Review Jafa Cafe - Auckland Central

Very good local café. Good choice for breakfast and eggs Benedict is cooked perfectly! Coffee is not bad too. However, I'm not sure why they burn dry bacon for their delicious lamb burger :(

We came for the Jafa by night pop up and were absolutely blown away. Particularly impressed when I mentioned I am vegan and the chef made me a bespoke Papaya 3-way lychee salad.

Visited with a group of 10. Pleasant and friendly staff and great food. Only slight issue was that meals came out over 10mins, not at same time, but understandable given the large group.

Fantastic Sunday lunch that really impressed our group. They also take bartercard. I had the halumi sandwich and the others had eggs benidict. Very happy and not overpriced.

Need a cool place to hang out? Check out this place for great food and service. For healthy food you can't go wrong. The energy salads are massive! Only 2 mins from the office too :)

Service was above and beyond, staff out did themselves. Great atmosphere and perfect for a Sunday morning brunch. Try the brioche...

New ownership. Same menu. Pleasant staff. Love the location and the space. Fav is raw energy salad with holoumi

Really friendly staff and delicious, moderately priced breakfast. And great coffee!

I had Jafa's Raw energy salad (Vegan), It was so awesome and tasty...

Always a great experience at Jafa Cafe, I make sure to visit every time I'm in Auckland!

Good Saturday morning brunch; choc milkshake and coffees are a standout

Always busy for breakfasts, Jafa is a West Lynn brunch staple

Good one

My wife and I went on date night here on Thursday evening. What an excellent decision it was! We walked in and immediately enjoyed the vibe, there is an upmarket feel about the place yet you still get a warm & welcoming laid back atmosphere at the same time. The staff were friendly and talkative without being overbearing, which was a nice change from either being ignored completely or asked every minute how the food is. The food itself was excellent. We started with the artisan breads which come with a simple yet tasty butter to spread. The darker rye bread is without doubt the best I have tasted of it's kind. I had the duck for main which was amazing and it came two ways, the breast was well cooked and very tasty but the confit leg was the star of the show... I could eat those all day every day. The combination of black cherry, blood orange and pumpkin puree worked fantastic with the duck. And the deconstructed Caesar salad was a great pallete cleanser. My wife had the lobster which was equally as amazing. Cooked to perfection and accompanied brilliantly by a corn and barley risotto underneath, which was so good it may have actually managed to outshine the amazing lobster!!! Thinking nothing could top our mains we shared the taste of jafa dessert which is the bistros signature dish. This was the prettiest dessert I have ever seen... the sort of thing Pete and Manu would rave about on MKR. And we weren't disappointed by the taste. I am a chocolate mousse lover and it tasted fantastic, the chocolate sorbet however took the dish to new heights... and the accompaniment of sherbert, jafa pieces and mango was pure genius. Without doubt the best dessert I have ever had at any restaurant ever. I will be back over and over again throughout the next 12 months. We have found our new regular for date night and with an ever changing menu I can't wait to try more of what they have to offer. Highly highly recommended.

Went to Jafa by Night on the opening night and can honestly say it's one of the best meals I have had in Auckland...and usually opening days are a bit of a mess! Overall, the place is immaculate and the staff are friendly and accommodating. I'll definitely be back, and might organise to have some of my business meetings there. :) Exceedingly happy with the service and the food, and would highly recommend to anyone. PS: I had the lobster... the lobster is incredible...

This has to be one of the best meals I've been served at a restaurant. Each dish was beautifully presented, had fantastically creative flavours and was cooked to perfection. Highly recommended.

Fantastic evening at Jafa by Night, beautiful food & great service. Pumpkin & Goats cheese ravioli superb. Table for 10 all very happy people.

Whether you're a self-proclaimed foodie or not, a must visit! Super duper delicious food #Top3BestAucklandResto I've been to. Trust me I've been to a lot!

Amazingly delicious food and great service! This place by far is my new favorite

Awesome hospitality and delicious food! Auckland's newest fine dining restaurant

Unbeatable. Exquisite food that couldn't be faulted. Stunning flavour combinations.

