Review Altar - Auckland Central

Jianhang Duan

Overall a great cafe. The staff is welcoming and friendly. Pet-friendly and there is free wifi. The atmosphere is cozy as well. I ordered an Omelette and it's pretty good.

Yuan Z

Beautiful chill environment with good coffee and food. Highly recommend Hazelnut Mocha and Seafood Risotto, and both are super delicious! Lamb shank's a bit dry but potato rosti is crispy and yum. Chocolate Moussecake is soft but of not much taste. Food is of small portion and pricy, but good service though.

Jingran Liu

Very great atmosphere. Reasonable prices and great flavours. The service is very attentive. Highly recommend the rosti stack. Would come more often.

LuNa The TuNa

Really friendly service, staffs fast and very helpful. Nice environment with unique decorations. Recommend the seafood risotto and pork belly. Blueberry white tea taste really refreshing too.

Colin Mathura-Jeffree

Business meeting. Food is expensive and my meeting business partner struggled to be understood that he wanted a big breakfast but vege instead of meat choice s. Hilariously he ended up with scrambled eggs on toast with extra hash browns. I stuck to the classic bene. We had cake. Coffee was divine.

Kan Huang

Good restaurant with nice service, like the seafood risotto very much. Highly recommended.

Yunhang Hu

all services are really good, staffs are friendly and the environment is comfortable. love the muffin and the coffee here!!

Shirley Peng

Love the coffee and atmosphere here, kind service and good food :) Highly recommend to everyone ~

王海鹏

Just moved back to Auckland, first cafe i've visited in mt eden. Food was lovely, loads of choices off the menu and plenty of cabinet food too. Had their small portion mushroom, very tasty, good portion and very reasonable price. Staff were friendly and attentive.

grant

More cafe's should do a smaller version of their breakfast options, really appreciated having the option if you're not super hungry for a massive meal. The cauli fritters were really yum and a great healthy choice that leaves you completely satisfied :) great spot 👍

Wanran Huang

Nice atmosphere and service. The taste is really good.

Paul Chang

$38 for steak sandwich: sourdough bread , 5-6 slices of Scotch fillet steak, small caramelized onion, pesto. 😳🤔

Sophia N

This is Alter cafe and it is one of my favorite cafes around the Mt Eden.The service is amazing plus the delicious food that they cook. It’s also a very nice place with the peaceful atmosphere and ambiance. Perfect if you want to settle down and get some work done or just have a good time with your friends and family.

Hitesh Patel

Came for a late lunch/brunch. Wasn't too busy so we were seated and ordered it food in support time. The waitress was extremely helpful and was even able to cater for my sister's dislike of button mushrooms. I ordered their delicious tumeric latte and my sister got her soy flat white. I recommend this place highly.

Reece Benson

After a red-eye flight from Perth, my wife and I were hanging out for breakfast and good coffee, and the Altar Cafe fit the bill very well. They offer $10 light breakfast specials which are very good value, plus larger offerings for the more peckish. The cabinet food is all made in house, and looked super tempting! Great coffee hit the caffeine spot square in the eyes, and we left ready to carry on our busy day ahead. Helpful and friendly service, great value for money food, and satisfying coffees = 5/5.

lisadomino

This is a local favourite with consistently good coffee and food and lovely staff. My waffles this morning were a little piece of art. Also try the caramelised onion scones! Parking is generally easier than in the heart of Mt Eden village.

J Pfister

Amazing service and food. Great selection of drinks and food. Just didn't like the music. I like to relax in a cafe so not into loud upbeat music in a cafe.

Eugene Man

They have perfected their beverages to another level - very tasty! Range of coffee never ceases to amaze me. They have loyalty card for a free coffee after 9 coffees purchased. The cafe’s spatial construct is quite comfortable for private dine in an coffee. There is few private parking at front.

The Food Lover

Friendly staff, good variety of food options, coffee was nice and so were food. nice place for coffee catchups...we enjoyed our time there . they also have deck on back, you can sit there and enjoy the sun

Flo

Staff was kind. Food was pretty good and yummy. Bit more on the pricier side though considering portion size. Cafe is very cute inside and out.

MCP

Friendly staffs, coffee was ok, food was ok as well.Nice place to visit with your pet as they have lots of outside seating, they also provide a little treat for your pets

Alma Eats

Altar Cafe has a fairly extensive menu with the classic brunch items as well as express menu and cabinet food. Inside and outside seating offered. Staff were lovely and attentive. We got Seafood Risotto and Moroccan Chicken. Food was not bad taste-wise but were bit disappointed with portion size for its price. Check out my insta @ohmyfoodiegoodie to follow more of my tried eats!

Camilla Dadson

I had the caramelised onion and cheese scone which was tasty but thin and a bit stodgy. The coffee was good and strong. The staff was friendly.

