New Zealand Herald

Reviews for Crave Cafe

by margaret
25th April 2013

Vietnamese mussel fritters to die for,fast service
. Coffee great and service with a smile

by Louise T.
12th March 2013

Yum yum yum! Great local cafe! Food and coffee is to die for! The big brekkie is huge with crispy bacon and even black pudding if you want it! Their banana smoothie is delicious and staff are happy and keen to help.

by Kenneth S.
5th February 2013

We’ve been regulars at Crave since we moved into the area 18 months ago.
I’ve tried coffee all over Auckland, all over NZ and all over the World and I’m telling you, Paul makes the best.
Tim is great and their main Chef does superb Creamy Mushrooms.
Here`s why these guys lead the way:
the other day three of us ordered meals that had Mushrooms, service was unusually slow (new kids on duty) then Tim came up and apologised for the delay and explained that they had absolutely ran out of Mushrooms.
rather than be unreasonable we settled for his alternative offerings which were promptly delivered.
Then we were pleasantly surprised to be offered free Coffees and free Reward Cards for our inconvenience.
Now that is service, that is looking after customers, that is hospitality.
I pray these guys stay at Crave and long may the business run-well done guys!!

by Charles C.
15th November 2012

I have been coming to Crave for business meetings for a while now and have never written a review before but I think this place deserves one. The food is always good , well cooked and servings are plentiful and the service is great , sometimes i can barely blink and the food is on the table, considering I have been to many other restaurants and cafes which seem to sometimes have twice as much staff both in the kitchen and out in the restaurant area ,the speed of service is quite impressive considering how busy this place is becoming during the weekends. Now for the coffee…all i can say is these guys have it nailed the presentation is outstanding and the coffee art is top of the line and i just love the style of this place . This place is in the most unlikely of locations but seems to have a constant flow of similar faces who just keep on coming back for more. I’m usually not one to quote others but in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger…..I’ll be back….

by Susie M.
22nd September 2012

Ate at Crave today for the first time. The calamari was delicious and my banana smoothy was yum. I have been here for coffee lots and I usually eat out of the cabinet but now I am looking forward to trying the rest of the menu. Also great vibe everybody is smiling and laughing including the staff, it’s nice to feel welcome and not rushed in and out, go crave.

by Shelley
19th September 2012

Ate there today what a find- perfect coffee and had the full crave brekkie. Eggs, mushrooms and bacon were to die for.Service was fast and friendly and the art was great. It had a real laid back atmosphere that i didn’t really want to disappear back to work. Great community initiative I am a local from Kingsland and will definitely be going back to support.

by Dan H.
13th August 2012

Crave home/function catering services

We recently contracted Crave to cater for a 60th with 50 or so guests at the MTG RM. Working to a fixed budget the Crave team brought the food and cooked it in our kitchen. This meant the food was fresh, which as most dishes were hot or warm made a huge difference. We actually weren’t expecting this until a few days prior to the event so it was great bonus. It generally added to the fun of the event too, and meant hosts were not required to be worrying about food preparation, and could just enjoy the event.

The guys and gal we easy company and gratefully used what we had by way of catering equipment, and bringing their own essentials. Working well as a team they prepared food in a timely manner (important for all functions), and served it well. Menu selection was very good, drawing much praise, and quantities were spot on, with about 10% extra than needed at serve time meaning we had extra for the end of the evening, ideal. They even tidied the aftermath.

This is a new concept for catering these types of events, and we will be promoting and recommending this to future clients that use our venue.

Overall very professional and impressive.

by Adam M.
4th August 2012

The Crave Review.

I was checking my mail and came across a five-word request to write a review for Crave Café. Yes, I replied. That sums up the background.

I am actually excited about it. I am not a reviewer and have no idea about the do’s and don’ts of reviews, so I have complete freedom to do what I am not supposed to.
I also have no idea who it is for, and deliberately have not asked so I am not influenced by the information.

I was probably asked because I am a regular at Crave. I think it is fair to say that I have become a friend of the owners and staff by being a regular. Perhaps you are now thinking, “they got a friend to write this and consequently it has little value“ but there are undertones of what came first, the chicken or egg thing here.

So why am I a regular. The food and coffee? No.

I can get great food and coffee at any number of places around Auckland. I will say that the food and coffee are excellent, but this has already been said by professional reviewers who know what they are talking about.