Amazing food, great selection of dishes, really flavoursome and a varied mix. Dessert was absolutely amazing. Highly recommended, it closes next week so phone them asap to get a booking!

Excellent reviews. Looking forward to some fine dining. I wonder what the menu will be when I do get there as it changes every 2 weeks, so exciting!!!

Amazing ambiance! Great food and service!

Ordered salmon eggs benedict from Uber Eats. Eggs were overcooked. Salmon didn't appear to be fresh. And the hollondaise sauce smelt like vinegar and tasted sour. The sauce also had a very grainy texture. <br/>Very disappointing for the price.

I haven’t been to Jafa for a few years and was really disappointed by my recent visit. The previous bustle and hum that they used to have is gone. The service wasn’t great they only came to us one for our order and didn’t come back to check if we wanted more coffees or anything. Some of the favourites from the old menu are gone and the current menu was average. In particular my friends meal came out completely different from the menu description. Such a shame!

I don't like giving bad reviews, considering I work in hospo myself, but my entire experience there was sadly just disappointing. I used to go to Jafa all the time, as I lived down the road, but I haven't been in a while and realise they have had an obvious change in management, and not for the better. I ordered the salmon scramble but couldn't because 'the new chef can't make scrambled eggs', so I then ordered the eggs Benedict with bacon and a fresh juice. The food was average, but definitely not worth the price I paid. I then got a blueberry muffin from the cabinet to t/a, though calling it a blueberry muffin is very accurate as there was only one in it :(

Worst brunch ever had, we were the only ones there, (should have taken the hint) coffee took 20 minutes and meals 40 minutes both meals were stone cold and they forgot the hash browns from the supermarket wouldn't recommend this cafe at all absolutely shocking and a waste of money!

This isn't the Jafa I used to know. It's unfortunately gone downhill under the new management and after the bad service and terrible food that got served up to us this morning I see why it was empty and we were the only customers in there. Come on guys, care about your food and your customers if you want to make a go of this place. Seems like you just don't care about either

Used to love this cafe under the old management and used to always be jammed packed with people. Very sad to walk in the door after a long drive to get here today and see it totally empty. The service was poor even though we were the only ones in there (had to go up and ask to order), coffee wasn't the greatest and the food took ages to come out and was a massive step down from previous visits. Frozen supermarket hash browns were enough to swear me off this place. Such a pity as it's in a great location and a great building. The soul of Jafa isn't there any longer and there isn't any passion for food. Cheap and nasty and disappointing!

The worst breakfast experience we have had in our lives. I should have read reviews on this before we went and not only wasted our money but most importantly the morning. An hour wait before our food arrived after continuously reminding staff about the delay. The food was stale/cold and things thrown on a plate with no effort to make a plating effort. The drinks were not fresh as it says. The below reviews only confirm this. I am not the only one. Then the manager has not a care in the world when we tried telling him about the bad service and food we had received. Speaking of management, look at the copy paste replies to all the reviews with no care to even understand the reviews. I think this place is only opened to play a practical joke on paying customers.

Went for breakfast at 9am when you would expect a good place to be doing a brisk trade. General hygiene non existent. Grubby windows had residue from spilt drinks. Floor was so dirty and un swept. If that wasn't enough to attract rodents and insects, the leftover (not yet wiped away ) food on tables and chairs most definitely would. Coffee was ordered and bought to the table. The waiter could not not notice the un bussed table and chairs however did not return to do anything about it. There are no words for the state of toilets. Shame on the new owners of this once fine establishment for not really giving a toss about well, much at all really.

Awful experience! Water glasses were dirty, tables not cleared, and the food was absolutely terrible. Eggs benedict was dry and unappetising. Creamy mushrooms were ok, but had big hunks of unmelted Parmesan cheese (that looked and tasted like plastic) in the middle. <br/><br/>This place used to be great, but under its new management it has nosedived dramatically...! Such a shame. The atmosphere, presentation, food... it's all become underwhelming and left us feeling disappointed... never going back. <br/>

Order the Fruit Salad on UberEats and this arrived... Few pieces of cut up fruit with some yoghurt chucked in the corner. The biggest waste of $9.90 i've ever spent.

