Review Papillon Cafe - Auckland Central

Lovely place to go wondering. Butterfly enclosure, all kinds of animal to see. The dinosaur area is one of the best I have seen. Farm area where you can get up close and feed the animals. Very nice food at the lovely Cafe. Fantastic day out.

We arrived just in time for our train trip, went around twice. And then managed to catch the croc feeding which was cool to watch. Butterfly house was filled with butterflies, which kept landing on my daughter and husband, saw an alligator as well. Petting farm was cool with a friendly Goat and lamb, and huge bunnies.

Been coming to Butterfly Creek for years and I was impressed on our last visit with how much it has developed and provided even more things to see. There are more animals and the kids loved the tractors, the dinosaurs are in a fabulous jungle setting and the inside area with the giant toadstool was a hit.

Located right beside the airport, is a lovely affordable attraction! They have a butterfly house, various reptiles, gators/crocs, a kiwi!, lots of animatronic dinosaurs, and a little petting zoo, and much more! There's also a train that runs through the area, as well as a sizeable cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating. There's a well stocked gift shop as well! Was a great place to spend some extra time!

A truly great way to waste a few hours when you’re stuck at the Auckland airport. We spent 4 hours there, which was probably about an hour too long. But they have a free shuttle from the airport, ample opportunities for fun photos and caring staff. It’s a bit expensive for how small it is, but if the funds go toward the animals, that’s fine with me. Definitely geared towards kids but it was still fun for two adults.

Easy to navigate around. Highlight: The Butterfly 🦋 house was awesome. Enjoyed feeding the animals at the buttermilk farm special mention: the kiwi house and the equirium. Overall worth the price for a few hours with the grandson. The Cafe has great ☕️ too.

Went to the otter experience, it was sooo good. Lovely guide and up close and personal with the otter family. Got to feed them behind the scenes. Amazing experience.

Great wee train ride, and animatronics. Butterfly house was very hot, so if you're allergic to heat, be warned. Lovely butterflies though.

Great learning experience for kids and fun as well, workers were nice and well presented, first time with the kids and they loved it.

My daughter had her 6th birthday party in the Bud Room at Butterfly Creek. The whole event was well run and set up nicely. The kids and parents enjoyed themselves despite the rain on the day! Only issue was the food that was delivered was not what was ordered meaning kids who had dietary requirements didn't eat until much later (and some accidently ate chicken when they were vegetarian!). The park on its own is very cute for little kids to enjoy. Lots to do and see and the kids love being able to touch the bunnies and the train ride! Great to see the addition of new animals like the porcupine and meerkats!

A fun day out for families and people interested in wildlife. It has a really cool dinosaur and mythological creatures section. The train that goes around the facility is ideal for kids.

Butterfly Creek is an absolutely stunning and wonderful experience. The exquisite collection of butterflies is just amazing, and the way they flit about is so calming and peaceful. The park has a unique and interactive environment, which makes it perfect for both kids and adults. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and they always go above and beyond to make sure visitors are having an amazing time. Overall, Butterfly Creek is a top-notch destination for anyone looking for a fun and educational experience – highly recommended!

My first time visit..😁 .The butterflies were beautiful. It was so nice to be able to walk among them... 🦋, I must say I was impressed with their dinosaur park as well, And the animals we saw.. so well done... 👌 Food was also delicious! 💯%

Nice day out for the whole family. The butterfly enclosure was beautiful. Train ride was a added bonus.

What an amazing adventure! We paid $55 for our family of 3 and had the best time of our lives. Nothing short of a Zoo trip. Beautiful butterflies, a solitary alligator, a bone crunching crocodile, the ever elusive Kiwi, lots of lizards and creepy crawlies and not to forget the Dragons and Dinosaur. It's a whole different world altogether. We were right on cue for the crocodile feeding which was the highlight of the day! Then there was that fantastic train ride. Lots to do for the whole family. We had also heard of it but having experienced it first hand was something else entirely. Highly recommended for a full family adventure. Facilities are nice and clean and the food was good for the price. Absolutely wonderful.

Celebrating our 3 year old boys birthday here today, great experience for the little ones they loved it.☺️ Can't wait to go back & watch them feed Goldie or scar again! 🤍

Went there today not bad at all, the butterflies floating about are so pretty..kids had fun, great for school holidays & tourists, visitors from afar..

Fantastic large zoo with a great range of animals. Obviously not on the same level as Auckland zoo, but great value for money. We saw the giant crocodiles being fed and lots of other interesting things. Staff were all very friendly.

