The Return of Rad Cafe

Great atmosphere, great service and great food. You can understand why this place was packed whilst others on the street were empty.

Rad is definitely one of those places that has a trendy vibe to it, but not pretentious. The staff are friendly and they have awesome booths that are cozy to sit in with friends.
It’s not my go to café though. The reason is although their coffees are ok, their food is nothing to write home about. I really love the shakes though, in their cool on trend mason jar mugs and awesome flavours like Apple Pie, why wouldn’t you wanna try them? Their smoothies are filling and well priced too. All in all it’s a neat little place.

This was one of the first spots we came to when visiting friends in Auckland and it definitely set the tone for a week packed with cool places.
Our friends picked us up at the airport and wanted to take us to Mt Eden for the great panoramic views. As it was around 4.30pm and (as we had learned in the two weeks on the South Island before), basically every café in NZ seemes to close at 5pm (which, to us, really does not make sense — isn’t late afternoon when you really start craving caffeine?) we quickly stopped by The Return of Rad for a coffee to go.
My flat white was great, you could really taste the coffee, and my friends liked their cappuccino and long black as well. As we did not sit down, I cannot rate their food or service, but can recommend for a coffee to go. The place as such is really cool and the interior shows a lot of attention to detail (check out fellow Unilocalers’ pics for their cool lego table numbers!).

Cool vibrant place, coffee was fine but food is simple and elegant. Pork hock bene was great, taking it to that next level with apple slaw and putting a great twist on a traditional dish.

A little café in Mt Eden, not the ordinary menu, their services is hard to beat, staffs are so attentive and so friendly!!! Makes you feel so welcome!
Their drinks (we had a flat white and a smoothie) is two of the best we try!
However even though they try to be interacting with their food it didn’t quite work for me, the squid egg burger with pork belly is okay tasty but really difficult to eat, for me a burger have to be easy to handle to be a happy burger, I don’t like eating my burger with knife and fork!
The other sandwich is nice but didn’t wow me either, I still prefer the toastie in the Chubb in town …
we will be back for drinks!

Eggs bene bacon jock is better than the salmon (if you are deciding between the two). A bit weird with the potato underneath… still not sure if I like it. Texture is a bit weird with the poached eggs i.e. would prefer some bread or muffin type structure beneath it. Coffee is very good and staff are amazing… They even sing your order (well our waiter did…). Very cool atmosphere here. Get here before 10am and you get a table… afterwards have fun waiting muahahhahaaha

This place is rad.
They have a great selection for brunch and lunch dining. The coffee is excellent.
Also highly recommend the bircher muesli.
Juices, smoothies and shakes come in trendy mason jar glasses.
They offer a chocolate fish Shake which is a great take on a kiwi classic. How do they make it taste so like the lollie?!
Service is always done with a friendly smile and if you’re a bit indecisive the staff are happy to help with recommendations.
The secret shake was apple pie when we were there most recently.

Yeah, nah, Rad is not all it’s cracked up to be. There is something about this place that is just trying TOO hard. For one thing, the service is a bit overzealous. For such a small space there seemed to be wayyyy too many people working there, and they all seemed to be rushing around finding things to do leading to a hectic slightly claustrophobic atmosphere. Like the guy who seated us and continuously came over to have a chat before during and after we ate. Too eager. What’s weird is that he seemed to be there to seat people and fill their water and hang around to talk about the menu, but you have to go up to the counter to make an order. It’s so cramped in the space that this leads to a line and it’s all awkward. Why not put Mr. Chatty to work taking orders? It just didn’t seem to move that smoothly.
What about the food? Well, it was good. But nothing all that magical given the try hard atmosphere (and the prices). $ 16 for the polenta cakes — it was good, but I’m not dying to go back, nothing really notable about the flavors. My husband got the vege special sandwich ($ 12.50), again, not bad just nothing out of this world.
The flight coffee is of course, amazing. And they’ve got Bluebells cakes in the cabinet, so that’s a win.
It’s a solid option if you happen to be in the area, but frankly I wouldn’t go out of my way to return. Not exactly the most relaxing café around, and with so many delicious options in the city, I just give this place a shrug.

Rad is definitely in my top 5 brunch places. I’m a huge fan of their Eggs Benny with pulled bacon hock. I know, normally eggs benedict is a boring choice but the bacon hock, apple slaw and potato gratin are also so wonderfully delicious and they go together so well that it’s without a doubt my favourite eggs benedict ever. Their mushrooms on toast, black stack burger and Grandma’s Pork Bánh mi are also not to be missed. Rad is extremely popular so I now try and go before 10am on the weekends to beat the rush. This however means that I miss out on the lunch menu which starts at 11am. The shakes, smoothies and coffee (flight coffee) are also amazing and there is always a ‘spesh’ smoothie which changes and so far is always delicious. Instead of water Rad serves iced green tea was served with the meal which is lovely and refreshing. I have only wonderful things to say about the staff who are always friendly and lovely.