I wish I had of read some these reviews before purchasing the GrabOne voucher for this Cafe. Me and my partner had no difficulty finding parking and I liked the decor inside, we presumed the building was previously used as an office or something similar due to the layout. We ordered an orange juice(freshly squeezed apparently) and a cappuccino to start while we waited for our Eggs Benedict and Jafa's Big Breakfast. After a few minutes of the orange juice sitting and a few sips taken we noticed the orange juice was watered down as it began to separate until half the glass was water. We called the waitress over who explained this can't be the case as she squeezed it herself and asked if we would like another one, we declined obviously.... If we hadn't of paid for the voucher I would have left already.<br/><br/>Once the food came(which was about half an hour later) most of the Big Breakfast was burnt, the only part which I would consider nice to eat was the mushrooms, the sausages had so much chili in them they were barely edible. My Eggs Benedict was much nicer although the Hollandaise Sauce had so much butter I found it hard to stomach.<br/><br/>At the end when I went to pay for our drinks, I refused to pay for the watered down orange juice, to which I had the cashier roll his eyes at me.<br/><br/>All in all I will never return to this Cafe and I inform everyone of the terrible food and service we received!!!

We found parking difficult. Were surprised how big it was. My husband ordered the kiwi feed,and I the mushrooms. We were served quickly by efficient staff. We both really enjoyed our meals and will definitely be back without using a Groupon voucher. Highly recommended

Ordered a Decaf Latte and a sausage roll. Order took a little while but don't blame the barista as he was alone. Coffee was very nice, rich and a had lovely salty aftertaste. Sausage roll was heated up when ordered, was also good, and had a nice meat mix with quality pastry.

I really do not like giving low ratings, however I detest bad customer service! I recently visited this café with a large group of people and was asked to pre order food for a quick and streamlined service. The communication of this was not passed onto the waitress who served our group. It was over an hour before anyone received any food and one friend waited over an hour for a drink of juice! I understand that mistakes can happen, but when this was noted to the staff, there was little response. The café was not busy, pre orders were ignored and when this was brought to the waitresses attention, no response. I also spoke to the gentlemen taking payment at the counter, his response was a simple sorry. I cannot believe that when a customer is asking to speak to a manager, I was given a business card, offered no discount on a meal that I had in a take out box, as it had taken so long for it to arrive I had to go back to work with it in my hand! Then the waitress and the gentlemen started to argue with each other over the top of me!  Disgusting customer service, over priced, average food! Avoid like the plague!

it's not often I write a bad review. Don't like doing it but felt driven to in this case. Lunch had been pre-organised with Jafa Café for a group of 14 to farewell a long serving esteemed colleague. Lunch was set between 12:00pm - 1:00pm and the meals, for the most part, had been pre-ordered days before. The few extras that arrived had their orders taken - and were served first! Some drinks took up to 45 mins to arrive and the café wasn't even busy. Some of the food was hastily prepared. The vast majority of the food was not delivered until after 12: 50pm. When I left at 1:20pm, there was still 1 meal that hadn't been served. it was fortunate for Jafa the group had a sense of humour as this service warranted a blanket refusal to pay and some level of compensation.

Just been to Jaffa for Lunch. I was one of a large party (approx19) who pre-ordered our selections (so not to have to wait to long (working day) and cause the restaurant headaches.  Despite pre-ordering our meal, my (and all others who pre-ordered) lunch arrived over an hour from the agreed ordered time. Even drinks we ordered took the best part of an hour! My meal was good. Service APPALLING - and person behind till not interested in making things right.  Wont be going back anytime soon.

First time to have lunch at Jafa ... Good selection with the lunch menu, we had mushroom risotto with duck breast and lamb burger ... Good portion size, nice flavor ... Friendly service and great coffee also ... Not in my neighborhood but won't mind going back again to try other stuff on the menu.

.<br/><br/>This is a little gem hidden in Grey Lynn, we came here with a group of 5 all hungry and eager to get some good food in us! <br/><br/>This café may not look like much on the outside but it definitely has a presence about it with bubbly staff going the extra mile for all their customers, we had a wonderful experience! <br/><br/>I ordered the French toast which didn’t take long to be sitting in front of me it definitely didn’t lack in looks as you can see. <br/><br/>The toast was cooked perfectly it had the right amount of cinnamon and icing sugar sprinkled on top. I loved how I had control over how much maple syrup went on top and it came in the cutest little jar (we don’t want rotting teeth now do we)<br/> <br/><br/>.