Jamie Chiang

Not bad! First off, the menu here is a lot larger than what you see on Zomato. They have some 'express/special' items that include smaller portions of regular menu items. We came here for brunch and it was fairly busy, but we were quickly seated and given menus + water. Altar Cafe has both indoor and outdoor seating - indoors was nicely spacious and well decorated. We were asked for our drink order first (almost a little too quickly) and later for our food order. Pineapple juice was decent, but their blueberry white tea didn't really taste like actual blueberry but rather chemically. We ordered a small portion of the Creamy Mushrooms, and a Smoked Salmon w/ Mashed Potatoes (as pictured). The Creamy Mushrooms were a little disappointing - Turkish pide isn't necessarily the best bread to go with it, and there are pretty much no sauce which should be the best bit of the dish! The mushrooms themselves did taste really good though, so more sauce would be really nice. But at $11, it was a pretty good deal. The Smoked Salmon was nice with a generous serving of mashed potatoes - the lemon was a nice addition to everything. Mashed potatoes were great as it was still a little chunky! Overall a pleasant dining experience. We may be back to try some other stuff on the menu (waffles sound so good) in the near future :)

Wayne John Brodeur

Went for lunch today . Ordered Pork Belly with scallops, roast potatoes and bok choi. Every thing was cooked well, but the portions were very small for a mains. Thin slice of meat, potatoes diced into tiny cubes, and scallops numbered a grand 2 in quantity. For nearly $30 for this meal, I felt it was a ripoff. This cafe is not known for generous portions, and over all the experience was disappointing.

Kiwi FIFO Chef

After a red-eye flight from Perth, my wife and I were hanging out for breakfast and good coffee, and the Altar Cafe fit the bill very well. They offer $10 light breakfast specials which are very good value, plus larger offerings for the more peckish. The cabinet food is all made in house, and looked super tempting! Great coffee hit the caffeine spot square in the eyes, and we left ready to carry on our busy day ahead. Helpful and friendly service, great value for money food, and satisfying coffees = 4.5/5

Sassy Radish

The owners are super sweet and willing to accommodate your every need, quite good food served and presented nicely and cleanly. Really like that they accommodate for dogs outside with a water bowl and some little treats will be back with my furry friend.

Rebecca Cookson

Portion size for our choice of lunch items from the menu were too small for the price. We are people of slim build not obese I should add. Very expensive chicken salad with only a few small pieces of chicken with some kumara chips and a little piece of quiche with green salad which was little more than a garnish, clearly from a salad bag. Appearance and atmosphere of cafe was attractive and wait service average. Drinking water was unchlorinated which was a pleasant surprise. Presentation of meals average but everything came out of a jar or salad bag. In the past, I have had more generous servings, with more attention to crafting of this brunch-style food in other restaurants for a fraction of the price.

Glenn Town

Been here twice now As it was very good A unique and superb space Parking is pretty good Service only average Good food options I had the lovely but small Mince on toasted with a poached egg Nice OJ and long black Shall try it again

F B

Amazing selection of food to choose from. I had the waffles with a side of bacon and my partner had the breakfast wrap with hash browns on the side. Service was fast and the staff were very friendly. Would definitely come back again ☺️

Rosanne Choy

Came in today for lunch for the first time. Banana walnut waffles were delicious. The waffles were not too thick or too thin and the outer layer was crispy while the inside was soft. The right amount of maple syrup was poured on. Walnuts were caramelized and bananas worked well with them. Pasta of the day was extremely creamy. Mushrooms were tender. Hazelnut chocolate was rich but no marshmallows were served with the hot beverage. Would go again to try the cabinet food.

Cathy Liu

Went there for breakfast with friends today, Even though it was quite busy, the staff were still very attentive and the food was so delicious.

DC

Went here recently as was an excellent hangout years ago...however very disappointed with the coffee, and if that was anything to go by glad I didn’t have any food (though it could be better than their coffee!). Not for coffee.

Lovely Munchies

Groovy cafe with some traditional favourite meals. Great location with easy parking - before the congestion of Mt Eden village on a weekend. Very friendly staff and very reasonably priced meals with good portions. We will be back to try more items on the menu.

HJ

If you’re after a relaxed café with a home-style vibe, Altar café is worth the visit. Located at the quieter end of Mt Eden road, parking on site makes things so much easier. The service was a little slow to start when we walked in but we soon found them friendly and helpful when choosing from the menu. Featuring all the classic brunch options, there isn’t really anything new or out of the ordinary on their menu. In saying that, they seem to stick to the staples but do them well. We ordered the Altar Mega breakfast and the classic corn fritters. Both dishes were good - well done and at standard cafe prices. The coffee was also good. A great spot for catching up with friends due to the size and sunny outdoor area.

Hasiba Zareh

I can’t believe I’ve been driving past this place for years now and I always thought it was just a BnB even tho it clearly says ALTER CAFE. When you go inside it does feel like a bnb tbh, it’s like walking into someone’s house lol. My friends ordered a gourmet corn fritters stack and the other got French toast, I didn’t get to eat their food as I normally would because both meals had bacon. I ordered out of the cabinet (it was end of the week and I was broke asf) I got a $7 slice of quiche with like $4 hash brown. They were nice enough to give me complimentary salad. The quiche was delicious! The staff is super friendly, someone would come check up on us every 20 mins to make sure everything is okay! One of the best brunch experiences I’ve had!

STRADS

I had a special big brekkie with sausages, poached eggs on toasted ciabatta, bacon, grilled tomatoes, hash browns & a lamb cutlet. My wife had a brekkie wrap. Both were nice. Mango & coconut cake was delicious with right blend of coconut & mango - my pick of the day. Coffees were good & hot. (Food - 4/5; Service - 3/5; Ambience - 3/5) visited on 4 Feb. 2018

Rowan Rebecca

Really enjoyed brunch here. Staff we attentive and friendly. We have a young child and there was room for our pram by the table. Enjoyed the coffee.

