The Best Cafes In Ponsonby Right Now
Manis Bakery And Cafe
38 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
Manis Bakery And Cafe has your back if you're in the mood for a cup of coffee and a croissant (filled with cream cheese and Biscoff, perhaps?). This cute patisserie fusing French and Indonesian influences ('manis' means sweet in Indonesian) is making its mark.
And it's all thanks to their gorgeous line-up of pastries and other goodies, which (in addition to the aforementioned croissant) have been known to include Portugese tarts, coffee buns, and crème brûlée doughnuts. Woof.
Orphan's Kitchen
118 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
Any New Zealand restaurant that proclaims itself home to naughty wine is alright in our books, but Ponsonby's Orphans Kitchen has much more to offer than a really, really good wine cellar.
Seasonal share plates that manage to be both high-end and unpretentious are made to be enjoyed in the casual, homey restaurant.
Sol's Place
121 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Image credit: Sol's Place | Facebook
We're suckers for an eggs benny and Sol's version is so good, it's earned them the title of one of Ponsonby's best cafes (just look at that pic, for crying out loud. That's house-smoked salmon, people!).
However, determined not to be pigeonholed by one delicious dish alone, these guys are also slinging the likes of corn fritters and wagyu mince on toast, with a side of cosy surrounds. Did we mention that they also have a cute courtyard to kick back in (another thing we're absolute suckers for)?
Dizengoff
256 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Few Ponsonby cafes have stood the test of time like Dizengoff. This spot has earned a cult following since springing onto the scene almost three decades ago, and here's why: it has great food, great service, and is open almost every day of the goddam year (364, to be precise).
Whether it's a coffee and a treat to-go, or a leisurely brunch with coffees plural (anything featuring their famous mushrooms is always a good time), Dizengoff will never let you down. Rumour has it that Queen Bey even dined here once with Jay Z—if it's good enough for royalty, it's good enough for us.
Dedwood Deli
2/106 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
Image credit: Dedwood Deli | Supplied
Let's be honest, sandwiches can get a bit of a bad rap—unless they're from Dedwood Deli, that is. These guys are changing the sarnie game, big-time with their mouthwatering selection of hot sammies stuffed with fillings like chipotle chicken, BBQ beef brisket, Korean pork belly, and steak chimichurri.
However it's their veggie option with Portobello mushrooms and not one, but three different types of cheese (blue, cream, and parmesan) that has us drooling the most. We like to finish our feed with one of Dedwood's refreshing smoothies, or perhaps a cheeky coffee.
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Parade
252 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Image credit: Parade | Instagram
Originally planned as a pop-up, Parade proved so popular that the owners (who also run Mutual Friends in Newmarket) decided to make things permanent. The secret to Parade's success?
Some of Auckland's best burgers, stuffed with the likes of smashed Wagyu beef patties and free-range buttermilk fried chicken thigh, served on pretzel-style buns made from a unique classic dough/American pretzel dough hybrid that took eight months to perfect. Wash it all down with some punchy cocktails by the jug.
Little Bird Kitchen
Summer Street & Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Little Bird Kitchen was one of the first places—if not, the first—to introduce us to the joys of 'unbaked' or 'raw' treats. We've never felt as good about stuffing our faces with sweets as we do when dining here because guess what? All of their treats are dairy, gluten, and refined-sugar-free.
However, it's not all about cakes and doughnuts—Little Bird Kitchen also does a solid menu of brunch and lunch dishes (think kumara hotcakes, and mushroom and cheese sourdough toasties), along with some seriously healthy smoothies.
Duck Island Ice Cream
1/182 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Image credit: Duck Island Ice Cream | Urban List Jaiden Bhaga
Nobody does ice cream quite like Duck Island, whose pastel pink store on Ponsonby Road is an absolute delight. Ooh and aah over their Wonka-like selection of icy confections, many of which also happen to be vegan and dairy-free.
Their fairy bread and lolly cake creations are hard to beat, but if you really want to challenge your taste buds, they have something for that too (black sticky rice, we're looking at you). On a sunny day, you can't beat sitting beneath their outdoor umbrellas with your fave scoop.
Miann
Ponsonby Central, 136 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
Miann is hands-down one of Ponsonby's sweetest spots, boasting a line-up of dreamy cakes, pastries and gelato—along with some seriously insane seasonal treats (they once did a chocolate train for Easter, no biggie).
After stuffing your face with said goodies, logic says that you should probably grab a few more to take home (we recommend their Dulce de Leche Caramelised White Chocolate Drinking Chocolate Mix, which will help you replicate one of Auckland's best hot choccies from the comfort of your own kitchen).
Daily Bread
108 Ponsonby Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland
Image credit: Daily Bread | Instagram
With a tonne of accolades to their name, we'd be mad not to include Daily Bread's Ponsonby branch on a list of Ponsonby's best cafes.
Swing by and get your fill of all the usual DB suspects (buttery pastries, gourmet pies, delicious doughnuts and of course, freshly baked bread) and don't forget a cup of coffee, which always hits the spot.
If you plump for only one thing, make it their cardamom morning bun aka the perfect combo of sugar, spice, and all things nice.
Little & Friday
232 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
We were over the moon when we learned that Little & Friday would be bringing their insanely delicious (and altogether superior) brand of baking to Ponsonby.
Whether it's their gorgeous single-serve cakes, gourmet pies or next-level doughnuts—we could visit this spot a hundred times over, and never get sick of it. Their lemon and coconut cake is still a firm favourite of ours, despite it being more than a decade since we first tried it at their flagship cafe in Belmont.
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Main image credit: Manis Bakery | Instagram