We're new to the area so we've never heard of this place before. Relaxed atmosphere, great service and the food is amazing. So glad we found this cafe. Will definitely be back again!

This used to be one of my favourite weekend eating spots but haven't been here in a little while as the last 2 visits were a little disappointing. I noticed the quality of the food looked a little different. Not as fresh looking? Hard to decribe but I had wondered if the management had changed? The place had a different atmosphere even though everything was the same. Same menu, same decor. Can't quite put my finger on it but it was different. I'll have to go back one more time to give it a last chance and hopefully it was just me?

Nice cafe. Ordered scramble and salmon on toasted croissant. Enjoyed every bite of it. My partner ordered kiwi feed (big breakfast). Every component was done properly. Will surely come back.

First up best mango smoothie in Auckland, no question. Beyond that everything is just okay, nothing stands out and nothing is terrible, but coffee need work. Service was friendly, although still learning her way I think. I'd return but only for the smoothie.

We popped in here for a late lunch as it was open.... Ordered the chicken risotto and mango chicken salad... We did also ask for a fresh berry banana etc drink but were told they had no bananas... Both meals were nice, fresh and quite tasty.

This place is new now. New owner,new menu but still that old amazing food. Now you don't have to wait for slow service(which was there before)<br/>Staff is very friendly and those chicken sandwiches are too good <br/>Also they only serve organic coffee which is a must try here, would definitely...

Nice cafe! I thought it was in a bit of a random spot and only stopped in as I was shopping next door with my girlfriend but I guess it's the local for all the Grey Lynn folk. Good menu though, lots to choose from and good service. My friend was very impressed with the BLAT sandwich she ordered and throughly enjoyed it. I got a green salad with brown rice and carrot etc then decided to add an egg which cost an extra $4 which I thought was pretty overpriced, I kinda expected a bit more than about a teaspoon of brown rice too but it was an okay salad.

This was my second time at Jafa Cafe and it definitely was not as busy nor good the second time around. Coffee was ok, a little too cold for my liking but good taste! Went for the odd item on the menu of sticky black rice with coconut cream and fruit platter! Definitely was filling and tasty and would recommend if you are after a break from eggs and standard breakfasts!<br/>Won't rush back but a solid choice for a weekend brunch or coffee

Had a jafa breakfast. Was quick, hot, and the perfect size! Service is always tops. Last time I got the French toast and it was massive, could even come close to finishing. Not to mention it was yummy as!

Terrible. From walking in the door to walking out it was terrible. No hello, had to find our own menus. After catching the waitresses eye 4 times she still ignored me and then waited until I had a phone call to approach. I had the fruit platter which was a total waste of money. Pineapple was not ripe, orange slices had pips in them and hardly anything on the "platter" to justify the cost. Womans toilet floor was dirty, dubious red stain on the wall and ceiling fan choked full of dust... Couldn't get out of there quick enough. Over heard other customers remarking about service too. Never again I'm afraid.

Ordered Eggs Benedict and coffee. Plate was very cold but the food was well presented and was quite tasty. Hollandaise sauce was especially good, the eggs were perfectly cooked, and the bacon was just right, not over salted or burnt, however the muffin it was served on was a little chewy/stale. All round quite happy with the service experience and the food

Just over priced awful , Totally disgusting to charge $24 for a steak sandwich and present to the customer some sort of bun with some lettuce and some salty over cooked steak , and to overhear staff being told off by the owner \ manager is just unprofessional , This place is terrible , Oh and the place smells really bad and they try to mask it with automatic air freshener that just makes it worse , Never again !!!

We came in expecting the Jafa of old, unfortunately the place lacked the vibe and atmosphere of the past, it was quiet but still took a long time for service and then our drinks. Thankfully the Allpress coffee was amazing.

