Review Bucklands Espresso Lounge - Auckland Central

Edit: Good local Cafe, coffee is always good here. Food is lovely and service is excellent. Freshly made muffins were lovely, hot out of the oven. Excellent Covid-19 safety protocols in place. Order one end and pick up around the corner. It can get quite busy during summer

Great coffee, lovely staff. Lots of outdoor seating under a shady awning. A short walk to the waterfront. Plenty of parking right outside. Very reassuring that staff are checking vaccination passes on entry. Large flat white is $4.80, a bargain price

Lovely service, yummy food and delicious coffee. Great setting near the beach.

Nice smile on the face when you handed your coffee which is so delicious.

Excellent carrot cake and coffee to boot! Very reccommendable coffee!!!!!!!

Cute local cafe with lovely service and reasonable prices

In level 3 .1 lock down, good fast service of well made hot coffee with a good blackboard display of cakes and slices. Excellent system one entrance for ordering and one for pick up. Good space to que at correct distances.

I took my young son for breakfast on a Saturday morning. We were greeted warmly and cheerfully. The staff were friendly. The food was good. The creamy mushrooms had good flavour and the bacon and eggs pretty standard although the staff accommodated a request for boiled eggs without blinking. We have been avoiding this cafe for a couple of years following bad experiences. Now we're happy to return.

Can’t believe this place is closing :( I’d moved to a different area, then we had lockdown etc Came back on three separate occasions to say hi again but was always closed when I went. So sad to hear this news. It was a brilliant cafe with tasty food, good coffee and lovely staff. Hope everyone is ok. Great memories. Will miss it!

Always feel welcomed here , the coffee is great. The food I have had here is delicious. Have been reading some of the other reviews but sorry some people don’t know where they are because what they say and who is running the place ISN’T here.

Always fresh food great staff and owners and a fantastic ambiance here...hidden gem compared to any other local cafes

Best carrot cake I have ever tasted and so generous with their serving size. Coffee awesome too. Just visiting, but well worth it.

Eggs bene was amazing, burger with chips was very tasty, creamy mushroom was delicious! Their chips!!! Best chips ever.

We had a late Sunday lunch here. I had the Beef Salad and my partner had the Caesar salad with chicken, with a large bowl of beer battered fries between us.<br/>The meal portions were very generous and the food was delicious.<br/>The staff were super friendly which really made the dining experience even more enjoyable.<br/>We felt the pricing was pretty good too.<br/>Would highly recommend this place and we'll definitely be back.

Small cafe across the beautiful beach along The Parade, tucked at the back away from the cars and noise.<br/><br/>Bucklands Expresso offers a simple yet diverse all day breakfast menu as well as an appetising lunch menu from 12 onwards.<br/><br/>I ordered the smoked salmon eggs benedict and had the choice of choosing it on top of hash browns instead of the standard english muffin which I found delicious and would definitely get again.<br/><br/>Their mocchachino was served quickly and accompanied my meal nicely as well.<br/><br/>Overal this is a great place for breakfast and brunch near the waterside for small groups, and I would definitely come here again!

I love this cafe. We keep coming back as it’s a beautiful setting and the food is delicious. Every meal I’ve had has been top notch- my favs are the apple and cinnamon French toast and the salmon avo eggs on ciabatta, but all the dishes are great. Coffees are strong and smooth and the best part is the friendly respectful conscientious staff - Mary and her chefs are so lovely. Definitely recommend

A small cafe with delicious food and 5 stars services. All their staffs even the chef will say hello and smile with you when you visit there. <br/>I am sure that i will come back here next time .