Staff very helpful and efficient. Maybe because of this Covid19, wish they have more choices in the kitchen. Wild variety in the cabinet.

Was getting my car serviced near by, and needed to go to a cafe that had wifi to work while I waited for my car. <br/><br/>Not much around this area in walking distance so settled for this cafe. Naturally the cafe is loud with children running around and the train/tram honking often. <br/><br/>I went in to counter and before ordering asked if the cafe had wifi I could use (otherwise I would’ve gone somewhere else) and the waitress wasn’t the most pleasant to deal with. I understand the concept of needing to buy something to use the wifi, but I think the way she phrased this point came off very rude. <br/><br/>The coffee took a little while to come out even though I first arrived when it was busy. The waitress who brought it over (different to one at counter) was lovely and helped me find a table with a power point as well. The cabinet food looked good and really decently priced for the size, but can’t make any comment on whether they tasted good.

We went there today during our visit to butterfly creek, it was great, food was surprisingly good! Was busy but food still came out fast which was great.

We love butterfly creek/dinosaur kingdom so it's always nice to stop for a bite to eat & drinks, there's plenty of choice for seating both inside & out, overall clean, bit pricey but delicious food choices & coffee is ok :)

Service was quick, I didn’t get anything fancy just some wedges and a coffee. <br/><br/>I wouldn’t go back for a coffee but damn the wedges were amazing.

The cafe caters a good range of cabinet food. The chicken on skewers was very tasty and moist. The mini minced pie, egg sandwich and the brownie were just ok.

Ate here 3 times over 2 years. Pretty decent meal, competitive prices, large portions. Enjoy the big breakfast, coffee is so-so but its the only place in butterfly creek so no choice.

Went here for my birthday lunch and ordered the minute steak open mila sandwich. Food was great. Portions were good for price. Would definitely recommend for lunch with friends. Price range is good. Also recommend the lamb peri peri wrap.

I came here for a baby shower which was set in a private room away from the cafe. It was great! Big space, private bar (not that we used it) but the food was so damn good. From cheese platters to sliders, pizzas and fruit platters. It was pretty damn good. Staff were lovely and really patient with the pregnant ladies requests. I would definitely recommend booking a function here.

Good range of cabinet food and menu, and drinks (no iced coffee or frappes unfortunately). My beef wrap wrap was average. Kids meals were decent sized and yum as approved by toddlers (mini hotdogs and fries). Wedges were a large portion and were average but accompanied with very little sour cream. Lots of choice for seating. Including indoors and outdoors next to the playground and food can be delivered there. <br/><br/>Unfortunately the manager (middle aged Caucasian lady with short hair) let the team down as she was very rude not just to me but other customers. I was trying to remove a tray from a simple high chair and instead of assisting me, she notified me that I 'couldn't' take it off (in an indignant tone). I though it was odd as we had the exact same high chair at home. Another table had the same high chair with the tray removed (so the toddler can be part of the table), so back at our table I tried again with success and put the tray back where the other high chairs were. Manager witnessed and came over a couple of minutes later and said I wasn't meant to take to it off because some one tried last week and broke one and that they had trayless high chairs at another area. I just said okay and left it at that. She could have said all this the first time to save a second interaction but she really did seem sour. I also overheard her telling a little family they had to eat outside despite having ample room inside. I didn't catch the reason but it didn't matter, the manner in which she spoke was just so rude and unwelcoming and I am a stickler for good customer service. Especially when I'm out with my toddlers it can be hard enough without staff adding to stress. They are meant to do the opposite.

Ordered two wedges at $8.50 a pop, pretty disgusting very dry like munching on cardboard no flavour, stuck together and half of it was burnt the overwhelming smell of burnt bits was overpowering. Ate about 10 wedges not wanting to waste my money and couldn't stomach anymore put two full plates on the counter to be cleared away thought maybe someone would ask what was wrong with them? 5 people at the counter a couple of people side glanced but never said a word so we left. Very disappointing also had a cupcake which was more like a hole filled very heavy pudding? .. The icing was nice.

Was impressed by the choice of food. Had a deli style feel to it.<br/>I had the orange and poppy seed gluten free muffin. Yummy!<br/>My friend had a spinach and feta thingy, shame it was over heated in the microwave. Can fully understand the use of paper plates as there were heaps of kids (as you would expect!) prices ok, not as bad as I thought for a tourist attraction.<br/>Place was clean, staff efficient. The iced coffee could have been sweetened a little (or at least given a choice when ordered)Overall, good place to eat.

The food was good, nicely prepared whether it was cabinet or freshly made. Coffee was also very good, the frappe was very unpleasant. The atmosphere was awesome, a lot children with their families so you can imagine the noise. All in all, was an awesome brunch. Will definitely visit again.

