Review Luna's Express - Auckland Central

When I went the store was empty but I still liked the atmosphere. The lady working there was really nice and she made my coffee pretty quickly. The pastries were very tasty and flaky. Overall very nice place for brunch

The best place for a cute brunch date! The pastries are delicious, the drinks are unique with matcha lattes or Whittaker chocolate mochas. Try their Cruffins, absolutely love it!

Croissants are a must! The croffins were yummy as well. Didn’t love the Supreme ones as there was too much cream for my liking.

Cute little cafe with a lot to offer. All the croissants were sold out upon my arrival but I was told they would be out of the oven in 5 min! One of the best matcha/almond croissants I’ve ever had. Soy flat white made with Kokako coffee was great, too. Just need to be mindful that there’s no paywave when it comes to payment option and surcharge does apply when using credit card…

Fresh & tasty croissants, muffins full of flavour + beautiful product branding I love it! 😍 + great staff, defo recommend & can't wait to enjoy these treats again!

The egg coffee, ube latte, and pastries (Matcha Almond Croissant & Ube Cruffin in the photo) were so good! Would definitely come back to try their other stuff given the chance.

The menu consists of some Vietnamese classics. Not very authentic Vietnamese food, but tasty none the less. Friendly staff and the food didn't take long to come out. The summer rolls were surprisingly small and the sauce options were not typical. Portion sizes were decent and definitely filling.

Had a takeaway Vietnamese iced coffee with a Raspberry Danish and a matcha almond croissant. Both very delicious and service was friendly and quick. Have been told their lunch is just as good so will be back tongive those a try!

Came here for the first time at the recommendation of another Vietnamese friend. Ordered a lemongrass chicken banh mi, a beef pho, an egg coffee and a strawberry slice. The banh mi was fantastic - they make their own baguettes which means it’s not too hard and doesn’t cut the inside of your mouth when you’re eating it! Best part ever! The flavour and the fillings was on point too. The egg coffee was also delicious and is served with a little tea candle warmer which I recommend blowing out after a minute or so. I left mine on for too long and it started to cook the egg slightly but the coffee still tasted great. The strawberry tart was also nice and refreshing. Hit the spot with a coffee being quite mild in sweetness and not too hard in texture. The pho though.... I can see other people have raved about the pho but my husband and I were quite disappointed. It tasted very bland. Maybe it’s a different taste palette than we’re used to as we often enjoy southern Vietnamese pho and that’s sweeter compared to northern style. We have had northern style before though and that had a lot more flavour than what we tried here. Not sure if the broth had been diluted too far or was under seasoned but we wouldn’t order this one again. Still would come back for more banh mi and coffee though!

Ordered the croissants with matcha almond cream, frangipane, Pan au Choclat, berries danish (and matcha cookies but they’re not in the picture cos we inhaled them as soon as we got the package 😂) for breakfast for my little sister’s birthday and we absolutely loved everything!! Highly recommend this place and we can’t wait to visit and try your coffee once lockdown eases!

Submitting this review purely based on the raspberry croissant so I can’t say how the rest of the cafe food tastes. The service is friendly and croissant is instagram worthy however I’m not a fan of how it tastes or the pricing point of $6 either.

☕Their famous egg coffee has been talked about for a long time. We love their iced coconut frappy not only pleasing to the eye but the top notch quality coffee bean just makes our day! You know a mocha is good when they use 🍫@whittakersnz chocolate!! Truly the best ingredients all in one cup. I also love their iced chocolate when I am not keen for any caffeine 😉<br/><br/>They also offer unique pastries made fresh daily by the lovely @_sweetfoodielife. 🥐Their matcha croissant & raspberry croissant get sold out so quickly everyday since they started their cabinet section. We love the raspberry cookie too, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside with the perfect sweetness.