Great food and great services with the waitresses and barista always make me happy when i come ! <br/><br/>Lovely place and the best creamy mushroom i have tried before

Went to the cafe for a lunch and all in all it was OK, not a really wow factor. The coffee was really good and made the way I like it. My wife had the salt and pepper squid which was really tasty and well prepared. My daughter had the french toast with the cinnamon apples. The portion of apples were too big for the amount of toast, but all in all very tasty. I had nice piece of scotch fillet, chips and a salad. The steak was cooked perfectly and very tender with great crunchy chips. The quality of the food we had for the price paid was really good. The decor is a bit underwhelming and it could do with a few changes.  All in all it was nice, not a wow.

This is the cafe closet to me now and I am actually sorry about that, as it is dire!<br/>Twice i have stood at the counter and watched the "barista" make my trim flat white with full cream milk which i cannot drink. Both times they insisted they had used trim and both times I told them i had quite clearly seen them using product other than trim. Once is a mistake - twice is unacceptable. it is also expensive coffee and not particularly well executed. Have not eaten the food - perhaps it is the redeeming feature.

Used to be a lovely local cafe with good coffees and great breakfast but it's not anymore. Cappuccino that didn't have enough milk froth, and too much of chocolate powder on top that tasted at the end like drinking a chocolate milk instead. Kid's fluffy was overly done by having too much chocolate syrup and side with 4-5 chocolate candy, which makes the kids happy but not so great for their teeth/health. Some food looked and tasted like frozen/pre-made/store bought. Brioche French Toast was OK, bacon wasnt crisped, not-so riped banana was just halved and not even cooked. Service wasn't impressive.

I attended this cafe on a Friday morning. I had my hopes up with this cafe as I had seen amazing reviews. I was firstly disappointed with the portion sizes of our drinks which we ordered iced coffees and hot coffees - the drinks ranged between $5-$7 and the sizes were an average-small take away cup. Our drinks were served too early as when we got our food our drinks were well finished due to the portion size and the bad timing. Our hot mocha was very bitter so I assume the coffee beans had been burnt or the barista didn't know what they're doing. When our food got brought to our table the portion size was quite small considering we paid $17 for eggs benedict and we only got 2 hash browns, 2 small poached eggs, 2 strips of bacon and about a few leaves of spinach. The hash browns which the eggs were served on were over cooked therefore we couldn't cut the hash brown as it fell apart into crumbs. The customer service was not bad apart from the waitress smelt like cigarette smoke although the cafe was clean. I am disappointed.

Gone downhill since it's changed owners. Indifferent service rather than the old warm welcome. Had what tasted like frozen waffles (with a miserly dash of syrup - had to ask for extra syrup, then had to ask for it to be heated), and reheated bacon. Virtually no difference between the adult and kids waffles either except the adult price is $14 and kids is $9. Used to be a favourite, but I won't be back. Really disappointing to see. Do yourself a favour and go to McDonald's up the road.

A lovely local cafe very near the beach. Service here is normally really good - could be a bit more engaging though being a local cafe. Coffee is nice.<br/>A good outdoor area is available with bowls of water available for dogs - great stop off during a beach walk.<br/>Menu isn't 'wow' but there are a lot of reasonably priced & well balanced options. There is also cabinet/baking options to eat in or takeaway.<br/>On this visit, it was a quick stop off for a snack - the scone today was sultana & it was very well made.

A nice neighbourhood cafe right by the beach - sitting under the tree on a nice sunny day feels like bliss. The food is ok - theres nothing bad about it and theres no "wow" factor about it either. I think the food needs more "love" and presentation was a bit dull - but it wasn't bad. The coffee was good. We had the breakfast burger and smoke salmon scrambled eggs and avo.

We stopped going to this cafe after some terrible food experiences and bad vibes from the previous owner, but thought we would give it another go after hearing it has a new owner.  The coffee was excellent as was the customer service.  This gives me renewed hope for this  cute little cafe.  Congrats to the new owner and we look forward to visiting again for breakfast.<br/> <br/><br/>UPDATE:  unfortunately the good vibes did not last very long.  The  previous decor has been replaced by tacky furniture and gaudy paintwork.  The coffee is now overpriced and the quality of the food has changed.

