Review Il Forno - Auckland Central

Quite simply il Forno makes the best selection of donuts. Cream, jam, cinnamon, sugar yum. They also sell filled rolls, loaves, beautiful apricot slice, tasty breakfast, packaged dinners, large Xmas cakes, Christmas mince pies and awesome coffee. Then there’s Karla behind the counter she is so warm and friendly, with a heart of gold. Definitely love this place. Loads of locals, dog friendly and parking outside.

My wife and I come here all time. It's one of the cafes in Auckland that make amazing food and coffees. Would definitely recommend this place.

I go here whenever I go to Ponsonby and I'm never disappointed. Fantastic cooked breakfast, excellent coffee and superb pastries. The service is always friendly and fast.

Great range of cabinet food! The pastries are delicious! 10/10 for the donuts!! Definitely recommend!

I enjoyed a lovely morning coffee and tart here. I also had a champagne ham and brie croissant and took a donut and Danish to go for the hard day ahead.. The breakfast and coffee was quite unimpressive I'm sad to say. I had a decaf latte (which are rarely any good, perhaps inferior beans) which was a little on the bland side, and the croissant was quite overcooked so very brittle and hard. The chocolate tart filling was very nice, great flavour, but the base was nothing special. The donut and danish, I have to say, were absolutely delightful, great textures, flavours and extremely satisfying. Also the ambience and styling of the cafe is really cool, with the large wooden tables and rustic styling. The people were also friendly, which is always good. I would come back and perhaps order a normal latte and go straight for the donuts or danishes!

Great little Italian bakery and cafe. Plenty of yummy choices in the cabinet. I ordered the cooked breakfast - it was excellent. The bread was fresh and tasty. All the ingredients used were of top quality. The price was very reasonable. Highly recommended!

Cosy cafe, great variation of food and value for money. Shame about the old plastic plants on the wall.

It feels like discovering a hidden gem every time you walk into this place. The food is always amazing - from the fresh donuts and bread to the cooked meals to eat in to the frozen food you can take home for dinner that night. And the staff are always friendly and welcoming.

Great quality of baked goods, and coffee. The served meals are also very delicious when I've tried them. The cost is also very inexpensive for the area, making it my favourite bakery in the neighbourhood.

Very busy cafe, with great vibe. Big serves of food and great coffee. The breads to buy were amazing and the cakes etc in the cabinet looked delicious . Our family had Bacon & Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Full English, and I had the crepes. Would definitely recommend.

We had DECAF americano and flatwhite. Delicious coffee, little snack with coffee was also delicious, we had one delicious almond croissant with it too :) Lots of car park around and staffs were very kind and lovely ♡ Thank you and see you again 👍

Best coffee in Auckland, authentic Italian test. Fresh pastries. Highly recommended.we love this place, friendly staff. Nia makes perfect Italian cappuccino.

Off of Ponsonby main road. Was away from traffic and noise. Great selection of food and drinks eg coffee, tea etc. Family friendly, staff are very helpful. Clean and tidy. Nice place to relax and talk.

Amazing food and selection. Great prices too!! Had amazing lasagna for only $12. Fantastic experience left feeling very happy and satisfied with a belly filled with food will definitely be coming.

Almond croissant the stuff of dreams. The smell of freshly baked goods kept interrupting my train of conversation. Coffee so good I considered licking the cup out but...that would've been gross.

Been a regular here off and on for years. Moak coffee is just the best and don't get me started on the food...........Devine! Those 24 Bomboloni we picked up on Friday morning went down a treat with everybody in the office! Will be back again soon.

Amazingly priced, top quality. Just had a chocolate tart there and it's taken me an hour to get through half of it, able to save the other half for afternoon tea. Got slight blurred vision from it (a good thing). Phenomenal.

Been a favourite for many years and sure to be for many years to come - awesome food and great staff!!

Food delish & well priced. Don’t recommend you go here for the coffee, inconsistent & very weak

Food was pretty good - worst mocha I've ever had though. Extremely milky with hardly a hint of coffee, much closer to a very weak hot chocolate. Will not be returning.

Superb Il Forno lemon tart tonight - so good, nothing left after vultures drift away!

