Yesterday was the second time my partner and I have come here for breakfast and I can happily say it’s my new favourite cafe in Auckland! Amazing breakfasts, fantastic service and great coffee, you leave feeling happy and very full, with really reasonable prices. Recommended to all!

I haven’t been to Cafe Cezanne for over 10 years but was pleased to see it is still a popular place to eat. I had the Salmon Fillet with the Apricot Salsa which was delicious. The others in my group enjoyed their meals although the Duck Breast was a very small portion. The Bailey and Brownie cheesecake I had for dessert was a little bland but the coffee was excellent. Overall a reasonably priced meal with BYO making it affordable and good service so will be meeting up with friends for a relaxed evening there again

Today was my 21st birthday and to celebrate my family took me to Cafe Cezanne and what started of as a good experience quickly went down hill when our food arrived. While my boyfriend, sister and brother all got a great meal (kudos to the open steak sandwich and corn fritters), my dad, mum and I mistakenly ordered the calamari salad. The calamari was ice cold and didn’t taste fresh or nice for that matter. And the pile of lettuce had no flavour despite a watery curry yoghurt dressing. We aren’t picky eaters at all but it was very unpleasant to eat. When asked how our meals were we decided to be honest and say “not great, the calamari seems very cold and tastes old” . The owner then comes out and begins to tell us that no one has ever complained before, challenges our judgement of the meal even though we are paying customers and that he watched it being served piping hot. Then I ask “well why was it stone cold and rubbery?” He then contradicts himself by saying “well you can’t exactly serve piping hot food onto a cold salad so that is why it is cold”. Dude! If you had just offered to recook our calamari instead of blaming us for complaining it would have been a good experience. Instead you said “well I am sorry you feel that way” and walked off. We then had to deal with your glares and could hear a chorus of “Cold and old… What are they taking about?” from behind the counter…Why can’t you just accept that the meal was not pleasurable for us? Why were you so rude to us? Your other food was good, your waitress was lovely – it was just your rudeness and the chefs who made those calamari salads that made the experience disappointing. It was a bad way to spend my birthday being blamed for not enjoying your food. We will not dine here again based on your treatment of us and your inability to take on criticism and remedy the situation positively. Please don’t bother commenting back – we were given enough of an Moreearful today. I just want to warn other customers about this potential treatment.

We have been looking for a place to go for a dinner, and decided to visit this cafe.

After thinking what to order, we decided, and I placed my order at the counter. But by some accident waitress didn’t hear me properly, or my accent was so horrible (even I pointed with my finger on particular food name in the menu) after maybe 20 minutes I got my Scotch Fillet Steak which was done pretty good (I do love medium rare) and all the extras like sauce and potato were pretty nice, but my partner ordered Salmon Fillet and she’s got some kind of pasta, and we had to ask to change food and wait for another 7-10 mins, even though her order was re-placed without the queue.

Steak was pretty soft and nice.
However, salmon fillet was too oily and taste wasn’t as good as we’ve expected.

We tried this new cafe and probably won’t go back, as it wasn’t as good as we would expect it to be.

Interesting interior, and friendly staff. Nevertheless, the appearance of the staff left a negative image. I would expect a bit more coverage of the body from a person who is at work than what I have seen.

The one place I bother to carry a coffee card for! Consistently friendly service, good coffee, good cafe food, great location (near city, easy parking, all amenities near by – bank, PO, chemist etc), perfect casual place to meet friends. I often a stop here to plan, gather my thoughts and re-energise before the next meeting/appointment etc. Open from early until late.

I haven’t been to this cafe for a while, but after visiting some great cafe’s in the area of recent times – I’ve sort of fallen out of love with this one.

The food is reasonably good, and served quickly – but I found everything a bit pricey… I paid about $19 for an omelette, and really that’s verging on dinner/main meal pricing, most other items on the menu were also on the pricey side.

In addition to the pricing, this cafe still applies the 15% surcharge – which is pretty disappointing given the additional custom cafe’s typically get on public holidays, which would cover a fair amount of the cost I would have thought – but I don’t run a cafe.. irrespective, many cafes have moved away from surcharges now…

It would be nice to see this place upgraded as well – as is a little dark.

Not a bad cafe, but there are better around.

I popped into Cafe Cezanne for a morning coffee and was also tempted by the gorgeous cakes and muffins on offer. The Chocolate Brownie was excellent, as was the coffee. The young lady who served me was very helpful and friendly. The atmosphere is really great, no cold steel and glass, a much more friendly and cosy decor of wood and interesting art work. Will definitely come again!