Visited twice last weekend. First visit I was very disappointed in the coffee, Flight Coffee is great but the espresso I felt was a touch watery and the picollo a bit on the cold side. Went back the following day as I knew the experience should be better. It was, best flat white I’ve had for a while, espresso better but still nowhere near the top espresso in auckland (coffee lab).
Cant comment on food but staff friendly.
For all the folk banging on and on about the coffee here, seriously you people need to try coffee lab, infinitely better — best espresso in Auckland by a long long way.

It was a devastatingly beautiful Saturday morning and — in what was becoming a running theme — Sarah was hungover. A Champion of sunny day appreciation, however, I decided not to bail on my friend and (sometimes) sober companion Rebecca S. for our brunch date. Bundled in my warmest coat and having missed the Mt Eden bus stop by approximately 800 metres, I trudged on toward my Sisyphean goal of keeping some food down.
The place was busy, and greeted me with welcoming counter-​pastries and fresh faced waiters in gorgeous little ill-​fitting aprons. Rebecca had accurately read the vibe of my side of the txt conversation, and sat waiting at a table — a steaming hot cup of coffee in my place setting.
An angel sent from Heaven.
Rebecca. But also the coffee. I mean honestly it was probably a ³⁄₅ flat white but objectivity takes a vacation on mornings such as this.
On the recommendation of Becs and the waiters (all of whom were hipster-​cool, but still nice, you know? …not Ponsonby-​hipster-​cool.), I ordered the eggs benedict with the ham hock. I asked for the Hollandaise on the side, because I respect my limits. And they were ALL right, and might even be geniuses: it WAS life changing. Even without the Hollandaise, which I didn’t attempt but which looked pretty good. Honestly I don’t think I stopped to inhale.
And I’ll say this for Rad: I kept ALL of it down.
Now to try the rest of the menu…

Great tea, lived the omelette with pumpkin and the service was excellent. Cool funky café, that deserves to be called hip because it is. I did think it was a little pricey for breakfast.

This would have to be one of my favourite cafes and favourite brands of coffee! Let me introduce to you RAD Mt. Eden. Serving none other than Flight Coffee in every way possible! This amazing café serves outstanding food off its funking menu which fits in with its alternative vibe! This is a AeroPress coffee which is a coffee forced through a filter by a plunger. It was invented by Aerobie AeroPress and brings the best out of every bean. Producing a rich coffee flavour with less bitterness and acidity and is my favours way to start a day

Finallllly made it back to RAD and am delighted to report that I, too, can now rave about the rad.
They’ve sorted out some of the service glitches and my Flight coffee came out piping hot, perfectly smooth and within 5 minutes. Happy girl.
I went for the polenta cakes (they are on the menu’s breakfast section but also available for lunch, pro-​tip). The cakes were served with avo, sauteed portobellos, creamy feta & roasted tomatoes and were pretty damn delicious.
It seems their dessert offerings have quadrupled since last I frequented RAD and everything looked perfect. I was too full for a sweet treat after my meal but definitely keen to come back and indulge in that salted caramel banana bread (drooooooooooooling).
For now, I am THAT girl proudly marching around with her «this coffee is f*cking delicious» cup. F*ck yeah.

In reality I’d want to give this place 4.5 stars. The only gripe I have is no table service.
It may be just an NZ thing as I’ve come across this a bit over here.
That being as it may, the food is amazing.
I’ve been here 3 days in a row and each breakfast outdoes the next.
The eggs benny was a revelation. Pulled pork hock with just the right amount of saltiness offset by the perfect amount of grated Apple on top of the perfectly poached eggs.
The hollandaise sauce didn’t dominate which was nice, a hint of Dijon perhaps. But so wonderfully balanced.
The coffee is good, not amazing. But then they are not selling themselves as a coffee boutique. What I did like was whoever picks the coffee did a perfect job for the café. And at no time did I get distracted or disappointed by its flavour.
So anyway you get the picture.
Do yourself a favour and check it out if/​when you’re in the area. You won’t be disappointed.

