St Heliers Cafe and Bistro

Slop.
That’s probably the best word that describes the presentation and subsequent taste of the takeaway food. Basic 101 restaurant /​catering is to WRAP customers food so that it stays together. Coffee was also decidedly average. Such a shame as St Heliers is crying out for great coffee and breakfast food.

This is hands down my favourite place for brunch in Auckland and I take everyone that comes to visit me on weekends there. I’m now a vegetarian (who doesn’t eat wheat!) so I tend to prefer the breakfast menu over the lunch/​dinner one, although I have previous tried a few items and they’re also delicious.
I tend to order their alternative version of eggs bene every time, because it’s amazing and it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten; Agria galette, poached eggs, hollandaise. They do still have traditional eggs bene on the menu though.
The coffee is really great, they also have a gorgeous cabinet full of smaller food options (brioche, brioche, brioche!), and the décor is casual and light but contemporary, set off nicely by the large window looking out to the beach and pohutukawa trees.
The service is wonderful, and the staff are great if you have questions about the menu, as I often do, or you’d like them to recommend something. Kiwi’s should be aware that there’s an option to tip when you pay by eftpos/​credit, though foreigners might be used to this.
One of the greatest things about this place has to be the award winning gelato, there’s simply nothing better than getting a couple of scoops and taking it over the road to St Heliers Bay Beach.

Beautiful food, very nice staff. We had a family Breakfast this morning. Everyone enjoyed their meals.

Gave 3 star as I hv never had food there just drink. hv no idea on the food. It’s always very busy hence the tables are quite close to each other. The service I must say a bit pushie, they keep coming to u ask if u need any food as we just had drinks, abt 3 times later they came to pass a bill to you. So we decide to leave was about to ask for food. I guess the location made this more commercialised although it’s in st heliers still please finish pay and leave. Thank u very much.

The Hip group has yet another hit restaurant. All of their restaurants are extremely consistent with classy nouveau environs that feel fresh and upscale and casual at the same time. The menu is diverse from breakfast to dinner and the food is always high-​quality. This place really hits it out of the park with the gelatos and desserts they have on offer. Coffee is consistent and good as well. It’s always busy and humming along so make sure to get their early on peak days/​hours or you could be in for a bit of a wait.

This is my go to coffee place whenever I’m in St Heliers and of course it’s never a disappointment. They have an excellent range of cabinet food and award winning ice creams if you are feeling in a takeaway mood to go and eat by the beach on a nice day.
I’ve only been for lunch once and had the fish and chips (not sure if it was menu standard or a special for that day). It was excellent. As was the service. The only thing I didn’t like was that the clientele was very ladies-​who-​lunch when we were there and we slightly felt out of place. Just a general feeling we got, not a huge issue, but we noticed it and so it’s something worth mentioning. I’ll definitely be back though!

Had a wonderful lunch here. The food quality and ambience is on par with more staunch places in the city but tucked away in St Heliers which is such a plus. Found free parking pretty quickly and the Café’s position on Tamaki Drive is beautiful and relaxing. Such a soothing feel in contrast to restaurants in the city or busier Mission Bay. Just a good feeling of ease here.
The service is friendly and attentive and I love that they serve complementary sparkling water. I had a Green bean and haloumi salad and my husband a mushroom pizza. So simple but well executed. In a time when some salads are just listless clumps of green, my salad was crisp perfect garden veg. My husbands pizza was served with a side bottle of good olive oil for drizzling, which is a delicious touch for those who adore good olive oil (we do). A well edited beer selection provided the right drink to round off the meal. Wines and fresh squeezed juices also enticed.
Tried the ice cream for dessert and it was the perfect finish to a lovely summer lunch. Again simplicity with fine execution rules here. My only observation was that the seats are quite close to one another, which doesn’t phase me but may feel a bit tight if you’re on a date.
All and all its a great, very unstuffy place for just good food.

Love this place! The interior is gorgeous and on the night I went with a friend, we scored the seats right at the window with a gorgeous view of the beach, nailed it! The service was great — no mucking around! We did feel like we were being slightly rushed out of the room with the waiter hastily bringing us some mints straight after we finished our meals but it was a Friday night, so I guess that’s understandable! Great night nonetheless. Delicious menu, definitely recommend.

