Review Foundation On George - Auckland Central

Awesome food and excellent service. It's the type of place where you feel warmly welcomed (and the staff know customers by name). Had the cheese scone, toasted sandwich, sausage roll and a cheese cake - all were yummmm and so was the coffee!!

*Updated 6/11/23: Revisited a year on and back to form. *Updated 20/11//22: Maybe a bad day at FOG, however Chicken Salad for $26 was a rip off (basically green salad with a miniscule amount of chicken), and our Bacon and Eggs (over cooked eggs, no greens) were very average in comparison to previous experiences. Very good on all accounts.

Next level! Great service, delicious food, outstanding coffee, classic Cafe atmosphere, Can 💯 %recommend trying this Cafe, looking forward to gathering some friends to try some more of the menu. Had the ham hock benne what an amazing taste mmmm mmmm!! Took some extra photos of the cabinet food as I was so impressed. Can't wait to go back.

Lovely local courtyard cafe in Newmarket. Blueberry muffin was excellent and the coffee was nice. Ample seating space outside for enjoying the sun and having a “me” or “we” moment.

I come here every morning before work. The best cafe food I’ve ever had along with excellent customer service. The raspberry custard brioche and chicken croissants, baguettes and wraps are next level 👍

nice place to have a coffee in the morning, the only downside is the desks outside were wet, a little bit difficult to settle down..... friends love their food.

My favourite go to cafe. The service is lovely, atmosphere great and coffee also great. I love the lattes there, and the mochas too are delish! Wouldn’t recommend the chai latte however. Overall my favourite cafe

We visited the restaurant on Sat morning since it’s next to Parnell’s Farmer Market. The restaurant has a good view, and it was chill to sit there and enjoying your weekend brunch in the afternoon. The salad served was good, and the coffee tasted nice also.

Was staying across the road at Birthcare and needed some emergency sustenance - got the French toast with bacon which was stupidly large and tasty - great variety of fruit on the plate and maple syrup and berry compote around the plate. Excellent coffee too. Was a little busy but easy to get a table, and food came very promptly.

Great customer service and nice restaurant. I was only in for a quick bite and the express lunch menu has great options. Burger was packed with a large patty! Well cooked. Staff were very attentive. Looks like a great place for large groups or small as they have plenty of seating areas, inside and out

Great food (especially the mushroom risotto thingies) and coffee. Great service.

Beetroot Hummus Smashed Avo and House Smoked Salmon Eggs Bene. Both meals were 👌, the avo and hummus was really good, and the salmon literally melted in your mouth. Would recommend 💯

First time to foundation on George last weekend and didn’t realise there was a lot of outdoor space. Love that it’s dog friendly (I didn’t have a dog but a busy 1 year old boy who loved walking around). Food was insanely good - my ham hock eggs Benny was 10/10. Everyone else loved their choices too. Bit of a bummer no avo but that’s understandable this time of year.

Great garden style cafe, warm welcome by the staff after long Covid-19 shutdown, lovely coffee in a comfortable area, very enjoyable.

Very cool place food is always epic and great attentive staff. Coffee is AllPress branded and never an issue with it! Def one of my locals.

I love this cafe/restaurant, it's got a lovely courtyard for the sunny days and plenty of indoor space for those rainy ones, so you never feel cramped. The staff is always lovely and attentive, you never wait too long. The food is always amazing, a little on the pricey side of things for their cabinet food, but always delicious and worth it.

This is such a fantastic place to eat at !! Been twice and it has superb food and awesome service. You can reserve a table online and the atmosphere is friendly and casual. Beautiful outdoor seating as well on a nice day. Very handy to the Domain and museum.

Excellent service, beautiful environment, and delicious food! Can't wait to go back and try more 🤤

Very disappointing to find there were no gluten free options in your cabinet on Friday. Also that you are still using caged eggs.

