Brunch dates are the best dates, but sometimes we tire of our go-to spots, no matter how dependable they are. Whether you frequent them for location, ease of parking, or the best eggs bene in town (if not all of the above), we seek to enlighten you with a few ‘new school’ brunch destinations — ones that have cropped up within the last year — to entice you to try something different.
Winona Forever
If the fact that it’s permanently jam-packed is anything to go by, we’d bet everything we had on the fact that this jazzy new Parnell establishment knows what it’s doing. The sweet dishes are enough to make us go cross-eyed thanks to superbly trained pastry chef Fran Mazza. Come to think of it, the savoury dishes are too.
Rosebank Coffee & Kitchen
The west-siders are already well-schooled on the virtues of this exceptional cafe, but those who haven’t yet made the journey ought to do so promptly. The dish that probably sealed the love deal? Bread gnocchi and poached eggs with mushrooms, herbed cream cheese, lemon vinaigrette and thyme.
Paris Butter
Offering the chance to indulge in a true Parisian petit déjeuner — i.e. breakfast with an abundance of pastries, Croque monsieurs and truffled omelettes — we’re getting ready to hot-foot it to this Jervois Road restaurant. Be sure to get in touch beforehand, however, as they’ve only just launched their brunch menu on certain days.
Bestie
The Saint Kevins Arcade saviour that casually sauntered into our lives last year is no less potent now. Exercising that quality of making things impossibly delicious for dishes that are inherently so simple, we’re still seriously besotted with this K’ Road brunch BFF.
Buoy
While the season for outdoor dining might be drawing to a close, there’s no stopping our affinity for being by the water. Buoy caters to the perfect weekend morning which involves a stroll down Westhaven’s boat-lined promenade and pitstop at this well-positioned address.
Homestead
Housed alongside the Wallace Arts Centre on the ground floor of Auckland’s heritage-steeped Pah Homestead, this Hillsborough cafe merges culture and cuisine in the finest way possible. A decidedly sophisticated way to start your weekend, we recommend trying the lemon curd crumpet with a side of cubism.