Rivera

Had a good morning tea break with my friends at altar. Really lovely Black coffee and haven’t tasted this good coffee for a long time in this area. Also my friend ordered flat white and tasted so smoothly. I will be their regular customer and can’t wait to use sonata again.

Beccs

Went for morning tea with the family very dissapointed! Coffee tasted worst than instant and pineapple soda cost $8!! Sorry we won’t be visiting again!

Bev Baggs

My husband and I are regulars at Altar Cafe although there are several more cafes in Mt Eden this is our absolute favourite. The service is excellent and food delicious. This couple continue to update and evolve the menu. It fills me with joy to step through the door!!

Dinah

Friendly but unintelligent service Very bad decor... Weird food... chicken salad with side of kumara chips.. with icing sugar on them!!!??! Nice try;)

Briar McGlynn

Altar sets itself apart from many cafes in the area in its home-like setup, there is plenty of seating to choose from and a real comfortable, unpretentious vibe throughout. I ordered the eggs benedict with bacon and an iced chocolate. Overall I was pretty satisfied with my meal, the price was standard for the portion size. The eggs were runny and the bacon well cooked. The hollandaise was a great consistency and buttery in flavour, something that I personally enjoy. An interesting addition was the beetroot puree which provided an expected sweet note and an earthiness to an otherwise rich dish. The base consisted of two english muffins which I thought could have been toasted more to provide a contrasting crunchy texture when combined with the rest of the components. I enjoyed the stack composition as it allowed you to easily all enjoy flavours at once without having to rearrange. The iced chocolate was basic and humble, just some milk, ice cream, and chocolate powder blended to a smooth consistency. It was extremely refreshing on a very hot day.

Briar Roberts

Great staff, great setting, great food, happy kids , happy adults , great ice coffee - smooth and not crunchy , great foam on mocha , efficient af , would return

Lucy

Came here during the week for brunch with family and really enjoyed the food, service was pretty good too. Could not complain about the portions, thought they were very generous for the price, so I would definitely come back! Didn't have to wait long for then food and everyone's meals came at the same time, probably cause we all ordered the same thing. But for $10 you can go wrong with the brekkie - not sure if this deal applies to weekend, so don't get your hopes up just in case it doesn't!

Emily

Quite nice :-) nice staff and nice coffee Especially I loved the bathroom it was clean 👍and Wifi was fast but i had to get password every after an hour (if i want )but it was not a big deal anyway I had a great time here !!!! Thanks

Geoffrey Mentink

Had the vegetarian pumpkin risotto for lunch and found I had a meaty aftertaste. A dish listed as vegetarian should not have animal stock in it.

TheMʌverick

A cute house-converted-into-a-cafe with friendly service and a nice "homely" vibe. The $10 brekkie is good value for money and doesn't sacrifice quality, the homemade waffles topped with fresh fruit were amazing, warm, fluffy and presented beautifully. The staff are welcoming and accomodating which is always nice, the only trouble I had was finding a car park lol An overall pleasant experience

Kychen1019

Beautiful food and coffee. Nice service and environment. It is easy to park outside. It is always the first choice for me to have breakfast and grab a coffee to start a day. The place and the staffs are always more than amazing. Strong recommend to come.

Hugh Fisher Paterson

I'm still yet to find a better little cafe such as Altar, it fills me with joy every time I walk in the doors to see the staff with big smiles and being able to smell some of the best tasting of food in Auckland. I Absolutely love this little cafe and it's service!

Sylvia Lin

My favorite cafe~stuff is friendly,food is awesome, also the coffee is perfect,it's a good place to hang out with friends or family,I hope I can go there again soon.

Mercypatch

A cute little house cafe, full of sunshine pouring in Windows but even on a winter day, it'd be beautiful and cosy looking out at the rain but feeling like your in a friend's house cosy and warm. Small seating space but staff do really well at accommodating everyone. I Staff were friendly and welcoming, greeting us as soon as We walked in. I was with my young daughter and they were very kind in offering us a smaller juice than the normal serve for her and giving her a straw. Little things but as a mum of a toddler girl, it means a lot. Menus were bought to us straight away, meals served quickly. Coffee was hot and strong, just like my husband. ;) I had the eggs on ciabatta. I inhaled it before I had a chance to take a photo, but they were good. I did smother it in salt cos I felt like it needed it but yolks were nice and gooey. Slurp. Got a side serve of shoe string fries too, kinda like McDonald's, not complaining about that though, only so much difference you can have with shoestring style. Used toilet twice (toddler perks), both clean and well kept. Always a good thing when you're not having to tiptoe round mysterious puddles and use your sleeve to open the door. Reading material and lots of it provided, cute little fish tank which entertained the toddler. Really nice place for a little visit. Will definitely go back.

Lisa Zhao

TIPS FOR NOT BEING KICKED OUT OF THE RESTAURANT ON A SUNDAY! we went there for lunch on a Sat, they got pretty busy after 12. Free parking on the weekend is super! Super friendly staff and food taste really good too! Oh flat white is amazing! We will definitely go back soon! FEW WEEKS LATER... The previous review was from my first visit, I went back last Sunday lunch time around 12pm. the service was HORRIBLE. I tried to make a book for a group of 5 people on the phone and they told me they don't take bookings because they are busy. So we went there early just to secure a table. We have been told they don't take a group of 5 because they are too busy, so I mentioned I was on the phone before and no one mentioned they don't take large groups. The waiter (probably the owner) told me they are closed for 20 minutes while they are still taking other drink orders. I suggested you could have told me about the group size, the closing time. The waiter told me "I am letting you know we are closed now." All this happened on a Sunday lunch time with the restaurant 80%full. I understand cafe and restaurants can get very busy but this kind of service is unacceptable. Just to fair review, food is not bad but be aware don't bring your family and you might be kicked out of the place on the Weekend.