Complementi per gli gnocchi melanzane

Just had the most divine lemon & blueberry & custard cronut!!!! YUM

Why would you go anywhere else? Coffee great, good terrific and the staff are the best ;-) God is great Il Forno is better …

extend closing time please

Where do I even start? This is hands down one of the top cafe's in Auckland. Incredible baking, lovely coffee and excellent food overall. Staff are always friendly and warm. I always enjoy coming here and recommend it to all my friends

I have been there few times, I like the atmosphere. Food is good some items are delicious some are average. Customer Service: sometimes there is a lady there who is very nice,humble and pleasure to deal with, and other times there is a young slim girl (I am not sure if she talks like that or is actually rude) but she asks about your choices and order like being hit with a hammer on your head very loud and very rudely. (because of that I always a little hesitant to go there)

why do only the whiners seem to post?!? I've been coming here since they opened and will keep coming here as long as Helane and Andrew are there.  The food is fantastic, including (especially) when it isn't "bland perfect replication" every time, that's because it's hand crafted and not made for Starbucks or Mcdonalds.  I love these guys and what they do, as much as I know they do.

Mediterranean omelette (smaller in real life) can not be anymore disappointing.. fillings consisted of one thin slice of tomato skin, two little olives and a cube of feta. No avocado. <br/><br/>My friend ordered long black and almond croissant. Coffee was burnt and croissant was dry and hard as rock . <br/><br/>Average to poor service . The ladies did not look like they like their job or customers. Or simplify just don’t care ?

Was really looking forward to having breakfast here. The menu and prices looked great and atmosphere was relaxed. After ordering at the counter and having our meals coming out completely wrong as I had ordered a vegetarian dish and two meals with meat arrived. The manner the staff handled it left me overly disappointed, my partner ended up eating without me and the waitress had to come back and forth with elements of my dish they kept forgetting to include. We were over charged (refunded for two things as they forgot our pastry as well) and after highlighting the fact our meals weren’t correct myself and my partner continued to be avoided by staff...Won’t be back.

I have been going here on and off for 5 years now. I still like the breads they make, but feel like the quality of cafe food goes through phases quite drastically. I guess it depends on who the cook is?

Regardless of the taste of the food (pretty good) the two staff members (large dark woman and small white woman with an accent) have the most disgusting attitude I’ve ever came across in an Auckland cafe. Practically threw my takeaway food at me. Never cracked a smile once, uninformed on the products being served and when I was trying to pay, to avoid looking at me, started talking to the person behind me. The staff do not reflect upon the food on offer here but myself and my staff will not be coming back here after this performance.

Hands down the best pastries in town!!!<br/>All of the food are generously portioned. The coffee is just average though. But this is definitely the place to go for your sweet tooth!

This cafe/brunch/meeting place is fabulous. We regularly meet friends here for brunch or a 🐷🐷 out. Their homemade Italian pastries and cream filled morsels are fabulous. We’ve eaten at many patisseries in Auckland. Il Forno would be our best choice. Always fresh, the best Italian coffee with great service. .... love this place. ❤️💚🧡💙

One of my new fave bakery shop on the list in Ponsonby. This place is definitely worth a try. We ordered bacon and egg quiche, almond croissant and cherry doughnut. Everything was pretty large portion and price was reasonable and yet still have the same quality as other higher ranking bakery shops. Their doughnut was really good with pretty good filling and it was super soft and fluffy👌🍴

Il Forno Barkey & Cafe. Yes. Very GOOD. Love their Almond croissant, Pies, Sandwiches, Donuts, danish and Cakes! I used to go almost every day, sometimes twice in a day as I worked nearby the cafe. I was totally addicted at the time. I am relief, I don't work nearby the cafe anymore as I just couldn't stop myself eating pie every day. I believe it is the best bakery in Auckland.

Came here on the recommendation of a friend. Good service. Food portions were reasonable size and tasty too. Coffee was great. Would definitely go again.

Surely the best selection of baked treats around Ponsonby.<br/>What's doubly impressive is the prices are very good.<br/><br/>Only complaint is slow to be recognised and served at the display cabinet, lots of staff walking around.

Delectable authentic Italian pastries, this place is always busy. Super friendly staff, smooth strong coffee. A great "go-to" place on a Sunday.

