Review Verve Cafe - Auckland Central

Rebecca Ryan

The food was beautiful, my son said it's the best burger he's ever had. I had the bacon and chorizo hash, was delicious. The staff were friendly and looked happy to be there. I would definitely return one day.

Eliz Lee

Really love the chill vide here，the boss is really nice. Food is definitely yummyyyyy🥺🥺will come here to eat again and again

Hamish Dorrington

Verve Cafe is a great spot with a nice atmosphere and indoor/outdoor flow. The service is great and the staff are friendly, but at $8.50 for an iced latte I just couldn’t justify giving 5 stars. With everywhere else in the city being priced between $5.50 to $6.50 this does feel like daylight robbery. In short, you’ll probably enjoy everything about this place, except the bill. Hamish Dorrington Kakapo Business Sales

Joseph Murray

My wife and I enjoyed lunch here with really good cappuccino. It was so good we returned for a cappuccino and pastry. Yummy! Nice service too, very friendly. Sat outside on a nice day.

MARK MA

The smoothie was very nice, both taste wise and looks wise. The long black was great. The crispy skin salmon was good, but I didn’t enjoy the base as much. One of the best big breakfast I’ve ever had. Excellent service, friendly staff. Definitely recommended to you all! A must come.

HeungMin Son

I had an incredible dining experience at this restaurant. The pasta and the Benedict Eggs with Bacon, Mashed Potatoes, and Spinach were exceptional. The spinach was incredibly fresh, and the quality of the ingredients shone through in every bite. It's clear they take great care in sourcing their ingredients. What also stood out was the coffee; prepared by the friendly barista (maybe the owner of the cafe)with impressive latte art skills. The coffee was absolutely fantastic. The combination of delicious food and great coffee made this visit truly memorable. I highly recommend trying their dishes when you visit this place!

Che Man Yu Chemanyu

Nice food, staff very friendly and helpful.

grace

amazing! great food, quick wait times and polite staff. will def be coming back

Shauna Dougherty

Been here 3 times already and amazing food and very well priced! Absolutely tasty. Highly recommend!

Julia

Good coffee and breakfast. This cafe has a really nice outdoor seating area. Good range of $15 specials.

Ohkaye

I've come here a few times with friends. The food is always amazing and the people are friendly. They both have indoor and outdoor seating(so nice outside during summer). Worth a try if you're around the area. Recommend the rosti stack! It's so good

Little Borneo Girl

It wasn’t my first visit here although it had been a long time since I visited. We ordered the beef burger and the salmon salad. The food looked freshly prepared but unfortunately the beef burger was a bit dry and overcooked. The salmon dish was just full of potato cubes with very little salmon pieces. They were tasty but was far too salty. Service was excellent with staff that made you feel welcomed. Our server asked about the food and I had mentioned it was too salty. I believed she would happily change it for me but it was just a passing comment and I didn’t bother because my partner ate my share. Service was 4 star but food was 3. There’s no half star so sorry, am giving this review a 3 rating.

Laura Blunt

We had an awesome breakfast here, the staff were friendly and the hotcakes had the perfect amount of sauce to pancake ratio. The salmon hash tasted great but would have been even better with more salmon and capers. Next time I'll get an extra shot in my iced latte as it was a bit weak for me, but I like a strong coffee.

Camila Gallo

Super friendly staff and delicious food. We ordered two plates that were not vegetarian asking if it's possible to remove the meat. They offered to adapt them for us and were wonderful. We definitely will recommend the place to our friends.

Biani Hoskins-Peri

I came here on Sunday morning and they provide Really good service. The best coffee I have ever had and delicious food. I will definitely visit again

Tom

Great place and really yummy food went here for the first time and what we got tasted great will be dropping by again

May Hung

A decent lunch spot, not close the busy areas with other restaurant/ eateries. Friendly staff and good food.