Grace Hynes

Brilliant food for the price. $10 lunch menu is well worth it. Had the BLT and could customise how ever I wanted (added avocado, for an extra $2) staff were friendly and helpful

Sinead Hesnan

Lovely food, very friendly staff would definitely recommend. Mega burger is great!Food took a little long to come out but staff v apologetic and the place was busy! Great coffee too

Rita Li

The staff are friendly, the steak sandwich was awesome,so was the waffle,it was good looking also tasted good, thanks to altar,gave me a wonderful lunch time with my friend!

Priya

Cute little place, with great atmosphere, great customer service, great tasting food with very decent sized portions. I had creamy mushrooms and partner had big breakfast. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals

Husk Creative

Boom. It was our queen bee Lou's birthday and to celebrate, Bruce and Perry from the Film Construction Group joined the Husk Lunch shenanigans, giving us a ride in their black convertible (#topdown #yuss) to the outskirts of Mt Eden, where an old villa has been refurbished into Altar Café. We chose a sunny courtyard with concrete benches over the decidedly-dim interior and oggled at the menu which looked more, for the lack of a better adjective, 'Coffee Club' than anything. The prices were moderate and the servings generous, but nothing mind-blowing or iconic. We wished the Spanish vibes echoed more in the décor and meals rather than just the altar piece (sitting rather lonely next to the cashier) and the vinyl banners that promised tapas (there were none). To put simply, we enjoyed the company and conversation much more than the food, and considering the location and beautiful venue, they could do a whole lot better. Check out our individual comments here: husk.co.nz/lunches/altar-cafe-march-2015

Michelle

The 1.5 is for the excellent flat white that I had on Saturday afternoon. I had experienced the worst service ever. The Chinese owner can't understand what I said and got the order. Maybe he wasn't in a good mood as I can hear him fighting with another lady at the counter. I felt offended as I overheard he gave his customers *nicknames*. I wonder what mine was. Very ugly attitude. Would never visit again.

Helen

So nice cafe! The staff are so lovely, have excellent customer services. The food I have ordered that creamy mushroom, yummy!!! I love this cafe.

Foodie

wooooooooooow！This is the first time I have been here . The dish is a perfectly delicious waffle which is made of fresh banana and pear in Altar café I have never had a warm feeling of taste . LoL. The stuff are friendly & helpful like feel at home ^ ^ I will come here cosy place very often~

Foodmonster

Went there this afternoon after hearing good things about the cafe. I had the creamy mushroom and my friend had the salmon hash. The food was very lovely was not disappointed, the creamy mushroom was so tasty and the salmon was awesome. The staff were very friendly and attentive, enjoyed the meal a lot. Definitely will go back and try their menu.

Daniel Kinnoch

Lovely little cafe, with great service. The staff are very attentive, and offer table service - they don't just have cabinet food and coffee as the impression is when you first enter. We had two of their lunch specials - cream mushroom, and quiche with salad. We had a slice of lemon cake, and a latte. Food came quickly, salad was fresh (albeit could have done with some nicer seasoning, or any at all, couldn't tell whether there was. The cream mushroom and the Turkish pide was really good. Nice indoor seating area, help yourself to water and they also had a jug of rose/lemon water too, which was a nice touch. Plenty of magazines and newspapers to read also.

Stevie Clutterbuck

Quite like this place! The food is good, reasonably priced and they have some good cheaper options as well! I like the atmosphere, it's relaxed. Best thing is the service, they are really attentive and friendly!

James Stringer

As a boyfriend I am constantly required to put up with brunches at cafes that cost heaps and aren't that yum. Altar cafe's $10 mini big breakfast is the ultimate boyfriend friendly brunch. Its got sausage, bacon, grilled tomato, hash browns, a poached egg and a nice piece of sourdough. It's not trying reinvent the wheel with foams, purees or pointless garnishes, it's just a good feed for the money.

Filipp Agafonov

My colleague and I frequent this cafe after having been suggested by a friend. The early bird breakfast is great value for money and ifd recommend to any other tradies out there. Great way to start the morning. Food is delicious and well portioned, coffee is well made and the service is very friendly.

Daniel

Nice place to have brunch and dinner. Good service! The waitress and waiter always keep smiling, which makes you feel great. The thai chicken salad was tasty. I will definitely to go there again!

Timer

Altar up the game a bit this time. The lemon chicken sandwich I had was very tasty. The chicken was moist. The fries was crispy. Even the bread was perfectly toasted. Just needed a bit more sauce to make it perfect. The seafood risotto was also super good. Service was exceptional. Great job. I could erase the bad experience last year. Glad we gave it another try

Amber

Very friendly staff, always looking to improve things and open to feedback. The food is consistently fresh and nice, very reasonably priced for the area. The coffee is a bit hit and miss, depending on the barista.