This cafe is amazing and exactly what the area has needed the food is great the staff are very friendly the new owner is doing a great job much better than the previous rude owner, and something that is never a let down is the coffee is is absolutely amazing

First off - excellent coffee. Easily in my top ten for Auckland. The chilled-out-by-the-beach vibe makes this a great place to start the day, or to unwind. Loved the breakfast burger and did I mention the coffee ? One of my fave places for sure.

Lovely service! Every time I have come here for a coffee the staff have been super friendly! I come here often for after I go for a walk along the beach and always enjoy the coffee :) I ordered the quinoa vegetable salad, and asked for all dairy items to be removed as I am vegan, they were very nice and offered to out some more salad (cucumber and tomato) to replace the feta which I thought was really nice of them! I definitely got my money's worth as I really enjoyed the salad, long black and the service!

Gorgeous little cafe, attentive and friendly staff and a delicious menu! We started our lunch with well made coffees followed by scrambled egg/salmon/avo sourdough and a full breakfast with a side of beans. The only reason it doesn't get a 5 is food was slightly cold and they forgot side of beans but very minor things. Love this place and will certainly be back!

We visited this lovely espresso lounge last week, had known about it for a long time but been curious to check it out. The service was great, atmosphere and decor very lively. Food was good quality, hot and came quickly. The coffee was also outstanding. A wonderful experience in my opinion - at last, a local place I'll happily re visit!

I generally try to avoid writing a review that comes off a little too much like a personal attack on the owners but in this case it is just too hard to dance around it and certainly not unwarranted. Appears to be run by a creepy couple who are not cut out for the hospitality industry. Their attempts to create a chilled out vibe appear contrived and unnatural and definitely don't match their personality types or body language. Not too hard to work out that these are two middle aged guys who have no prior experience in running a cafe or any form of hospitality for that matter and have woken up one morning and decided to open a cafe. Pathetic! They are unfriendly, rude, confused, inconsistent (one morning table service, the next morning no table service and looking at us like we were idiots for expecting them to come over and take our order when we were shown a table and given menus) and terrible quality for the price. Judging by the favourable review given by NZ Herald I would suggest that these were two former journos who've had a career change and got their old buddies at the Herald to help them out with a good review. Based on my family's experience at their cafe they should have stuck to their old jobs! Also pathetic that they seem to have been milking their networks to get D grade 'celebrity' endorsements of their cafe which they have prominately displayed around their cafe in a desperate attempt to bolster their credibility. It would appear that their apparent 'success' can be put down to the mere fact that their are surprisingly no other cafe options in the Bucklands area. If they were not too arrogant to read these reviews it would be pretty easy to work out where improvements could be made. Until such time as they have some competition in the area (would not be hard), I would suggest people make the trip to another part of town for breakfast or maybe Barracuda for somewhere a bit more upmarket.

I don't usually bother reviewing restaurants or cafes, however on this occasion I felt compelled to do so. Let's start with the service. The two men who appeared to be running the show were both unaccommodating and arrogant. We were ignored for some time when lining up to order and whilst our order was being taken, the waiter didn't even look up from the counter. It was as if customers were an inconvenience to him.<br/><br/>We had two orders between three people on our table and this seemed to confuse our waiter which he dealt with by mumbling under his breath something about us having too many orders and again making us feel as though we were inconveniencing him by dining at his cafe. The food came out in reasonable time however the coffee was watery and not pleasant at all. The eggs in the Eggs Benedict I ordered were overcooked, not runny and the whole thing was drowned sauce and too much salt. The price of the meals was not reflective of the standard supplied.<br/><br/>For somewhere that boasts about notable persons or celebrities visiting their restaurant you would think the standard would be a bit higher. If I were a celebrity I would not want my name tied to this establishment.<br/><br/>Do not waste your time visiting this cafe. We will not be returning, better off driving out to Howick where there are more options.

