Review French Rendez-vous - Takapuna

Didn’t know what to expect as I am not a French food expert. I would say the food we had was fantastic and definitely left me a great impression. The location was stunning and the view was relaxing. Great for families.

The view is great, but needs to choose a sunny day to go. Food tastes Ok, it’s worth a try.

Lovely lovely lovely The food were amazing, desert were yum cozy and warm feeling. Great view and kid’s friendly too. Loved it and would sure go again. Their brunch menus is classic menu although served on a crepe type of base which made is super. Light and feeling and delicious. Booking is easy online. Very great staff, order came very fast and all together although we were around 12 people. Tick all the boxes for me.ttxx

Lovely location next to the lake. Happy with service and quality of food. Really delicious honey lemon and ginger tea! Ordered prawn fritters. Nicely cooked and the prawns were a great size. Not really what I would consider a fritter to be, they were like battered deep fried prawns. Were nice just not what I was expecting. Really nice crepes.

Everything in your plate is homemade: the ice-creams, the sorbets, the sauces, the chutneys, the ravioli, etc. all made from scratch with bare ingredients. The quality is just unlike anything you will find in Auckland. The chef is a perfectionist, highly skilled, and works with an excellent team. And the lake view atmosphere is just so serene. Best French restaurant in town, from a French girl ;)

An absolute hidden gem right by the lake! Friendly staff and chef makes you feel right at home! Food was absolutely on point, very delicious! One of the few restaurants I would give a 5 star rating - a pleasure to dine here!

Absolutely divine dining! Came here for the first time and the food was absolutely amazing! Staff was super friendly and attentive. Had the duck gnocchi as an entree, Perigourdine gallette for main and crepe for dessert. The flavors were just perfect and will totally recommend this place to friends now 😋 Definitely coming back!!!

One of the best restaurants in Auckland. Extremely underrated. I dine out a lot and can tell you this restaurant far exceeded our expectations. The quality of the meals is fine dining level, but at very affordable price. The location is romantic, private and by the water. A true hidden gem. The people who have complained in the reviews know absolutely nothing about French cuisine and should feel embarrassed to call a Galette a pancake. I will be recommending this place to everyone I know!

Had a really nice time as a large group. The staff were very helpful with the booking process and serving us on the day. Also, we really appreciate what the staff did to help us with a birthday cake. Will surely dine here again.

I have been there many time, and strong recommendations for food and coffee ☕️. Nice place to relax with friends , good food and quick serve as well..thankyouu

We went on a Wednesday for a Truffle 3 course special, the experience was fantastic, the food was delicious and the chef came itself to grate the truffle on the main. Great attention from the waitress. I totally recommend this place!

Wonderful welcome, relaxed atmosphere and attentive staff. The food is of high quality, tasty and well presented. All in all a lovely dining experience. An added bonus of a good view over the lake and fantastic value for money

The French toast is good, but it is missing the bacon.

Lovely location on the lakeside. Spacious comfortable restaurant with French flair. Great selection of crepes. Fast and friendly service. Our crepes were brought to the table so quickly we were amazed!

Really nice place to have a meal! The service is fast, so you don't wait for long. The taste of food is good. Not much variety of sweets on the shelves for display though.

Lovely view, nice breeze from lake as we sit outdoor on a sunny afternoon; Not usually a duck fan but really enjoyed the duck gnocchi; Galette was an interesting experience; planning to be back to try other items on the menu

Honestly the best French food I ever had. Everything was fresh and the service was grate our waitresses was so friendly and honestly knew what she did.. I would go eat there again

Not so busy on a Thursday afternoon. <br/>Didn’t come here food because we already had lunch, but had dessert and coffee.<br/><br/>Prunes Far was soooo nice !! That’s a 12/10. The caramel toffee sauce on top was amazeballs. <br/><br/>Ambience is very nice and cozy, and the staff are very friendly.<br/><br/>

Three old friends met for lunch on a mid week Winters day. Parking virtually outside door. Cafe was warm to walk into with both ambience & service. Varied menu, lovely food and generous portions. Lovely quiet setting with nice view over Lake Pupuke. Service was brilliant - Thank you

Can on a Sunday lunch and had the boeuf bourguignon which was very good. Nice rich broth with juicy beef. Also went back for the truffle set menu dinner on Wednesday and was great value for money. Big portions. Tasty food.

A small french place beside lake pupuke. Very nice place to relax on a sunny day. Nice food, lots of choices. Reasonable priced. If you are looking for a cosy cafe with lots of yummy food plus beautiful view. Here is your perfect choice.

A great place that too many people forget about... <br/>It's located by a beautiful lake, only few minutes from Takapuna center, in a beautiful and peaceful environnement.<br/>The place itself is great and the food is delicious!<br/>Nice and friendly owner and waitress.<br/>You must try it! We highly recommend it!