Went here tonight for dinner after work. We were seated by the window and given complimentary sparking water straight away.
The waitress then went through the menu with us explaining the specials which was very helpful.
I had the pasta dish with pumpkin, olives, and Parmesan cheese (vegetarian). My partner had the market fish which was John Dory with risotto rice, kale and radish. Both dishes were cooked perfectly and the meal sizes were just right.
We tried the chocolate pave for dessert. The ice cream is delicious here!!! The only thing we didn’t enjoy was the house hot chocolate but that is most likely down to personal taste.
The atmosphere is very relaxed with a beautiful view. The waitress we had was very attentive and was a welcome change to some of the service you get in Auckland. We will definitely return.
Really nice to be able to go for a walk after dinner by the sea and means you don’t have to feel too bad about ordering dessert

This is a nice café I usually go to if my mum is treating her sisters, and I will tag along. The reason being that this place is pretty expensive for lunch. The beetroot salad is fresh and very tasty, plus the eggs bennie is yum so I would recommend those two. The range of flat bread pizzettes are a bit boring though.
The staff are very friendly and happy to accommodate your seating preferences. The fact they are always topping your glass up with free fizzy water is an added bonus.
Can be very busy around lunchtime but is a good choice if you are in the Eastern Bays and the views to Rangitoto Island are lovely.

The Hip Group brings St Heliers Bay Café & Bistro. This place is a winner! My cousin and I dined here for lunch.
The décor is beautiful. Its very modern but warming at the same time. All though there a lot of tables and all quite close to one another it’s not too over bearing. This place is done right. The food was delicious and those fries, so yum! The one little let down was that my fish was slightly over cooked, but I was too hungry at the time to send it back, however they were happy to take constructive criticism when I mentioned it after the meal.
You get an awesome view of the water whilst you eat and are served by lovely people. If you are in a rush they also have a takeout menu on side. Def recommend and come for a visit! Good food, value and service!
Rating
Food: 9.5÷10
Service: ⁸⁄₁₀
Value for Money: Good
387 Tamaki Drive, St Heliers
Opening Hours: Mon-​Sun 7am-​11pm

I’ve tried to come to this joint in the past and I think i’ve nailed the timing this time. As long as you come at odd hours of the day when there’s not so many people, St Heliers Café and Bistro can be really nice experience. I came here not really knowing what I felt like on a Sunday avo at 3pm.
As expected the brunch/​lunch menu had finished and we had to go with the evening menu. Luckily it’s quite a casual range and we opted to share a Pizzetta (flat bread) with Burrata, Walnuts, cress and EVO, and a roast beetroot salad, both were outstanding and so fresh. Entrée size so nice for us to share as a late lunch with complimentary sparkling water which I love.
The interior is really open and light and the finishings and furniture are cool and beachy.
Definitely recommend to anyone and everyone!

It was a Saturday night but we were there to avoid disappointments. The atmosphere was modern and simple.
We started with a Hearth Breads with seasalt & rosmary ($ 10) and a Wood fired baked clams, passata & sourdough ($ 12). Generous amount and the clams were tasty with a tomato-​based sauce. Price on everything seems to be reasonable here which was a plus.
I had the Char grilled flat iron steak, wilted spinach & creamed oyster mushrooms ($ 25). I’ve asked for a medium but this was more like well done-​medium which was a bit shame. Everything matched to each other perfectly though. Mushrooms, spinach and the potato croquette…
My friend ordered fish of the day which was grilled snapper with salads. Salad tasted fantastic with lightly cooked capsicums, but fish was too bland. I guess our expectations were high. I didn’t know exactly what those cubes were — maybe a cheese and potato croquettes? This didn’t go well with the rest of the dish so my friend left them out.
We were super full but I had to try their dessert. Tiramisu ($ 9.5) is one of my favorite so I was really looking forward to this but… It was touch too creamy for me. I enjoy a light and puffy ones but the creamcheese here was very solid. There were only small portion of the sponge cake which made it harder to eat… Damn it, I should’ve gone for the rhubarb & custard crumble… Not to worry, there is always a next time. I would love to come back and try other dishes.

