Bakeries & Delis

We love satisfying our food cravings and nabbing a bangin’ food deal at the same time—and what better way than getting a chicken wing fix while also getting more bang for your buck (yes to making savings for the next meal).

We’ve looked high and low and we’ve scouted the best places to eat if you’re gluten free—because there’s no need to miss out.

Doughnuts are having a moment—and that’s totally fine by us. Whether you like them dusted with sugar, oozing with chocolate custard or stuffed with cream, there’s something for everyone in this doughnut lovin’ city of ours. We’ve rounded up the best places to get the best doughnuts in Auckland. Dough-not delay, try one today.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but why settle for the usual smashed avo when you can take a morning trip around the globe—no passport required?

Whether you’re in the mood for a slow sit-down and sip, or a takeaway coffee to accompany you on your daily errands, from Auckland CBD and Ponsonby/Herne Bay/Grey Lynn/Karangahape Road/Eden Terrace to Newmarket/Mount Eden/Kingsland/Morningside and The North Shore, Urban List has downed a dangerous dosage of caffeine to create the ultimate list of Auckland’s best coffee shops that you’re going to want to bookmark ASAP.

As Kiwis, a love of pies is practically in our DNA. These hearty pastries have been keeping us fuelled for generations and are the perfect meal for lunch, dinner, or even a cheeky brekkie.

Get ready for the sticky fingers, doughy bellies and warm fuzzies, as you eat your way through our list of Auckland’s best cinnamon buns.

Chocolate may get most of the attention at Easter, but it isn't the only treat we're coveting once the season for bunnies, eggs and unabashed gluttony rolls round. Yip, that's right fam—we're talking about hot cross buns, or HCBs.

We’ve rounded up our go-to picks for that bakery run—whether you’re a sucker for a kiwi classic, a modern Asian sweet, gluten-free sausage roll or a vegan croissant—we’ve got you.

The North Shore is as much for eating out and drinking, as it is for hitting the beach. If you don't believe us, check out the more than 55 spots we've carefully curated by suburb below, ranging from old-fashioned pubs, bakeries and burger joints to chic wine bars, cafes, and bistros.

Hello lovers, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner so if you haven’t made plans yet, you'd better hustle.

It's official—Onehunga is one of Auckland's most hip albeit underrated suburbs. Studded with historic buildings and delightful villas, this charming neighbourhood has really amped things up in recent years on the eating-out front, with a host of top-notch bars, restaurants and cafés coming to the fore.

Waiheke Island. A magical getaway, a wine-lover’s paradise, the perfect wedding destination... and a next-level foodie scene. Here are the best and tastiest restaurants on Waiheke Island. 

From Peruvian tacos and schnitzels the size of your face, to perfect coffee and cocktails in bongs (for reals!), this suburb certainly has plenty to eat out on.  

Christmas is the season for twinkling lights, merry tunes and prettily wrapped presents under the tree. Oh, and more unapologetically festive treats than you could ever hope to work your way through before Santa comes calling. With that in mind, we've compiled a list of must-try Christmas treats (some naughty, some nice) for you to enjoy this holiday season.

Whether you’re diving into the mad scramble that is Boxing Day sales, after a top-tier refuel mid-beach day, or soothing a deathly hangover on New Year’s Day, don’t waste your calories (and dollaz) on shoddy fare. It’s time to celebrate. Come 2025, it’s a new year and a new you, and that new you deserves to be fueled by the finest kai Auckland has to offer.

To help you tick off your Christmas shopping list and leave you with money in the bank, we’ve put together a Christmas gift guide with a bunch of options for a fiddy dollar note, or less. 

Wellington prides itself on its cafe culture and we’ll be the first to say it’s justified.

Forget everything you thought you knew about vegan and vegetarian food. Far from its can-o’-chickpea origins, vegan fare is now unapologetically delicious.

Nothing cheers us up more on a cold Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland day (any day, to be fair) than wrapping our mitts around a mug of hot chocolate. Whether it’s a classic number done right, or a more adventurous drop laced with peanut butter or peppermint, served in an edible cup or even topped with bright pink fairy floss, sippin’ on a hot choccy is always a good time.

Ponsonby Central has long been renowned as a vibrant precinct. Its eclectic restaurants and bars serve up everything from Cambodian to Korean and feel-good American fare. 

When it comes to Ponsonby restaurants, it's a literal smorgasbord—the hardest part about eating out here is narrowing down where to go. Whether you're after bistro classics, a spot of Asian street food or an old-fashioned burger and fries, this inner-city neighbourhood punches well above its weight.

Here are the best cafes in New Plymouth, for brunch and beyond. 

We want to help you live the dream in WA, so we asked the passionate locals who call it home to share all their must-visit experiences across this stunning state. Dive into our guides to the best places to play, eat and stay, steeped with local knowledge and all the tools you need to plan the trip of a lifetime.