What isn't there to love about this cafe?<br/>The location; it is on Lake Pupuke; great for kids to wander around the grass, look at the swans & ducks.<br/>There is outdoor seating & with the Northfacing location these outside tablea are in the sun.<br/>The decor inside is simple cafe furnishings, however don't be put off as the food & service is fabulous!<br/>I cross the bridge for their Beef Boulingnon. They have deliscious, simple french cabinet food & on a very recent visit I had the Goats cheese & poached pear salad with whitloof & caramelised onion from the menu and it was superb!<br/>The Coffe came nice and hot and rhe service is very friendly, light and attentive.<br/>I find the food here is memorable and I believe is probably the best in the area.<br/>Highly recommend a visit for lunch or dinner.

The reason why I come here is because the view of the lake here is amazing. Unfortunately the service here is terrible and bringing this place down - two of the small waitresses that work there (one of them is new) aren't friendly and almost mean and never smile - i find this every time i come here. Really ruins the experience of this beautiful lake.

Great view of the lake and very nice cabinet food. There was some live piano music when I went, which made for a pleasant atmosphere, especially as I was sitting outside. Menu items looked quite interesting so will definitely go back, preferably on a sunny day, sit back, relax and enjoy some nice food.

Even on a drizzly, overcast day this was a picturesque spot for a weekday lunch with the parents. There's loads of free parking in The Pumphouse carpark, including two mobility spots. The verandah at the front is so big that we chose to sit outside and were perfectly sheltered from the rain. <br/><br/>They have a nice little lunch menu but go and have a look at the cabinet before you order because they also have a gorgeous range of cabinet food, including some stupendous looking French patisserie items. If I hadn't been so full after lunch I would've bought some to take home.<br/><br/>It's a French cafe so don't expect the usual suspects on the breakfast/lunch menu. Mum had the chocolate and banana crepe, Dad had the ham, cheese and egg galette and I had the butter-roasted tarakihi. My fish was perfectly cooked and there was a huge amount of it. I'm pretty sure there were 3 fillets on the plate. The fish came with garlic potatoes and mushrooms, a salad, and a wee roll with a whole packet of butter. It was great value at $25 and very, very tasty. The only thing I disliked was the lemon cream sauce because I found it too sweet. If my parents hadn't been shouting lunch I would've said something to the server; not as a complaint, rather as an opinion. My parents really enjoyed their meals as well. The galettes and crepes are really filling. Please note that this is French fare so there is lots of cream, cheese, eggs, ham, butter, yum yum yum. Not a speck of granola to be found here!<br/><br/>The service was fast, friendly and enthusiastic. My only issue was when the server came out to check on how the meals were, it was so soon after bringing out the food that we hadn't had time to have a mouthful.<br/><br/>The prices are very reasonable, even more so with the Entertainment Book. This is the place to come if you want somewhere a bit different for lunch, with easy parking, in a pretty spot that feels like you're not in Auckland.<br/><br/>Bum, I forgot to take photos again...<br/><br/><br/>

This place is well hidden in a beautiful spot by the pump house theatre. So we had to really look for it after parking the car. We reached there before 2pm on a Saturday afternoon. Thats sort of peak lunch time on a sunny day. We get told that the kitchen was closed due to the rush and could not serve any mains. That was very dissapointing indeed. However, they were able to serve some really nice dessert crepes and coffee. Service was good. While this time we had to go away without lunch at lunchtime, we shall return again hoping to get some lunch or dinner here sometime in the future.

food quality is amazing, ordered the celtic croque, they gave about 5 slices of smoked salmon (not just the 1-2 slices like in most cafes,) and a generous serving of good quality cheese. The salad was just rocket though, and the waiting time was a bit long, about 30 minutes. The cabinet desserts also taste really nice, as does the hot chocolate & coffee. Also nice that they have male waiters as well as female ones, not just all female serving staff like in some places.

Went here for our wedding anniversary on a Tuesday night. we had an amazing meal, excellent quality and i have no idea why some reviews on here say the service was terrible. Our serveuse was fantastic. She really made an effort to make sure we were well looked after. The location is fantastic and the chef made us feel at home. highly recommend a visit.

Amazing service great food and clean cafe. Heard great things about this place so popped in with two friends for coffee and a bite to eat from the cabinet on a Tuesday morning not long after it opened (10.15) the service from the two ladies was amazing, coffee nice and my lemon tart was superb. My two friends were very happy with their choices too. Looking forward to coming back for dinner.

Great location, especially on a sunny day, and very good service, no waiting around. The food presentation was excellent, flavors what we expected, and the waitress asked us how our meal was, which is a very good reflection of the chef. Would go again, as its especially a great meeting spot for people all over the city.

