Whenrightbecamewrong Insanebecamesane
Really great coffee and the food was pretty good as well , busy little cafe I can see why it is so popular
Emma Watt
Good scrambled eggs and generous side of mushrooms and Mediterranean eggs, however all very underseasoned. Salt and pepper provided, but salt shaker must have moisture in it as it barely sprinkled. Otherwise good food. Menu pretty standard.
Victor Victor
Really nice casual breakfast/brunch cafe with super fresh and natural ingredients. Minimal white atmosphere with attentive staff. Great neighborhood feel.
Reegan Pearce
Came in for brunch with no expectations. Service was great with good banter. We had breakfast salad and Mediterranean eggs which were all delicious. A couple in our group thought it was the best mocha they have had. Well done all!
Peter Lineham
Bambina is classy. A great place for breakfast and to see others enjoying breakfast. Nice menu charming staff and atmosphere.
La La
Coffee - 4starđ it will be much better if the oat milk wasnât steamed extra hot.
Ranbir
Prolly one of the fastest food service provided. The food was perfect, abso perfect down to the last minute details.
Robin Caulderwood
excellent location for us about a block away, pre tour morning, very friendly accommodating service. had the breakfast salad with poached egg et etc, we also had the mediterranean breakfast .good size portions fresh vegetables coffee will wake you up! highly recommend if in the area. small trattoria style cafe but food is large restaurant quality. very nice!
Stewart McDonald
We got brunch here with coffee. The fried eggs with sourdough toast and a side of bacon was excellent. The cappuccinos were really good as well. I would definitely go back.
Dean Martin
Great food and service .. definitely come back again
Dan S
Just love this place. Really great food (if you love brunch, this is a must for delicious well put together brunch meals), cute place, they serve you immediately and have coffees always within minutes of sitting down. What more could you be after!
Coco Litten
We visited Bambina on Sunday after lunch and we were really impressed with their coffee. My husband said itâs the best Almond Flat White heâs had for a very long time! The staff were very friendly and made us feel welcome. We will definitely come back!
Jody LeWitter
Delicious fresh breakfasts, the salmon tastes wonderful, the eggs are so fresh. We ate here 3 mornings in a row while staying across the street at Ponsonby Manor
Charlotte Dunning
Lovely little cafe. Highly recommend. Breakfast Salad was delicious
Cat
Been here a couple of times recently. Service is friendly, menu has some good options (including corn fritters which are hard to find these days!) and the food is tasty / well presented. A little slow for meals to arrive but we were happy sitting outside people watching :-)
Boty
Awful service. We were going to meet there with a friend. She politely asked if she could sit at a table while waiting for me. She was later (5min) kicked out because the place was too busy, and just to let an old person to read the newspaper. Fortunately I havenât spend a dollar here. Never again.
Sue Reidy
If you're a vegetarian, this is not the cafe for you. The main lunch menu contains only meat and seafood dishes. This is 2019, guys. Step up. A vegetarian can settle for eggs or pick from among the side dishes (breakfast), but this isn't good enough.
Camilla Dadson
The coffees were too weak and not hot enough. The sweet brioche lacked filling and flair. However my toasted mini panini was very tasty and good value.
Tony Ma
The ambience was really nice but coffee and ice chocolate quite average. Nothing else really stood out. <br/><br/>Service: 2/5<br/>Drink Quality: 2/5<br/>Drink Quantity: 2/5<br/>Presentation: 3/5<br/>Environment: 4/5<br/>Price per person: $5-$10
LuNa The TuNa
I don't think this can called ice chocolateïŒ it's full of ice cube and chocolate grounds under the ice. Tasty like someone drank all the ice chocolate and pour the water in same cup. Also their cup is smaller than normal cafe. Service and environment were ok. But this quality of ice chocolate is bs. Won't back anymore.
Briana
Stupidly overpriced. Ridiculously overrated. <br/>$5 for an Americano, SIX DOLLARS for a cup of hot water with lemon, honey and ginger. Like, what?! <br/>Of course no menu or pricing visible for drinks, because I guess the assumption is if you're going to Bambina Ponsonby, money isn't an issue...<br/>Really ordinary service, usually with a nice sprinkle of disdain or surliness. <br/>Literally the only attraction is the Ponsonby Rd dogs who give more attention than the staff.