We arrived really looking forward to trying this place. We sat down and waited for 10 mins before we had to get up and get our own menu. 30 mins later we had to ask someone to take our order, AND ask them to bring water to the table. When they did they brought the water bottle but NO glasses. After about 45 mins we got our smoothie and milkshake GIVEN TO US IN TAKEAWAY CUPS, when we were dining in. We then gave up and decided to leave as the food was taking too long to come out and the waitress said they ran out of glasses. Poor service, not recommended. I have rated them a one because they didn't charge us for our drinks. Shame we didn't get to try the food.

Unfortunately it's no longer the Jafa of the old days. It did feel like they were trying and service was prompt but everything else let it down. The food was average other than my perfectly pooched eggs. Coffee looked promising but only just made the grade. Disabled toilet was not clean (old build up not new mess) and was smelly. Disappointing as we have many good memories here.

Way past the glory days of queues out the door. The food while edible lacked any imagination or presentation. The scrambled eggs looked like they from a hotel breakfast Bain-Marie and the unordered hash browns were the frozen packet type. The black pudding and coffee just made the grade. Not what you would expect from a cafe.<br/><br/>Sad.

Yet again the service has let them down. I knew the service was bad so I approached the counter to let them know I would be sitting down stairs outside. Waited 15 minutes and then had to go back inside to get service. When will they sort this out? It is completely unacceptable.

Yesterday I was in Jafa cafe for lunch with my mate and I had Jafa's Eye Fillet Steak Sandwich and it was so delicious and also enjoyed the ambience along with the customer service they provided and I really wish they could open for dinner  as well.

Ever been to Jafa cafe ? If not, your missing the best food in town.<br/>I tried the sticky black rice for breakfast yesterday and it was yum. <br/>Great ambiance, high quality service and friendly staff.<br/>Loved the overall experience and look forward to visit again soon.

Why one must not nominate Jaffas cafe (Richmond Road) as the most friendliest family cafe this year... Or ever?<br/><br/>Answer: because they say "F!!k off" to their customers! <br/><br/>Yes this incident happened today to me. I gave my loyalty card to the manager to stamp for 4 coffees which we purchased and in front of us she stamped (punched holes) just 3. I told her that I've bought 4 coffees so she should stamp another one. She said she punched 4. I knew she was lying by the look on her face and we saw her just punch 3. I therefore cancelled my last coffee order and got a refund. She then told me to "f!!k off"!!! Now this is not on! <br/><br/>Would you go to a cafe like this where a bad mouthed manager speaks to their customers like this? I for sure wouldn't...

Everyone is right, they do have the best milkshakes in Auckland! I tried some of the lime shake, and it was sublime in its fluffiness... It's a great spot with heaps of seating and friendly staff, although I did think the food took a while to arrive, and my benny seemed on the cold side. I'll probably go for the pancakes next time. Plenty of atmosphere and character, and a good menu so everyone found something they liked.

Jafa Cafe was my local for a good 2 years (2012-2013) as I worked around the area. Nice, strong coffee and really yummy food. They have a great breakfast menu, as well as delicious mains for lunch. Their cabinet sandwiches (they do a great vege sandwich) filo wraps, slices etc are all tasty too. The staff often make an effort to get to know their regulars, which is really lovely.

We used to visit here often, at least once a month and it was always great except for the often slow service. I would usually order the Raw Energy Salad with Halloumi which was delicious but this time they had a problem in the kitchen so I could only have it with chicken or salmon. I choose chicken when I regretted once the salad came as it was very dry and tasteless. The salad itself did not have the same amazing dressing it used to have, just a bit of lemon, and so it was quite bitter. There were no seeds any more and hardly any rice and the rice was not cooked as usual and tasted as though it came out of a microwave. This is highly likely as I heard the microwave go off a lot. I didn't finish the salad and only had two pieces of chicken and when I complained to the waitress she told me to talk to the manager. I waited for my friend to finish eating and then I went to talk to the manager who told me nothing had changed and she refused to apologise. She told me I should have told her about it instead of finishing my meal, I told her I did do this to another member of staff to which she just walked off. I paid full price for something I didn't eat and didn't enjoy. I will never be going back after the rudeness shown by the manager and the bitter taste the food left in my mouth. This is not the place it once was, do yourselves a favour and try somewhere with nice staff and better service.