I had a great experience at Foundation on George. Everything from the food to the service to the ambience were on point. First of all ample seating considering it was during brunch time<br/>on Saturday. The Ham Eggs Bene was to die for- don’t expect the usual sliver of champagne ham, no, you get shredded pork hock with the freshness of apples juliennes. I don’t recall having a version of Eggs Bene like this anywhere else. Then you’ve got the usual Big Breakfast or The Full Monty as they call it, also fabulous. But highlight was hands down the Pork Eggs Bene. This place is definitely one to look out for!

It is the good brunch place to go. Food taste good, above average, environment nice and clean, service really friendly. Presentation need to improve

Friday night dinner out, our third visit here so looking forward to it. Made the mistake of ordering the rack of lamb. At the supermarket a rack is usually four chops on the bone. A supplier would provide it like that. The rack served to me had 90% of the chop removed. There are no other lamb dishes on the menu so my guess is that it was used to feed staff, that would explain their absence. Four hours later so violently ill that three days later my voice had not come right. Messaged the above to them on that Monday. Cue sound of crickets.

Lovely surroundings and attentive service for dinner on Saturday night. Shoesting fries pretty good, lamb rump cooked to perfection with minimal vegetables but somehow lacked the  wow factor with its plain tables and 2 salt cellars on our table and no pepper. Although good to try both agreed not a place we'd return to in a hurry.

Highly recommend this place for breakfast or bunch! 10/10 for everything! Food 10/10 ambience 10/10 staff 10/10 I love it! Honestly a hidden gem 💎

The full monty breakfast was pretty good. The best part was the crumbed portobello. I expected it to come with some sort of bread or toast though. Portions were generous but would be nice to have some carbs to balance it out. Lovely place, the courtyard is amazing. It overlooks the school and the whole area is just really nice. The website says there’s 2 hours parking but I’m not sure where that is...

It is always quite busy here as it is a prime location for the rich Parnell residents and really close to the school right in front of it where students often go there during breaks (me). It is rather pricy, but I like to exploit my parents to pay when I go with them. I really like their cabinet savoury food cause they heat it up and the crusts get really crispy which is what I ultimately eat pies for.

Another fantastic brunch spot in Parnell. I enjoyed how colorful my meals were. Visually appearing food is so much more palatable. Personally, had the big breakfast and loved how they do your mushrooms. <br/><br/>They do a crumbed mushroom which made me think it was a bagel when I first saw it. The contrasting crunchy texture with the chewy mushroom is an ingenious combo. Per my friend, they also do some of the best sautéed mushrooms in Auckland.<br/><br/>Fabulous brunch experience.<br/><br/>Showstopper: The BAGELSHROOMS!<br/><br/>Overall Grade: B+

Dak Gang Jeong chicken, as an entrée, was a little spicy but very special. The seafood chowder was rich & nice. For the mains, the lamb rump was tender & delicious; however, the confit duck leg was just OK; the Angus ribeye was a bit tough even though it's medium rare. Service was good but seemed a bit slow. The new Zomato rating system with no half star is rather unfair to Foundation On George.<br/>(Food - 3.5/5; Service - 3.5/5; Ambience - 4/5)<br/>Visited on 15 September 2018

I was pleasantly surprised with the place, it may looked like a simple cafe but the food was really good. We had the ox tail pappardelle and confit duck leg. Both were yummy and had generous serving. The coffee was equally good! They also served an express lunch at $18 which is very reasonable for the quality of the food. Definitely planning to go back and try that next time.

While the food is usually of a good standard, it's a bit pricey and the service leaves a lot to be desired. They are very dismissive to any feedback, the last time I commented on something, I received a shrug and they looked over my shoulder to the next person. Also, the quality of drinks very much depends on the person making them. Smoothies in particular. The staff need to be more consistent, and they should respond better to genuine feedback.

We popped in for a quick lunch and had double cheeseburgers off the express lunch menu - they were amazing! Huge serving and with a side of chips, the burger was perfect! Will be back soon for sure.

