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
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
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 EateryBurnt 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
AUCKLAND'S TOP 50 CAFES
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Cafe
- Eats under $25
- Albany3
- Avondale3
- Balmoral2
- Birkenhead1
- Blockhouse Bay1
- Britomart5
- Browns Bay1
- Burswood1
- Central city51
- Devonport2
- Eastern Beach1
- Eden Terrace9
- Ellerslie1
- Epsom1
- Freemans Bay1
- Glen Eden2
- Grafton1
- Greenlane1
- Grey Lynn9
- Henderson5
- Herne Bay2
- Highland Park1
- Hillcrest1
- Hobsonville1
- Howick1
- Karangahape Rd Precinct23
- Kingsland3
- Mangere1
- Manuwera1
- Morningside3
- Mt Albert6
- Mt Eden24
- Mt Roskill6
- Mt Wellington1
- New Lynn2
- New Windsor1
- Newmarket9
- Newton2
- North Shore8
- Northcote2
- Northcote Point1
- Onehunga5
- Ōrākei2
- Ōtara1
- Ōtāhuhu3
- Panmure3
- Parnell6
- Penrose1
- Ponsonby17
- Pt Chevalier1
- Remuera1
- Riverhead1
- Rosedale1
- Sandringham5
- St Heliers1
- Takapuna4
- Te Atatū Peninsula1
- Waiheke7
- Waterfront4
- Westhaven1
- Westmere2
- Wynyard Quarter1
- A la carte36
- Afghani1
- All-day eatery3
- Allpress coffee12
- Altezano Brothers coffee1
- Ark coffee1
- Asian Fusion2
- Atomic coffee4
- Bakery9
- Bar32
- Be Specialty coffee4
- Breakfast10
- Brew Bar4
- Burgers4
- Cabinet food56
- Cakes3
- Camper coffee1
- Casual40
- Charcuterie1
- Cheap Eats76
- Cheese2
- Chef counter dining1
- Chinese21
- Chongqing1
- Coffee Supreme10
- Cook Island1
- Courtyard1
- Degustation1
- Degustation dining6
- Deli3
- Desserts1
- Dim Sum1
- Dine-in menu39
- Dine-menu1
- Dinner5
- Eightthirty coffee5
- Espresso Workshop coffee1
- Ethiopian1
- Filipino5
- Fine dining7
- Fixed-price meals1
- Flight coffee6
- French4
- Game meat1
- Good for dogs5
- Good for kids23
- Good seating outside9
- Guilin2
- Gujarati1
- Handpicked coffee1
- Himalayan2
- Hong Kong1
- Indian9
- Indonesian2
- Italian8
- Jamaican1
- Japanese15
- Jiangsu1
- Kaimoana1
- Korean13
- Kōkako coffee6
- L'affare coffee2
- Lanzhou2
- Lebanese2
- Licensed6
- Malaysian12
- Malaysian-Indian2
- Mediterranean1
- Mexican3
- Middle Eastern2
- Nashville1
- Neighbourhood6
- Neo-bistro1
- Nikkei1
- Odettes blend1
- Open Late2
- Open Mondays19
- Opens Mondays1
- Outdoor dining17
- Ozone Coffee2
- Pacific1
- Pacific Island1
- Pastries only2
- Peoples coffee2
- Peruvian1
- Pies2
- Private dining area2
- Private room9
- Ramen6
- Raw1
- Red Rabbit coffee1
- Rich coffee1
- Rocket coffee3
- Rotating guest filter brews2
- Sandwiches5
- Sashimi1
- Set menu18
- Shaanxi1
- Shanghainese3
- Shared-plate options45
- Sichuan5
- Sicilian1
- Smart15
- Society coffee1
- South Indian1
- Spanish2
- Specialty coffee6
- Sri Lankan1
- Sunday lunch2
- Taiwanese1
- Takes large bookings13
- Takes large groups27
- Thai6
- Turkish1
- Udon1
- Under2567
- Uyghur1
- Vegan2
- Vegan friendly10
- Vegan menu available1
- Vegetarian4
- Vegetarian menu1
- Vietnamese9
- Vineyard2
- Vivace coffee1
- Wi-Fi9
- Wifi4
- Wine bar7
- Yum cha2