Dizengoff

Great place — nice coffee and awesome breakfast. Nice people and fast service. 5 star for sure.

We had a long day ahead of us. So, we decided to order food to-​go or as it’s said in NZ ‘take-​away’. We ordered two different scrambled eggs. Both were good, but my fave had to be the one with mushrooms. One thing I’d like to mention is how sturdy they’re take-​away containers are. Sturdy enough to be reused several times actually. I also ordered a cup of flat white, which was perfect. Kept me going for our whole day adventure.

What a fab find in Ponsonby!
This little joint was buzzling with people on a Friday morning when we came here to get breakfast. We found a little table that was empty and got seated immediately. After perusing the menu, we settled on a ½ and ½, which is a breakfast plate that comes with toast, mushrooms, a side of pesto and scrambled eggs. Our choice of drinks were cappuccino and mocha.
We ordered at the counter and food was served at our table. First came the drinks. Oh my, both the cappuccino and mocha were perfect! Smooth, a tad sweet and a tad chocolately. Just the way we love it. We even ended up getting a bag of their coffee beans.
Then came the breakfast plate — looked so appetizing! The mushrooms were perfectly cooked and served on a bed of toast. The sauce actually tasted like steak sauce ;-) Yummm. Not sure what they did with the scrambled eggs, but definitely different and unique from what I’ve had in other places — it was wonderful. The side of pesto was a perfect complement to everything else on the plate.
Highly recommend this café spot. What a lovely and satisfying meal!

Okay, so I’ve been coming here for years — its definitely my go-​to for great coffee, great brunch, and a Ponsonby elite vibe.
If you don’t like:
— proper developers
— «media types»
— current and aspiring models, actors, and DJs
— wealthy, slightly socialist, beard-​sporting, land-​owning, urban creatives and tech startup co-​founders
— ponsonby nannies and their X5s and Cayennes
then you’ll pretty much hate it.

Eek! Bit nervous going against the grain on this one! Sorry to all the hardcore fans out there, but I don’t get the unbridled, passionate rave reviews. Our coffees were bloody good, big tick there, but you guys did muddle both our orders. The florentine and louise cake were sooo sweet we couldn’t finish either (and I have a sweet tooth!). This is a little café with a big reputation, so perhaps my expectations were a bit too big as well?

A busy Sunday morning brunch service, yet the service, food and coffee were still the high calibre you can expect from Dizengoff.
We managed to nab a table inside. I do find it noisy, and a lot of hustle and bustle, but it’s tolerable (and maybe I’m just getting old).
The Husband was disappointed with the sausage but loved the ‘plump’ poached eggs. Mother enjoyed the eggs benny, and I couldn’t fault my generous scrambled eggs and avo. The food came out surprisingly quick given how busy they were.
The counter top food looked good too, maybe we’ll give that a go next time.

Consistently the best coffee in Auckland. Pastrami & Eggs are amazing. One of the best cafes in town.
Jewish based so no pork but don’t let put you off. Menu is perfect.

It was a good experience but somehow expected a bit more. The eggs benedict were fine and tasty with a lot of salmon, but fell somehow short of being really great. Might have been the sauce or the side. But hmm. Also price wise it’s slightly on the upper side. Overall good but cannot say it was wow

Hands down the best café I went to in Auckland. The food was great and the coffee (even being All Press beans) was great.
So I came here on a Sunday morning, and there were a few cafes opened. However, I wanted to try it here because of all the reviews on-​line. And all I can say, that it was worth the hype. The eggs Benedict was fantastic — usually I ask for the sauce on the side, because there is a high possibility that it will suck. But I was not disappointed, the breakfast was fantastic. Also the mushrooms in balsamic cream was brilliant!
And the all important coffee. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of All Press — however, this barista here knew what they were doing, and the coffee came out perfectly brewed. Personally, I would prefer a more bitter taste, but you have to appreciate it for what it is. Maybe don’t come here if you are not a milk coffee drinker.
Also, just a warning that this place was crowded, so if you don’t come early you might not get a seat.