Went here a while ago before lockdown but definitely will come again soon. We ordered summer roll and banh mi. My fave food before summer ends. @Denny Setiawan

Been here many times and I have always loved their beef pho! Their broth used to be very oily and now it’s better, but it kind of loose the flavor.. also tried their rolls and it’s really packed with ingredients. I have tried their egg coffee last year and it’s definitely interesting but it’s not my type of thing. Overall , reasonable pricing and as per my latest visit, their service is absolutely amazing!

Tried this place for lunch and what a little gem it turned out to be! We had chicken pho and tofu rolls-delicious and flavoursome -all you expect from Vietnamese food. I went for small pho and it was more than enough to fill me up

I love trying new cuisines, and when I found out that Auckland has a halal Vietnamese food outlet, I had to check it out. The banh mi was amazing, you could tell the bun was fresh, it was crisp on the outside and nice and soft in the inside. Always find my self going back for more.

I’m my humble opinion they have the best and I mean the best summer rolls in Auckland, the staff are amazing friendly and some of the best food you will try period.

The soup for my pho was warm. It wasn’t hot so that was abit sad for me, and I didn’t know the small pho was that small. A large pho bowl is the regular size for hansan, another Vietnamese restaurant. I understand prizes will be higher since it’s in the city. But if I had know the small pho for $13 wouldn’t fill me up, I would had gone to Hansan for my regular $15 bowl (plus it’s hot) The staff is was very nice! Not would recommend for large groups, it’s a small restaurant!

It’s feeling like a summer and Luna’s Express has got you covered with all the refreshing eats ☀️ with their brand new summer 🍦 menu:<br/>🌟 Summer rolls: these are so delish either on its own as snacks or as a meal. Freshness in a wrap is what these little morsels are: I loved the turmeric fish one and they go well with all the dipping sauces! The rice paper is tangy and fresh. There is also a vegan option which is handy 🥳<br/>🌟 Pho 🍲 A star dish that you cannot go past, stick to the classic and get the raw beef pho.<br/>🌟 Banh Mi: a personal favourite - I loved the taste of the warm crusty bread 🥖 and the generous filling that it’s got! The fresh chilli 🌶 definitely brings a kick in this one!<br/><br/>Everything is handmade here, Melissa and her partner has also divided and conquered their simple menu, creating outstanding Pho and Banh Mi in their kitchen. I’d strongly recommend you giving Luna’s Express a go - whether for a quick lunch stop or a food trip to get a taste of traditional Vietnamese flavours, Luna’s is a go!

The milk or eggs taste funny in the coffee, maybe something was off, not coming back again.

Ordered the large beef pho ($16) but there were not much beef and lots of noodles. The broth was really bland in flavour and very very oily🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ but adding salt will help. And a small can of drink was $4 <br/>Don’t think I’ll come back again....

I heard good things about the Bahn Mi here, so I dropped by for lunch and obviously had to try the pho as well. We got the vegan version of both.<br/><br/>The vegan Bahn Mi was pretty good! The bread could have been more airy and crispy, but the fillings were tasty and the vegan pate was surprisingly good.<br/><br/>The vegan Pho was pretty mediocre. Not a lot of flavour in the broth because there are no beef bones.<br/><br/>Vegan Bahn Mi: 7/10<br/>Vegan Pho: 4/10

Went there yesterday for lunch.<br/>Ordered the beef pho for 13bux.<br/>Food came out along with a huge wave of disappointment.<br/>Extremely small portion, 3 pieces of beef..<br/>The seasoning was also very bland.<br/>Definitely not worth 13bux...... more like 7 bux. Def not coming back

Lovely little place with friendly staff. Small selection on the menu, but I like the simplicity. I had the vegan pho which was decent, but the broth could do with a little bit more flavour. Nothing a splash of vinegar and chilli can't fix though. Keen to come back to try the banh mi.