Bobohood528
Bambina is my favorite cafe in Ponsonby, they always provide high quality ingredients in their food. I liked their breakfast salad, lightly and healthy. And the green salad was so fresh.
Emma Smith
Soo much better than Bambina Newmarket! I absolutely loved the bruschetta and I liked how they had a menu with food other than eggs or granola. Very friendly staff and short waiting time! 100% better than Newmarket, itâs worth the extra bus ride to get there!
Pranika Chand
Came here for breakfast, the staff and the service was good. The food looked amazing and also tasted good. I didnât like that fact that we had to keep moving tables as they had put us on a two seater table and there was 3 of us.
Raymond Tiong
Came here for Friday brunch with Mum and we had a good time. Not the warmest initial reception, but we did receive prompt service and I had no real complaints about the food. <br/><br/>The menu range isnât huge (itâs mostly salads), so to go with my sweet and creamy chai latte I chose the Mediterranean eggs. The eggs had a nice texture; they come out scrambled-ish and quite wet, which I like. The bacon, olives, cherry tomatoes and salad leaves all work together to give you a dish thatâs healthy, balanced and filling. That being said, I donât remember there being any dressing â which couldâve been nice to tie it all together better. But the two slices of bread definitely round out the meal in terms of portion-size.<br/><br/>The scrambled eggs on sourdough with mushroom were nice, but the bottom of the eggs were a little dry for my taste. The mushrooms were delicious and came in their own little ramekin dish to prevent the liquids from making the bread soggy.<br/><br/>Overall verdict is 3.5/5 and that Bambina is great youâre a fan of salads. I wouldnât say the quality is outstanding or unique, but still worth a shot if youâre in the area.
Kieran
Ponsonby Road can be hit and miss with brunch.<br/><br/>If you're feeling energetic enough you can stroll further down to Jervois Rd and hit some real winners (Dear Jervois). If you want to play it safe you can settle for any one of the many eateries nestled within Ponsonby Central (overpriced mediocracy). If you want to include a hill climb with brunch, swing down to Odette's (it's worth the extra leg work).<br/><br/>Bambina is situated in a patch of eateries and coffee shops squeezed between Mekong Baby and Ramen Takara. For me on that Sunday morning with a hangover, it wasn't far to walk. A simple layout consisting of one large square table, fit to accommodate couples and singles (something which appeals to me), tables for two scattered about the rest of the cafe fill out the rest of the space.<br/><br/>The service was lovely and sweet, seating us outside first (due to the lack of tables inside) then quickly moving us inside as soon as a table was freed. <br/><br/>Like most brunch places, Bambina is $20 per dish, and about $10 per drink. You're going to get little change from $30. The Corn Fitters with bacon I found to be bland and tad dry, it needed lifting with some acidity or freshness, a dose of zing was in order. The smoothie was good ..... But, $10 for smoothie served in a 250-300ml glass? I want my longest drink in town cup for that price!<br/><br/>Sometimes I feel I'm becoming one of those impossible to please bastards.<br/>Then I think, "I just spent $30 on brunch, and I could've made better at home ......"
Haley Ernstzen
Came here for brunch on a Sunday morning. Was fairly busy as expected but it wasn't busy enough to wait about 35-40 minutes for our breakfast. I ordered the scrambled eggs on sourdough bread with a side of avo and bacon. The eggs were amazing and the bread was tasty as well. The avo was soft enough for me to smash. However the blueberry smoothie I ordered was well overpriced but very nice.
Dennis Wong
There was one unfriendly stuff had to ask everytime to get menu, clean the table and order water. Her face was showing me that she didnt want to serve us at all. However other staff were very nice and friendly.<br/>Food was pretty good overall as i had a raw tuna salad while my partner had a lamb salad. If not because of this not pleasant service from a particular staff. Rating will be much hugher closer to 4.5.
