New Zealand Herald

Reviews for The Block Cafe

by Sophia B.
8th May 2013

Finally a cafe with atmosphere! Excellent build design. Love the indoor/outdoor options. Not only a great feel but great staff also. Especially impressed when I returned after my first visit to have the manager remember I prefered Gluten free options. This cafe will go the distance and deservedly become an icon in the West! oh and the coffee and food is YUMMY (love the Mushies).

by Carol H.
6th May 2013

Enjoyed lunch with a friend at this cafe Sunday, 5th May. Excellant, large flat white coffee was delivered promptly, followed shortly after by eggs benedict with bacon which was cooked perfectly. Staff were friendly and professional. Sat outside on the verandah – great place to sit and talk. Cafe was busy and had a great atmosphere. Brunch menu or lunch menu to choose from. I would definately return to this cafe.

by Jan B.
29th April 2013

We have only been to The Block once and unfortunately it probably will be the last – at least for food. It was a Sunday and not extremely busy. Having to order and PAY already at the counter was a bit annoying but once we sat down we were comfortable and we enjoyed the decor and the ambiance. The side of onion rings came out first and they were quite nice. But then the mains came out: trio of sliders and “Tempura Prawns”. The trio of sliders was simply shocking: tiny pieces of overcooked meat and fish on very plain tiny stale buns; visually there was some sort of sauce on these sliders but the amount was so little it did not help against the dry taste… $18 we paid for this…..suddenly Burger King went up in my ranking…
The “Tempura Prawns” were even worse than the sliders. What we got on our plate were big fried balls of vermicelli or something like that with a small shrimp inside, not Tempura at all; they should look up what Tempura is before putting it on the menu. To make matters worse it tasted disgusting: it was not crispy, the shrimp inside was rubbery and it was so oily that the oil had come out onto the plate and mixed into the salad underneath…. gut wrenching!
We were very disappointed and handed our plates polity back to the kitchen staff and told them we were not impressed, we felt like complaining to the manager but we didn’t end up doing this as it was quite busy and we already paid…

They should change to table service and settling the bill afterwards or just serve bar snacks only.

That Sunday we ended up going to Subway to get something decent to eat…

I truly hope this place will get its act together and improve the food, everything else is pretty good.

by tania
13th April 2013

Stuff the coffee – fab to have a good cafe to got to and enjoy a glass of wine!. Great outdoor venue and extremely dog friendly. It’s just great to be able to walk up the road and have a good meal evening rather than having to go into town.

Service needs a little work, but then once can say the same about just about every restaurant in Auckland!

Look forward to going again for dinner tonight!

by Adrian L.
13th April 2013

Ordered a coffee with our food and after about 20 minutes had to remind waitress. Then had to wait another 5-10 minutes for it. Was offered a refund which was good but damage was done really. Not good service.

by Fiona C.
9th April 2013

We have been to The Block a number of times for their breakfasts and were excited to see that they are now open for dinner.
We wandered in and were offered a table inside or out, we chose to sit outside, the service was just right, really attentive and professional.
The drinks (a great range) arrived quickly and the platter for 2 was delicious, staff were friendly with a clear knowledge of their menu, this was really noticeable when our waiter bought out our taster platter and described each tasting individually.
A really lovely atmosphere and great to have the table service so you can sit back and relax. It the little things that count and its always good when you order ‘same again’ on the drinks and they know what you were drinking!
The Bay has been waiting for a place like this and we will be fully supporting The Block – food is imaginative and yummy, with lovely service.
From our experience tonight we will definitely be back and will have dessert next time.

by Wendy P.
30th March 2013

Poor service will prevent me from eating here again. It took 45 minutes for our coffees to arrive and that was after reminding them. There were a lot of staff working. We had a breakfast which was nice, but on the small size, coffee nice (when arrived) and nice surroundings but considering it was moderately busy it was unacceptable to wait that long for coffees. There are other cafes that provide the same meals and better service.

by lara w.
25th March 2013

Wow what a fantastic addition to Blockhouse Bay which was pretty much lacking in a decent cafe. Have visited a couple of times. Coffee was excellent and food was lovely. Their caramel slice what pretty special too. I visited their second week after opening, and staff were still finding their feet and seemed a bit overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of customers, so things were slower, however they’ve settled in now and things are running smoother. I do recommend a visit. If crowds of customers are not your thing, this may not be the spot for you, but if you like a busy buzzy cafe and good food and coffee you’ll be well looked after.

by Jamie Y.
17th March 2013

First time at The Block today, 10:30 Sunday Brunch. Good selection on the menu, had the Wild mushrooms which were delicious, would definitely have again. Was busy when we arrived (first rainy day in a long time so an inside table was prime real estate) but meals arrived very quickly after ordering and staff was friendly. I want the French toast next time.

by Chris
16th March 2013

I’ve been to The Block twice, first time with the kids and back today with the husband for brunch. I don’t like having to order at the counter, it’s a crowded dark area and they don’t seem to give you a menu while you wait, so once your at the counter I felt rushed to make a decision.

