Review Common Ground Eatery - Browns Bay

Best cafe in Browns Bay I love the friendly staff here. They always smile and try to be helpful with everyone. Coffee is amazing. I love strong coffee so this is such a good choice to go. I would always come here if I am in Auckland.

This place is a VIBE! Easily best cafe in the area. Coffee is pretty good. Pretty big range of food too! All yum. Service is so so lovely, the friendliest people! Great place to just chill & get some work done. Always leave this place with the best feels. Worth a shot 🙌🏼

One of the best eggs benedicts I have ever had. Perfectly cooked and with a good sized portion.

Amazing coffee amazing food amazing service I'll definitely go again！

Had the best Eggs Benedict I’ve ever had from here. The best coffee and hot chocolate too! They cater for Coeliac Disease.

The food was very good, the portions were generous, the lemon tea was amazing, I will go again

Great place for breakfast or Brunch ! Although they were quite busy the food delivered timely and staff well organised. I lice the idea of dog treats on the entrance as well. Well done and we sure go back ..

Common Ground is quickly becoming one of my favourite brunch haunts. I’ve tried about half of the menu at this point and I have yet to be disappointed. Even at their busiest, I’ve never seen the quality of food, beverages, and service suffer. Coffee is amazing (Coffee Supreme) and the staff are incredibly friendly and attentive without being annoying. Facilities are always immaculate and the atmosphere is pretty on point.

Enjoyed our brunch today. Food and coffee was very tasty and staff were excellent. Will definitely come back.

Best cheeseburger I've had in a long time, double wagyu patties, bacon and a whole pickle on top! The only drawback was the bun was a bit soggy but it was just because there was too much deliciousness and it had to go somewhere! Beautiful planty decor and lovely staff. We will definitely be back!

Whenever I want brunch I automatically make my way to Common Ground Eatery. Amazing food, service and atmosphere. We have been here so many times and it always perfect.

Nice, cute cafe in Browns bay. They have a variety of items on their menu. The bao buns were delicious and the coffee too. There is both indoor and outdoor seating. Would definitely recommend!

Yum yum yum! Had the Bacon n Hash with an Iced Chocolate. Loved it. So yum and fresh. Staff is super friendly and efficient. I will be back ♡

They have supreme coffee so can't be bad. Coffee was nice. I had a big breakfast and a burger. The big breakfast was alright I liked very crunchy hash brown. ☆ but the burger, you have to try their burger!!! It was one of the best burgers in Auckland!!

Definitely the best cafe around Browns Bay, the food is very nice and coffee is extremely tasty. It’s a very busy place. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Will be back again soon :)

Great food, Supreme coffee including decaf option. Quick service and very friendly staff. PayWave results in 2.2% surcharge, so make sure to pay 'the old' way to save a few cents.

It's a great cafe.I love coffe and desserts.I will go there again.

A easy to over look cafe in the centre of browns bay. The staff are friendly, professional and attentive. Food was nice to covers my needs. The coffee is a little hit and miss for me. 2 of 3 coffees were perfect. Nice strong and full of flavor. The 3rd one was too milky with a hint of coffee. Shame as I could see this cafe being a regular place to visit weekly.

Have driven by a few times and have always wanted to visit because it’s always busy. Last weekend as expected was the same and couldn’t get a table (such a good sign), therefore ordered a takeaway coffee which was above average ✅ <br/><br/>Today my friend and I managed to get a table so the excitement was on. Ordered the Eggs Benedict which tasted as good as it looked. Super light brioche with a perfectly cooked rosti - crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Hollandaise was epic too. Had a slight sriracha touch 😍 as for the Orange Plum Cake, I would say average. A bit too sweet for my liking but still ok. Overall, we were happy with the outcome. <br/><br/>Ups to the Polynesian guy worker who served us. Seemed though he was the only one working as he was rushed off his feet. Loved his service. The ambience itself is very cosy because it is a little small but very family oriented which creates a more homely feel. <br/><br/>Only thing I would critic and do take into consideration is the wait time on food. Nonetheless, will be back soon to try something else. <br/><br/>Food - 8.5/10 <br/>Service - 10/10<br/>Ambience & Vibe - 7/10<br/>

Disappointing.<br/><br/>- Staff weren’t attentive. We were not greeted or shown a table. Staff couldn’t care less about our presence in the cafe. <br/><br/>- Orders were incorrect. My partner’s drink was not what he had ordered.<br/><br/><br/>Given that parking is already difficult to find in Browns Bay, had I had known that this was the below par experience I would receive from Common Grounds, I wouldn’t have wasted another minute looking for a space to park.