I prefer to go there for the cafe. They have good place to sit inside and out as per your liking. It's more about the atmosphere of the place rather than the food.

Good range of dishes, a menu and a lot of variety in the display cabinet, very pricey though. Good was fairly average, pretty greasy lasagna. <br/>You receive your dish on a paper plate and get a metal knife and fork. I found I made a big hole in my plate from cutting and I most likely consumed that bit of the plate. Maybe they could think about giving a ceramic plate, or if they get broken as they would get a lot of kids, maybe just a plastic plate? Lots of seating, would imagine it gets very popular, good enough cafe for a little tourist attraction.

Came here for my daughters birthday and the food was OK but the service was amazing. We had an elderly gentleman serve us at the counter and he was so friendly and chipper. Food came very quickly and the server advised that the nacho plate was hot and that the kids meals were warm to the touch but hot inside. Food wad over priced but that's top be expected at a place like this.

This cafe has a great cabinet range . But we ordered off the menu of course . Both our meals were great. <br/>Ribs and hot cakes . Was so full after .

To be honest, the food was quite disappointing but the main reason is my own strong dislike of pepper and the two things I had - chicken dim sum and crumbed chicken wrap - were heavily laden with this very popular spice, much to my 'boo hoo woe is me'ness' :-) but I loved the look of the cabinet food, I think I would try a few more things before giving a bad rating. The hot chips were yum and my latte was delicious! They were extremely flat out when we went (on a Sunday) and I thought they were doing well under the pressure. Love Butterfly Creek in general!

I love this place. I have Coeliac Disease and a mild to serious sugar addiction and the lovely folks here usually have several gluten free options available. My personal favourite is the caramel slice and the lemon slice. My kids are huge fans of the cupcakes as there are usually butterflies on top or dinosaurs. I ordered the wedges once and was not disappointed. Sometimes I dream about just going to the cafe and not to the rest of Butterfly Creek hahaha <br/><br/>The staff are always lovely, even though they are around us mums and kids 24/7. Mad respect!

BC is a magnet for parents and their children and rightly so. There are so many activities and attractions there. Being a newly termed "DINKY", I went with my brother in law instead, for a cold drink and to share some tasty wedges w. sour cream and bacon. This is my fave meal from BC. It hit the spot and it was was also nice and quiet in the cafe area. There seemed to be some sort of team meeting taking place and being late arvo, things there seemed to be winding down. We like going over to BC in the late arvo's because it's always quieter.<br/><br/>Always nice and clean there and the coffee's good too.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Yes it feels very touristy, but Butterfly Creek is tastefully designed with lovely viewing decks and balconies. The restaurant itself is a large space with various 'indoor outdoor' seating options. It is easily the type of place that suits large groups and families. <br/><br/>FOOD: My sister and I decided to have the wedges for lunch. The toppings were standard (cheese, bacon and sour cream) and the wedges were as we expected them to be. My only suggestion would be to serve more sour cream as it appeared thin on the serving. <br/><br/>SERVICE: Disappointing. The lady at the counter appeared bored and unhelpful when asked if she could recommend a drink. It would also have been useful if the waitress who served our food told us where the cutlery was located, instead of just walking away. <br/><br/>Despite the nice setting, I found the customer service uninspiring. Let's hope for better next time.

Wonderful atmosphere, excellent service and great steak meals. I would definately go back and I highly recommend this place. Good place to take the family for a day out!

Went there for a quick lunch. Had to wait for 20 minutes for my drink to arrive. It was a ginger beer so I doubt it took that long to take it out of the fridge. The waitress wasn't apologetic at all-she seemed withdrawn and indifferent to the fact I had to wait that long and almost finished my meal by the time my drink arrived.

Been a few times &amp; it's really hit and miss. I had the soup of the day once which was below average and tasted like can soup. My partner ordered eggs bene today and it was really good. I had a lamb pie with kumara mash from the cabinet which was okay. The food looks like it has been sitting there for a while tho. Ifthat fails it makes for a great place for a ice cream and drink while the kids play nearby in the park which is easily visible from all the seating.

What a great place to go for coffee with your kids! Seating outside and inside within sight of the playground. Good coffee, good food with options for the kids. Just be careful though, it does get very busy! At a function we had there, 2 of our orders never arrived. Luckily we had enough food and the manager was happy to refund our money! Well done Butterfly Creek!<br/><br/>UPDATE: The quality of the coffee ranges from excellent to dishwater, depending on who is the barrista of the day perhaps...?