SM

Staff/service: 4/5 Venue: 4/5 Price/portion: 3.5/5 Exploring Parnell cafes with our zomato gold. I ordered the hash special with salmon($20.50) while husband ordered the brunch special smashed avocado on toast($17). Their coffee apparently isn’t double shots, so remember to tell them that unless you wanting a weak coffee. My hash special with salmon was underwhelming, it was too buttery and the amount of salmon is like 2 tablespoons full of salmon. Big disappointment with the price $20.50 for a plate of potatoes. Husband’s brunch special is nothing to shout about as well. Join Zomato Gold and get 1+1 on food or 2+2 on drinks. Also get a 20% OFF using my referral code SUMA8564P

Annie Low

Everything was really yummy and I love the food here!! Love their mash potato and anything with potato! Hollandaise sauce is really tasty as well. One of the best brunch spot with affordable price at parnell with great views! Definitely will be back to try more food. Coffee is awesome too! Steak was abit rough and over cook even tho I ask for medium rare but overall had a really good experience!

Jun Dolon

the waiting staff were very friendly . quickly served and one of the best breakfast we had to date. The mocha was to die for. Nice cozy cafe right in the heart of Parnell

Eileen Wang

It was an very enjoyable meal. Staffs were friendly with good service and the food was nice. Highly recommend and will keep coming back for sure.

MCP

Nice cafe in parnell, they have a really nice atmosphere, tried their chicken liver - it was really good, the sauce blends really well with the liver and their coffee is not bad as well!

Elliot Lewington

Great small cafe, excellent service and the breads and dips especially were a fantastic and cheap starter for two. Had the beef burger, good size and well priced again, great flavour.

Tony Ma

Very satisfying. We came with ZGold. The chicken livers were delicious and prepared perfectly, even the sauce was absolutely fantastic. The chicken sad was nice and refreshing, big breakfast I ordered because of the lamb on top which was a nice little treat. The salmon was a bit small, but with ZGold it was very worth it still. Service: 5/5 Environment: 3/5 Presentation: 4/5 Food Quality: 4.5/5 Food Quantity: 5/5 Price per person: $20-$30

Hungry D

Had the verve big breakfast. Pretty decent. Bit odd to find a lamb cutlet in a big breakfast but I’m not complaining. Spoke to one of the staff members who. Seemed senior about nut allergies. He didn’t seem to understand much. We later spoke to someone else to order and she immediately understood the requirement and clarified our queries.

Blake Ma

Normally I passed by I always grab a lovely belly filling BLT sandwich and a trimmed flat white, this time I stopped and had a most delicious pasta of the year, definitely worse to try. Nice and friendly staffs would come back to check are you satisfied with your meal. Highly recommend, good place to go on weekend!

Jenny Kim

Prices at this cafe are so good, as well as the serving sizes! I got the avocado on toast but instead of bacon they swapped it out for Halloumi, the dish was very delicious & was a good price too. The wedges are a must! Super crispy ☺️

Daniel

If you are staying in Auckland or the surrounding area, do yourself a favour and stop in at Verve for breakfast or lunch. The whole street has a quaint Gilmore Girls vibe about it and Verve complements the area very well. The bacon was some of the best I’ve had in years...and that alone gets it a five. However, I was able to substitute my bread and rosti for more bacon so if I could give Verve a 6 I would.

Justine Crabb

Unfortunately quite underwhelmed. Food is overpriced and quality products don’t seem to be used on all meals. Maybe try a larger meal and not just a sandwich like I did

Kicky

The food is a bit pricey, but I love the place especially in the week end morning. The Cappucino was good especially the froth is creamy and smell nice. Had the breakfast menu is standard nothing special. Once again I love the place

Fraser Lewis-Smith And Alana Ah Tani

Both our meals cost under $15 each and was so filling and satisfying. Had eggs benny with spinach and it was just delicious, we also had a classic egg and bacon sandwich with fries which was only $11, really fast and friendly service. We also had a flat white and berry smoothie which was very refreshing!