Delicious! Awesome selection of baked breads, pastries, slices, cakes, scones,  and cooked brunch menu. Really reasonably priced. The donuts are so yummy. I had the cannolo fritto which was a chocolate mousse and custard donut - amazing. Good smoothies and coffee. Serving sizes are generous too. Great place, and such good prices for Ponsonby!! My husband now rates it as his favourite brunch place. We will definitely be back. Thank you for the great meal :)

I bought a Custard Donut here one time, I think it was called the Bombolone, what a name for a donut. There is a lot of custard filling inside which is something I did not expect, but it is satisfying in every bite. the prices are fairly reasonable considering the area that it is in.<br/><br/>Just as I walked in they greeted me with a warm welcome, so friendly and no pressure in deciding what to buy because there were many to choose from.<br/><br/>Walking inside, it has that classic 'at home' bakery feel with everything on display. What really stands out in terms of display is the bread on the racks, there are so many varieties it's pretty much the icing on the cake

Simply the best pastries in the city - freshly baked on the premises. Value for money - excellent coffee - friendly. Very hard to beat. There are trendier places, but this place has something for everyone!

Absolutely love this place. I had a focaccia and it was the best by far in this area and also reasonably priced.<br/><br/>Highly recommend this cafe as the service is on point, the team obviously care about the food and service that they deliver

Tasty pastries are well priced. A bustling and vibrant cafe. We bought 8 items. The treats were packed in a box to take away. Got a little squashed and damaged. This is an area that probably needs some staff education. The treats were really tasty. We'll be back.

This cafe is an absolute standout, heads above most Auckland cafes! Have been coming here for years and the quality of the food delivered by outstanding staff never fails to please. Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and fantastic coffee, cannot fault 10 out of 10.

That's my favorite place to go whenever I feel homesick and I just want nice atmosphere and good Italian breakfast. Quality is amazing especially if you consider what you pay for it, staff isn't always nice and friendly.

Authentic Italian bakery, shared a Margherita pizza and I had a cream donut, the Mrs had a almond crossaint. Flat white and short black....I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! best bakery hands down!!!!. Everything we had was outstanding, the food wasn't doughy or heavy like usual bakery food light and extremely tasty. I'm coming back Bellisimo 👍😆❤😎

We come here every single morning and order the exact same thing, love love love their coffee and danishes. The staff still treat us like strangers though and have made no effort to remember our order or our faces which is a bit of a shame.

One of my favourite places to brunch in Ponsonby, I love the cozy atmosphere and the big wooden table in the middle of the room, along with a few intimate smaller ones along the side. The prices are much more reasonable than the surrounding cafes, and their portions are great. I've tried a few breakfast items before, as well as cabinet food and their smoothies too. No complaints, the staff are friendly and it's just a great place to relax over a nice meal. There are also an abundance of newspapers which is kind of nice and old school :)

My fav thing about this place is how you can get so many delish snacks in one place. Do you want a saus roll? A choc Danish? A slice of pizza? Gold flecked truffles? Ladies and gentleman it's all here. I am yet to try the cooked meal options but all in due time folks.<br/><br/>If you haven't tried a cream donut from Il Forno you haven't lived and I actually wonder what you've been doing in life up until this point.<br/><br/>Atmosphere is all good, kinda busy but you won't get run down by a pram e.g. Pons Central.<br/><br/>if you are lucky you'll get the comfy black leather couch. If you're unlucky you'll get an open table you'll possibly have to share. WORST CASE SCENARIO: someone tries to talk to you. Pretend to read one of the handy newspapers helpfully scattered about if this happens. You will also appear worldly and informed.<br/><br/>Bathroom is very large. You could definitely fit a small Polish family in there.<br/>  <br/>So ya'all probably reading this thinking "Wow what's the catch? This place sounds like heaven". Well ok, so the harsh truth in this world is that the coffee isn't that great. You do however get a delish sugary biscuit with it which does help improve the situation. (Side note: you will not receive biscuit if the staff hate you). You can't help but think man I wish I could BYO coffee then I would actually be living the dream tho. <br/><br/>Probably a good place to meet eligible bachelors/ladiez if you're around 45-100 yrs old I reckon. Just chuck that Tinder on 2 k :)<br/><br/>Constructive criticism: the cutlery is a help yourself sort of sitch which seems a bit dero for Ponsonby imo. Il forno is only open til 4 everyday which is a real shame it would be good to see some sorta 24 hour service, esp coming into these warmer months.