The smell of the pho broth was very strong and inviting as soon as you walked in. The coffee was insanely good, especially since I had zero expectations at a pho place serving coffee. I kind of expected a below-average instant tasting vietnamese coffee loaded with sugar, but was surprised to receive a velvety smooth cafe latte that was 1 of the best coffees I had in a while. The phos were loaded with meat and green veges and for some reason I expected the coriander and spring onion to make it taste more refreshing than it was. It was still really flavoursome and nice. The chicken pho actually tasted better. I was actually looking forward to the beef one more, but the beef meat itself tasted and smelled slightly oily to my liking. The chicken pho broth therefore had a more "cleaner" taste. Staff were really friendly and cold drinks selection was interesting. The regular size is not gigantic like other pho stores so think its nice to be able to choose the size.

A cosy Vietnamese cafe in chancery, friendly staff who came over a chat and explain the history of the food and drink :) <br/>They don’t have a huge selection on the menu, but good quality food, the chicken broth is so good!! we also tried the egg coffee, that’s an interesting drink, it’s almost like an affogato, very filling drink/dessert!! <br/><br/>

So excited that Luna's Express has opened up in Chancery, and extra special as it is super close to my work! Luna's Express serve Vietnamese food - express style! They serve only two dishes (with more to be added to the menu soon), including Pho (Tradtional Vietnamese soup) and Banh Mi (Traditional Vietnamese sub). Their Pho is delicious - your choice of grilled beef, chicken or tofu in a bone or vegan broth, complete with rice noodles, spring onion, bean sprouts, coriander and chili. It is the perfect dish on a cold day and super tasty! Their rice noodles are made from scratch, as is their broth which usually takes around 12 hours. <br/><br/>But it is their Banh Mi which I absolutely love - my favourite is the chicken. And, having just been in Vietnam, it brings back good memories!<br/><br/>Also highly recommend their Egg Coffee, which is a traditional drink in Vietnam made using egg yolk, condensed milk and cream on top of coffee. It was seriously good and tastes like you’re eating dessert. Can confirm it is just as good as the egg coffee I tried in Hanoi!<br/><br/>Food aside, owner, Malisa, and her team are super friendly, plus the decor is bright and welcoming and for all these reasons, I will keep returning to Luna's Express!

Overall a great experience! Lovely staff, great food. Love their coffee specials in the morning - I've tried a lot of coffee around town and Luna is right up there among the best. Keep at it! 😍😍😍

With some of the friendliest staff around and easily the best vegan Bahn Mi in Auckland, Luna’s Express is well worth the visit if you need to fill your craving for Vietnamese food!<br/>⁣<br/>𝐕𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐡𝐧 𝐌𝐢 🥖 Wow oh wow, this Bahn Mi was out of this world, and for a meat-free version of the Vietnamese classic, that is saying a lot. Let’s start with the home baked baguette. The baguette is normally the make or break factor of a Bahn Mi and this is definitely one of the factors that made this one so damn good. You can tell they are made fresh and are the perfect balance of crisp exterior and soft interior. The fried tofu had been well-marinated and was far from the flavourless slime you normally get in a Vege Bahn mi. Paired with vegan garlic butter, vegan pate, hoisin sauce, pickled carrots and daikon and a whole variety of fresh herbs, this was probably one of the most flavoursome sandwiches I’ve sunk my teeth into. 10/10 would recommend <br/><br/>𝐏𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐓𝐨𝐟𝐮 🍲 Let me preface by saying I’ve never been the biggest fan of Pho. I always find it to be a little bland, especially the vegetarian versions of the dish. I was hoping Luna’s Express could convert me to the Pho ways, but sadly, it didn’t. On the positive, you could tell the rice noodles were freshly homemade and there was a generous amount of flavourful fresh herbs to top off the dish. However, the marinated tofu didn’t do much for me and the broth itself just really lacked in flavour- it just wasn’t satisfying in the way I hoped it would be.⁣ 7/10<br/>⁣<br/>𝐄𝐠𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 ☕️ After the pho I tried one of most indulgent hot beverages I’ve tried- egg coffee. I am obsessed with Vietnamese Iced Coffee and this is sort of a hot take on it. Made with condensed milk, cream, egg, a shot of espresso and topped with an Oreo crumb, the drink is so thick and creamy that it is almost more of a pudding then a drink. Although it is super sweet, the coffee adds a kick to balance it out a little. It is indulgently delicious and did make for a nice ending to the meal. ⁣8.5/10

Great beef noodle, great beef banh mi, amazing egg coffee + chocolate, and bang on services. It is a great spot for lunch. Well hidden gem with a reasonable price to match.