Samantha Treadgold

This place is fantastic! Food is delicious and large servings and the staff were very friendly. This place will definitly become my new local cafe. So hard to find good cafe food at a reasonable price but this place nails it!

Food.review.nz

You ever just want to save money but also at the same time you feel like having breakfast or brunch at a nice cosy cafe? I’ve found the spot just for you. Never have I ever seen such amazing value for your money for the food and service you get! They have $11 specials menu filled with a variety of dishes so no one will ever feel left out. Ranging from breakfast options to brunch options to catering for veggie eaters and those not on a cheat meal day - you’re bound to find something you’ll like on the specials menu. They also have a selection of cabinet cakes and slices that are cheaper than normal cafe price. Of course, there would be no point if it didn’t taste good even if it was cheap. However, for $11, you get the most classic yet delicious breakfast consisting of toasted ciabatta bread, poached egg, 2 golden crispy hash browns, cheesy sausage, bacon, grilled tomato topped with baby spinach leaves. Their service is excellent based on the fact that I get treated with the same respect and warmth from all staff every time I dine! The cafe is cosy and you can choose to sit outside on the deck with covers and heaters or inside. They also have a towel/ blanket for winter in case you got wet or feel extra cold! This is what every cafe needs to be honest! Parking can be found on side streets and on the main Parnell road. Food 8/10 Ambience 7/10 Service 8/10 Price 8/10

The Poor Foodie

$10 lunch special!! There was a wide range of lunch special on the board and in the end I went for a bacon and tomato sandwich with fries. Finished in light speed! The bread was nicely toasted, crunchy outside and soft inside. One thing was we had to ask for ketchup coz the fries were plain in taste. Flies were a bit annoying tho as we sat outside 😑

Jessica Li

We got a super late lunch/breakfast here(it was about 2pm and we hadn’t eaten anything yet....) I had a bit of a sweet tooth and got the vanilla hotcakes with fruit, maple syrup and creme fraiche and a mocha. It definitely hit the spot! The hotcakes were perfect, not too sweet and the fruit made it feel healthier 😂 I also loved how the outside area had the plastic covering so you could still enjoy it but not feel the cold and wind. The staff are also super friendly and helpful as well :)

Eric Anderson

After waiting for over an hour for our meal, we were told that “your order is coming soon.” However, noticing several people getting served that arrived more than 30 minutes after us, I decided to ask again about our food. The staff member came back to us that our order had actually been forgotten and asked if we still wanted to eat there. We left and will not return. I fully understand that mistakes can happen, but with no offer or courtesy extended I’m afraid I cannot recommend this venue.

Todd

A very chic cafe with great outdoor seating areas. I got the Vanilla hotcakes. a real delicacy! they also have an extensive 10 dollar specials menu that delivers great value for money!

Izak Chads

Great place.. staff are very friendly. Food came out really quickly and for the price i was shocked.. moat certainly coming back here again!

Raymond Tiong

I wandered into this café as it was one of the few places open at 3pm on Parnell Road. Excellent service and decent amount of seating space both inside and outside. The range offered on their $10 lunch menu wasn’t particularly exciting, but I settled on a pasta salad with bacon – which was tasty but didn’t really stand out. The portion wasn’t big, but I was still full. The friendly service is what I really remember from this place, but I’d be happy to try more of their menu next time I pop around Parnell.

Foodie Chronicles

We tried some of the $10 lunches and found that they were really tasty and good portion sizes. The people here are so lovely and had great customer service!

Swsammiii

Had my brekkie here today and holy macaroni, absolutely amazing food and coffee, cheap prices for their specials and fantabulous service!!! Defs gonna eat here again eh! 420 swaggyyyy points fo shizzle!!!