The first visit was after 1pm so there wasn’t much on offer from the cabinet. My biggest disappointment with this cafe is the lack of cakes/sweets. They just don’t look inviting and they need to hire a proper pastry chef as I wouldn’t come here for a cake & coffee stop (which I like to do several times a week!).

Today for brunch I had the trio of sliders. Very ordinary and very expensive for what they are. Tiny bit of meat, slice of lettuce & some relish/sauce for $18! Hubby had the Wild Mushrooms which he LOVED. Coffee was good. Hand cut chips are fab!! Kids ‘fluffys’ are too cute!

Overall I think my 2 visits here (while they weren’t bad) just wouldn’t get me to return.

by Sam
14th March 2013

The only person with a smile and the right attitude was the barista. I am sorry, but I thought cafe was a ‘service’ business. No drinking water at hand. Had to ask for water a few times which seemd to have annoyed the ‘important looking’ waiter. Not for me thanks. I am spoilt for choice in Titirangi.

by Pauline B.
2nd March 2013

Came here 9am Saturday for breakfast and it was already busy. Not keen on ordering and paying at the counter idea, as once you have selected your table and sat down to relax and read the menu, it’s a case of picking your bags up and joining the queue and hoping there is still a free table. The coffee is VERY good. My mince on toast was a generous portion, lean and tasty, no gristle bits and not bulked out with vegetables. My friend’s scrambled eggs looked more like shredded eggs and were declared OK, but what else can you say about scrambled eggs anyway ???? I would be happy to come back here and could recommend it.

by Chris B.
2nd February 2013

Had lunch at The Block – really like the outdoor area – ordered a small Caesar Salad, very disappointed – it was served on a bread and butter plate, consisted of a few small lettuce leaves dusted with cheese and half a boiled egg on top – very, very tiny meal for $9.00. Would definitely expect better.

by Raewyn R.
1st February 2013

Went for an early lunch on 31 Jan. Fantastic decor and love the decks outside. No road signage though and quite hard to find. No table service which was ok as we were there at 11.30 for lunch but as the cafe filled up the queues were quite long at the counter. Ordered the steak fries and egg which was good (agree with previous reviewer lots of eggs on menu) and the trio of sliders. The sliders were very cute. The fish and chicken ones were fine but the beef one not so much. The steak was blue and therefore very difficult to eat. Upon advising the staff, the chef’s response was “its supposed to be like that”! I dont think so. Put it on the menu if that’s how you want to serve it. Not sure if mine was cooked a little more or a new one was delivered but the replacement was tender and edible! Finished off with great coffee and an average ginger gem (not really a gem tho). On the whole a great new cafe with young inexperienced staff but I am sure they will improve with age!

by Liz S.
23rd January 2013

Lunch at the The Block for the first time today. Very very busy so thought we would have a long wait but didn’t. Excellent coffee which is high praise from me!! Food was great, Fish and Chips for me and a Baguette for my better half. Could not fault the service even though they were busy.
Lovely space, great decor. Can’t wait for them to open in the evening.
Liz St George

by Jo
22nd January 2013

Loving the look of this open and airy cafe, great for the area. I think for a busy cafe you really need table service. We order two meals and one was forgotten, we had to go back to the till and ask however we did get a refund for the meal. good stuff:-) I had asparagus, salmon w poached eggs and honey mustard dressing. The muffin and egg was good, but the dressing was very over powering The staff were friendly but the floor staff were young, lacked experience and charm. All in all a better than average cafe, but still lots to do front of house.

by Reena S.
17th January 2013

Nearly 2 weeks since opening. Really enjoy the freshness and look of the place. A real step up for the Bay. Just love the coffee – being a straight long black drinker it hits the spot. Food is great and with a variation of flavours. Sometimes its not about quantity – love my “Truckers Breakfast” like most blokes but the Block Big Breakfast is more about taste and less tomato sauce and I rate it on taste alone. Yeah service is a bit slow but great to see a young fresh crew on deck getting to grips with the pace of the place. I am happy to cut them some slack – its new and its busy. After 13 days of business I say great and potential to light up the west. Its a Yes from me.

by Liang W.
15th January 2013

Worth a mention, you guys should really back yourselves, MenuMania and sites like it are here for customers to write reviews so you can improve.
It’s not really for your own staff to give yourselves 5 stars as this creates a false outlook on your cafe……
I have dined at your cafe, food was nice, but cant say the coffee was any good at all…
I also dine at other cafes in the area and must say you have some improvement to do….
I hope you guys do well as there is room for 3 good cafes in the Bay, just do it the right way, and earn your reputation, don’t expect it.

by peckhamco
14th January 2013

We have been to the block twice now service a little slow but my hash cake was good. The confit duck was a bit tough with small bits of bone
No children’s menu either but they have colouring stuff for kids if requested. Good menu will try other dishes but nearly all breakfast items have eggs. Will have to work harder at making meals a consistent size as 2 of our group ordered the same dish and one came out massive the other one small.

by Lee S.
14th January 2013

I really hope this place gets their act together – because it’s an awesome spot and the decor is great and the food was lovely.