Both coffee and meal were top notch. I had the eggs benedict with salmon and it was full of flavour with a tangy hollaindaise and light and fluffy brioche. We sat outside in the sun and read the papers which was ideal and the service was helpful but not hovering which I am very much into. Dizengoff is an old fav though. Never really expect it to be desperately bad!

Always cool and packed with stripy locals, Ponsonby’s favourite son makes a mean Allpress coffee. And it serves great brunch. Simple fresh ingredients and European fare, infused with the odd Israeli platter of bread and dips are complemented by a counter selection of sweet treats including lavender and watermelon macaroons. Take a crossword, take your shades. Given the clattering acoustics, make minimal conversation and maximal eye contact with the in crowd.

This place is ALMOST a ¹⁰⁄₁₀ for me — but first I must get this off my chest.
Whatever you do — do not leave this establishment without first trying the balsamic mushrooms ! Deliciously creamy, rich and savoury — they are the ultimate labour of love. Even if you order something else on the menu — order these as a side ! They will be the benchmark for all other future funghi I encounter to live up to.
The whole place is deceptively simplistic and during peak hours, it may be hard to find a table in the single strip table lane– be careful not to back your chair onto someones unsuspecting Chai Latte as you stand up to tend to your food baby. The menu is simple and unassuming, and prices are reasonable — on par with other cafes of the area– and they offer a wide selection of cakes and sweets displayed on an open counter.
Whilst the hollandaise was acceptable, the poached eggs well presented (and perfectly runny) and the avocado serving more than generous for $ 3, I have to say the bagel the eggs benny was served on could have done with a bit of CPR before it arrived on my fellow diners plate. Uninspiring dough always brings a downer for me, especially when they’re gone to all the effort of providing pastrami– an interesting play on a the traditional bacon accompaniment. Next time I would skip on the complimentary basil pesto they offered on my custom order — which tasted like vinegar and cilantro rather than basil and pinenuts. It returned to the kitchen with our otherwise empty plate.
It can be very hard to find a breakfast in Auckland Central that is is decently sized and reasonably priced whilst still tasting amazing. Dizengoff does very well to tick almost all these boxes without fault. Will be returning to try more of the menu, and perhaps some of the lunch dishes very soon.

The salmon scrambled eggs were too salty and the toasted muesli with fresh fruit lacked taste and creativity. The vibe was ok. Thought the servers were indifferent to the customers.

Dizengoff is a popular café on the main strip of Ponsonby Road.
There is seating inside and out, I prefer the atmosphere inside personally. All the tables are rather close together, however it works. No personal space issues, incurred!
Allpress coffee is served — brownie points. They offer a section of scrummy slices and biscuits including Louise slice, chocolate afghans, friands, lemon poppyseed muffins, fudge and so on. I know them all.
Also, they have a fab menu mostly vegetarian I think, wholesome and delicious gastronomy.
Staff are friendly, happy and will help you decide on what u want, if you are overwhelmed!
Top shelf experience.

After years of being overseas we returned to this reliable little spot on Ponsonby Road. Sometimes to say it hasn’t changed a bit could be a bad thing, but in this case it’s a great think.
Still a fantastic spot, lively vibe and downright delicious menu. Coffee was beautifully balanced, the chicken pasta bursting with flavor and the bagel and lemon curb a classic favorite.
Thanks guys, you have given us many happy memories over the past and continue with that today.

Dizengoff was a really surprisingly great find for breakfast, Thanks Unilocal!:) We had the Mushrooms on toast which I loved. So flavorful and the pesto served with it provides a great complimentary flavor.
We also had the eggs and a salad, all of which was delicious. I thought the service was great and very friendly. I would not hesitate to recommend Dizengoff for anyone looking for a great, quick breakfast or lunch in Auckland.

I popped in here for a meeting today and was reminded why half of Auckland loves this place. It’s effortlessly cool — from the modern, minimalist interior to the street-​wearing laidback (in the best way possible) staff.
Like any great café in Auckland, it can be hard to get a seat here during peak brunching and lunching hours but to be honest, the tables turn over quickly and there are interesting (but expensive) shops nearby to peruse while you wait.
The menu at Dizengoff is also minimalist, with each menu item being described by one or two words — e. g Chicken Salad, Eggs Benedict. No mention is made of what this comes with or how it is served. I kinda like it… I mean, if you like Eggs Benny then you like Eggs Benny, right?
They also make damn fine coffee and have the mini antipodes bottles, which are the perfect size for a mid-​arvo meeting.

