Leigh Sawmill Cafe

Only game in town on New Year’s Day. 15% holiday surcharge. Jam packed for lunch. No wait though. Lots of seating inside and outdoors. Nice courtyard in back. Kids area next to courtyard — swings and small boat that kids can climb on. Recommend keeping close eye on younger kids and toddlers due to driveway and random broken glass on ground.
SERVICE: friendly, attentive
FOOD: 3.5÷5
French toast — generous portion. light, thick. good.
Fried fish with salad — $ 30. generous portion. fresh. very good.
Corn fritters — only disappointment. way too greasy. salad underneath fritters soggy from oil, making it unappetizing.
Fluffy — not fluffy enough, so toddler ended up with warm milk down front of shirt.

If you’re looking to escape the confines of Auckland city but don’t want to stretch too far, a sunny day jaunt to Leigh and nearby windswept Pakiri beach is hard to beat.
While up there, pop in to the Leigh Sawmill Café for a long lunch — you won’t regret it.
Its pizzas are legendary (each one named for members of the café’s founding family) and the salty kumara chips are pretty amazing too. Beer from the micro brewery next door is on tap — my favourite is the pale ale.
The place is light, airy and casual, with friendly service. The outdoor picnic tables and children’s play area makes it a great place for families.
I recommend going up for a gig and staying in their bunkrooms for a weekend away, but you have to book ahead as they fill up fast. The place gets packed in summer, so make the most of spring and visit before then!

I have been here twice, and both were wuite different experiences. The first was the morning after a big gig at The Café. The place was really busy, we were really hungover and there wasn’t a lot of seating. The second was a Sunday in March, the day was beautiful, we felt fresh and ot was quiet. Though, different, both experiences were top notch.
The food didn’t suffer one bit, despite the business of the first day, and the service was just as efficient even when it was super quiet.
I can’t remember the first time so i’ll talk about the second. I got Salmon eggs benedict and a Bloody Mary, my partner got the Mill Grill (big breakfast) and a flat white. Both drinks were great and the food came promptly.
My eggs bene was delicious, as was the Mill Grill. Not too much and not too little of anything. We finished out plates and didn’t need to lie down afterwards. Sit in the sun or underthe trees, take your time, read the paper. The kids can play in the playground.
A perfect option anytime of the day or night.

How frickin great is the Sawmill? Whether you go for a gig or to stay the night while visiting friends in the area as we do, this place is legendary with a well-​deserved reputation for fun.
There are often a few drunks in the carpark (thankfully usually making their noisy exit) but it’s still a place for families. Which is quite an achievement. The brunch is the best in the area and the laidback vibe of the courtyard invites a nice slow start to the day.
The accommodation is basic but smart enough — just beware of the creatures if you are insect-​averse. Here, the cockroaches are like pets and sometimes just need moving along.
Last time we stayed we were off to a wedding and a lovely lady who works there made a quick trip home to provide a hair-​dryer, it’s that kind of place. And don’t worry, hair-​dryers aside, the suites have everything you need and the bunkrooms and shared bathrooms have extra towels and stuff if you need them. A note to the uninitiated though: the walls here are paper thin and on every occasion we’ve been here, we’ve had to bear auditory witness to our neighbours’ sexytime in way more detail than could ever seem possible. Very very funny and it makes for a hysterical whodunnit conversation over breakfast but if it’s not the shagging, it’s the music so don’t come here if you a light sleeper with precious sensibilities.

I can’t recommended the Leigh Sawmill enough! It’s a perfect night out of the city, only an hour away; but feels like a world away.
A native timber mill in the 1930’s, today the Sawmill is a restaurant/​micro brewery/​eclectic music venue. Much of the original interior remains; saws included. The vibe is chilled and local, with a plush outdoor area heated by an open fire.
They get some wicked bands up there and it’s an awesome, intimate venue. It’s also a restaurant and café and they do a lush wood fired pizza. As much of the menu is sourced locally as possible, including fresh sea food from the Leigh Wharf just 500m away. They brew their own beer onsite (not bad either) and have an extensive list of local wine
If you take a too stronger liking to the local beverages and don’t fancy driving home, cottage accommodation is available onsite. For something cheaper (and more fun) there is also the Goat Island Campground around the corner

There’s not much to Leigh — only a few hundred live there, and most outsiders know it simply as the last town before the popular Goat Island Marine Reserve. Don’t let the town’s size fool you though — the Leigh Sawmill Café is well worth a visit after you’re done with your day’s snorkeling. This place used to be an actual sawmill, evidenced by the décor which is dominated by lovely exposed wooden beams and circular saws set in the floor. It’s now in it’s second life — one part restaurant, one part bar, one part gig venue, one part brewery, one part motel.
The food here couldn’t be simpler — wood-​fire pizzas, fresh seafood dishes and salads are the go. The place is also heaven for the beer connoisseur — they brew a full spectrum of beers on site from pale to dark. I’d recommend the ’12 gauge’ — it’s a whole meal on it’s own! Enjoy it all out in the sunny courtyard — there isn’t a more chilled out setting for a meal anywhere.
The real jewel in Sawmill’s crown is it’s stage which makes a top live music venue — they have fairly regular gigs, known and unknown bands. Great sound, great atmosphere and incredibly intimate. Trinity Roots here in 2012 was hands down the most fun I’ve had at a gig.