Very average French food.  The crepes are not that good either which is to my biggest surprise.  I'm not impressed with the owner's arrogance when we used an Entertainment Book voucher.  She complains that we used it all the time (but little did she know that we bought many Entertainment Books for fund-raising purposes.)  If she hates people using the vouchers, why doesn't she remove her cafe from the list next year.

I will jump to the chase the location is great and the food is fantastic and good value BUT the service is appalling, the decor is boring, the tables are dirty and they insist on leaving the cutlery in a container on the tables so you have no idea who has touched or coughed over it! The coffee is hit and miss depending on who makes it. It is such a shame as it could be one of the must go places in Takapuna.

Delicious crepes and great service. The iced coffee is not too sweet. With a beautiful lake for the background, it's a perfect weekend brunch spot.

A fantastic little cafe on the edge of  Lake Pupuke in Takapuna beside the Pumphouse.  You can drive in and park beside the cafe, and go for a stroll after beside the lake, and feed the swans.  I had a mussel quiche -which was delish, and hubby had a tuna sandwich which he enjoyed!  We had excellent coffee too, and the setting was perfect.

New Review for French Rendez-vous Cafe, Takapuna <br/>This cafe is in a beautiful location over looking the lake. The food was above average, nothing to rave about but filled a required need. The service was friendly & welcoming. The decor is sadly a bit outdated & could definitely do with a spruce up. If it was decorated with a quaint French provincial style it would certainly get more thumbs. A lovely experience by Jness.<br/><br/>Rating: 3 / 5<br/>

I came in for a nice lunch, was given appalling service was seated out side and even after asking to have my filthy table wiped twice it never happend overall the staff were rude and the owner him self seemed to busy keeping him self occupied with another female employee half his age :) this one is a NO GO people.

The service in this place was really bad. We went as a group of 8 people<br/> in the morning and even though the place didn't have a lot of people they initially refused to sit us. Once we confirmed that we wouldn't be ordering anything from the menu and grabbing things from the counter we were allowed to sit. Our orders took really long to get to us. I understand that they were short staffed but I would have expected some explanation or apology. We felt unwanted.

Love the place, their coffee and pastries. I like the coffee served in a big cup :) its a little bit pricey but worth it. The staff are nice and friendly too. Although the swans are around and some ducks but they are harmless they just want to be friends.

Our family have been to The French Rendez-vous for several lunches and morning teas.  The food is lovely and fresh.  The prices are reasonable and staff very friendly.  We also used them to cater a private function at The PumpHouse Theatre.  The food was beautifully presented and really tasty.  Phillipee is a great chef.  I would just like to see the outside of the building brightened up with some roses or lavender to give it a really  French feel.  Looking forward to going back soon for dinner.  One other thing they are always looking to put on different types of functions and 'special theme dinners' which is great to see.

Went there one week ago with a couple of friends, the food and service was amazing. Best restaurant on the North Shore and such a great spot for having our dinner. Good job guys,see you soon.

Came here today and was a little disappointed by the service. Ordered and paid straight away and when the food came out it wasn't what we asked for the waiter kind of gave an angry look and apologised then came back with another dish which wasn't what we had originally ordered either but by this point we were to hungry and couldn't be bothered kicking up a fuss. The food was good but still wasn't what we had originally ordered.

Beautiful location, complete French bistro experience...reminded me so much of France! Great value for money! Beautiful chicken liver entrée and ordered duck and chicken breast and blue cheese for main. It was "Parfait" . Good portions and very friendly French waitresses...overall an amazing experience.. I rate them 4.8 :)

Went to this cafe wanting to have coffee and dessert at around 8pm on a Thursday night. Upon arrival, we saw all three staff sitting outside on the deck, smoking and drinking. When we asked if they were still open for coffee, we were abruptly informed that the coffee machine was already closed.  From their rude attitude, it wasn't hard to imagine why an hour before closing the cafe was empty. Such a beautiful location, such a pity it's in the hands of people who are so apathetic. VERY poor service, will not ever return.

Stopped in for a coffee and snack. The unsmiling lips of the staff, if lined up, would form one straight line. Honestly guys, make your customers, old or new, feel welcome! The cabinet could have been replaced by a letterbox given the volume of food on offer. Cafes that I've dropped in to have always had a good selection of cakes, light snacks and small meals so that you cater to ALL clientele, not just those that want a special lunch. The range of cabinet food on offer was small and looked as though it should have been on life-support. The coffee was lukewarm but, as it was the last one I would buy from this cafe, I drank it anyway. Guys, you need to vastly improve on customer service, cabinet food selection and send some of your staff on a barista course if you want to build and retain custom.

We went to the restaurant on Mother's Day, it was fully booked but we managed to get a table for 6.<br/>The setting was lovely, and the food amazing !<br/>Each mum had a Special Cocktail offer and I tried the Special Chicken tenderloin with a very French style Bearnaise sauce! (Yummy!) <br/>Even though it was very busy, the service was excellent and the atmosphere vibrant. <br/>I recommend this restaurant for the lovely food, the amazing coffee and service with a nice French touch.