Been hearing so much about Luna Express all over my feed so I had to check it out! As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with the smell of the pho and it smelt so damn good 😤 Customer service was super friendly and they were very thorough with the ordering process! Ordered Beef Pho ($16) and the Chicken Banh Mi ($13.5). I was super excited about the Pho because I honestly love Pho so much. I ordered the bone broth, I took a sip and the broth was... Almost flavourless 😢 The noodles had good texture and the beef was good as well but the broth really let it down. It just tasted like the broth needed to be cooked down more so that the flavour would be stronger and bolder. Good things take time 🙏🏼Let's just block this Pho from my memory and pretend it never happened... BUT LETS TALK ABOUT THIS BANH MI THO 👀 My favourite spot for Banh Mi was a place called Bamboo Basket and ever since they shut down life just hasn't been the same 😭 I love the baguette to be crunchy af on the outside and soft on the inside and Luna Express has this on LOCK 👌🏼 The seasoning on the chicken was insane, honestly so good and not dry at all 😍 I usually get pork in my Banh Mi so I'm super surprised about how good the chicken tasted! The pickled daikon and veges were crunchy and refreshing. The chillies added the right amount of heat. My bf complained that it was a bit too spicy but he's just a little 🐱 and I don't need that weak energy 🙅🏻 Boy bye 👋🏼 Could not fault this Banh Mi, so what are you waiting for? Go out and buy it! <br/><br/>Beef Pho rating: 4/10<br/><br/>Chicken Banh Mi: 11/10 😍<br/><br/>Ambience: Cute decor! 10/10 ✨ <br/><br/>Customer service: 10/10 🔥

Came here on a late Saturday afternoon and it was quite empty. We ordered 2 chicken banh mi's and 2 egg coffees.<br/><br/>The bang mi was delicious and flavorful with plenty of chicken and fresh vegetables and the bread nicely toasted.<br/><br/>The guy that served us was friendly and talked us through what an egg coffee was as we had never had one before. The egg coffee was delicious, thick, rich and sweet from the condensed milk so no sugar needed!<br/><br/>Delicious food and coffee, would come back here again 👍

I have been here twice and tried their Pho and Egg Coffee. <br/><br/>Beef Pho with bone broth, the beef was overcooked and hard to chew on and the soup was too oily. <br/><br/>Tofu Pho with vegan broth, the fried tofu was yum, but the soup was quite tasteless. <br/><br/>Both Pho was okay, the noodles was really soft, unlike the typical pho noodles, hard to explain, it just tasted different to all other Vietnamese places I have tried. <br/><br/>Egg Coffee was something different, I would say it’s not my cup of tea, but it is something to try if you haven’t. The texture is thick and creamy and the overall taste was very sweet. <br/><br/>Service and environment was great.

Small but loving the space. More of a to go kind of place. Hence, it’s called express. <br/>Service is good. Fast and staffs are friendly. Welcoming which is very important.<br/><br/>Had the Beef pho. Love it. Beef is soft and tender and the soup is perfect. Clear soup. Added a lot of chilli to have that spice taste. <br/><br/>Will definitely come back for more !

A+ pho <br/>A+ service <br/><br/>If you are looking for authentic you will not be disappointed! <br/>The pho is in the broth and they have it spot on. <br/>Thanks guys.