Kerryj
Came here for an early lunch as it wasn't too crowded. The menu is fairly standard but didn't seem to have any daily or weekly specials which would have livened it up a little. We got the spinach, courgette & mint soup and the scrambled eggs on sourdough. The bread was really good, the eggs looked great, a strong yellow. The soup was insipid, like a warmed up green smoothie, I added pepper and salt but nothing was going to help this. <br/>My latte was great and the service here is good.
Stu
I have eaten here hundreds of times in the past but the menu never changed and options and value wise I got attracted away. However today I thought that I would give their lamb sausage chilli cress pasta a go for around $21.50. Probably the most boring pasta dish I have ever had. Luke warm pasta with some chopped black olives through it, fried sausage bits and micro cress on the top. Zero chilli hit, zero flavour (other than the somewhat salty sausage). I used to love Bambina but they need to seriously chanllenge their menu and offer - otherwise this might be the final nail in... (for me). All this said it does seem to still have a loyal local following - though I find it hard to see why anymore! There is currently much better available in the area elsewhere.
Stephy_NakiGirl
Local cafe open early in the morning. One large communal table as well as smaller tables & outside seating. Service friendly & efficient <br/>Cabinet baking is available.<br/>Tried the housemade muesli & fresh fruit which was really good. Latte nice & strong.
Chuchueats
Best scrambled eggs and mushrooms I have had so far in Auckland. The mushrooms were cooked to perfection and the quality of it was amazing. Also the toast that complimented the eggs was so yum! I'd highly recommend. Only thing was the waiting time for meals is a bit long, but something's are worth the wait.
Rebecca MacDonald
Bambina is a great cafe on Ponsonby rd, perfect for breakfast, brunch or lunch dates! It was busy when we went there which is quite usual but as there was just two of us we just grabbed a couple of spots at the large table. We had the corn fritters and bruschetta to share. Both were delicious!
POLICE
Amazing service.<br/>Perfect all-press coffee.<br/>Great food; couple vegan options on the menu :)<br/>Really nice atmosphere, outside is even heated for those cold days
Damagemanagement
Walked from CBD to here so needed a coffee and tea. Soy flat white and coconut Chai was suggested and arrived fast and hot. Coffee was nice so was the tea. Locale seems nice i like the option of communal tables. If we were locals we'd go back again.
Heidi Aspell
I wish I could write a good review about this place, since my friend really likes it... But to be honest I found it to be below average, especially for the location. The staff were not friendly at all, and came across as rude in a blunt way. I ordered the breakfast salad which was tasty, but very overpriced. The thing that really annoyed me the most, was the juice I ordered. I asked for an orange and ginger juice, which I thought wasa bit pricey around $7, but it is Ponsonby after all. But then I actually received the juice... It came in a small glass, about 1/3 of it was just foam, and it tasted like water. I couldn't even taste the orange let alone the ginger! I eat out at a lot of cafes around Auckland, and this one definitely doesn't measure up.
Eduardo Dias
We decided to have our branch out on the Boxing Day, but we completely missed the fact that most of the places we would usually go would be closed on that day (especially at 3pm). Fortunately, we were lucky enough to have our brunch at Bambina.<br/>We ordered two coffees, which were pretty good, hotcakes and poached eggs on toast with mushroom and smoked salmon on side. Both meals were quite tasty and presented to a good standard. Hotcakes were accompanied by a scoop of yogurt mixed with honey and some fresh summer berries. <br/>Overall, we have enjoyed our brunch. We would recommend this place for casual weekend brunch/lunch. However, I think their breakfast menu is lacking variety. In addition, parking could be quite a problem on a busy afternoon.