Friend has talked this place up and can see why. It’s a cute little café on the main road in the heart of Mt Eden with numbered lego table orders. Love the décor so much with it’s exposed concrete/​brick walls and triangular panelling beneath. A big fan of the pastel mix-​matched triangular pattern around the counter in a retro fitting and pastel paints of various shades on the walls. A communal table outside for if the weather is good as well as an open window seating at a bench. Few small wooden tables with tall stools and larger tables at the back also.
Have a fridge with various cakes including an intriguing Snickers one and other sweet treats. A great menu with an approachable feel with the named eggs benny, amusing smoothie names like the refreshing berry shmerry or the peanut butter ‘This sh*t is bananas’. An intriguing, seems like-​changing ‘The Spesh’ Master milk shake which was an apple crumble when we went. Served a very neat iced, cold green rose tea from T2 before our lunch order.
Had the Grandma’s Pork Bánh mì with its halved Vietnamese bread roll packed with marinated pork pieces as well as surprisingly spicy chilli slices– thankfully had the dairy in the milkshake to combat the heat. Also filled with carrots, cucumber, fresh coriander, pickled daikon and a chicken cognac pâté for uniqueness. Dishes to suit the health-​keen as well; their chicken, quinoa and baby kale salad looked delicious as well as non-​guilty.
Very hip place with food to suit anyone, worth a stop-​by

A great café in the mount eden village.
This visit was a pop in for a quick chilled out lunch and rad delivered in spades.
The short wait, even at 130 on a Tuesday, was worth it.
The fresh beetroot and apple juice, the apology I think it is, was refreshing and I could almost feel my liver «clapping» with joy.
Lunch itself was a delicious fresh roll of brioche with succulent pan fried snapper, wasabi Mayo and watercress. Yummo doesn’t even go half way to describe that lunchtime delight!
A low-​key trendy environment with a menu to match, the return of rad is must in the mt Eden village.
Enjoy your visit.

The hipsters have definitely landed. This place is constantly full, constantly ticking over. My mum and I have been trying to get into this place for weeks, but it has always been full. Today was no different. But we just managed to get lucky & a seat became available.
To brothers who look like twins, obviously have the hipster vibe locked down. Attracting ginger beard, mothers that carry their babies like accessories, & the older ladies that don’t want to let go.
But I digress.
The food… That’s the most important thing right? Well it was as yummy to eat as it was to look at. Quite a gorgeous combination. I had the bacon and eggs, mum had the muesli. The only thing missing from my breakfast was seasoning. But hey, hipsters don’t use salt!
All in all, give it a whirl… That is if you can get a seat.

RAD is a very chic, quirky and trendy café found in the midst of the Mt Eden shops (Mt Eden rd). The café is designed for casual lounging, a quick coffee, or a delicious place for breakfast and lunch.
This is the second time I’ve been and you can’t be disappointed by their amazingly home made bread. They make brioche, ciabatta and Vietnamese baguette for their RAD Rolls and OMG — all three of their breads are so unbelievably soft! The rolls are all served quickly and this is because the only thing they need to cook is the protein. This is really smart. They all have great flavour, I feel like they are just 1 dimensional. The meatballs roll could really maybe use some caramelised onions — just something to beef it up. We both agreed that although they taste great the price is a bit much being $ 12.5−13.5 each roll. I just think they either need more ingredients to make it more valuable or I would be much happier paying around $ 11 – 11.50 per roll.
I have to say though — the smoothies and juices are absolutely moorish and am very happy to pay $ 7 each. The service is friendly and the barista is inquisitive about your day. I only wish they did table service, that would be a great add. Overall, love the décor, service and food and would def recommend RAD any day.
Rating
Food: 8.5÷10
Service: ⁹⁄₁₀
Value for money: Good
397 Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden
Opening Hours:
Mon-​Sat 630am-​4pm
Sun 8am-​4pm

If you are serious about coffee, very serious, you need to visit RAD. While most cafes in Auckland are supplied by Atomic, Allpress and Supreme beans, RAD uses Flight, a Wellington boutique roaster to serve up their beautiful rich smooth coffee. I only drink coffee straight up and was wowed by my espresso and cold drip siphon which I had immediately after to wash down the former.
The space is pretty rad, exposed brick walls, cool art and table numbers constructed out of lego. Depending on the time you can commit, there are comfortable booths for those who want to stay a while and bar stools for those who are coming to collect. Given RAD is a little unconventional, the place has become popular amongst the hipsters, plenty of place to park your one gear bike too.
More coffee varietals will be added in time, single origins and other blends for sophisticated coffee and I have been told for the vegans, some new additions to the menu shortly! If you’re in the area, or not, go to RAD, you will return!