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As always, the ‘cafe’ definition is nebulous, and it’s only grown more so as brew bars (cafes you can’t order eggs on toast at) have become more popular. We’ve included them on this list — we’re a fan of the slow pour-overs and attention to detail that are characteristic of many coffee shops without a kitchen menu — but have indicated the places where all you can get, aside from a coffee, is a croissant.

Whether they’re more brew bar, deli or bakery, the one thing all 50 of these cafes do have in common is that they all serve some form of coffee. We promise.

With thanks to Karma Drinks.

Category winners

Supreme Winner

Category Winners

  • Supreme Winner
  • Best New
  • Other Best New
  • Best Coffee
  • Best Established
  • Best Service
  • Best Surroundings
  • Best Fit-Out
  • Best Cabinet Food
  • Best Bread
  • Best Sandwiches
  • Best Cafe/Roastery
  • Best Dressed
Supreme Winner - Winner

Duo Eatery

If you decide to visit Duo on a Saturday morning, you can spot it in the middle of a row of shops by the groups of locals standing around outside, dog leashes in hand. Though it’s been open for only a year and a bit, the Birkenhead Pt eatery has a definite buzz around it — the kind of genuine, unmanufactured hype that comes with doing something well. Owned and run by Jordan and Sarah Macdonald (Jordan used to chef at and co-own Culprit), the food offerings are well-trodden favourites turned up several notches: the mushrooms on toast, for example, come with a delicious salsa verde, and the French toast is a brûléed, custard-soaked brioche. Then, of course, there’s the raw fish on toast, which was an entry in last issue’s Metro Best Dishes — it’s that good.

More about Duo Eatery
Best New - Winner

Duo Eatery

Other Best New - Winner

Burnt Butter Diner

Claudia Long and Ryan Pearce’s compact cafe in Avondale has a no-fuss ethos that makes it uncomplicated to love. With a small team and space, everything is scaled down to simplicity: the menu has zero duds and the coffee only comes one way (filter). Straightforwardly great.

More about Burnt Butter Diner
Best Coffee - Winner

Rumours

Yet another new entry on the list, Rumours is a bare- bones coffee bar that focuses its efforts on making sure your brew is the best it can be. The espresso is mostly Society Coffee, a small micro-roastery based in Auckland, with seasonal single origins and guest roasters on filter, both local and international (batch and pour-over). We especially like the iced white with demerara syrup, and the espresso tiramisu is good for a post-lunch dessert.

More about Rumours
Best Established - Winner

Dizengoff

Dizengoff has been around since 1994, which makes it 29 in human years, 203 in dog ones and extremely senior for a cafe. It still does a brisk trade doing what it does — and doing it well.

More about Dizengoff
Best Service - Winner

Odettes Eatery

It is a feat to make sure everything runs smoothly at a cafe of Odettes’ size, but headed up by operations manager Poi Eruera, the service here is fast and friendly, executed with an ease that belies how hard it really is.

More about Odettes Eatery
Best Surroundings - Winner

Bestie

Though we continue our fight against the word ‘vibe’, our Best Surroundings category is a nod to a place that just feels good to be in. It’s incredibly hard to beat the atrium at the end of St Kevins Arcade, with the Sky Tower looking down on the sprawling and plant-studded dining area.

More about Bestie
Best Fit-Out - Winner

Seabreeze

Best Cabinet Food - Winner

Cazador Deli

Best Bread - Winner

Florets

Best Sandwiches - Winner

Hare and the Turtle

Best Cafe/Roastery - Winner

Ozone Coffee Roasters

Best Dressed - Winner

Coffee Pen

(See our column on cafe style in the issue)