We ordered the bacon and egg hash, fried chicken waffles, eggs benny and French toast. Great food! Only wished the ice cream didn't melt so quickly to turn the whole plate into a goopy mess

Best burger I have ever had! Very friendly staff and relaxing place to eat and drink

The food was very nice. Took a while to come out, same for coffees (30+ mins). If it wasn’t for the food I’d give it 2 stars, the atmosphere is strange like quite uncomfortable, really weird energy/vibe and the staff were quite unhelpful and not very friendly. Wouldn’t go back.

It is a cafe so the food is a little pricey but the place looks amazing and the service is very good too! The food looks super aesthetic and also tastes so good. If you need to go to a cafe is browns bay, go there.

The staff are very rude.  There was a major stuff and it was a challenge to drag an apology out of the manager for a major stuff up.  The food isn't fresh.  Food that should be hot was served cold.  Coffee was also really tepid cold.  Service was slow - 30 mins for a coffee even when they weren't busy. Staff just didn't care. Chairs are uncomfortable. There are many nicer cafes in Browns Bay.

Been here multiple times for coffee. Coffee always tasty but staff members always a little grouchy bordering on rude. Shame as it is a lovely spot

Fried chicken and waffles: amazing delicious increible! So much chicken was given with the waffles and it was all boneless! It filled me right up. It was delicious. <br/>Iced coffee: YUM!!!!!!!! So delicious <br/>Service: amazing. Nice young man at the counter served us. Got water brought to us which was kind. <br/>Atmosphere: table was dirty when we sat down With crumbs and coffee spillage, but no plates, although gorgeous interior. <br/><br/>Great add to browns bay!

Best white chocolate raspberry muffins in town!! And I don't even like white chocolate!!!<br/><br/>Good coffee too, recommend!!

I thought this cafe was one of the top cafes I’ve been to. The trinity of food, service and ambience has to be juuuust right for the cafe to be recognized, and this place was on top of everything. No wonder the place was so packed during lunchtime. <br/><br/>Food menu had so much variety ! I mean, it was like seeing the whole world’s cuisine on one page. I definitely recommend chicken waffle. <br/><br/>Coffee was great too 👍🏼

Love this place! It has such a nice ambience about it. I had creamy mushrooms with an added egg. Apart from the dish being served in a small bowl (hard to eat out of), and the very small table where the two of us were sat, it was great. Customer service, top notch. Will definitely be back!

Lovely interior! Popped in here one rainy morning for coffee and it was such a neat little space. I had herbal tea and my friend had a flat white. Will be here for the food menu in the future.

came here for a Sunday morning brunch and was thoroughly impressed! Coffees were perfectly done, service was friendly, quick and helpful. I got a scone which had been made fresh that morning and it was without a doubt the best scone I have ever had! I would come back purely for that damn scone! My partner had the bacon and hash and was stoked - the pecorino cheese made the dish, hash was huge and delicious and the bacon and eggs were both perfectly cooked.

Best food and coffee in Browns Bay!!<br/>The menu has a wide variety of dishes at various prices. There's something for everyone. <br/>food 10/10<br/>service 10/10<br/>coffee10/10

Yummy! Beef Burger so juicy and delicious, iced mocha on point, presentation real good too. Lovely customer service too. All over a great experience.

Awesome cafe! Great coffee and service. Every time I'm on the North Shore, I make sure to swing by Common Ground. It has always been consistent, at a very high standard. This place is definitely worth a visit and the cabinet food is always fantastic!

My favourite cafe is Browns Bay, the atmosphere here is great, loud and lively, the service is amazing, and the food is delicious, I had charcoal come with plum ice cream, moscato poached pear and homemade marshmallows.

Great coffee and service! Love visiting this place whenever I’m up in Browns Bay. If you’re in a hurry though avoid getting your coffee during peak times (ie weekend brunch/lunch time) as even the takeaway coffees can take a while as they get busy! This is probably because their slices from the cabinet and food are great. Might be worth while to get an extra barista for weekends.