Louise MacNaughton
What a below average breakfast! <br/><br/>Ordered the chicken sandwich (ew) and the scrambled eggs with a side of mushrooms. <br/><br/>Scrambled eggs themselves were cooked well and fluffy but no seasoning at all! Mushrooms were bland and undercooked. <br/><br/>Chicken sandwich was dry and lacking chicken/sauce/any kind of goodness. Chilli jam on the side was "okay". <br/><br/>Given you guys a 2/5 because the coffee was pretty yum and because service was pretty good. <br/><br/>Will not be returning. Their menu was lacklustre. @
Donna&Shane
We popped in here for a lunch bite... Got the fruit salad with yoghurt and the chicken pomegranate salad and pomegranate etc juice.... Place looks nice and clean with good service. The fruit salad had a great selection of different fruit yum... The salad was presented nicely and the chicken was yum. Very friendly service.
Philippa Bannerman
Possibly my favourite cafe in Ponsonby. Great coffee which is brought quickly. Food is fresh, healthy simple and honest. The breakfast salad is my favourite. Great lunches too - again lots of healthy and delicious options. Place is always clean and there is plenty of staff so it is run efficiently. Highly recommend Bambina.
GideonMarisa MasterchefNz2015
Nice place, great food, brilliant coffee, service when the owners are working is a bit slack, I guess that happens when you walk into a cafe after a mad rush but overall love my local! Sarah Forsyth #g7
Winnie Luo
Nice cafe in ponsonby, nothing is a big stand out though as ponsonby is full of cafes. <br/><br/>Serving sizes were generous, the food was yum. Coffee was a bit on the bitter side. <br/><br/>The only thing I cannot get pass is how tiny the outdoor tables were. I was worried about dropping my coffee or something off the table throughout the whole meal. My partner started putting finished coffee cups and the sugar sachets holder, salt and pepper on the empty table next to us so that we could eat comfortably. <br/><br/>The cafe interior did seem alot more spacious and inviting though so maybe next time we can come back and try more food on the menu!
RVEH
Good customer service from a lovely young woman, relaxing environment, good coffee, nice bathrooms. Overall a really good experience. I recommend!
Hannah Collier
I was pretty upset with how my coffee tasted. Considering the all press cafe is next door the standard should be set a little higher... However, a nice environment and f enjoy staff. Food looked a bit cabinet stale
Maia Churichkova
Great atmosphere, and hands down the best salmon I've ever had. Really lovely fresh juices as well. Definitely the first choice when in Ponsonby for lunch!
Kirsty Cardy
My partner came here once, and liked the food so much, he came back once a week and ordered something different until he had tried everything on the menu. His verdict? There's not a dish that didn't impress. <br/><br/>On my first visit I tried the Asian Salmon Salad. I'm with Brad - if all the food on the menu is this good, I'll have one of everything too!<br/><br/>The salmon was flaked from a whole fillet, and tossed generously though the salad - a far cry from the few crumbs or slivers you'd expect at most cafes. The veges were crisp and fresh, piled high on the plate.<br/>But what made this dish was the perfectly balanced Asian dressing. It had that sour/salty/sweet/hot blend of aromatics in perfect quantities, tasty and fragrant without overbearing any element of this dish. <br/><br/>I love the large shared table that takes centre stage at Bambina. I'd happily plonk myself here with a group of friends, (or alone so I can enjoy the food without having to share!). Either way the service is warm and welcoming so I'd feel right at home. <br/><br/><br/><br/>
Jacqui Murdoch
We called in for lunch on a Saturday. Neither of us had been before. I doubt we'd go again.<br/><br/>I ordered the chicken sandwich which unfortunately was very dry. My friend ordered the corn fritters which, while nice enough, were no better than she could make at home.<br/><br/>My friend ordered a glass of the Cablebay Waiheke Rose at $12. We actually thought when it was poured it was a taster. Neither of us had ever seen such a small glass of wine poured anywhere we've been in the world. It's not like Cablebay is such a great wine either. $12 was a total rip off for the size of the glass. I was glad I'd ordered a bottle of Peroni. <br/><br/>Service was rather slow too. Waited ages at the table to be served so I went to the counter, even though they'd told us to take a seat and they'd be over soon. <br/><br/>All in all a less than average experience. There are better cafes in Ponsonby.
Jan Overington
Went for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Not such a nice day, but sat in the window in the sun which was beautiful, warm and cosy, very friendly atmosphere. Had corn fritters which were some of the best I have ever had, hubby had perfect poached eggs. Coffee was top notch! We will definitely return here!