I love the décor and the art that is discreetly exhibited here, and the ever-expanding collection of beverage paraphernalia, but that is not the reason I am a regular either.

It is the people.

I think all cafes have their flavor of people, the cool people and the beautiful people. Crave has good people. That is not to say that they are not cool or beautiful. I think it fair to say many of them are, but thankfully they have the manners to be discreet about it. Primarily they are good people.

The Staff come here on their days off which say a lot to me, and Crave have attracted the best staff I have ever met.

Crave make a real effort in the local community, and they make a real effort to help other people. The Crave ethos is very community based.

It seems to me that in this modern fast paced society we live in, many people have forgotten that there is a lot of peace and happiness to be found in helping others, taking an interest in other people, learning from them and teaching them when possible. Crave was set up by people who had not forgotten this simple fact, and it is at the core of all that happens at Crave.

I will not go into great detail about the community events they initiate, the functions they have and groups of people that gather here.

I don’t get involved in activities much myself as I am a bit of a hermit by nature, but over time I have gained an understanding of what is going on behind the scenes at Crave.
The crew here keeps it pretty quiet that they strive to be saintly, and I feel it would be infringing on their privacy for me to say too much.

However, when the owners and staff are asked what they are up to, they are happy to go into detail. They do not try to push things on people and I do not feel any need to myself, aside from saying Crave is full of great people doing good things in the community. I feel privileged to be able to support them.

Adam Muir.

by Nikki
31st July 2012

My husband and I visit Crave regularly. The food is great and the coffee is the best in Auckland. I love the relaxed industrial styled atmosphere and friendly attentive staff. Keep up the good work.

by Katrina W.
17th July 2012

I stumbled upon this cafe when out doing some business errands and called to get a takeaway coffee.
I was lured into getting a giant cookie as well because they looked so yummy.
Best soy mocca I have had in ages and a giant choc-oat cookie that puts all other cookies to shame. So… big I could hardly finish it and so yummy that I finished it anyway…
Recommended! I liked the industrial-inspired decor too.

by Sophie
14th July 2012

Had a function at Crave. The food was wonderful, and just kept coming for our 50 guests. Our chef Andy had great ideas and everything was delicious and plentiful. Fantastic friendly service from Jim, Letitia and Tim. Lovely venue and great coffees.

by Sunil
17th May 2012

excellent coffee – i drop in here whenever i can get a park and its usually mid afternoon. Lately the coffee has got even better with a new brand they switched to. Real coffee taste and I now understand what crave is all about. Would be a 5 star but only 1 staff person in off peak times who has to make coffee as well as serve customers so if you luck out and there are other customers in front of you it can take a while

by Jason F.
24th February 2012

I have been frequenting Crave for some time now. The coffee is perfect and very consistent, even on busy days when you can see the barista is under a lot of pressure he still manages to whip up a good coffee. I have noticed a new chef on craves team and some menu changes for the better. Overall crave is a totally awesome experience and i will continue to stop in as much as i can.

by Gemma K.
1st September 2011

Crave cafe is one of my favourite places to visit in Kingsland. I find the staff warm and welcoming, the food delicious at a very reasonable price and the interior decor quite charming. I also love how they exhibit various works of different artists in the area. Makes for an interesting and pleasant coffee stop for sure!!

by Gillian
20th August 2011

I spent the morning at Crave on Friday catching up with friends. It is great to visit a cafe and not feel ‘chased out’ even if you spend 3 hours there! Great breakfast, helpful staff and wonderful that it caters for gluten free and always has soy milk. Thanks

by Hannah C.
19th August 2011

I have been frequenting this cafe since it first opened a couple of years ago. I have never had a bad hot drink and their potato cakes are to die for! My menu favorite is the BLT, and I would recommend this place to anyone

by Brad
8th August 2011

Its not very often you find a café that has style, and serves mint food that actually fills you up and that doesn’t cost the world. I ordered the full Crave, and was stoked with the mushrooms and the little tasty kransky sausages. I’ve been to Crave for brunch 3-4 times now, and will definitely be returning!

by Patrick D.
4th August 2011

I love a good salad and these guys have four or five really good ones. The roasted bean salad has a kafir lime dressing and is perfect for a winter lunch. The scrambled eggs with salmon has a bit of cream cheese tossed in which is outstanding. They specialize on coffee as well (cuppings and all) and have the best hang out / work space (free wifi) I can find in this area (Kingsland / Mt Eden).

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