Briar McGlynn

This cafe is in a great location with a lovely deck area to sit in out the front. We were given friendly, efficient service. I oredered the eggs benedict with mushrooms which came in a stack with eggs on top and mushrooms between the bread layers. This was an enjoyable meal composition as you got a little of each component with each mouthful. There was a good ratio of bread to sauce to mushroom and the addition of the pesto was a great accompaniment. The only thing that could be improved was the texture of the bread as it was a little soft and a more toasted version would have added a nice texture to the dish.

Janet Wu

Went to verve after badminton in Uni last weekend. For $10 I got a very big portion. A very good price indeed however the poached egg wasn't very runny inside, slight disappointment. But very good value for money. $3.50 piccolo was awesome

Gary

Awesome joint, really friendly staff along with nice meal plus location makes a good place to chill. I had a egg Benedict with bacon and it was great!! It wasn't over bearing like most can be. Definitely recommend this place compared to the other 3 cafes next to it.

Karl.jc.daniels

Staff were attentive, food was fantastic and the atmosphere was good. Would recommend it to anyone looking for a well priced meal with a decent portion size.

Eaterholic

Beautiful cafe! I loved the inside and the food as well! Staff members are really lovely! Loved the mince on toast with poached egg on top dish! Really unique idea! I personally wouldn't try eggs with mince at first, but this dish is definitely doable and the egg compliments well with the mince and toast! I loved the tanginess of the berry smoothy I bought!

Ccatm

Every time I come here it's a great experience. The food is awesome, the staff are friendly and attentive and it's a nice setting. The French toast is usually my pick and although it's a smaller size than it used to be, it's still as ever. Served with banana, passionfruit cream and berries 💕 -I'd go as far as to say it's the best French toast out.

Heidi M

I tried the poached eggs with avocado, bacon and spinach on grained toast. The poached eggs where nice and runny, the avocado had an unexpected lemon zest taste however the avocado could have done with a touch more pepper. The only downside was that the toast was a bit too thick. I also ordered the potatoe and bacon hash cake it was pretty good but wasn't warm enough then a lemon friand with some form of berry topping which was served with a side of some form of runny light sour cream, the berry topping was amazing but the friand itself seemed to have gone stale.

Priscilla Khang

I ordered the house made potato hash stack. Service here is excellent and the waitress allowed me to swap bacon for mushrooms in between the two potato stacks. The dish was good however, it could of done with a bit of acidity to help cut through the oily taste from the potato hash.Portion sizes here are generous, especially for their $10 menu options - I had food envy looking at my friends big breakfast and hot cakes from the $10 menu.

Dyana Metson

recently discovered this place, have been trailing up and down Parnell and have to say this has become my new favourite brunch cafe! Food is quickly prepared and tastes wonderful, what a variety and very cheap for what it is. Staff is also very friendly, nice to see them have a smile on their faces :)

Chicken Wing

I've been here three times and I've had a mini Verve breakfast and a pasta salad. The mini Verve breakfast is really nice and it's quite cheap for its size. The hashbrowns are the best, they're nice and crispy and they taste really good. The poached egg is a bit on and off though. Sometimes the egg is perfectly cooked and runny and sometimes it's half boiled. The bacon is also kinda burnt sometimes and it's quite fatty, but it still tastes nice. The pasta salad is absolutely delicious. The salad dressing is really nice, the bacon is really nice, the pasta is nice and soft, and the only negative thing is that the portion is a bit small and it's not really filling, but apart from that it's amazing. The coffee is also quite good, although the mocha does not quite have enough of a chocolatey flavour which makes it quite similar to a cappuccino not a mocha, but it's still really nice. Overall although this place has a few not so good aspects, it's not too expensive, the service is good and most of the food and coffee is good.

Girlygirl

We are locals to Verve as it is walking distance from home. Yesterday was a busy day and the team did well handling the continuous flow of customers. However, I will say there was a young waitress wearing black shorts that were far too short for serving customers. In fact when retrieving plates from a table as she bent over the table the view to all customers on our side of the cafe was not impressive at all. Even my 20 year old daughter was shocked!!!! Not good Verve please address this

Ayesha Albuquerque

Amazing service! Food was really good too. We had breakfast. It was all very fresh and the food came very quickly. We would defintely come back when in Auckland.