We tried their Hanoi pho, bahn mi and egg coffee.<br/>🥩🍜Beef Pho: This is actually one of the best pho in Auckland. It's not your typical pho that comes with a lot of bean sprout and MSG in their broth. The pho is packed with herbs, spring onions, chilli, handmade noodles and thinly sliced beef. The bone broth along with noodles and slices of beef goes very well with the sriracha sauce.<br/>🌱🥖Tofu bahn mi: It's the freshest bahn mi experience packed with your choice of sauces, veggies and marinated tofu. The baguettes was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. They had the perfect ratio of vegetables to protein.<br/>🍳☕Egg Coffee: We have watched many Vietnam travel blogs and hoped to one day visit Vietnam to try this gem. But we were super lucky and it came to us 🙌 This one was an absolute shocker 🤯 We have never had such a unique delicious coffee. I would die happy having this as a dessert since it was very creamy, thick and blended very well.<br/>Also, they are always adding new items to the menu 📜 We were told a breakfast menu is coming soon 🌅😄‼️<br/>You must try the Hanoi egg coffee, step up the coffee game.

Had a fabulous Banh Mi from here yesterday<br/>Beef wit all the trimmings including Butter Chicken Pate and tasty veges<br/>Delightful and well worth the $<br/>Try it before it gets too busy

What a treat! Fresh, halal, quick and super delicious! Both dishes packed full of flavour. Loved the toasted bun and the bone broth in the pho, but the highlight was the egg hot chocolate as described rich and creamy simply delectable! Incredible service with people who genuinely care about what you think. Will be back soon :)

A new cute Vietnamese shop near chancery square. Tried their pho today and the soup was refreshing and so good. And their Hanoi egg coffee is a must try - it’s unique, creamy and blend really well 👌🏻

A new express Vietnamese food near chancery square! Their Bahnmi is really good. Staff is very friendly!! Egg coffee is something you have to try out it’s really creamy and very special I would say !

The staff here are amazing, the two staff members serving us were really kind and were keen to tell us about their menu :)) The food here is pretty awesome and also I highly recommend trying Egg coffee or Egg chocolate drink!

"Wow" was the first thing that popped in my head when I first tasted the Hanoi Egg Coffee here.<br/><br/>I was expecting for the worst - think a gooey, half-cooked egg dropped into a cup of hot coffee.<br/><br/>But no, it was far from "the worst" end of the spectrum. So far that I can claim that this is my MOST FAVOURITE coffee-infused drink I have ever tried! It has been more than 2 weeks since I first had this and I couldn't stop thinking about it.<br/><br/>Time to plan for my next visit. This time, I'll be sure to make room in the tummy for their pho as well.

I am not a huge fan of sandwich but the chicken Banh Mi was amazing! Pho was a bit on the planer side (to cater for everyone) but adding the extra chilli and sriracha made it top notch!&amp;nbsp;<br/><br/>The bread is now baked in house as are the rice noodles and everything else and it shows in the flavour. The owners were really nice and open to suggestions. Will definitely return once they are open longer in the evenings :)

I don't know about you, but THIS place serves the most delicious Banh Mi and Pho! Started off with the Banh Mi, which you can DIY and choose your ingredients (meat, sauces, veges, etc). I chose to fill the crispy bun with chicken, chicken pate, sweet chilli sauce, aioli, spring onion and some chilli. The first bite just took me to heaven. The generous portions of ingredients and the taste just made me jump for joy. I also tried the egg coffee with cinnamon on top for the first time. I took a sip and just mixed the coffee and egg pudding/custard around. The texture was thick and runny, and no taste I'd ever tried before. As for the pho, you could DIY the ingredients as well. Chose shredded chicken, lemon, beans sprouts, spring onion and the bone broth. You could tell the broth wasn't full of MSG compared to other places. This might just be the place that serves authentic Vietnamese food. Love it.