Shannon T

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this place. First time I went there - loved it. Got the pancakes and they were excellent. Second time - hated it. Got the eggs bene and it was just wrong on so many levels. Third time - loved it. Got the muesli and it was heavenly (and I know my muesli). Fourth time - it finally redeemed itself from my one bad eggs bene experience. I got the $10 big breakfast. They were able to make it vegetarian for me and it was perfect. Great value for money. Outdoor areas a bit dull and the service can be hit and miss but overall I think I'll keep coming back. It's just a generally solid place to go for brunch, especially if you have a big group.

Xing Zheng

Very nice meal, defiantly come back again. Keep it going guys:)

Rui Zhang

Friendly staff and tasty food, the portion is good as well, like the interior decoration here feels really cozy, a nice place to spend time in !

Hao Yong

It's a good cafe used to go to once a while it was quiet and comfortable .and the food is amazing! I don't see anybody had any reason to complain about it

Hebe

First time using zomato. It's always lovely service and coffee here. Everyone happy with the meal. The staffs are all very nice to us. I think that's why we like coming here to have a meal. We enjoy it.

Brent Gutmann

This restaurant has gone way down hill. Today the server messed up our order, then another argued with us checking out claiming they had a new policy and would not honour our stamp card. It was a terrible experience. We will never return.

Annie Bananie

Really friendly staff and nice open space. The calamari wasnt chewy which was a pleasant surprise. Portion size very slightly on the smaller size but good quality and tastes good. I heard they have wicked lunch specials too.

Saraanzac686

It's my first time coming to this Cafe. I ordered the french toast and my friend has the Rosti steak. It was realy yum and the coffee was lovely. There's a good service and the girls always smile. We all enjoy with it. I think i will come back.

Rebecca Hick

The coffee here is good, the food OK. Great specials - and never pricey. Consistent service. The Altar back in 2009/10 must have had different owners as the menu was more luxurious and the food very well presented. The venue was also crisp and clean, having newly been renovated. Now I must say the place is tired, dirty and run down. You only have to look in the bathroom at the tiles and the ceiling above the kitchen/service area. It needs some light bulbs replacing, a good scrub in parts (as villa's show there age easily) and perhaps a fresh lick of paint (in my humble opinion).

Wei Liu

@altar cafe I often come here for breakfast . Meals is mach batter that before. $10 meal is so yummy. Coffee is mach deferent than before. Good job

Meenu Sood

Very bad experience! We reserved a place for 10 people to have brunch at Altar. We ordered food and coffees and the coffees cam earlier than the food, 45 minutes earlier. They were in takeaway cups!! As the waiter said that they were out of cups!! around 45 minutes later, the food came. The scrambled eggs looked over cooked and very dry and cold and looked very unappetising. My sister-in-law did not even wanted to try them. We asked them to re-do the eggs. Everyone else finished their food, but the scrambled eggs were not be seen! Then after around 20 minutes, this waitress came and said that they will take another 30 minutes do make the food. We were very furious. We divide to cancel that order. When paying the money, the person on the cash register very rudely told us to not pay the money for scrambled eggs and finish the matter!! I have never had this kind of behaviour before in a cafe! Very disappointed.

Helena Chen

Came here on a weekday before uni for a brunch catch up with a friend. The place is a converted house, which is evident when you walk in as you can see where the old lounge/kitchen areas would have been. The decor is modest and clean, apart from the floors which look very worn (although they may be going for that effect?). The staff were very attentive and polite as we took our time deciding what to order. I choose the salmon scrambled eggs & a coffee while my friend got the french toast and an orange juice. My scrambled eggs were quite good, although the eggs were a little overcooked for my liking (I prefer a creamier scrambled eggs). However, the flavours of the salmon, capers and thyme butter were quite good together. The coffee was pretty standard, so no complaints there. Overall, the food was adequate at a pretty affordable price point, so I wouldn't mind returning :) Sarah Reynolds #challenge

Nitya Lakshmanan

Best hot chocolate I've ever had!! The hazelnut wasn't too strong which made the beverage even better. Amazing service. The calamari salad was just perfect with a lot of flavour.

Temptation Cakes Auckland

Been several times for breakfast lunch and dinner great big breakfast for the price nice coffee and nice venue fab wine list too. A great addition to the list of great eateries in Mt Eden Village

Kim VH

Nice atmosphere, plenty of parking, and delicious food!

George Mike

i went there last Saturday with my friends for brunch. Although the environment was old, it has beautiful food there. I order Eggs bene with bacon. That was yummy and staff told me that they got home made sauce. Also my friend order her hot chocolate which tasted amazing!!!!! We found that they use real chocolate!!!!!! Some tips for you guys. If you want to go, its better to book a table, cause they are busy in the morning.

Yinan Hu

I was having a great food and drink there at last Sunday, especially the new hot chocolate shocked me. Although they were busy, they still came to do the food check. Well done.

Gysh920

I went there with my friend. They have nice food and amazing hot chocolate. Although they are business, the staff looked after us well. Thanks guys. Well done!

Oneill Liang

I went there last Sunday. They got new Hot Chocolate and it tastes so good. Lovely staff there and nice service. good place. i will go there again and again. .......................

Dylan

Great good with a fair bit of ingenuity, however really poor service. Not friendly or very polite, which is probably why it's usually particularly quiet.

Marzena Pallazzo

We stumbled upon this place today and are so happy that we decided on having lunch there. It was AMAZING! The BLT sandwiches were out of this world and the service was outstanding. Such friendly and gracious people and the place was so inviting, we loved the decor and the nice breeze when sitting by the window. Iced coffee was delicious and presented beautifully. Very affordable pricing too. A must try!