We got here on a Sunday arvo, the place was packed and we expected a long wait. One of my friends had to leave in 45 mins and the waiter said it would not take longer than 30 mins. It was over 1 hour before our food arrived. Drinks arrived quickly, about ten mins. <br/>Its such a shame because the food is fantastic here. <br/><br/>I would have been happy if I was told an accurate time so that we could have come back another time. <br/><br/>Will come back here, but maybe avoid busy days.

I come here generally during the week and find it a great place to have a meeting and lunch. The food is excellent and the vege Haloumi sandwich is huge. I find the portion sizes quite generous and the presentation is always great. Staff are friendly and accommodating. Its a good place to come for lunch with a bunch of different people as there is always something everyone will enjoy.

It has been a while since i have been to Jafa so thought i would stop by again.<br/><br/>Ordered the organic poached eggs with a side of bacon, the eggs were great as was the bacon, a little on the pricey side. The banana smoothie was also really good.<br/><br/>My friend ordered the potato cake which was average and came with what can only be described as a years supply of salad greens.....over kill. I overheard the diners at the neighbouring <br/>also comment on salad greens over kill. <br/><br/>The service was friendly, however it took almost 45 minutes for our food and they didn't seem that busy, there were still a few empty tables around and there were staff standing around talking at the counter. <br/><br/>Perhaps would only go back for a coffee and muffin.

I have to say this is probably my favourite cafe in Auckland!<br/>I have NEVER been disappointed with a meal, we come here often for lunch and while the food can take a little longer than normal to arrive its always amazing ! <br/><br/>Sometimes portions are a little smaller than expected but the saying "size doesn't matter" is true in this case. You don't need a big plate of food to be happy when the food served is so delicious....My personal favourite is their haloumi and tofu sandwich and the salad nicoise served with seared tuna is just amazing - yum yum yum

Again I need to say that I don't understand why they aren't open longer? But I finally had the chance to go there during the day. <br/><br/>I really appreciated the free wifi and enjoyed the coffee. Service was friendly although they seemed a bit stressed with lunch time rush.

I use to really enjoy Jafa, and after having returned recently (twice within the last few weeks) I've had a sub-standard experience. The food is great (tastes good and well presented), but the service is so bad it lets the whole place down.<br/><br/>Both recent visits have been on a Saturday, and the staff appear to have no idea what they're doing. They run around not knowing what food goes where, and literally running across the cafe trying to sort things out. Coffee appears to take forever, and I've noticed the barista in constant debate with staff over who ordered what - which doesn't surprise me at all.<br/><br/>It seems that there is no one person managing the waiting staff and keeping an eye on the tables, so the staff can focus on delivering food, clearing and setting tables rather than trying to seat customers in-between.<br/><br/>Also, if you're looking for a quiet cafe this isn't it - there are screaming kids everywhere with toys all over the floor (a staff member was literally stepping over toys with plates of food!) - it felt like 70% of the customers were family's, which is fine as long as you're not looking for a comfortable relaxing cafe experience.<br/><br/>My suggestion would be to keep customers with kids in a separate area to contain the chaos and noise.<br/><br/>This place is definitely not what it once was when I lived in the area.

Been here a couple of times and every time it's been great. The staff were accommodating and one of the most professional cafes I've been to. The food has been perfect every time I've been and the coffee too. I reckon they make one of best salmon eggs benedict in Auckland. Keep up the good work.