I had heard good things about the banh mi here and wanted to see for myself. The cool thing is that they make it when you order in front of you and ask you what you'd like. This is perfect for people who love customising the food to their taste.<br/><br/>The menu is pretty simple, either pho or banh mi really. The pho is a very clear clean broth situation with handmade noodles. It seems nice for lighter palates.<br/><br/>The banh mi had some good points. The pate was very good and it brought all the ingredients together. Although this is probably one of the fresher banh mis in CBD, it was average tasting for me compared to other banh mis I've had in Auckland. The bread was a bit cold and not crunchy enough. I feel like it should have been toasted more on the outside. The chicken pieces could also have been a bit more flavourful to be more on par with the pate. Everything else was tasty overall.<br/><br/>The decor is nice though and there weren't too many people at lunchtime so it's a nice little nook away from the CBD lunch chaos.<br/><br/>Overall, a good pate and other ingredients in the banh mi. A toastier bun would have really elevated this banh mi that much more.

Luna&#039;s make the best banh mi I&#039;ve ever had! They make their own bread every day and use fresh ingredients, so the banh mi tastes noticeably fresher than others you&#039;ll find in central Vietnamese restaurants. The hot egg chocolate was also divine, with the dark chocolate perfectly balancing out the sweetness of the condensed milk. Luna&#039;s staff were exceptionally friendly - checking in with me on how my meal was and offering me water while I waited. This place will definitely be a regular lunch stop for me!

Had the beef pho. The beef is nicely sliced but taste wise nothing much to shout about. I think for the price point and portion, the other Vietnamese pho places would be a better value for money.

I love this place! I’ve tried both the chicken banh mi and the chicken pho - both divine and packed full of flavour. They make their own noodles too. I only wish I went into the city more often, this would be my regular.

Service is good. I ordered the pho as it was a cold rainy day. Choose meat and veges preferred, and either bone broth or vegan broth.<br/><br/>Very clean taste, almost bland broth (I got the bone broth). It goes well with the sriracha sauce.<br/><br/>I ordered the large, which looked like it was a small portion but it really fills you up so they have got the portion sizing right!

Ordered the chicken banh mi via the food print app. Food made fresh to order. Just delicious. Perfect balance of flavours. Impeccable service from too which made my visit that much better. I learned just how much Luna cares about the environment too. <br/><br/>Will def return and be spreading the word about this little spot.

Not authentic banh mi bread... was quite disappointed. The egg coffee was quite interesting because I had never had it before but I also probably wouldn't order it because its very sweet at the start which tastes good but then at the end its super bitter.. I am all for bitter sweet but this had no balance. I am looking forward to trying tho pho when I have the chance to see how that is though.

This new Vietnamese eatery in Chancery is a refreshing authentic lunch option. They offer the classic pho as well as báhn mì, but we were there for the pho. Order and pay first, then select your protein (beef, chicken or tofu), veges, herbs and soup. Made as you pick, it sure is express and you can takeaway too if you wish. The 'large' is more of a regular portion so not sure how filling a small would be. Particularly liked their special bone broth though - very flavoursome. Still nothing beats a big fat bowl from Sam Woo though.<br/>Check out my insta @ohmyfoodiegoodie to follow more of my tried eats.

Tried the large pho bowl today with tofu in a vegan broth.  I really liked how clear the broth was and how the flavours came together with the added herbs and lemon on the side.  It was a very filling meal.  The noodles were also delicious and up a notch from what I have had around Auckland.

Pho tasted amazing and authentic. My first time ever trying egg coffee and my tastebuds absolutely loved it. Service was great, Malisa was very polite and accommodating. Nice little place to grab a bite and walk out happy. Definitely recommend.

First Vietnamese place in Auckland that serves egg coffee (i might be mistaken) and it was delicious. If you haven't tried it yet, you've got to.<br/><br/>The chicken banh mi was flavorful and the toppings were nicely balanced. Cool little addition to CBD.

I had the pho here for lunch which was really tasty !! Would also recommend the egg coffee here which I really enjoyed . Quick and friendly service !