Tuku

Sunday12oct14. Had tables booked for family brunch, very nice. Ordered our brunch meal. The presentation and effort of the food looked great. The food was yummy and everyone agreed. A comment was said from the table that the service was slow, but i said just give them time but it was worth the wait because the food looked amazing. Room for improvement- get the girls to smile and be merry. Get the person in charge to check on their guests. The guy attendant on this day was great. Thank u. We will come back

Tina Ah Chee

We had a coupon and went for lunch (booked) during a week day. The place was about 40% full. Our waiter took some time to drop off the menus, then we were told if we wanted steak and which it was $2 more, even though the voucher was for $39 you couldn't make up the $39 as you pleased with food and drink. The kitchen was horrifically slow! It took 50 minutes to get our meals! This is during a workday lunchtime, no delay was explained and the chefs were just slow, slow slow. The food was ok ,though the chips were cold, but we won't go back. A deal is a deal and it is get people who don't usually go to visit. We did, and now we won't return We were treated not so hospitably and to wait that amount of time when the cafe wasn't even full is bad. Their chefs need to get moving. What would happen if they were full, I would walk out if I had to wait that sort of time again.

Lynn F

A frequent place for a Saturday catch up with a friend, but things seem to have changed and I doubt I will be back. I did not eat my lunch meal today, the worst corn fritters I think I have ever had, very stodgy and the canned corn dry. The clearing waiter asked how my meal was (it was pretty obvious, I had eaten only the bacon) and I replied they were not nice. He said I would not have to pay for them as he walked away. A defensive maitre d (???) then arrived at the table. Her version of events was that I had said the meal was disgusting and had refused to pay. What the? I had not complained, just answered a question, and she was trying to (badly) justify the meal and why I should pay. I had never said I wouldn't! She made a far bigger deal than necessary. It made my friend and I uncomfortable and perplexed. At the pay station, same thing again... I did have to pay for the bad fritters, though our coffees were given as complimentary.

Janah Moore

My partner and I went here for Saturday brunch, hoping to use a voucher we purchased. It wasn't until later that I realized the voucher stated that, yes, it was valid on Saturday, for breakfast or lunch, but only from 2pm... Didn't quite make sense to me that anyone would go for breakfast after 2pm on a Saturday but I suppose I got fooled into it so at the end of the day that was my problem. The thing we found most unimpressive was the way in which they went about training new members of staff. As new wait staff, they were clearly nervous and uneasy (as I was when I first waitressed), which was not at all helped by the fact that the head waitress (or whatever she was) was looking over their shoulder, loudly pointing out what they should or shouldn't do, in front of customers. It made the whole dining experience very awkward. We were sitting outside and could hear her loudly explaining herself or pompously demonstrating how well she is doing it herself. We left wishing we had said something to her in person but we didn't want to embarrass her... Even though she was doing a good job of that herself... Other than that though, the food was pretty good, coffee unmemorable and the other waitresses were fine, non-intrusive and easy to deal with. Just as fair warning when purchasing vouchers for Altar Cafe - always read the fine print very, very carefully. It seems they'll take any chance they can to deny you what you paid for, simply because it was discounted.

Silvia Spieksma

We were the only table present at 6 pm. It took about 40 minutes to get our simple order at the table minus one dish that they forgot. The portions were very small for the mains. We saw the cook use a microwave which I think is out of order. Overall not impressed with service and size of meals.

Brit Cooling

My partner and I tried Altar on a Thursday for lunch. The cafe is lovely and sets a positive atmosphere, I had the steak sandwich. The steak was cooked perfectly, all the food and drinks were delicious. My only negative point is the presentation of the waitresses working, while they both seemed friendly and attentive, neither looked presentable for the establishment and I feel this impacted on our experience.

Pamela Allen

Love Altar Cafe and have been going there since it began. Have met lots of lovely staff and the food and coffee is always consistent. My only grump about Altar Cafe of late is that it needs a good clean and the staff need to stop referring to customers as "yous" or "yous guys".

Sophie Bannister

I've been to Altar several times for brunch on the weekend and have always been happy with the service and food. The food and coffee are pretty good (probably about 7/10) but also very consistent in quality, which is good. The customer service that I have experienced is always impeccable. The staff are very friendly and attentive. I also like the fact that if I turn up on the weekend I can easily get a park and the cafe itself isn't a busy chaotic nightmare (like a few other Mt Eden cafes I could name..). If you're stuck for places to go for brunch, Altar is a nice, reliable choice.

Finn Reynolds

Have been for dinner here probably 4 times now with family, and always coming away feeling that Altar should be busier than it is. Good location with off street parking, nice enough decor plus good outside seating when the weather is right, varied menu and is pretty good value for food that is better than most cafes and pubs we to to in the area. They have a standard kids menu with large servings, and they've always tweaked items if need be. Service is a bit mixed but staff always are pleasant even if a bit in attentive at times. Kids had chicken burgers which were huge with real chicken breast. I had open steak sandwich which was tasty, Mrs had lamb salad, Mum had curry special, and Dad had fish special. Apart from the fish being a bit average we we all pretty satisfied by what we had, and was good value for money. Last time we were in we were the only ones there, real shame if they don't survive in a tough market