Get schooled up with this list of Invercargill’s best cafes right now.

Dine and drink like a local, from bistros and cafes to takeaways and food trucks, tipples enjoyed at home to beverages on tap.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, especially when you’re in action-packed Queenstown! Serving up a whole host of delicious options, this town has everything when it comes to satisfying those morning cravings…from classic big brekkies to decadent waffles and healthy hunger-busters AKA smoothies and poke. There’s a lot to choose from, but don’t stress, we’ve done all the groundwork for you. These are the best breakfasts in Queenstown.

Nelson is spoilt for choice when it comes to the cafe scene, with every establishment offering something different in this vibrant little city.

As far as baked treats go, cookies are king, and we don't discriminate.

Sitting at the base of Bob’s Peak Mountain and the iconic Skyline Gondola, Queenstown’s rad new dining and entertainment precinct, Upper Village awaits. 

The chilly weather brings the perfect excuse to hunker down at Auckland’s vibrant restaurants, bars and eateries while seeking comfort in innovative dishes and drinks. 

If you consider yourself an Auckland foodie, you've heard of Farro. This gourmet grocer is our go-to for luxury eats and elusive ingredients, and has been satisfying locals' appetites since 2006. 

From trusty pies to tarts, slices, cakes and even the odd dumpling, here are the tried and true, best banoffee pies in Auckland.

If bread, pastry or just carbs in general are your thing, have we got news for you. A number of top bakeries are continuing to share their dough-liciousness with us throughout the lockdown, and the best bit is, you don't even need to leave home to get some (cya later, supermarket).

Get ready to give houseparty an entirely new meaning, here’s how to celebrate your birthday in isolation during lockdown.

With the city’s most beloved bakers now offering contactless delivery, you can keep supporting local from the comfort of your own home and stock your kitchen with boxes of doughnuts. Here’s the list of those making level 3 a little sweeter.

Get excited as the Auckland Fried Chicken Festival is back for its fourth year. That's right, some of Auckland’s finest food trucks will be gathering to bring you their best fried chicken-inspired dishes for an entire day.

If you've yet to be introduced to the deliciousness that is the Cookie Dough Collective, you're in in for a real treat—especially as they've just launched a decadent new brownie flavour (available for a limited time only), but more on that in a mo.

These beauties have now been made a permanent addition to the menu and they're available for your face-stuffing pleasure right NOW.

Realising this gap between food waste and food insecurity, Nick Loosley founded Everybody Eats - a locally-based, not-for-profit with a mission to reduce food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand. With Everybody Eats scaling across NZ, we caught up with Nick to find out more about their origins, their mission, and hear about their new Goodie Box initiative. 

Is it a donut or doughnut? For the sake of this pun, we highly recommend that you donut miss the chance to claim your FREE doughnut this Friday, at Krispy Kreme.

Tantalise your taste buds out west! 

Leisha Rae makes up the sweet 1/2 of Bowl & Arrow with her bestie and partner in crime, Hannah Bryan. After meeting at a cafe Leisha was working at and bonding over the best bread for french toast, they realised they had the same career passions. We spoke to Leisha to find out what has happened since history started writing itself.

If you're counting calories, we advise looking away now because Doe Donuts have just opened their first ever retail store in Grey Lynn and it's a straight-up sugar fest.

Check out our picks of Auckland’s best health food stores and get set to overhaul your pantry.

If you were thinking of giving healthy eating a go this week, think again. Because cult cookie brand, Moustache Milk & Cookie Bar have just launched a Giant Caramilk Cookie Pie that feeds up to 12 people and that, friends, is a deal that's simply too sweet to resist.

Level 3, here we go again... but at least we can still get our sugar fix, right?

Oh cannoli, what did we ever do to deserve you? The Italians truly knew what they were doing when creating these sweet little parcels of perfection.

New Zealanders are becoming more connected to their choices than ever, making conscious decisions on the 5 W’s (and H) of spending our money. And for what reason? Why, the future of our planet of course!

Good news for those who work, live or play near Ponsonby road… Dedwood Deli is here to make your lunchtime and late-night food missions 100% more enjoyable.

No winter is complete without our good old friend hot chocolate. A comforting cuppa will warm you from the inside out on the coldest of days—and leave you with a smile on yer dial. 

North Shore peeps, you're in for a real treat because Grownup Donuts have officially moved into the neighbourhood. The market faves—who also have a shop in Henderson—have set up a sweet new store in Wairau Valley and you're going to want to get there for your doughnut fix, stat.

Remember those epic Caramilk-inspired mallow puffs from our friends at Kookie Haus? Well now you can get your hands on a whole host of other treats made from the same delicious choccy used to coat these incredible cookies.

If bread, pastry or just carbs in general are your thing, have we got news for you. A number of top bakeries are continuing to share their dough-liciousness with us throughout the lockdown, and the best bit is, you don't even need to leave home to get some (cya later, supermarket).