But the service delivery was not good.

Ordering at the counter didn’t work – it took 15mins to put in our order. And then the wait staff looked lost delivering the food to tables and often did laps carrying a single drink…. then to come out a minute later with another single drink…. looking lost again…. and delivering it to the table they’d only just been to! Was quite amusing but there’s huge room for improvement.

A menu on the table would have helped as well – because we had to queue to get that as well. And same for the salt and pepper.

I really hope things pick up because we are really keen to try dinner (when they get their licence)

by Julia D.
13th January 2013

I have been here three times. First time my coffee took 25 mins to be made the second time, my friend did not like the hot chocolate, too much milk.

the third time was today. The food was OK but my friend queried about pepper on her eggs and the waitress was a little rude and when she brought it back the eggs were broken. My butty I was not expecting a hamburger bun so felt the meal was overpriced. Also they had forgotten my daughters smoothie. But did make it and she enjoyed it.

Nice decor and the most of the staff were pleasant.

I might try it again. But my friends would not.

by Angela M.
12th January 2013

Had lunch at The Block today. I found the experience pleasant enough (love the decor) and the staff very attentive. The menu offers some good options, it was hard to choose from such a great selection. Although I was a little underwhelmed with my meal today, we fully intend to try again for dinner once the license issue is sorted. Other meals ordered by my lunch companions looked good though, so perhaps it was just what I ordered. Good luck with the business venture. It’s always good to see new businesses in the bay.

by Jason R.
10th January 2013

After many years of really average cafe’s in the BHB region it has been great to see The Block turn up and lift the bar for the community.
My first time was on opening day and to be fair they were so busy it was a longish wait for the coffee and initially there was an order mix up. However the wait in the sun outside (which is rare for a cafe like this) was worth it with good coffee and even better home baked style food.
Great staff: pleasant, helpful and attentive
My second visit was on the way to work for a quick on the road coffee which was delivered promptly and was as good as I have had in many high end places. So thumbs up The Block – welcome to BHB!

by Steve S.
10th January 2013

Have been looking forward to The Block opening in Blockhouse Bay and went there for the first time today, would rate it as just okay.

All the breakfast items sounded tasty on the menu but were a little disappointing when they arrived. Serving sizes pretty small and quality nothing flash relative to the price.

I had The Block big breakfast and it wasn’t really what I would call “big”, It came with just one egg, 1 x cherry sized tomato, 1 x mushroom, about 2 tablespoons of baked beans, a soggy hash-brown and a couple strips of bacon, the menu also said that it came with a Cumberland sausage but it looked and tasted more like your average pork sausage from the local Countdown! Didn’t really think it was worth $19.50.

Will probably try it again in a couple of weeks and hopefully things have improved.

by Peter T.
9th January 2013

Well funny how some people get a different experience on the same day I went. I have been to The Block 4 days in a row and eaten breaky at each visit. Fabulous tucker. Staff are very friendly. Yeah I had to wait a couple of minutes to order on Day 1 and 2 (opening days)..but it was no big deal. When something is popular well a lot of people go.
Good to see the other 2 cafes in the bay still operating at full capacity. I would say The Block has bought a new crowd into the bay, or maybe some of the locals are staying in the bay to try The Block. Definitely a new crowd f customers.
The Plate sized Hash Brown was delish, and filling. As a big fat bugger I didn’t need to eat until dinner (breaky at 8am).

As for the chap called John who posted earlier, well mate you cant please all the people all the time. If you do like it don’t come back. I’ve got a sneaky suspicion that John is the manager of the one of the other cafes, probably the Big one that shall remain nameless.

by Sarah L.
9th January 2013

Been here a couple of times in the last few days – initially some issues with payment, but they have all been resolved – food is tasty, service friendly, great layout and the renovation is fantastic. Glad that there is somewhere is BHB that is serving restaurant quality food – the other cafes may indeed struggle as this seems to be the new place to be in the Bay! Only improvement could be the taking of orders – there does seem to be a bit of a hold up at the till when wanting to order food… probably just due to the popularity! Maybe taking orders at the tables and paying at the end might speed things up? Otherwise fab, definitely planning on coming back regularly.

by Kim N.
9th January 2013

Went to The Block on the weekend it was fabulous! The best cafe out West by far. My coffee was excellent, really friendly staff and my meal was very tasty. Recommend the big breakfast. Love the outdoor area, great spot to sit and relax on an afternoon.

by John S.
8th January 2013

Went to this new cafe which recently opened in Blockhouse Bay.
The coffee hit the spot and the service was excellent. Sat on the deck and it was delightful maybe could get cold if a wind blowing but hey you can go inside.
Would recommend to others. I will be making it my regular cafe and long may it last

by Rose V.
7th January 2013

Sorry, guys, really didn’t enjoy our visit today- how difficult is it to cook good hand cut fries? Those served up were underdone and didn’t work at all – neither did the hot chocolate! Outdoor area is a bit of a wind tunnel and indoors needs to be better lit. Hope you get it right!

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