Susan Wright

My partner and I went for lunch to the Altar today and i recommend you avoid this place if you have any food allergies or even would like decent service. I explained to the waitress that I cannot have any spices and asked about the frittata - very small amount of black pepper, the waitress said. That sounded OK. What about the kumara salad, what's in that? She listed the ingredients and there was no mention of any spices, so that sounded fine too. So we told her we would share the two dishes between us. When the kumara salad arrived, the beautifully roasted vegentables were swimming in mustard sauce - a spice if ever there was one! The waitress did not ask if the meal was aliright.. The chashier asked when we went up to the till to pay. No, I said, the kumara salad was soaked in mustard sauce whereas I'd said I couldn't eat spices, so I couldn't eat it. The women at the till asked the waitress about it who said 'They didn't ask about spices in the kumara salad, so it's their own fault'. (We had asked for all the ingredients, and said generally I could not take any spices, but that apparently was not sufficient scrutiny on our part). The waitress took over the till and demanded 42 dollars. I accidentally ate some of the mustard sauce before I realised and am now feeling very ill. The whole atmosphere was of grabbing money regardless of whether the meal made one sick or not. Please avoid this place.

Amber-rose Sampayo

My fiance and I went to Altar Cafe for brunch this past Sunday as we've driven past a few times and found the idea of a home style cafe intriguing. We sat outside in the gorgeous sunshine and throughly enjoyed both our meals and the service. The waitresses were all incredibly friendly and efficient and the food was delicious! Perfectly cooked and great proportions. We will definitely be returning!!

Valerie Schuler

I've been to Altar probably about ten times now and have mostly been happy with the food and service. It is affordable, has a good atmosphere and the food is good. I would say some things I've eaten there were almost teetering on fine dining, or attempting to be anyway... Like bangers and mash with plum jus and snap peas, rabbit stew, etc. Although I found the food to be a little bit on the fatty side at times. Breakfast is very affordable (currently $7.50 eggs any style with a choice of ciabatta or 5 grain special - can't beat that for price). It's also nice and quiet in the evenings and well heated. Good place to come for a quiet dinner for two if you feel like someplace quiet. Generous wine servings too. The water glasses could do with a polish though.

Coro Mandelle

I love Altar. I wouldn't want lots more people to come because I like how peaceful it is. It is roomy enough that I rarely have to wait for a table in busy times. The service is just lovely - responsive and helpful even when they are 'running' to fill orders. I love the sunlight and warmth in winter and the spacious high ceilings keeping the inside cool in summer. I go regularly for healthy vegetarian options and my coffee fix - both great - and I like the look of what's on the non-veg plates going by. The style is relaxed clean, minimalist, warm. Keep doing what you do Altar - and thank you to the lovely girls.

Cullen Trevor

Moroccan chicken with pea mash potato, mushroom and sage sauce very good combination of flavours. I also ordered cheesecake very nice and good value for the money. My friend had venison pie very nice again. Keep it up good food and service altar cafe in mount Eden area . thanks heaps. we have been there Wednesday , 7th March 2012 night for dessert, absolutely beautiful desserts, creme brulee and trio of sorbets. They were just like fine dinning desserts. Prices were reasonable. Great work altar cafe

Diana R

Have had brunch here a few times in the last few months. Service varies but the food and coffee is consistently good. On one occasion one of our meals did not come out with everything else as the chef was not happy with it, it would have been good if they had told us! We were given free coffee to make amends.

Ralf

Best seafood chowder ever I have tasted. Seafood platter Awesome ,definitely will be back again.My wife had a salmon wrapped in filo pastry, very good flavor of combinations. We been in Altar cafe on Monday service was bit slow and waitress had not enough knowledge of wines. Recently I have been to altar cafe mount Eden I had baby chicken ( Poussin ) and its taste delicious. Wonderful flavour of moroccon seasonings.

David Boshier

We have friends that really rate this place and have been there a number of times over the last couple of years. The coffee is always good and food is ok but nothing special. Worth a stop for a coffee and read of the paper.

RH

Enjoyed our brunch here on Friday. The corn fritters were some of the best we've had. Nice place, easy parking and a table in the sun. There was a good range of food to choose - breakfast, lunch, tapas and the specials board. Only problem was choosing what to order! Friendly and quick service. We will be returning!

Tracy Leggett

My review is based on three visits for breakfast. I usually have the seven dollar special; coffee/mocha/tea of any type and free-range eggs on sourdough with a pesto garnish. I am surprised to read other comments on this place, as I have had amazing impeccable service. The eggs have been perfect every time, still a little runny but not raw. The coffee has always been sweet and strong, and I am a coffee nut. I find this amazingly well-priced, and my friends have been impressed also. As for the comment about Tapas, in Spain Tapas are always small portions. They are a snack before the evening meal. There is good parking and a nice clean warm ambience with amazing heaters that make the coldest day bearable. I can't speak for the evening meals, but I am a fan of the morning menu! Five freaking stars.