Food is awesome! Coffee is awesome! Service is great! So why 3 stars?<br/><br/>Of the three times I have been at this cafe every single time I have been asked to move out of my seat for someone else... Every. Single. Time.<br/><br/>It is common practice at Common Ground to make customers move around. It's awkward and frustrating and I'm not sure why it keeps happening to me. 1st time I sat with a friend. We were having a lovely conversation when a waitress comes up to us and says "that lady was going to sit here, can you go sit at the big shared table?" Umm awkward... we had been there for almost 10 minutes and this lady asked the waitress to move us. She looked crazy so we thought "okay sure! Poor waitress"<br/><br/>Second time we were asked to leave the big sharing table part way through our coffee for one of the smaller ones so a big party could use it (there were no small tables left when we arrived)... sigh<br/><br/>Third time, same story but this time a larger party and we were asked to move to a booth from moved together smaller tables.<br/><br/>Like I said. Great everything but if I wanted to play musical chairs I would do it at home for cheaper. Next time it happens I will be asking get for free coffee... you have been warned CG!! :)

I love the ambiance and the food!  Mango smoothie is quite good. <br/><br/>Highly recommend!<br/><br/>Service: 5/5<br/>Presentation: 5/5<br/>Food Quality: 5/5<br/>Environment: 5/5

Ordered the pork belly burger and fries. Pork belly was dry and chewy, they had hand cut fries on the menu, add fries for $5 and I got short shoe string fries. The hand cut fries would have made the dish better. Food was average. Don’t think I would go back again.

Yummy food and great tasting coffee. Had my two young kids with me and they supplied colouring in pictures and pencils etc. Definitely recommend checking this place out!

First of all, you have try the chicken waffles when if you’re eating in. Every element in this dish compliments the next and it makes for a great meal. Atmosphere wise I love the interior, there is always so much to look at and I love the painting on the wall - could look at it forever and never get bored. I also recommend for non-caffeine drinkers the house sodas. They’re really nice!

Best coffee in Browns Bay, best coffee in the Bays. Hands Down. Can't go elsewhere for a coffee in the bays as it just doesn't match. The vibe is fresh and and energetic. Food is good as well, but it's really the coffee this place has excelled at.

Nice staff and a cute little place to pop in. Personally thought the coffee could be a bit better! I had an Ice Latte but it wasn't as nice as it could be. But will pop in for foods next time!

Excellent new cafe in Browns Bay. We had an very nice breakfast one morning Eggs Benedict with Bacon and a Common's Full Breakfast. Both were very tasty and served pretty quickly considering how busy they were.  Came back a few days later for cabinet food. Looking forward to coming back again.

Came here twice all the way from Bucklands Beach. Food is very well presented and taste really good too. Environment is cozy, highly recommend. Will come again.

Best fried brioche ever! Added crispy bacon and it was so nice and crispy, portion was just right, doesn’t leave you feeling nasty or bloated! Coffee was amazing too and friendliest staffs! <br/><br/>Price: 8/10<br/>Vibe: 10/10<br/>Service 10/10

Lovely cafe nestled in browns bay, the barista is so warm<br/>And welcoming and knows how to make a good coffee! Black rice porridge is definitely a good healthy selection for early birds like me.

Newly opened and time to give it a try. Arranged breakfast with some friends for a cool winters morning.<br/><br/>Cafe was pleasantly warmed when we entered which was appreciated. We were seated in one of the two couch booth areas after a quick stop to peruse the cabinet food which looked amazing.<br/><br/>Ordered some warm drinks to start, all arrived as ordered and were great. I went a little different and had a spiced chai, good level of spice and really enjoyable.<br/><br/>Stuck to a classic for me and had eggs benedict but went with bacon. It was awesome, also a little different as it comes on a brioche instead of the traditional muffin.<br/><br/>Overall the food, service and ambience were all excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfast.<br/><br/>We would highly recommend and we will be back.<br/><br/>Food: 85%<br/>Ambience: 86%<br/>Service: 88%<br/>Coffee: 80%<br/>

Good selection of cabinet food and gluten free options, friendly staff and fast service, do they coffee supreme which i love too. The barista makes the milk so silky smooth

Average food - hit and miss but really awful service. So rude and unhelpful. Really need to sort it out as I felt service was rubbish and so did two others I have talked to.

The food was amazing, the staff were friendly and the food came out in good timing, such a nice modern set up to come and have a brunch. I tried the soft shell eggs bene; really affordable and will definitely be coming back 👅😍

I support the superb work that Common Ground team puts into their product and service. Not to mention their awesome facility. Coffee and food is always bang on and makes me return for more. A cheese scone always follows me back home for devouring later. It is definitely a place worth checking out.

My new favourite cafe in Browns Bay. Love it! Great food choices, cabinet food looks good too. Friendly staff, nice vibe. A reason to make the trip in to BB.

Not a regular visitor to the browns bay area, happened upon this place. Everything in the cabinet looked great and very reasonable prices for quantity. Really nice atmosphere. And tasted fantastic. Will be back for sure.

Absolutely beautiful!!! Such a lovely atmosphere, friendly staff, quick service and AMAZING food! I had the eggs benedict with salmon and an iced chocolate and I can say that hands down it’s the best in browns bay and maybe even the whole of the east coast bays area! Will be coming back here all the time!