Aniva Huang

Came here for lunch a few times. The service is amazing and attentive. The house smoked salmon is a must try! A really nice place to visit especially if you live locally

Veganista

My partner ordered eggs on toast and a mocha from here. The setting is beautiful and he was reasonably impressed with the food. The mocha had been forgotten about so he had almost finished his meal before he had to go up and remind them about it. We had the waitress who took our order and then left to run some errands, meanwhile two people inside were staring at us for quite some time, then one came up to us and awkwardly asked if everything was okay, then our original waitress returned and checked on us. It was rather strange. I wouldn't return because the staff made me feel uncomfortable, other than that, the place was quite nice.

Stacie Pettersen

I came here this morning with my friend who had come up from Rotorua for the night; he was saying how all the coffiees in Rotorua are absolutely shockingly terrible so we went for a drive through parnell and saw people in suits sitting outside drinking coffee, he said business men have good taste in coffee, so this was what we choose. The girl who served us was so polite, had a welcoming friendly energy about her. The girl who made our coffee's were totally on point. They were superb; so good my friend had 2 flat whites haha (: I had the corn stack thingys; first time I stepped out my comfort zone and ordered something rather than eggs bene; I think tgey were a bit dry' but still yummy. My friend he ordered the mushroom on turkish bread. His was sooo yummy. He cleaned his plate. I would definitely come back here if I am in the area' and will be telling my friends about this little hidden treasure (: thanks team.

Fiona M

I went here with a friend for breakfast on Sunday and out meals were delicious! I had the French toast which was divine and my friend had a special, which was a potato rosti stack. The servings were plentiful and I surprised myself by eating a good portion of the meal, unusual for me! The staff were great and the coffee good. I would go back again for a nice Sunday brunch in easy walking distance to home.

Clarissa

Love the mushroom buschetta! Good food, good service, good setting, Nuff said. Definitely a place that I would revisit!

Sumnerr12

We come here often, but the waiters are a bit too keen to take away our plates. My partner is the old fashioned type and he believes plates shouldn't be cleared until I'm finished eating, I agree with this too in a way. It's awkward sometimes because I notice the staff have watched me eat my last mouthful so they can take my plate. I have worked in hospitality and I understand you shouldn't leave empty plates sitting at customers tables but it's just a bit too pedantic. I like to feel at ease when I go out for breaky just like many others. Other than that the food is always yummy & the $10 menu is perfect for when I'm on a bit of a budget!

Joanne Chiang

Came here today and my partner ordered big breakfast and i had the mince toast. The serving was good for its price and service was good. Mushroom was sautéed well on the big breakfast.

Cheap Cheap Foodie

Time and date: Weekday Lunch Food ordered: Prawn on toast and a long black Taste: Adequately flavorful Environment: Somewhat busy during lunch time, prefer to seat outside as indoors is inadequately ventilated Service: Very friendly Costs: $10 lunch special + drinks Will I return: Ocassionally

Sungsam7

Someone told us about the big breakfast so we had to try. We were not too disappointed although the lamb chop was small and tough otherwise it was a good meal to start the day. The coffee was good and the cafe was cosy and clean.

Lucia Zhang

Slotted in between the chocolate boutique and the coffee club, this cafe lives up to the surrounding competition by serving incredible dishes that are fresh and filling without giving you a sugar high or food coma afterwards. The steamed chicken salad is amazing both in taste and size, another dish we ordered came late (30 min ish) so it was given to us for free. Outside seating is better than those inside, as the internal space is limited and the noise level is high. The only thing I didn't like was how leaves kept on falling into our dishes because the foliage is quite thick and we are entering autumn.