More about Coffee Pen

AUCKLAND'S TOP 50 CAFES

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Filters
Filters
Metro Top 50 Close
  • Restaurant Close
  • Bar Close
  • Cafe Close
  • Eats under $25 Close
  • Albany Close
    3
  • Avondale Close
    3
  • Balmoral Close
    2
  • Birkenhead Close
    1
  • Blockhouse Bay Close
    1
  • Britomart Close
    5
  • Browns Bay Close
    1
  • Burswood Close
    1
  • Central city Close
    51
  • Devonport Close
    2
  • Eastern Beach Close
    1
  • Eden Terrace Close
    9
  • Ellerslie Close
    1
  • Epsom Close
    1
  • Freemans Bay Close
    1
  • Glen Eden Close
    2
  • Grafton Close
    1
  • Greenlane Close
    1
  • Grey Lynn Close
    9
  • Henderson Close
    5
  • Herne Bay Close
    2
  • Highland Park Close
    1
  • Hillcrest Close
    1
  • Hobsonville Close
    1
  • Howick Close
    1
  • Karangahape Rd Precinct Close
    23
  • Kingsland Close
    3
  • Mangere Close
    1
  • Manuwera Close
    1
  • Morningside Close
    3
  • Mt Albert Close
    6
  • Mt Eden Close
    24
  • Mt Roskill Close
    6
  • Mt Wellington Close
    1
  • New Lynn Close
    2
  • New Windsor Close
    1
  • Newmarket Close
    9
  • Newton Close
    2
  • North Shore Close
    8
  • Northcote Close
    2
  • Northcote Point Close
    1
  • Onehunga Close
    5
  • Ōrākei Close
    2
  • Ōtara Close
    1
  • Ōtāhuhu Close
    3
  • Panmure Close
    3
  • Parnell Close
    6
  • Penrose Close
    1
  • Ponsonby Close
    17
  • Pt Chevalier Close
    1
  • Remuera Close
    1
  • Riverhead Close
    1
  • Rosedale Close
    1
  • Sandringham Close
    5
  • St Heliers Close
    1
  • Takapuna Close
    4
  • Te Atatū Peninsula Close
    1
  • Waiheke Close
    7
  • Waterfront Close
    4
  • Westhaven Close
    1
  • Westmere Close
    2
  • Wynyard Quarter Close
    1
  • A la carte Close
    36
  • Afghani Close
    1
  • All-day eatery Close
    3
  • Allpress coffee Close
    12
  • Altezano Brothers coffee Close
    1
  • Ark coffee Close
    1
  • Asian Fusion Close
    2
  • Atomic coffee Close
    4
  • Bakery Close
    9
  • Bar Close
    32
  • Be Specialty coffee Close
    4
  • Breakfast Close
    10
  • Brew Bar Close
    4
  • Burgers Close
    4
  • Cabinet food Close
    56
  • Cakes Close
    3
  • Camper coffee Close
    1
  • Casual Close
    40
  • Charcuterie Close
    1
  • Cheap Eats Close
    76
  • Cheese Close
    2
  • Chef counter dining Close
    1
  • Chinese Close
    21
  • Chongqing Close
    1
  • Coffee Supreme Close
    10
  • Cook Island Close
    1
  • Courtyard Close
    1
  • Degustation Close
    1
  • Degustation dining Close
    6
  • Deli Close
    3
  • Desserts Close
    1
  • Dim Sum Close
    1
  • Dine-in menu Close
    39
  • Dine-menu Close
    1
  • Dinner Close
    5
  • Eightthirty coffee Close
    5
  • Espresso Workshop coffee Close
    1
  • Ethiopian Close
    1
  • Filipino Close
    5
  • Fine dining Close
    7
  • Fixed-price meals Close
    1
  • Flight coffee Close
    6
  • French Close
    4
  • Game meat Close
    1
  • Good for dogs Close
    5
  • Good for kids Close
    23
  • Good seating outside Close
    9
  • Guilin Close
    2
  • Gujarati Close
    1
  • Handpicked coffee Close
    1
  • Himalayan Close
    2
  • Hong Kong Close
    1
  • Indian Close
    9
  • Indonesian Close
    2
  • Italian Close
    8
  • Jamaican Close
    1
  • Japanese Close
    15
  • Jiangsu Close
    1
  • Kaimoana Close
    1
  • Korean Close
    13
  • Kōkako coffee Close
    6
  • L'affare coffee Close
    2
  • Lanzhou Close
    2
  • Lebanese Close
    2
  • Licensed Close
    6
  • Malaysian Close
    12
  • Malaysian-Indian Close
    2
  • Mediterranean Close
    1
  • Mexican Close
    3
  • Middle Eastern Close
    2
  • Nashville Close
    1
  • Neighbourhood Close
    6
  • Neo-bistro Close
    1
  • Nikkei Close
    1
  • Odettes blend Close
    1
  • Open Late Close
    2
  • Open Mondays Close
    19
  • Opens Mondays Close
    1
  • Outdoor dining Close
    17
  • Ozone Coffee Close
    2
  • Pacific Close
    1
  • Pacific Island Close
    1
  • Pastries only Close
    2
  • Peoples coffee Close
    2
  • Peruvian Close
    1
  • Pies Close
    2
  • Private dining area Close
    2
  • Private room Close
    9
  • Ramen Close
    6
  • Raw Close
    1
  • Red Rabbit coffee Close
    1
  • Rich coffee Close
    1
  • Rocket coffee Close
    3
  • Rotating guest filter brews Close
    2
  • Sandwiches Close
    5
  • Sashimi Close
    1
  • Set menu Close
    18
  • Shaanxi Close
    1
  • Shanghainese Close
    3
  • Shared-plate options Close
    45
  • Sichuan Close
    5
  • Sicilian Close
    1
  • Smart Close
    15
  • Society coffee Close
    1
  • South Indian Close
    1
  • Spanish Close
    2
  • Specialty coffee Close
    6
  • Sri Lankan Close
    1
  • Sunday lunch Close
    2
  • Taiwanese Close
    1
  • Takes large bookings Close
    13
  • Takes large groups Close
    27
  • Thai Close
    6
  • Turkish Close
    1
  • Udon Close
    1
  • Under25 Close
    67
  • Uyghur Close
    1
  • Vegan Close
    2
  • Vegan friendly Close
    10
  • Vegan menu available Close
    1
  • Vegetarian Close
    4
  • Vegetarian menu Close
    1
  • Vietnamese Close
    9
  • Vineyard Close
    2
  • Vivace coffee Close
    1
  • Wi-Fi Close
    9
  • Wifi Close
    4
  • Wine bar Close
    7
  • Yum cha Close
    2

605

605 New North Rd, Morningside

The Lodge Bar

Commercial Bay,7 Queen St , Central city

Ockhee

171 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby

Onslow

9 Princes St, Central city

Paris Butter

166 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay

Pasta & Cuore

409 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden

Pasture

235 Parnell Rd, Parnell

Pici

Shop 22, St Kevins Arcade, 183 Karangahape Rd, Karangahape Rd Precinct

Ponsonby Road Bistro

165 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby

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