On a Monday needing a late lunch I suggested to my friend we go to Cafe Cezanne as I had not been for a while.
Greeted warmly and an explanation of menus-which were availiable and left to decide on what to eat- very helpful.
Deciding on Potato and Watercress soup with garlic bread and a small Chicken Nachos to share with 2 coffees we decided to stay indoors in the warm and tidy cafe. We recieved a btle of chilled water and waited for our food.
when the soup,nachos and coffee arrived we tucked in and the soup was delicious with fresh garlic bread and was very substantial.
Our host stopped by to check everything was in order and was pleasant and polite.
The chicken Nachos topped with sour cream was an ample portion and very tasty which we both took turns till the bowl was empty. The coffee was served promptly and even though not very busy we recieved friendly professional service with a smile and genuine care.
We also noted their deicious cakes,slices and muffins were all made on the premises so will def be back to rate their choc brownie
It was so nice to have friendly service from ownwers/staff that appreciate your patronage. Full Marks!

I love coming here for my morning coffee. The lovely girl in the mornings is so friendly and fast. I am happy to walk from the other end of Ponsonby Rd for her fantastic service with a chat and smile. Excellent coffee every time also.

I live around the neighborhood so come here often for coffees and always get great service and smiles. But all I really need to say is:

NACHOS!

I go there for coffee/hot chocolate and only will get the blonde girl and asian girl to do my hot drinks the other ones are useless.

The open hog sandwich and the lasagne we chose yesterday were cooked to perfection. The meals arrived quickly and were so tasty. Generous portions, too.

Next time we will try and find room for some of the very tempting desserts, all made on the premises.

The staff were great, the prices were very reasonable and we went away happy!

I have eaten here on multiple occasions. The coffee is fantastic, the food delicious and good value, but what really makes this cafe special are the staff – consistently friendly and attentive.

Highly recommend.

Loved our lunch there yesterday. Great atmosphere and awesome cakes. Hard to decide. Salads to die for and are huge!!!

I visit this Cafe regularly. I think the team, especially the front line girls, that work here are fantastic creating an awesome atmosphere. To drink coffee and dine in. They are always friendly and polite.

The food is pretty good too. A+++

Cafe Cezanne succeeded in giving us outstanding value, and a thoroughly enjoyable birthday dinner experience for our little family of three. We were really delighted with the exceptional calibre of the moderately priced food.

I thoroughly enjoyed my roast pumpkin, feta, walnut, red-onion and green salad. From the kids menu, the chefs whipped up a beautiful fluffy but succulent omelette with pineapple (the chef suggested via the waitress that pineapple would be a good choice for my daughter who didn’t want the ‘ham’, and he was spot on!).

My partner loved his haloumi salad.
The setting is very relaxed, to suit the style of the Cafe, and reminds me of the classic Auckland cafes of the late 90′s… giant arty-murals, chunky wooden chairs & tables, concrete floor. Plus drawerfuls of children’s books to entertain our young one after she’d finished her delicious chocolate afghan.

I think for the price-bracket of this cafe’s menu, they have got the formula spot-on. The only improvement I’d suggest, would be to renovate the toilet room. However, that said… the plethora of sanitizer seat-wipes & sprays and hygienex pump soap and paper towels, overcame any qualms I had about seating my daughter in there, thank goodness!

We were so thrilled with our experience, and the helpful staff, and the excellent food, I think 5 stars are in order.

This is the second time we’ve eaten here as visitors from London visiting family and friends. My husband had the mega steak, with 3 eggs and slightly curried potatoes, and he is not one to leave food, but it was sooo big he could not finish the potatoes (though he did finish the steak as it was too good to leave!) I had the chicken penne with cream and garlic sauce and it was absolutely divine – and a huge portion served with garlic bread. The owner came and had a chat, and like many NZ places seem to do, there’s fresh tap water available in chilled bottles. We love this place!

8 of us went for a late breakfast on Sunday 19th Feb 2012. Everyone enjoyed their meal – I had the Portobello Mushrooms in a cream sauce on toasted French bread… “unbelievable” – By far the best I’ve even had. Service was good, although there seemed to be some confusion over who ordered what (bringing stuff to out table that wasn’t ours) – no big deal though. The owner interacted with his guests – great stuff – good to see (I might have to become a food critic – sounds like fun).

PS Coffee is as good as the best I’ve enjoyed!

I had breakfast at Cafe Cezanne Ponsonby Sunday morning 19th Feb. we were all most impressed. It would have been one of the nicest breakfasts I have had out in a long time. I had the full breakfast and it was so enjoyable, and the potato hash was really nice. Wish i had the recipe.
Barb Duff Christchurch

I’m a regular of this cafe, and come to visit along with my friend, hubby or mum whenever we are in the area. I love their salads and coffees and lunch specials are great too. The service is great and we always get asked if everything is going ok with the meal. Can’t fault anything..