This cafe has one of the loveliest settings on the North Shore and I have been there several times this year. Unfortunately the standard of service lets them down. There is little choice of food to eat at lunch times and when a group arrives they seem to find it difficult to cope. They do not accept credit card payments, but recently when I wanted to pay with cash they were unable to give me change. Their lack of organisation and 'no care' attitude spoils the visit.

Have been to this cafe many times due to proximity to North Shore Bridge Club. Unfortunately, our experiences have not been good. There is very little cabinet food, and we do not wish to order from the expensive menu for a light lunch. I have had luke-warm paninis, very dry (stale?) french bread, sometimes completely overpowered with mustard and the last one was chicken and bacon with tomato sauce (Yuk!!!). French bread is served in paper bags, without even a plate. I have been many times in a large group and have never heard a good word about the food or the coffee. They need to up their game or will lose our not inconsiderable custom.

Have been to this restaurant a number of times and has always been great. <br/>Today we had their superb Boef Bouginon. We also couldn't resist an eclair in his case and a beautiful chocolate cherry mousse cake in mine. Absolutely fantastic! Service is always great as is the coffee and the setting is lovely. Will go back often!!

Kia ora,<br/><br/>This is our account of a night out on the 03/09/2013 at 6:30pm, we were part of a Birthday Party where the meal was fixed at $35 per head, we started off by paying at the moment of arrival, and for two of us we also ordered drinks one glass red wine and one glass of Coke no ice, the meal and drinks were added and the total for this as recorded by receipt was $117.00 total, we sat down at our table and did our sums and to our amazement our drinks costed $23.50 each for a glass of red wine and a glass of coke no ice, we went back to the Bar and asked for a recheck, we were given refund of $32.00 which then made our wine an coke $7.50 each.<br/>We took up our seats again to await the food, well the entree wasn't any thing too sort of yell and yahoo about, then the main course arrived and what l couldn't understand was we were never asked how our steak should be cooked, my piece was still kicking much like our friends next to us there plate went back twice for a re cook, the fish meal was cold, at this point and without accepting a coffee, all we 4 can say is that for us anyway that we would not want too return.

I come here nearly every Saturday after waka training on the lake. Their service is good, coffee good and the food is hearty....love the setting on a sunny day.

I came the night of 18 to see " Driving Miss Daisy", the restaurant was full but however the service was quick and the food was very good. I took the Beef Bourguignon and my wife took the tuna with prawns juice, very very good...<br/>Good service, good people, not expensive.

Came here tonight. A most disappointing experience. There were only 2 mains available on the menu - Beef Bourguignon and Tuna and the Tuna ran out by 6.45pm. Had the Beef Bourguignon which was luke warm at best and extremely fatty (most unhealthy). To add insult they wanted to add 3% to the bill because I wanted to pay by Visa.

Called in here for dinner before Rickie Lee Jones concert @ Bruce Mason. Lovely setting looking out across lake Pupuke, menu is basic consisting of crepes &amp; salads &amp; desserts but the food is delicious. Crepes are very tasty. My husband never orders dessert but was tempted by the homemade coffee ice cream (a ball of ice cream coated in chocolate with a dash of whipped cream). He said he would come back just for this. All up $73 for 3 courses for 2, 2 Corona's &amp; a glass of wine. Great food, friendly staff and great atmosphere. I'll definitely be back

Came here last month, it was boss's shout for my birthday. It was a windy &amp; cloudy day so although the lake view out front and the little amphitheater setting at the back were both very nice, we opted to sit inside the cafe. There were three of us and we ordered a combination of savoury crepes, salads and desserts. Everything was wonderful, tasty and very fresh. The toasted bread (brioche?) that came with my salad was a little bit burnt on one side but that was no biggie I just scraped it off. I couldn't remember the specific names of the crepes / salads we ordered, all was tasty, they had quite a selection that all sounded so delicious it was hard for us to narrow down on what we wished to order. For dessert we had this orange ice cream cake that was AMAZING!!!! I would go back again for this dessert alone. We also had this three- flavour gelato in profiteroles dessert which was also amazing. We were super full (to be honest I think I ordered &amp; ate way too much since I didn't have to pay for it lol) and the bill came to about $70 ish for three people. Very fair price for the great food, friendly staff and great atmosphere. I'll definitely be back, hopefully on a nice sunny day to take full advantage of their beautiful outdoor settings :) 5/5

Have been here quite a few times this summer and latest visit was 3.2.13. took 6 of my girl friends for breakfast. They all agreed the food was delicious, service great and very good value.<br/><br/>Hope you have a brilliant year Rendez-vous.

Good food, good attitude, nice location. What more can you ask?