put this one in your diary - jafa cafe is possibly the best breakfast cafe in auckland if you're looking for an indoor venue.<br/><br/>Let's be clear from the start - i can understand why it gets mixed reviews - jafa probably wouldn't get 5 stars from your average truck driver.<br/><br/>its popular enough that you might have to park 4 blocks away, the serving sizes are mid sized (pretty healthy size for food this good tho..), &amp; it's on the slightly upmarket end of pricing for this far off ponsonby road.<br/><br/>but now we've got that out of the way -<br/><br/>the food is consistently brilliant &amp; well presented, the menu range is eclectic &amp; inspiring, ou can get fresh squeezed juices in every flavour you can think of, the staff are super friendly as well as efficient - with a nice blend of nationalities adding spice.<br/><br/>the ambience is great on its own &amp; then the cafe is consistently packed so its got a real vibe, it has a fireplace, it has comfy couch seats as well as a bar stool setup, &amp; it's big so you have plenty of options where to sit depending on what mood you're in.<br/><br/>it's child friendly (&amp; kids behave here - must be the vibe - less crying / trouble than i've seen in other cafes).<br/><br/>your fellow patrons range from 1-60 years old, from grey lynn hippy to pretty trendy - this is a true slice of variety in the heart of auckland.<br/><br/>so - don't be fooled by the plain looking exterior - this is real gem that you should treat yourself too soon - you might even find it ends up being your local..<br/><br/>ps my waiter just said i should add 'there's a very good looking french guy working here' - as i said - friendly staff!

Jafa is not the same as it was before - happy, homely and friendly atmosphere....I believe there was a drastic change in ownership/management?<br/><br/>Food was lukewarm, coffees were ok and pies are not home-made anymore and still charging $7.50?<br/><br/>Shame to see an award winning cafe drop so much in rating in such a short time.

Mother's Day lunch and very disappointing. We first of all waited a long time and I eventually asked for some menus. The three female wait staff who were standing around chatting exchanged looks between themselves which made me feel very uncomfortable. We then waited a very long time for our food and people who came in some time after us were served first. When I mentioned this to one of the waiters he was very argumentative and challenged me on this. Obviously not happy in his job and lacking the necessary training and customer skills to handle the situation<br/><br/>When we paid our bill the people behind the counter were laughing about us and pointing out to each other that we were the people at table 20 who had dared to remind them that they were waiting too long for their food. <br/><br/>On the way out we overheard a conversation between another patron and a waiter. The patron asked the waiter how he was and he replied " I'll be better when I leave this place."<br/><br/>Although other reviews have hammered the food, our food was very nice, so it is a shame that there is obviously a problem with staff.<br/><br/>Management needs to know that word of mouth, good or bad, is the most effective advertising and the attitude of their staff needs to be addressed very quickly, or they will find their custom dwindling. It takes a very long time to build up a reputation and only a moment to destroy it. <br/>Such a shame.

This used to be my fav cafe in Auckland.<br/>D'd cross town to wait an hour for the food to arrive cos it was fabulous in every way &amp; the people there were great...<br/>But this has changed.<br/>About 3 months ago I took a very good friend for a mid-week breakfast, we were celebrating &amp; it was a special occasion. i'd been talking the place up.<br/>We got there &amp; change was immediately apparent. <br/>Greeting &amp; service was luke warm at best, seemed we were an inconvenience even, coming in to order breakfast &amp; enjoy a coffee &amp; all. The atmosphere was tense &amp; the easy cool vibe i knew there was noticeably absent. <br/>Not to worry i thought, the food will save the day...<br/>except the menu came out &amp; all the good stuff was gone. In its place, basically the same cafe menu you'd find in 90% of cafe's round the country. I mean ok, the menu established by the previous owners was outstanding. Change of ownership I understand, but I thought they'd continued on in a fashion, but by this point change had very much happened.<br/>So we ordered the eggs benedict. What the hell.<br/>It took ages, &amp; we were one of about 1/2 a dozen people in the place, &amp; we were basically ignored.<br/>when it came out: a bought english muffin, no spread, an over poached egg, plastic tasting cold hollandaise, no garnish, no salad, no nothing. <br/>My friend was disappointed, I was gutted.<br/>I raised my hands as if to say, whats going on?? The smug looking waitress informed that the new owners were making changes &amp; that included the menu. Looking round, i suspected that included cooking in general, as what looked like limp sandwiches &amp; bought baking was the only other choice available to us. <br/>i dont know how much an english muffin costs, but all told i was left scratching my head a bit when i left nearly $60 later, having had only 2 eggs benedicts &amp; 2 or 3 coffees each. grey lynn prices for b-grade grub.<br/>In the 3 months since then, at least 5 or 6 people I know have had similarly disappointing experiences at jafa. It's actually become something of a talking point. I think what it boils down to thought is that in contrast to having once been so damn good, it has no become simply another average performer in landscape already over-saturated by average performing cafes. <br/>I mean, the coffee was ok, the food edible, not that i'll be eating there again.<br/>One thing i can say for sure: the magic has gone from Jafa.