Mark Le Noel

Where to start?dinner with friends last Friday(we're all foodies)looking forward to a good night out.First the table was right by the heater,far far to hot,second the wine we ordered was out of stock,third of the Tapas and mains we ordered 3 weren't available.Fourth the waitress was at our table 4 times in the first 5 mins and then when we needed to order we couldnt get her attention.Also on the subject of the two waitress's who were working that night they struck me as being hired as friends rather than any skills in the service industry.Now the food,My wife and I had steak which I think had died of old age,our friend salmon was over cooked but the chicken sandwich was passable.Unfortunately it was all cold. Should have listened to the reviews and given it a miss. Would advise anyone else to benefit from our experience. There is better and cheaper elsewhere

Theresa Chan

I have been to Altar Cafe four times in the past 2 years and every visit so far has been a pleasant one. The location is good with free off-street parking. My most recent visit was a result of the $15 three course dinner deal voucher. The food was great as always and service was reasonable. We noticed that they only had one waitress serving all the tables and would suggest that they have another person to share the workload. Definitely a place to visit again. A bonus is that they open till around 10pm and therefore a good place to catch up with friends at night over a casual cup of coffee without having to spend a fortune on dinner.

Michelle

I don't understand what people are talking about, I had the best restaurant/cafe meal I've ever had last night at Altar Cafe, we are definitely going back there again, the service was exceptional and the food was just wow, very impressed. Very very expensive for a drink though, best to go for just a meal.

Bonsai

I've been to Altar a few times. The coffee is fairly good, but last time I went the staff were uninterested and verging on rude. Also, rather revoltingly, the bottle which the water was served in clearly hadn't been cleaned properly and tasted like sour wine! In the past the food has been quite nice, but as there are much nicer cafes in Mt Eden I probably won't return.

Jen Wallis

Have had coffees/bfast here before. Had lunch there today with a friend. We both had the Lemon Chicken Sandwich. Absolutely no hint of lemon whatsoever, chicken (dunno which bit) appeared to have been broiled and was tasteless. Best bit was the bread, won't bother again, has it changed owners again??

Jonny

I came to this restaurant on Friday 31 for the first time with a few family friends for dinner cos they have been bragging about how good this place is and cos I'm from up north and there's not many places that offer tapas. I was surprised how wonderful altar is. Service was fast and efficient. The waitress really looked after us and food was really nice. we started with the tapas platters after that I shared a fish of the day and a lamb loin with my fiancé. The fish was cooked just right and the lamb was perfect. I definatly will be coming back for more next time I visit auckland.

Danny

i went to altar on Thursday the 23rd December for dinner..service was OK not great,the waiter was very hard to understand and the young girl that was on was to busy socialising with the chef that was on.the food was not that great come out slow and there was only 2 tables and the food had no flavour to it...will definitely not be returning

Helen

I think they have improved a great deal since some of the other reviews. I have coffee here regularly and the cappuccino is delicious with generous application of chocolate that elevates it above the ordinary. The food is excellent and I have had some fabulous specials. Recently the potato gratin with rocket, grilled asparagus in hollandaise and a soft poached egg - it was a divine combination. Excellent service too. They are also dog friendly which makes it a good destination after a walk and clean and bright with a pleasant outdoor sitting area.

Philippa

I went for a light dinner this evening. The food was okay. The service was slow, plates took a long time to be cleared. On leaving we were charged for the wrong food. Thankfully we had asked for a printout and on leaving realised this was wrong. We questioned this with the front person who agreed and told us that our food was for an even greater amount of money. We asked for a print out and she again changed her mind and ended up giving us a refund for being overcharged. She was unapologetic about the mix up. We will not be returning here and will be advising others not to eat at this establishment. If you do eat here make sure you get a print out of your meal before you pay!

Jana Jess

Loving the cafes in Mt Eden, I felt I had to try Altar. I went there for dinner and found the service pretty average. The waitress was unexperienced, and managed to make our time unenjoyable. The food was expensive and rather small. It was not what I had in mind for tapas! It was clean and had a romantic theme. But wouldn't recommend it!

Rachelle Gilbert

Wow, interesting reviews. I actually eat here frequently. It's always consistent morning or afternoon (only ate dinner there once) but it always nice tastes, good portions, prompt/friendly service and I love that they think about other beings by using free range eggs & bacon as well as gluten free items. I have to say as well i think the atmosphere is refreshing and light compared to most NZ cafe's and really I think of Altar as a 'cafe and more'. I find their brunch menu is excellent and they have great sweets and lunch as well. Not too mention a nice patio space and always kind to my small dog outside. Lastly, I will say it by far my favourite breakfast/brunch place in Auckland and in NZ. The price and food quality is much better than any of those other 'hot spots' and the service is far better as well. Do give Altar a try if you haven't yet and I hate to pack it out on my weekends :) but it's always the place we choose to spend our money and time and we live across the street from a very popular cafe but choose to go up the road to Altar.

Sara Salman

Good food, great coffee, average service but overall a great place for brunch with firends on a Sunday.

Lozalock

Came here on a Sunday morning for brunch with a friend, we sat inside near the namesake Alter, after ordering drinks we asked for another minute to decide what we wanted for brunch. We then were left for over 10mins, the first five we didn't notice as we were happy with our drinks. After a few solid minutes of trying to catch one if the (many) waters eyes, we became frustrated. When a group of people sat down next to us and they got their order taken before us we were fuming. It was apparent that we were being ignored. After finally getting our food, which was a good turn around, we ate. The food was OK, eggs Benedict for me and the buttermilk pancakes for my friend. The buttermilk pancakes are great in texture but were very sweet and lemony to taste - which was a disappointment as there was absolutely no mention of lemon on the menu. In the cafe there were a lot of flies around most of the seating areas. With more attention to customers, cleanliness for removing flies, and accuracy with their menus this rating would've been higher. Laura | Laura Laura Blog