Bucklands Beach Expresso Cafe:<br/>A corner cafe. I liked the place - it was neat and uniquely designed. It appeared to have a holiday/getaway island theme which was creative. We orded a fruit smoothie, ice chocolate and a scone. The ice chocolate was impressively presented but the drink itself was not as icey as I expected. It was more like a chocolate milk drink than an ice chocolate. Otherwise the taste was nice and sweet. The fruit smoothie tasted natural or freshly blended and the scone was pleasant to eat. The staff were friendly and were happy to greet us when we came in. Overall it is a delightful place which is only a few minutes walk from Bucklands Beach.

I was originally not going to post this review but decided to in the end because I just found the experience to be very disappointing and appalling. <br/><br/>Came here with my good friends for a nice brunch as I'd been here before for a coffee and thought the atmosphere was quite nice. <br/><br/>First of all when my friend and I arrived there I had to go up to the counter and no one greeted us or gave us any attention until I had to approach one of the staff to ask them where the table we booked was. <br/><br/>The food and drinks came quickly and coffee art they did for us was a nice touch. The food I have to say was pretty average. The eggs my friend had in her eggs benedict were both cooked and not runny. Everything was pretty ok until we had to pay for our bill. <br/><br/>We had an entertainment book voucher so we wanted to use it - it was for 25% off (up to the maximum value of $35) as stated on the voucher. We asked if we can pay separately and the guy (not sure if it's the owner) that served us said we can only use the voucher if we spent $100 or more. I'd never heard of this before, and neither had my friends. We've used entertainment book vouchers many times and have never had this problem. He then went on to say the person that has the voucher can use it for her part, which doesn't make sense at all. We weren't going to argue and we didn't want to waste other people's time. Then we thought, why can't we just say one person is going to pay for the whole bill. The guy then became not very pleasant and was complaining how he has to redo this all again and we should've just made up our mind in the first place. HOWEVER he gave us the wrong information in the beginning that confused everyone. <br/><br/>At the end, he let us use the voucher for the whole bill, BUT he didn't give us the discount that we were entitled too. <br/>Our whole bill with 25% discount should've been $82.73 but we were charged $94.50, which we only realised after we did the calculations at home. <br/><br/>All in all, this was a very disappointing and unnecessary and we would not go back to visit again or recommend this to others at all.

Always greeted by a friendly staff member with a colourful shirt, makes you feel real welcome. Coffee and food are great, location is cosy too.

Really great food, whether you are after a snack or a proper breakfast/lunch!! The girls behind the counter are amazing and always brighten up my day!

We have just had brunch here today for first time and it's awesome !! Six of us all loved our choices could not fault anything. Service was great -waitress lovely ! Will go back to this one it was a great find. Highly recommended!!

My partner and I love this cafe! It is our go to for a hearty well cooked brekkie! Delicious hot coffee, yummy dishes cooked to perfection! Staff is always friendly. Just amazing! A must try! I have a soft spot for the Bucks Beans as well! Deliciously seasoned!

Husband and self visited for dinner 9th May. First time although<br/>Handy to home. Had 3 courses. Ciabatta with feta and<br/>Proscuito, balsamic and water cress was divine.<br/>Steak dish was excellent and Belly Pork the same.<br/>Impressed with presentation and veges etc.<br/>Desserts also good,<br/>Not very busy for Friday. Waitress was excellent, friendly and<br/>Helpful. Will definitely be back.

I think the owners might be a bit bored. The food was OK and the ambience is delightful, but the service was perfunctory, the whole place lacked enthusiasm and personality.

Great food (3 adults, 2 children) until my daughter was followed and the waitress yelled in front of customers, "Have you forgotten to pay" - all this while I was queued up waiting to pay. What a shame, won't be going back again! We are not amused.