Went here with a few friends, I wanted to just get a coffee as had to dash off somewhere-​whereas my friends wanted to sit and have something to eat there. I went up to the register to order a coffee and wanted to pay for it before and get it in a takeaway cup as I had to dash off soon. The lady at the register told me to go sit down at the table and wait for the table waitress to make my order. I explained to her that I had to take off soon and needed to be able to leave quickly so it was easier to pay for it in advance. Luckily one of the other servers who I knew said it was no problem and took over the order.
To add insult to injury the rude waitress proceeded to call me annoying to my face and tell me that it is not how they do it at this café! I think paying for your coffee and not running out without paying is worse! At $ 5.10 for a decaf long black– I find it very expensive.
I was completely shocked and appalled by the customer service shown by this waitress and will not be returning for this exact reason.

After trying this spot for both Lunch and Dinner I thought it was time to make the trip over to check out their Brunch menu. I always find the menus at the «Hip-​group» spots quite difficult as they are very short and sharp and it is hard to actually picture what will end up on your plate — having a nosey at the table next door though made our decisions alot easier. I had also heard that the wood mushrooms were amazing so had to give them a go — with avocado and tomato as well though of course.
The mushrooms were delicious, and the truffle oil went down a treat! Wasn’t the best 5-​Grain I’ve had but all was beautifully presented. My two friends went for the big healthy and the Agria Hash Benedict which they both enjoyed.
The fit-​out here is nicely done with plenty of glass and the waiters and waitresses are all very helpful and polite. Despite being a beautiful day we managed to get our table relatively quickly and with a large courtyard in the sun it was an enjoyable wait. Plus with the store in there as well for takeaway treats and icecreams if you can’t get a table thats an easy and delicious alternative.

Came here on a Saturday for brunch. We had the lamb lentils, the market fish, cheese burger, and the kids cheese burger. They were all great. The chips that came with the burgers was so yum. The kids meal was too big for my three years old n if it were to come with a drink it ll be better.
But the water provided was sparkling anyways so that was nice. The atmosphere is really modern, the benches were appreciated for those who are waiting for tables. Food was not overpriced and the staff are really really nice.
Definitely coming back and this time will try the desserts!

Great location. Nice Vibe. Slightly pricey but food was great.

This place really needs to up its game. Just because you’re popular it doesn’t mean you can get away with murder.
Walked in on a cold weeknight for dessert and we were greeted and seated promptly, so no problems there.
Then, a foul sewage-​like stench assaulted our senses, and we wondered what the smell was — could it be from outside? Had the heavy rain flooded the drains?
Hard to ignore as it was, we carried on. The knickerbocker glory sounded to glorious to resist and I was tempted by the dessert special of the day which was a warm brownie served with a scoop of vanilla bean or salted caramel gelato.
Caramel upon caramel, the knickerbocker glory (sundae in a glass covered in sugary caramel syrup and treats) was a sickly death by caramel. The vanilla bean gelato was a lost cause and so was the chocolate shard which would have been otherwise yummy by itself.
The brownie was nice enough but unspectacular — would have been better with the vanilla bean gelato.
When we left we queried the bad smell and a waitress revealed the source was a malfunctioning fridge of theirs.
Why did they not close the restaurant down??? Bad enough for the patron’s noses, surely this was bad for hygiene reasons as well?
Not to mention, the doors, windows were all kept closed with hardly any fresh air flowing. Yes, this experience was no different to going to the most unsanitary toilet you could find and sitting there and eating chocolate/​ice-​cream. NOT PLEASANT.
I would steer clear of this place for a very long time.

Beautiful restaurant and incredibly busy. Waited at the bar for a table but only for about 5 minutes.
Staff were friendly and prompt however the menu selection is very limited for lunch. The only red meat option was a pulled pork burger, it was good, not exceptional but good. The accompanying fries were very good.
I think the main pull of this place is the Gelato which has to be some of the best in New Zealand.
Overall, good but not exceptional, has the potential to be amazing. They need to work on the menu and add some variety.

After a rather long winded renovation process of the building on the corner of Tamaki Drive and Maheke Street, St Heliers Café and Bistro is finally the newest addition to St Helier’s range of (pricey) places to eat or drink. Owned by the same people as Café on Kohi and Takapuna Beach Café, St Heliers Café and Bistro definitely has the same sort of classy beach front café vibe. One thing I have noticed though is that they always kind of seem to be over staffed — as in all of these waiters and waitresses hanging around with nothing much to do. Don’t get me wrong, service was fantastic; however they probably don’t need so many people on duty as it kind of felt awkward watching them standing there looking bored. It is a great open and spacious setting though, really nice place to go for a drink or coffee if you are in the bay.