Food was OK, asked for my ham croissant heated came out completely squashed. My friend had the bacon and blue cheese sandwich and really enjoyed it as did my other friend who had a savoury muffin.

This eatery was recommended highly for breakfast.<br/>So my partner and I chose this place over the holidays to enjoy breakfast minus the teenagers.<br/>My scrambled eggs with a hash cake on the side was served tepid. Areas of the eggs was still raw and jelly like, I ate maybe a third of it. The toast was like concrete and obviously pre-toasted and left sitting around for quite some time. Hash cake was a small circle of mashed potato with cumin seeds at I think $4. No garnish in site. Husbands Eggs and toast with bacon was a rather small serving and much the same. Coffee very average. The place was not busy, the service was ok.<br/>For all the wonderful breakfast places we have in our area we will definitely not be going back here.

I used to visit this place quite regularly as it was an excellent reliable cafe under previous ownership. However I visited again this week with a friend for coffee and cake and was disappointed at the service. On entering the cafe, a woman staff member stopped us inside the door and told us to take a seat. I told her i wanted to look at the cabinet food/cake, but she said "no sit down there isn't any". She said someone would come and serve us shortly. So we duly sat down at an outdoor table. And waited, and waited and waited. About 10 to 15 minutes later a waitress came to us, handed us menus and went to walk away. I asked her if we could order coffee, and she took our coffee order. I would have thought people who had arrived at a cafe and had been seated might like coffee first up? The coffee arrived and it was great coffee. My friend ordered the salami sandwich. About half an hour later a waitress finally re appeared to take our cups and upon enquiring where the sandwich was went back inside. About another 5-10 mins later the sandwich finally arrived. It wasn't toasted, and nothing was cooked so why it took about 40 minutes is beyond me. Another coffee by this time was desired, so i finally flagged down our disinterested waitress. The service here has taken an appalling dive, on a day where there weren't an abundance of customers the wait for both service and the sandwich were painfully slow. I was happy to order from the counter (which would have been ten times quicker) but the waitress wasn't having a bar of it and insisted we would be served at the table. Seriously if you insist that, then serve your customers! Disappointing their cabinet food hadn't arrived for sale that day but i guess on the 3rd January you can't expect everything. Serving customers is a super important part of the business. And here its severely lacking. Maybe it was just the day we were here the staff were in holiday mode and not too keen on working, who knows, but i'm not racing back there to find out if this is just a glitch or the way things are at Jafa now. There are too many other good cafes out there in competition that I can go to

One of my top places to go for breakfast or lunch. The menu gives you options as to what one needs. I frequently visit this place, and always, great food. The coffee is great, the portions are generous. One can not notice the effort that goes into presentation and cooking the food to perfection. The staff are attentive and efficient. Great atmosphere.

Great food, Ive been coming here since I moved to the area - have never ever been let down with the meals. The only gripe is that its a large place and sometimes you can really wait a bit too long on a Saturday.<br/>Great service, great coffee and theres always a paper to read whilst you wait. <br/>My favourite meals are the feta &amp; cumin potato cakes with hollandaise or the stick black rice with fruit salad. Both amazing!

Brilliant service. Amazing food and coffee. Great atmosphere. Ideal for inner city weekend brunches off the Ponsonby strip. AWESOME.

Have eaten at Jaffa at least 10 times in the past year - recommend the Espresso milk shake - it's to die for.<br/><br/>Fun, close by and my girlfriends love it as a "Pearl" the fashion shop is just next door

It looks small from the outside, but it's a nice roomy place with a small outdoor deck area and I do mean SMALL! Inside the cafe is really nicely decorated and clean with art decorating the walls and a large slap table in a lower section.<br/><br/>The breakfast was great, all very nice. The bacon incredibly so. Coffee was good, but we had to remind the waiter that we had ordered coffee - although in their defence, they gave our drinks for free. Eggs were perfectly well done and the plate nicely presented.<br/><br/>Staff very friendly and its a busy and vibrant place. Highly recommended.