Cake now on your mind? Sorry about that. To help you fulfill those fluffy, frosted cravings, we’ve compiled this life-changing list. Get ready for a sugar-overload because here are the best cake spots in Auckland.  

A tasty tidbit of news this cold winter’s morning had us leaping out of bed because the legends at Krispy Kreme have just unleashed a limited-edition collaboration with the king of decadent chocolate spreads, Nutella.

Get excited as the Auckland Fried Chicken Festival is back for its fourth year. That's right, some of Auckland’s finest food trucks will be gathering to bring you their best fried chicken-inspired dishes for an entire day.

When it comes to winter desserts, there’s no place for raw cheesecakes, chia puddings or—God forbid—fruit platters. An Auckland winter calls for rich, decadent winter desserts, soft-centred and self-saucing, pumped full of molten chocolate, swimming in a pool of cream and caramel.

Vegan food is big business these days, with whole eateries dedicated to a cuisine that was once actually quite hard to come by. This is especially true where sweet treats are concerned, with a raft of drool-worthy goodies now readily available to curb those sugar cravings and without so much as a single speck of butter, egg or milk (unless, of course, it's the non-dairy kind!).

The legends at The Pie Piper have moved into some seriously delish new territory, adding savoury dishes to their line-up of famously sweet American-style pies.

Caramilk fans, have we got news for you—the coveted golden choccy has inspired an epic new bickie from the crew at Kookie Haus and we cannot WAIT to try it. What are we talking about exactly? A caramelised white chocolate mallow-puff, that's what.

Easter is just days away and for the sweet tooths among us, this is egg-citing news. After all, what other holiday is celebrated by stuffing your face with as much chocolate (and other sugary goodies) as humanly possible?

There's been a bit of debate (and a whole lot of head-scratching) over the last couple of days regarding what exactly will be open during the Level 4 COVID-19 lockdown. We know of course that supermarkets are in, and cafés, restaurants and bars are definitely out.

Daily Bread is fast taking over Auckland and we are so here for it. And now, you can get your flaky croissant fix even easier—thanks to the bakery’s stunning new outpost in Newmarket’s Citta Design store.

La Belle Waffle is the new kid on the block, a bright yellow hole in the wall and a little ray of sunshine in the middle of the city. You’ll find the Belgian style waffles being served up in Dukes Arcade by owner Nicholas, who is Belgian himself so he knows the real deal. Take the fact that they have sold out several times since opening as positive proof of his waff skills.

​For Auckland peeps, a love of cafes seems to be in our DNA. Life is infinitely better with bacon, smashed avo and three rounds of coffee—and there are plenty of Auckland cafes serving up just that.

Bon appétit mes amis—it’s time to eat your way through our picks for Auckland’s Best French Patisseries.

We can hardly believe it—two of our very favourite things in the world, Krispy Kreme and The Simpsons, have teamed up to launch New Zealand’s first official Simpsons D’ohnut. 

Let’s chat about breaking a dirty, little habit. No, we don’t mean your daily 3pm chocolate binge, we’re talking about using and abusing plastic for just about everything. The time has come to give it all up. 

Welcome to your weekly urban culture wrap.

Cake now on your mind? Sorry about that. To help you fulfill those fluffy, frosted cravings, we’ve compiled this life-changing list. Get ready for a sugar-overload because here are the best cake spots in Auckland.  

Central Auckland just got a whole lot sweeter. Kookie Haus has officially opened in the CBD. 

Foodies rejoice, Auckland’s North Shore is opening a new hospitality precinct, Goodside, a curated selection of eateries situated in an event hub. 

A one-way ticket to cake heaven. 

Cake and coffee go hand in hand and this heavenly combo only gets better when it’s from The Caker and the coffee is free!

Cupcakes, you’ve been rocking our sweet tooth since 1796 (take that, cronut), so it’s about time we honour you via what we do best—lists.

A beautiful thing happens when cream meets a bun…the cream bun (or cream doughnut, as some of you like to call it) is born. You know the ones—fluffy pillows of happiness brimming with cream and a dollop of jam. If you’re a neat and tidy eater, these ain’t for you. The oozing, finger-lickin’ buns will leave you with cream on your face and—more often than not—a nose covered in icing sugar. It’s not a good look but it’s a small price to pay in exchange for a taste of deliciousness.

The chances of you never having heard of the dirty bread are high but you REALLY need to get among this new food trend. Referred to as the “zang zang bao” which is “dirty dirty bread” in Chinese and has been making waves in Asia, creating lines of people outside local bakeries of people waiting to get their hands on these babies.

The chocolate croissant is a classic staple to any bakery or pastry shop but the real question here is, where do they do this staple justice? After consuming enough butter and chocolate to feed a nation, we have broken down list about where to find the best chocolate croissants in Auckland and what makes them different to the rest.

If there was one slice to rule them all, caramel slice would be it.