We had heard good reports of Bucklands espresso lounge and so 2 of us dined here recently with 4 other friends. <br/>The food was very good - the seafood dishes in particular.<br/>However, service was sub-standard. We arrived at 7pm and our orders arrived at 8.30 pm. This was excused by "we had some large groups tonight" Restaurant operators should understand that it is not an acceptable excuse. Why should a table of 8 or 10 have priority ? If they can't handle the requirements of all diners they shouldn't be in business.<br/>Furthermore, as a result of the delay/ priority accorded other diners, our initial choices of dishes were reduced or orders had to be later amended as selections became unavailable . We had to amend our orders 3 times for mains and desserts. It is a pity that these shortcoming overshadowed the enjoyment of the meal.

A group of 8 of us had lunch at Bucklands yesterday. The seafood chowder was the best I have ever tasted - it was loaded with a variety of seafood and a meal in itself. The cappuccino was exactly what I ordered - it came hot and had lots of chocolate on top just as requested - just superb. Everyone at the table were just delighted with their meals. I certainly will be back and bring my friends - it was a great experience.

My mother and I had an excellent dining experience at this venue last night.<br/>The service was impeccable and friendly, and the food was delicious, with good portion sizes. <br/>The atmosphere was buzzing with most tables full by 7pm.<br/>I would not hesitate to dine here again.<br/>ps. I'm glad I booked 1st, as it's obviously a big attraction, and understandably so!

I chose Bucklands as the venue to spend my 50th at with 14 friends. The owner was very accommodating seating us all together, and rang to check numbers the day before. We ordered a plate of tapas per person, and another 3 or 4 for the table. No one held back, and there was plenty to feed us all - everything was delicious. We had someone in our party who is gluten free, and this was catered to without any fuss or cross contamination whatsoever. Well done. So great to have an upbeat local dining option that delivers quality food but the bill at the end won't break the bank.

We dined here on Friday evening--our second evening experience--we have been here many times during the day. What an asset to the neighbourhood--wonderful buzzy European-type atmosphere, friendly, efficient staff and the wonderful tapas menu. The squid was to die for--the best we've had--and we are squid fanatics! Three dishes to share plus divine crumble each was just the right amount for us. The cost of $59 for both of us included a glass of wine each making it a very reasonably priced Friday night meal. Bookings suggested as this little treasure is becoming very well-known!

After having been on a long walk we stopped for coffee. The jug beside the water glasses was empty so I asked for it to be filled. I felt that I had asked for something bad- there was no smile or cheery greeting. <br/><br/>My husband stood at the counter and waited to be served while he felt there was an argument going on and one of the attendants walked out in disgust. After ordering coffee we sat down to wait, and wait, and wait.....After a very long time our coffee was served, one at a time(not together). The coffee was only lukewarm, not hot.<br/><br/>Needless to say we will not be back! Do the owners or workers at this cafe really want to succeed or not? It didn't look like it!

I took a friend who has recently been in a car accident for lunch and the staff were friendly and helpful. The manager in particular came out on several occasions to chat. I had the homemade baked beans which were lovely and the coffee was great. The only disappointment is the lack of anchovies in the Caesar salad but I guess some people will see that as a positive.

Met a friend for brunch today &amp; have to say I was very impressed with the cafe. Clean &amp; tidy with great Tony Ogle artwork on the walls. Lovely location just back from the beach. I had the spicy baked beans with bacon, mushroom &amp; chorizo - best baked beans ever!! Great coffee - nice &amp; hot. Definitely be back to try more on the menu...

Had an awesome meal here with my mother and siblings. We shared several plates of delicious tapas morsels... the beer-battered fries with aioli were particularly yummy. Attentive service and very tasty :-)

Made the trip out to Bucklands Beach with a group of colleagues from various parts of Auckland city and it was well worth it! What a gorgeous part of town, and the cafe really reflects the area with it's beach/surfing decor and friendly, laid back staff. The coffee was amazing - and each cup was decorated with a different picture in the froth, obviously an artist who knows how to make great coffee!! Food great, prices great, and service excellent despite it being a very busy lunchtime crowd. There were 10 of us and we all got our meals at the same time - which sadly doesn't happen very often these days at other places I've been to as part of a large group. Can really recommend it.