A great cafe in Ponsonby down one of the side streets, looks like it has Italian charm, and a massive selection of cakes, pies and such like. On entering I was expecting much, but I think I chose to quickly and ended up with a lamb sausage roll that I couldn't finish (it actually had a sausage inside it) and the Swiss roll whilst it looked amazing tasted a few days old. I get the impression it used to be great but has changed owners or lost it's direction.. (why have a NZ Herald box in a cafe - seriously unclassy)  I should've gone for some of the other more tasty looking items (apricot danish probably), but there was suddenly a massive queue. Heaps of room inside to sit down and friendly staff top off a place well worth visiting for my fellow unqualified diners!

I had a delicious cream donut here and took home some great sourdough. Coffee also yummy and everything really reasonably priced, especially considering the location. My bf had the ham sandwich and liked it too. Looking forward to heading back and trying the rest of their goodies!

Great coffee and sweet treats. I have been a few times now and will go many more. I have enjoyed the patisseries on offer and the cooked meals are of a decent size, although I am yet to try their cafe food options. I do recommend that you splash out and purchase a loaf of brioche, it's perfection.

Best cafe in auckland <br/>Great tastes and flavours <br/>Excellent selection <br/>Just love the place <br/>Good coffee<br/>Friendly staff ... This is the place to come in Ponsonby

Probably the best coffee I've had in a while! Lovely, cheerful staff - plus delicious pastries to go with the positive and authentic atmosphere!

A great find on this side street of Ponsonby, a friend and I really enjoyed the cabinet food and coffee/smoothie late in the morning, I'm guessing this place packs out around midday as the food display and menu look very enticing and interesting - friendly service, nicely priced and cool ambience, suspect this will get a "5" once I've tasted other items on the menu...

I am a student also bargain hunter, this place is a gem. They have 13$ cooked breakfast that I always have every weekend. I never finished it as it is too much for me. I love the sausage that from real meat (not bread sausage) and the potato gratin that taste cheesy. I also tried most of their pie, my favorite is lamb pie, $7 and it was the best lamb pie I ever had. <br/>Sometime it took them a while to clean the table from the previous customer as I think the staffs were too busy serving or preparing food, but it was not a big deal for me

Pro: atmosphere<br/>Con: Products which are neither Italian nor Kiwi but simply superfluous, such as Coca-Cola<br/><br/>The atmosphere is super inviting and the taste of coffee also good. I still didn't leave with an overall positive impression but rather a mix. While I was happy to see organic soy milk and local Phoenix/Charlie's products, the Coca-Cola bottle next to it and some Australian soft drinks blemished that impression. Needs to switch to more plantbased, sustainable options.

This is one of the most underrated brekkie/brunch places in Auckland. Hidden around the corner from MINI Garage on Ponsonby Rd in a cornucopia of the most fresh, divine pastries! Lately brunches around town have become kind of average - unfresh bread, 'faux' sourdough, rubbery eggs, insipid bacon. With a glut of average bakeries &amp; brunch cafes around the place, the the food here is sublime - French pastries, beautiful breads like (real!) Sourdough, Ciabatta &amp; Spelt, donuts etc. Breakfast here is a delight - Sourdough toast so fresh that you CAN actually cut it with a knife, beautiful tasty fresh scrambled or poached eggs, crispy bacon, curls of real butter (no having to ask for butter here!) and good coffee. One of the highlights - our coffee comes with oven warm fresh Madeleine Tea Cakes! Brunches are so easily poorly done but Il Forno brekkies are perfect -and very reasonably priced! Try it! Great staff &amp; service too, so plonk yourself down at one of the large wood tables and enjoy!

Great coffee, good quality food! Always reminds me a lil bit of Italy!

Another down a back street little gem. From the most amazing freshly baked breads to mouth watering sweets this is a place to return to again & again. <br/><br/>We haven't tried their breakfast yet but from my neighbours plates it looks as good as the rest of the food in here.