Auckland Art Gallery Cafe

Food

A good selection of menu and counter food. We went with some Turkish bread stuffed with roasted vegetables (including red peppers, artichoke hearts and feta) which were probably some of the best toasted sandwiches I’ve had. They weren’t really pides as stated on the bill, but they were quite stunning. The baby cakes were all quite bland, with the lemon cake being particularly dry and dull… and VERY expensive ($6.50 each!).

Drinks

Some good coffees in some really rather cute red and white cups.

Vibe

Strange really, as the café feels a bit gloomy and kind of squashed into a corner. The balcony area will be stunning when there’s sun, but inside it feels cramped and a bit dull. I’m not a big fan of the thin counter area at Auckland Art Gallery café, which automatically means queues and customer gridlock!

Service

Rushed and more than a bit off-hand. I understand that there were more than a few people in the café, but I felt like we were in a canteen line with trays. I almost expected the person behind the counter to have a hairnet and shout ‘NEXT!’. The lovely lady at the cashier somewhat made up for it.

Highlights

The aforementioned toasted sandwiches, as well as the lovely balcony which in summer is going to be glorious

The Bottom Line

For a place that’s nestled in what has to be one of the great renovations in Auckland’s history the Auckland Art Gallery café feels like a bit of an afterthought. Fixing the patchy service and the eye-watering prices could definitely help perk up what at this stage is an average café in above average surroundings.

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