I have read some of the other reviews and a few had my experience "the rude man behind the counter!" I had the very same experience. I don't know his name but I will describe him, balding head, moustache and so rude and grumpy and he made lousy coffee which went in the bin opposite. What a shame, it was out first visit and we changed our minds to having a table and asked for our coffees to put in take-away cups. That seemed to do it, too much trouble, muttering under his breath, a horrid experience.

Had a scone there which was nice, served by a really nice young lady, but chap behind the counter (maybe the owner?) was really rude and was just standing there texting and playing on his phone while I was being served, a bit unprofessional but oh well at least my scone was alright eh...

First time visit today! Fab coffee, fab prawn cocktail, smoothie however very average. Will definitely be back. Staff were friendly and helpful.

Called in to Bucklands Espresso on weekend. Was surprised that it wasn't busier, but maybe given the sunny weather people were elsewhere. Had a coffee which was good. My serving of slice tasted ok. Liked the interior of the cafe, clean and tidy and was able to get a seat outside. However the chap who served me behind the counter was a bit short, not the friendly type of person you would like to be greeted by. Maybe it was just a bad day. Would probably go back again.

Called in for coffee after reading mostly good reviews on this website. It was after the lunch time rush on Saturday afternoon and only a handful of customers were there so I had a good choice of tables both inside and outside. I sat outside and was rewarded by the arrival of a Tui bird in the shrubs of the garden area by the main doors.<br/><br/>The location of this place so close to Bucklands beach is great. There was a reasonable selection of food and the croissant I had for late lunch was good. My cappuccino was excellent. Staff were very welcoming and friendly so I will most certainly go back and soon.

Made it back to Auckland for work and staying out in Bucklands Beach again. Had Breakfast on Saturday morning to kick start my weekend. Counter staff where more than welcoming (like being back in ChCh). Received my first coffee which was perfect, just what I needed. Not long after a plate of their baked beans arrived, yum, very tasty and filled me up. Took a Salmon Bagel (for later) and coffee to go. I was happy with the price.<br/>Very pleasant place to eat and grab the best coffee in town.<br/>Staff were all present and chatted when they had the chance, so maybe some of the other reviewers received the busy/rush experience which can happen time to time. I would recommend going back see if you get a better experience (don't judge after one time, I have a 3 strikes and you're out rule)<br/>I'll be back for sure, probably in Nov. Have the coffee ready!!

Good location, friendly staffs and good coffee and food. The island guy makes good coffee as he always from other place he use to work, like La Cigale market in Parnell. Keep making good coffee for us lol.

First visit, Saturday morning, the food and coffee were great, and the serving staff friendly and efficient. I put the rudeness of the chap behind the till down to stress as the place was pumping. Second visit the following day, coffee was great, the takeaway bagels not so, but that could be a personal choice. However, again the chap behind the till was rude, unwelcoming and we experienced nothing like the warm and welcoming reception the reviewers from the NZ Herald did.

Great breakfast. Real bacon (not the cheap stuff that a lot of places serve), free range eggs and nice selection of teas if you are not a coffee drinker. Good value also. Recommended.

A great drop-in spot at Bucklands Beach for a fabulous coffee, an inviting bite to eat, a welcome to our poochy friends with special doggy bickies. Loving what the owners Steve and Kitty have created...Keep up the awesomely good work Tamara and all the staff!

Finally made it to Bucklands Espresso Lounge today after hearing great reviews from friends.<br/><br/>The place is clean and crisp, the food well priced and tasty and the staff despite the rush of customers really helpful. <br/><br/>A big thumbs up from us we will be back for sure.

Coffee totally rates here, food is good too AND easy parking

Best Coffee in Auckland. Super friendly staff. An awesome place to hang out.