccino I have is very good , the sausage rolls are tasty and as are some of the other sweet baked delights on offer. The place is clean, has a good selection, price is not bad and I saw they have a very near perfect A grade from the powers that be. Highly recommend for your morning coffee, pie, sweet indulgence and with very good service.

Friendly people, beautiful food and a great variety. The only thing missing for me is cheese n…read moreonion sandwiches.

Top Star Bakery is a pretty popular spot in Albany, especially for tradesmen on the go in the…read moremornings or for lunch - there's literally a queue out the door of this place around lunch time so its best to get in early if you can. You'll find all the usual bakery goods and they do especially good slices and sandwiches, but what they're most famous for is their country fried chicken. I heard about the chicken here before I'd ever been to Albany! Its pretty greasy but much more homestyle than fast-food joints, its a hangover fix for sure. Anyway the best thing about Top Star is the extremely super friendly little lady that is always there and will always greet you with a "hello my friend!" without fail. Its so cheap too! Its hard to buy a decent lunch for under ten bucks these days but this is one spot you really get bang for your buck.

I came here because it was highly recommended by a fellow Yelper, and I must say this bakery is the…read morebomb. They sell a wide variety of baked good and pre-made food. I picked a mini meat pie and a cherry tart for myself, the bf had the carrot cake and a strawberry rhubarb pie. Let me just put it out here that Kiwi pie is not something which I enjoy. But the mini beef mince pie from this place was outstanding - no gelatinous, overly salty, mushy filling here. It was a delicious ground beef with nice spices all stuffed in a flaky pie crust. I'm definitely going for the regular size pie next time I visit. The sweet desserts were really good as well, I loved my cherry tart. This area has a lot of bakeries but by the looks of it Kolhen's seems to be a favorite. I totally see why, and can't wait to go back. Note:They have many gluten free items.

On our way out to Muriwai, we completely stumbled upon Kolhen's Kitchen in a truly serendipitous…read moreway. Although the bakery is small and a bit unassuming, they sweet and savoury baked goods from wall to wall really pack a punch! One of the cutest things I saw were these baby marshmallow snowmen. I was feeling adventurous and strayed from my normal mince and cheese pie and went for the chicken, cranberry and bleu cheese pie. The flaky, butter crust encapsulated the well-seasoned and balance filling and really hit the spot for a brekky on-the-go. I also couldn't help but get an apple donut as well which had AMPLE filling and the fresh fried dough taste that is simply intoxicating. If you are in the neighborhood, check them out you won't regret it.

My mission, first day in this country: Find & consume a good old fashioned, legendary, savory New…read moreZealand pie! Being from the states pie usually means sweet, and serving about 8 people, but these are not like that, they are individual servings that you eat with your hands, like a sandwich. I want to compare it to a chicken pot pie but these are not even in the same league. There were many different types to choose from, I had a hard time deciding! Chose Chicken cranberry Camembert. The pastry that surrounds the hot deductible filling was buttery, flaky, delicious (evil). And the inside, creamy thick gravy, chunks of chicken, oozy cheese and a thin layer of cranberry. So so good. Words can't describe. I tasted my friends chicken cream cheese mushroom, even richer and more delicious. My second day, got the pepper beef, yum! Wished I had catsup for that one! Tasted friends egg and bacon, omg. Why don't we have these in the states? There are multiple bakeries in all these little towns that make them. Even the gas stations have them (it's rumored that they are just as good). Tomorrow the plan is to try chicken curry pie! Can not wait. I'm guessing these things are a zillion calories (don't want to know) but so worth it, ok limiting myself to one a day. This bakery also has prepared sandwiches and sweets that look amazing. Doubt I'll try that stuff...can't take my eye off the pies.

Visited with my gf during our stay in auckland after working out at city kick boxing. cakes were…read moregreat

The "Bhead locals" told me this was the place to go. When I decided to trust them and ventured…read moretowards it I thought it must be damn good as it lives just down the way from Bakers Delight! That's some serious competition for a little old bakery. As it turned out the locals were right. This is a quality bakery. My weakness for those super unhealthy wiener-hot-dog-and-bun-in-one things was well satisfied! I think they're just called hot dogs but I thought I'd try better describing them. Everything else here was also up to scratch, sandwiches and slices and all. I guess it is safe to always trust the locals!

Solid option for treats and sweets but do yourself a favor and skip the sausage roll.read more

There are a lot of nice places to eat in St Heliers, but you still can't beat grabbing something…read morefrom the Breadwinner Bakery and walking the one minute to the beach, stretching out under a tree, and enjoying a little picnic all to yourself. Everything at Breadwinner is yummy - my favourites are the massive sandwiches, the pies, and the cream buns. It's all your standard kiwi bakery stuff here and a massive variety of it. Everything is made to a high standard and the prices are very reasonable. They have some seats inside and n the footpath, and do coffees and teas to have in or takeaway, but with the beach so close, it's a no-brainer.

My little pride and joy is now nearing his big day. Yes, I'm going to host a first birthday party,…read morewith a dozen or so rug rats eating cake and getting sugar rushes like they've never experienced before. Hoping our long summer will continue for another month, I've set the venue for Browns Bay in the park, where we'll do a picnic style party for mums and bubs. Snacks for the moms will be upmarket and for the babies it will be pirate inspired cakes and biscuits. These days parents need to be aware of modern day ailments: gluten intolerance, lactose issues and peanut butter allergies, all things we have to take in regard. Keeping this in mind, we've ordered gluten free cupcakes from Herne Bay Bakery, and they've created these beautifully little pirate cupcakes for the occasion. Plus they've offered us 10% discount. Thanks, HBB.

Why am I the first person to write about this place? What is going on? Why doesn't the great…read morePonsonby area's finest and least pretentious lunch bar already have a glut of reviews? Well. This place is great. My optimum lunch choice. It's well out of the way if I want to eat lunch here, but I make that trek on occasion because it's so worth it. I love this place. I love everything about it. I love the old lady who's in charge. I love her young Asian workers. I love their range of sandwiches. I love the lolly cake and neenish tarts and belgium biscuits and pies. I love their shitty drinks. I love that they have a little oven thing with fried chicken or something. I love that it's everything that Herne Bay and Ponsonby isn't. Best meal combo: Curried egg sandwhich on wholemeal bread and a carton of Nippys chocolate milk. Yes. Yes. Yes.

I used to come here all the time with my sister to choose nifty decorations and baking materials…read morefor cakes. There's anything and everything you could ever need for cake-making and if you kit yourself out here your cake is sure to look damn good (even if it doesn't taste so good). I came in here just before St Patrick's day and found a table full of green goodness! St Patrick's themed cakes and cupcakes must be on the menu for some keen bakers. Of course I had to meander down to the far end of the shop where the cabinet of little chocolates lives. I decided I'd only allow myself to get one little treat so it seemed an impossible decision choosing what to get. I asked the shop assistant what she recommended. Apparently the hazelnut cones and strawberry filled choccies are the most popular. I knew it. The hazelnut cone had been my first instinct - always go with the gut when you're choosing chocolate! So that is what I got and it was incredible. I had to control myself with all my possible power not to shoot back into the store on my way back up to buy a couple more!

From the owner: Cake Decorating supplies with Chocolate, Lollies and Fudge to tempt your taste buds.read more