Rosebank Coffee & Kitchen

The Verdict

Rosebank Coffee & Kitchen is showing Aucklanders it deserves the top spot on your must-visit café list. Cue mouth-watering French toast, charcoal lattes and doughnut towers—we’re sold.

Situated in the industrial area of Avondale, the café is an unexpected but oh-so-welcome Westside gem. It boasts modern vibes, a polished concrete floor, wooden furnishings and a marble counter. Filled with the sound of soft jazz music and the smell of brewed coffee, you’ll want to stick around for breakfast and lunch.

Visit Rosebank for breakfast and choose between the likes of an acai berry bowl or the unmissable French toast brioche with pear purée and cocoa crumble. Our top choice is the next-level bene served with gluten-free hash and chimichurri sauce.

Come lunch, you’ll find some equally delectable options. On the lighter side, opt for the colourful miso-cured salmon summer salad, with seasonal vegetables and fermented pumpkin, dotted with buffalo-cured cheese. Vegetarian or not, you can’t go wrong with the Drunken Mushroom, where kumara sourdough is generously topped with portobello mushrooms and cauliflower purée, dusted in dukkah.   

Pasta-fanatics are covered with the newly added homemade squid ink pasta, set on a bed of rocket with sous vide egg—it’s not your average spag bol. Also new to the menu is the spiced lamb rack special, featuring Middle Eastern flavours of couscous and yellow courgette, topped with dukkah and house-made hummus.

The kitchen goes over and above to source the very best ingredients and work closely with sustainable and ethical partners. Their fish is line-caught by Lee Fish, while their jamón ibérico ham comes from Spain—costing a casual $1000 per leg of meat. The better-than-your-average café fare is served fine dining-style, leaving you asking, is this lunch or a work of art?

No matter what day you visit, Rosebank whips up some incredible lunch specials. Crafted by head chef Aiden Kang (whose repertoire includes eateries like Brew on Quay and Fabric Bistro), the multiple-course feasts are priced from $45, perfect for shared working lunches—your boss will be seriously impressed.

Wash it all down with a local craft beer or wine from the extensive drinks list. You’ll also find well-crafted coffee, organic tea and refreshing smoothies. The café also showcases Misty Day Plant Potion vibrant lattes. Our top choices are the activated charcoal and blue spirulina.

Last, and in no way least, no trip is complete without a sweet treat (or two). The cabinet is brimming with an ever-changing selection of their award-winning doughnuts—think raspberry and custard, cinnamon sugar and classic chocolate. Rosebank is more than happy to whip up custom-made cakes for any occasion including the ultimate cake yet: a doughnut tower. It’ll have you counting down the days until your birthday.

Visit for breakfast, lunch and everything between. And, if you’re particularly fond of this spot (trust us, you will be) the Rosebank team is only too happy to take care of your next event like birthday parties and business functions—they recently even hosted a wedding. Now, if you excuse us, we’ve got a doughnut tower to get through.

Image credit: Lydia Arnold