Came here for a quick breakfast between my doc visit. I was after a quick bite. But man did I change my view.<br/><br/>To start off, this is not an average place that you would be going to everyday ( or maybe you would ). Its a little fancy. Got ample of parking and seating space. Heaps of indoor seating and a few tables outside for those who enjoy the sun. The staff did not interact much, but nonetheless, the service was good.<br/><br/>The ambience is very casual chic. One section (about 8 tables) have heaters. The other section opposite to the kitchen is non heated. This gives the foodies multiple options to choose where they sit. Choices are good. They have newspspers to read while you sip your drinkies. However, you dont read for long as the service is fast.<br/><br/>I had the chorizo omlette and french toast and coffee. The portions were not big. Just a little under enough. It fills your tummy but leaves you wanting 2 more bites. Maybe its a trick, they want you to come back. The omlette sounds basic but was full of flavor. Layer of egg then baby spinach, then carmslised onion and some tomatoes followed by thin slices of chorizos topped with cheese. Yeah you get the picture, right? And yes, carb lovers, this was with 2 pieces of toast and butter. What follows is the french toast. Mascarpone cheese "heavenly" sauce. A scoop of ice creame. Bread soaked and cooked in egg and coated with what I imagine were corn flakes (not sure). Whatever it was..... was fantastic. A tiny bit of berry sauce and crushed freeze dried berries thrown around added to the pleasure on the plate. I did not care for the 3 meringue swirls. But if you do.... added benefit.<br/><br/>Coffee, allpress coffee. Nothing much to add there. As expressed, its on the pricier side. But a must try.<br/><br/>Pricewise: $55 for 2<br/>Returns: Ofcourse, what kind of question is this!!!

Despite ordering x2 coffees every Saturday and Sunday (plus the occasional weekday coffee) for the past eight months the owners still do not know our names, let alone our orders! Surrounded by a collection of gorgeous interior design and luxury stores this cafe stands out like a sore thumb for being so average. We’ve eaten here once which was great but would rather spend the money somewhere with better service. This cafe has such potential if only simple changes to the service were made. We will continue to use this cafe because the coffee is great 9/10 and because it’s conveniently located two mins from our house. <br/>P.S. the young guy with round glasses who recently shaved his head is very friendly and has remembered my partner’s name - it’s the little things that make the biggest difference to your customer’s experience :-)

Finally managed to catch Foundation on George on a ‘quiet’ day for lunch. Despite the café not being as busy as it usually was, my food still took a bit of time to come out. However, it was hard not to enjoy their good quality food out in the courtyard during a sunny Monday lunchtime.<br/><br/>My French toast came with crispy bacon, caramelised banana, berry purée and summer fruit. I really liked how the toast was crispy on the outside but eggy and fluffy on the inside. The berry purée was on point (not too tart) and I especially enjoyed the pomegranates sprinkled throughout the plate. While the meal wasn’t the cheapest and presentation was average, the portion was pretty generous.

Only rating on the quality of the coffee and the lol of the menu. Looks simple but tasty and there are gluten free options which is always good for me. No quick food or treats in the cabinet if you’re gluten free but for the lucky person not limited there’s a good range there that looks real nice.

Great location, nice ambience, service was just ok and the food and coffee was just average. Although my Eggs Benedict was neatly presented the hollandaise sauce was just under seasoned and tasteless. My chai latte literally tasted like hot water with a bit of cinnamon. It seemed they made it in a rush as I requested this in a takeaway cup and the drink was not full enough as well. I was a bit disappointed with this experience.

Quite possibly the best pulled pork Burger around.<br/>The flavours, the brioche bun, the atmosphere was second to none. Staff were only too willing to help also. Definitely be visiting again, and SOON!! 😎

Always a good place to go for a coffee or a small snack. Their sandwiches and their wraps are also really good. Furthermore, they allow pets.

We decided to try Foundation on George for breakfast. Lovely sunny day and very nice setting. However compared to other similar cafes this was very disappointing-service was functional at best. We had to order and pay before we sat down which put us off to begin with. The actual food was fine. Not memorable so the service needs to be more special. We won't return. Plenty of other cafes offering fabulous food and service. Claudia.