Jason Huang
Great cafe, we usually go on weekends. The size is good though we don't always get seats but the staff are very accommodating while we wait. Location is good, the meals are great.
Lynn Josephine Lim
Yummy Chicken Turkish and Beef Turkish sandwiches. Yummy coffees. Second time visiting this café after initial visit approx. 2 years ago. Usually very busy but very lucky yesterday to walk in with hubby and empty seats available; didn't take long before all empty seats are filled. <br/><br/>Thoroughly enjoyed lunch and coffee. Didn't even have to ask for a side of hot water for my Americano which is wonderful. Hubby was over the moon with his trim latte. <br/><br/>Would recommend to all friends and families and definitely come back again to try other dishes on the menu.
Marla Tiquia
First time to visit the cafe and I was delighted with the friendly service and superb food. It's a good thing they allow people to choose what goes into their breakfast order. I loved the fennel sausages, crusty golden brown spelt bagel plus the mushrooms. Compliments to the flat white too. The place is quite busy but I was well served and over-all experience was highly satisfactory
Juku
Nice coffee, water always available, and muffin was also yummy
Alex Young
My friend who took me here summed up this visit:<br/>"OK food, cool ambience, but we forgot to order service". <br/>We were met with a smiling face, but the waitress forgot about us until waved down. eg: I had to order water twice.<br/>My poached eggs were overdone and there was no sauce served with it, which I thought was just wrong! So overdone eggs with no liquidy goodness to mop up the toast plus crap service = probably will steer clear until I go to other neighbouring places first to compare.<br/>Excellent coffee though.
Ian
Interesting place...<br/>Have to say never seen Broad Beans done that way and they were quite nice..<br/>Was a nice light heathy lunch with fresh produce so that was nice to see. But a very limited menu which is a bit of a down side.<br/><br/>Service was ok, polite and prompt.
Katherine M
I went in on a Friday morning was greeted by an unfriendly older women who was front of house at the time. Ordered a soy chai it was delicious and the barista gave me a nice smile but most of the staff were pretty cold not much atmosphere and I even over heard a staff member grumbling about another customer. I'll only come here for a takeaway coffee maybe for a meal if they smiled a little bit more and put the music up abit cause they had really good sounds.
Christine Thackwell
Went in for the first time in a year or so. Quick service, but risotto was unacceptable for the amount of oil it was swimming in. I told the waitress who did not know what to do with this complaint. Won't rush back.
Nikki
I was disappointed to be honest. Went on a Saturday morning. It was very crowded, unpleasant dining experience. Food was expensive and I did not rate my ricotta pancakes, nor did my friend rate his muesli. Wouldn't go back, but I could tell it was a popular place. Maybe was just a bad day to dine
Lynnette Xu
Good, but i'm not quite loving their new store in New Market, it doesnt seem to carry the vibe as well. I do adore their lemon muffins. Love love love!
Hayley Morris
Bambina makes coffee the way it should be made. It is memorable for its coffee, and that is what really makes me return every weekend. Food is of a good standard, although sometimes I wish they'd change their bench food selection a little more. Staff are pretty awesome too!
Maddy
Lovely atmosphere, reasonably priced, yummy food!
Lillian
This cafe won NZ Cafe of the Year in Auckland region. It's perhaps not the best cafe with its limited choices, but it's not bad. I got the tuna with grapefruit & pine nuts salad, I didn't realise it's supposed to be a salad, as it didn't state "salad" in the menu, but it came with 2 pieces of golden crunchy bread which was a nice touch. However the "rare grilled" tuna was overcooked - I was expecting a very light sear on the outside which is my fav way of serving. Grapefruit and pine nuts made it a bit more special.<br/>My friend got the smashed avocado on bruschetta which was very yummy an creamy. The coffee is good but not great. There's a water tap available to get your own water, which I didn't realise because I asked for water from staff at the beginning and was sitting with my back to the tap.<br/>Good cafe but it's very competitive in Ponsonby...
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