Review Stark's Cafe & Bar - Auckland Central

Service is superb. Good coffee, calm place to enjoy the busy city corner, i enjoyed their vegan food and the gluten free choco muffin was great too. Free wifi, outside paving seating, classy!

I just happened to of come across this iconic building once again , looked further then the entrance to the cinema and found this wonderful little gem , very nice cocktail style Cafe, connected to our wonderful Terrace , the chicken wraps were that nice I brought too , one to take home to have later , I have to say the coffee was actually one of the better tasting coffees that will engage my tastebuds for further interaction with the premises , when in the big smoke don't look past . I was impressed . Of course take a freind or two wont you . Thanks starks

The coffee was good, and they won me over by having a free sparkling water tap, which is something I highly value as I am addicted to sparkling water. While the coffee and service was good, my one complaint was that they advertise free WiFi, however I was unable to connect as their login page required you to provide a mobile phone number and verify that number, and even yet the login page never successfully loaded. I initially came for the free WiFi, which was a let down when it did not work, but I stayed for the warm environment and they won my heart with the FREE public sparkling water dispenser.

Excellent coffee and sitting outside on the pavement seating area, people watching on this busy Queen Street corner is a great place to enjoy it. A great ambiance and great service from a super friendly staff. Highly recommended.

My first piccalo espresso in New Zealand where the milk hadn't been over steamed. Staff were friendly and quick, café was comfy with decent ambience.

Great service & great coffee👌

Loved the decent simple favour for berry smoothies and the price is so valued.

I never review coffees but this coffee was 👌.. 5 stars for sure..mmmm

Good coffee, open late.

Excellent service

Decent Coffee.

Lindo lugar muy centrico el cafe excelente

Had a quick bite and drink here last night on the way to the Film Festival<br/>It was very busy<br/>Staff struggled to cope<br/>Cabinet food was good<br/>Chicken Burrito  and Ham Cheese Croissant<br/>Both warmed<br/>Drinks good also<br/>Peroni and Jack Daniels/Coke<br/>Very handy spot albeit small space

Their coffee was the worst... cabinet food was stale and totally not fresh. The people there seems don’t care at all about the customers. Never gonna come here again.

Came in at 7am this morning for a coffee and I noticed the barista was pulling out chairs as I see every morning. I asked are u guys open, she replied bluntly no. The amount of times I have been here while she has been putting chairs and tables out and customers come in. Decided to go elsewhere for my morning coffee now...where they accept people not wearing business suits

This place is small but cozy. The hot chocolate is delicious and I definitely recommend the lemon tart! Good customer service and efficient delivery.

Honestly the meal was quite satisfactory. Yeah it wasn't that good but was definitely worth a shot. There are better places where you can get the taste but if you're a cafe lover do not miss this one!

The cabinet food is just as yum, too, and a bit unusual - I had a chickpea roll the other day for lunch. Miam!. One of the first cocktails I had was at Stark's, during my first year at uni, just after I turned 18 - oh, the bittersweet experience, and taste, of a Martini - with a chocolate at the bottom as a reward, haha.

The back story: Starks is often what one might consider the "underdog". Not necessarily the talk of the town, nor the place that people go into town especially to visit, it is often mistaken as "just that cafe / eatery next door to The Civic". Indeed it does have the convenience of being the go - to place for pre - show snacks and after - show drinks, but my experience (and review of it here) is from a deliberate visit to Starks - solely for its food, drinks and environment. An experience quite separate from one affiliated with The Civic.<br/><br/>Food: I visit Starks for its desserts...and late night hours making it a convenient venue for late night desserts. There aren't many places in Auckland that let you rock on up for dessert at 10.30pm without a long wait or bookings. Not necessarily the best in offering variety in terms of choices nor service, it nonethess serves a beautiful house hot chocolate, with a selection of desserts including unique heart shaped macarons. It also does a wide selection of alcoholic drinks, but if you're wanting a non alcoholic experience, Starks offers it too. There is a certain place and time for a visit to Starks though - and that is not before big shows nor after. In between those busy times, there is a place for quiet conversation over coffee and dessert.<br/><br/>Setting : I like to come here with a small group of friends to enjoy a chat over dessert, and with its prime location right on the corner of the biggest intersection on Queen St, it serves as The Best place to also people watch. Though the decor is not fancy - it is simple and rather unassuming, it is comfortable enough for simple catch ups or a sip of a drink whilst eyeing up busy Auckland traffic. Maybe not the place for a special night out but one that does the trick for a catch up with late night with friends.<br/><br/>Occasion: late evening catch ups for dessert or drinks, prime location for people watching.<br/><br/>Revisit potential: 6.5 /10

Bought a takeaway coffee immediately prior to the screening of La Danse last Sunday at the Film Festival. There were lots of people in the queue so obviously the barista was under pressure.<br/><br/>My wife said the coffee is likely to be bad given the pressure. Sure enough after I had a sip, I realised it was burnt and really bad.<br/>And $5 for a small cup of takeaway latte is simply a rip-off.<br/><br/>They shouldn't have kept taking orders just before the movie started, knowing that they can't deliver. Bad customer service, and not good for their brand.