Terrible experience at this Cafe on Fathers day 2016.The Cappuccino coffee i was made consisted of 70% foam, 30% liquid. Took the coffee back into the store to ask why i was paying 5.00 for essentially a "fluffy" the owner because quite passive aggressive to the point of argument with me saying thats "just how they do it" with no attempt to aide my concern as a customer. Terrible service, Terrible coffee wouldn't go back again.

Ordered the Turkish blat and a coffee. Coffee was good not great. Had to wait about 5 more mins for the blat so they gave me a cake for free. <br/>Blat was excellent and I was really impressed with the service. Would recommend to anyone.

Very busy cafe, with a excellent outside courtyard that you can take your dog to.<br/><br/>On Saturdays there's a market in the car park as well.<br/><br/>It's more on the pricey side (probably not for Parnell), but the food is all good quality and fresh. Coffee is good (I like a strong coffee so I always get a small one, I think the large would need an extra shot depending on tastes)<br/><br/>The service is excellent, I've seen this place when its crazy busy and the staff are still friendly and efficient.<br/><br/>Its a nice place to go if you're on your own as there's plenty of activity to sit and watch.

Situated next to the Parnell library with lovely interior design and also a cute little courtyard for those sunny days. The coffee is average with somewhat standard selection in the pantry. The food provided from menu is typical NZ cafe food which although taste good unfortunately lacks any novelty or change.

Cute little cafe located in Parnell with a really nice courtyard, which is what attracted me to it. Unfortunately the coffee/hot chocolate was just average and so was the cake. Nothing special :( the service was quite dismal and awkward too.

Disappointing. A lovely courtyard but service is dismal and food not much better.the chicken in my salad was dry and the dressing too sweet.  I was with a friend who enjoyed her soup .

This place makes amazingly delicious pies and great value for money. Outdoor courtyard is beautiful and sunny, we loved the historical building and great atmosphere

We just got home from having a late breakfast here. The staff were friendly and the vibe nice & relaxed, Perfect for Saturday brunch. Out coffees arrived a few minutes after we'd ordered and straight after the first sip our breakfast arrived. I had the coconut breakfast risotto with rhubarb which was amazing and my boyfriend had the smashed avocado and eggs on toast. All in all a great fund. We'll be back!

Had heard good things about this place and so was keen to check it out. Slightly on the outskirts of Newmarket in the same complex as the blind foundation. There is a nice outdoor area which in the summer would be nice to sit in, but a bit cold today. <br/>I am obsessed with pulled pork at the moment and we both went with the pulled pork burger and fries and it was amazing! There were some tasty looking things in the cabinet as well so I will definitely be back!

It's a great sit out enjoy your coffee kinda place. Food and beverages are good but not excellent. Not value for.money, service is average but a great place for work break or a quick meeting over coffee.

For a cafe in such a posh area the coffee is pretty average. I went here on a Sat morning and the place was heaving and I was disappointed with my coffee. I love my coffee and yeah, was unimpressed. Food is not cheap and is very hip and healthy- raw salads , club sandwiches etc but honestly it's too expensive for my meager snack budget. <br/>Hope coffee improves, the staff were nice though!!

Came here on a recommendation labelled as 'the best coffee' my boyfriend has ever had. <br/><br/>We came literally the day after he had this so called 'best coffee' and I was so disappointed. Their kitchen closed at 2.30 (we arrived about 2.40) so we opted to grab a sandwich from their cabinet and 2 takeout flat whites. The milk was burnt and the coffee was over extracted (thus tasting burnt too) and there was so much foam it would be considered more of a latte. The sandwich was a bit misleading as the second layer was pretty much bread, the first layer had all the fillings, and although it looks small, its quite filling. The staff weren't too friendly either (maybe as it was near the end of the day for them). <br/><br/>I will attempt to come back and see if the coffee tastes better (as it always depends on the barista) and hopefully be able to try a meal.