Dizengoff is an Auckland establishment that has garnered a reputation for the best brunches, and with good reason. It’s Jewish enough that the menu is refreshing and exciting, but not so Jewish that we couldn’t eat meat in the same meal as our dairy (we must have our coffee after all.) Dizengoff is no secret; it is always packed to the brim. And if you choose to sit on the ground floor, it is uncomfortably so. But there’s a second level that is much more quiet and with more elbow room, so if you peek in on a Saturday and see not a table insight, don’t be dismayed.
If eggs is what you’re after, they’ve got you covered on the basics; the grain toast that comes with it is just marvellous, as is the pesto that seems to garnish almost every dish. Unlike its Italian counterpart, the pest at Dizengoff is zesty and light, without the cloy of parmesan, pine nuts and too much olive oil. There’s also an enticing array of sandwiches and bagels (remember the Cohen’s and their schmear?) at the counter that may make the decision making that much more difficult.
The dish that has me returning time and time again to Dizengoff is the Israel plate. It consists of simply enormous quenelles of chopped liver, hummus and labne, garnished with grilled eggplant, pickled carrots and sumac, and topped with a hard-​boiled egg. It was this grazer’s dream. Before you make vomiting gestures at me, the chopped liver is really just a rustic pâté. It comes accompanied by a basket of bread to mop everything up with.
My other must-​try dish is the feta salad, a most glorious looking tower of grilled capsicum, eggplant and slats of feta. Almost too pretty to be eaten, it came dressed in lashings of an almost sweet aioli, counterbalanced with balsamic vinegar and their tangy house pesto, finished with a scattering of blanched green beans and the teeniest tiniest olives (‘What are these, olives for ants?!’). The thick tiles of feta were oh-​so-​creamy and easily the best I’ve had.
The dished called the chicken salad is a bit of a misnomer; here, the chicken salad is a enormous mound of mossy-​green chicken that has been processed with parsley to make it a spreadable concoction. The salad, though large, is again very light, with a hint of lemon and my most favourite of flower-​buds, the caper, hidden throughout.
Mention must go to the mushies on toast here, which are a glorious Marmite-​y dark brown and are well-​renowned; I had a friend who once came here with nine others and all but one ordered the mushies on toast.

The scrambled eggs served at Dizengoff are delicious. In fact, I’d go so far as to say they are the best scrambled eggs on Ponsonby Road. Never gluggy, always steaming hot and available all day, the egg and toast combination is unbeatable.
Not only is there a range of breakfast options, Dizengoff also offers tasty sandwiches, slices and salads and their fruit toast is fantastic. Nice thick slices with the perfect amount of fruit (I hate it when they’re all fruit and no bread), I highly recommend the fruit loaf! The only drawback is the price — at $ 3.50 a slice it seems a little steep. But then again, it does come heated and buttered, and it tastes amazing, so the pros outweigh the cons.
Though the food is undoubtedly good, I’m always a little disappointed by the service. The staff seem kind of standoff-​ish, and when it’s busy you feel like you’re in their way.
That aside, the coffee at Dizengoff is also some of the best on Ponsonby Road. Perfect strength, never too milky — they serve a guaranteed good cup every time. Even their hot chocolates and Chai lattes are gold — they aren’t too sweet.

My first trip to Dizengoff didn’t disappoint, although it didn’t surprise me either. Their food was great; as a bacon lover I survived, came out unscathed and my french toast was still tasty. Their macaroons are almost as good those at La Cigale. My hot chocolate was just okay and overall underwhelming. While the service was relatively good, it didn’t all come together in the end.
I’m not a Dizengoff regular and the place was buzzing the morning I went, so I assume that this place gets a lot of foot traffic. Dizengoff has all the ingredients, but it may take more than one visit and a couple more tries of the menu to really see what its got to offer.