Jasmine Lang

I often stop in Verve and apart from the occasional mess up with my orders I do still enjoy my visits. the $10 menu is the only menu I ever order off because its so cheap and delicious!

Des Shinnick

We stop in here often. This place is interesting. The staff are always friendly and attentive. The coffees are consistently very good. They are $3 for the small or large. They have a $10 menu that has a great range of meals. The food here is consistent and of a very good standard. The meals are huge. If you want good honest food, a great price, great service then you'd be hard pressed to beat this place. There prices are too low. We enjoy stopping in here.

Mini Khan

i go this place once or twice a week and i think its great- they are often busy but excellent prices and staff always ask if we are happy with our meals without fail. 10 buck lunches and good reasonable coffee and the food comes out fast. recommended! i also work in parnell and it great for quick lunch !!! staff are lovely too which is great! better than a lot of 'posher' places that are very hip at the moment!

David Boshier

I did have to wait a while for my food, however it came out fresh and tasty. The coffee is somewhere between drinkable and not too bad depending on the day. The wait staff are always smiling and say 'Hi'. Lots of seats in the sun.

Felix

Still a good place to get a not overpriced coffee. However, it is time to clean up the dirty looking restaurant, especially the coffee making corner. Seems there is a management issue.

Jim

I am only commenting on the service at this place as we left before placing an order. Sat for 15min with no one approaching us with a menu. Had to clear our own table! Staff walked past served other tables etc ignored us completely. We are a professional couple, dressed casual/neat? I am a local who lives in Parnell and I from now on will walk straight on by!

Gracy Parlour

I had a friend up from Wellington, who I wanted to treat to my usual haunt cafe in Parnell, however she led me into Verve Cafe and I couldn't get over how great the food, or coffee was. And surprisingly cheap, not like the usual steep prices associated with Parnell !!! Verve have one of the most motivated and amazing hands on owners' I have come across when eating out and his staff are always very friendly, yet efficient. Not at all boring & perfunctory, which is what I have struck at other cafes. I have become a regular patron at Verve and really enjoy Parnell's' Best Kept Secret Cafe, as they serve the most amazing coffee, whilst also being one of the cheapest coffees' in town... Staff go out of their way to ensure you enjoy your food and the venue. It's about the only intimate cafe I have come across, where they buy more than one Herald and you don't have to fight to be able to read it. I encourage you to ignore any of the bad reviews listed here, as I believe they are not at all warranted. I hope you enjoy this cafe experience at Verve, as much as I do and I look forward to seeing more positive reviews from you all here. Cheers, Gracy

Anna

I was so excited about coming here again, having been a regular when I lived in Parnell several years ago. Back then, the big breakfast was to die for, with beautifully roasted potatoes, tamarillo chutney, divine grilled herbed tomatoes and simply the best mushrooms I have ever eaten. Was underwhelmed by my experience this time, with cooked-from-frozen store-bought hash browns and bland almost raw tomato and mushroom. The only saving grace was the beautifully poached eggs. Definitely not worth the price - you can get this kind of unsubtle food anywhere, for a lot cheaper.

Charissa

First time at verve as we got some deal vouchers.When I phoned in for a booking it was very short notice but the person that answered it was very cordial and accommodated us straight away.Arrived early table was ready and when I requested an inside table it was no hassle at all.Food was good and wait staff nice and pleasant.Will go back definitely.

M

A good place for breakfast! Nice outdoor seating area. Efficient service.

Dani

This is my favourite cafe in terms of food quality and taste - Everything I have tried from here has blown my mind! Their downfall is that it is quite a cramped space, and also all but 1 of the staff that I have encountered there lack any kind of customer service skills and seem outright bored to be serving you. However, the quality of the food more than makes up for the service and I continue to go there weekly.

Theresa Chan

I had lasagna for lunch at Verve Cafe on a Sunday. It was nicely prepared with a tomato soup base to keep the lasagna moist. While the food was good, seating was not particularly comfortable because there were too many tables and chairs inside the cafe.