Really nice coffee, put me off wanting to visit starbucks after a meal like I usually do

The food is so good – & you get heaps which is my favourite part The staff and friendly and attentative (but not overly so!) and I find myself returning time and time again for the lovely atmosphere and great food. Best place in Ponsonby if you ask me

Not sure again what is all the fuss about with this cafe. With a string of positive reviews one would think this surely is the place to go. But I really beg to differ. This was my first time there and being a regular at a few other cafes in the are, I though I should check it out. My order: a flat white and eggs benedict. Verdict: the coffee was very mediocre and don’t have much to say about the benedict. The egg was watery, almost to the extent of the white being uncooked. Not a pleasant experience on a sunny Sunday morning. Will I go back? No, not when there are a handful of really nice once in the proximity.

I haven’t been for years to Cafe Cezzane but oh how I had forgotten how wonderful the service and food was. On a cold wet Saturday afternoon we stopped in and were both delighted to see one of our favourites on the menu, chicken livers and lambs fry, not to every ones taste, but these were the best we had, the meal size was perfect as these are quite rich and the sauce divine. The lovely owner and his wife made a point of stopping and talking to us and we complimented them. The service was fantastic. We live in Herald Island Waitakere, we are definitely making the drive back to this wonderful cafe. Keep up the great work and see u soon.

I eat at cafe Cezanne probably once a month. I like the place, I like the slightly sticky kinda grubby atmosphere. It’s casual dining where one can be relaxed and just enjoy the food, the company and there’s always good people watching to be had. I had the stuffed capsicum on a pea puree and it was great. The service from the blonde nordic looking waitress was very good. One thing I did note however was a few of the desserts in the cabinet had definitely seen better days. Maybe someone needs to keep an eye on that because it was not pretty!

THE VERY BEST CHRISTMAS EVE EVER. After a fantastic church service, 14 of us rolled in the door of Cafe Cezanne at 8:30pm wondering if by some miracle we would find something to eat. We did! Beautiful food, beautiful service, the lady in charge got all our food and drinks orders perfect, the kitchen staff were amazing, we clapped them afterwards for a job well done on such a special night as that. I highly recommend – will be back again – especially next Christmas eve!

I have been living in Melbourne for 11 years now & always used to go to Cafe Cezanne – now every time I come back it’s my first stop. The food is gorgeous, plenty of it & great value for money. I have never had a bad experience – the staff are always lovely.
Love their breakfast & always pop in for dinner when Im in town. Def up there as one of the best along Ponsonby Road

The venue is great oozes personality from the furniture to the ‘cezanne’ wall murals. Sit and be seen dine indoors or on the pavement and contribute to Ponsonby’s the place to be.
At Cezanne the food’s reasonably priced – tasty – well presented- big servings (not that I need that!!)and the wait staff friendly and efficient. At the top of my cafe dine list. Highly recommended

This cafe is absolutely fabulous, ive been here a few times and their chocolate smoothies are to die for!!! ( wish i could make one just as good!!!!) the service is fantastic and the staff are the friendliest ive ever seen despite what some people say! will definitely be coming back and i recommend it to anyone. even y’all who’ve said to have a “bad experience” not everyones perfect and people make mistakes, doesnt mean the place is vibrant with vibrant people. everyone try a smoothie!!!!!!

I have never written a review before, but this place has inspired me to do so, we have been to Cafe Cezanne on a number of occasions and every time the food is amazing, the service is friendly and inviting and the coffee fantastic!!! Highly recommend you give this place a try, you will not be disappointed!

After our last great experience we decided to come back. We ordered a plain Salmon and Cream cheese omelette – just like last time only this time it seemed really difficult and the waitress reluctantly went to ask the chef – the omelette arrived with everything on the menu including salmon and cream cheese – not tasty at all and a mission to try and eat as I had to pick through everything else mixed into the omelette. My friend ordered a Soda water which was flat and got “attitude” when she asked for one that had bubbles – surprisingly when she asked the waitress if she was having a bad day she got a shrug and nonchalant…yes… It was obvious she was having a bad day – the surprise was the fact that she’s in the service industry and clearly doesn’t care if her bad mood affects customers and their experience. One great experience + one shocker – with so many cafes to choose from we won’t be taking our chances…Go to Cafe Cezanne if you’re feeling lucky

Went to Cezanne this Saturday night with a large group – around twelve of us. The food was fantastic – large portions, affordable, and super tasty! The Lamb broth was hearty and delicious in this cold snap Auckland has experienced. The service was friendly and patient (we took longer than would be ideal to order) and they were accomodating in every way. I never usually write reviews but this cafe is definitely worth a visit – not an ideal setting for a first date but a sure winner to take your mates to. Best time to dine: evenings.

We often go there on Friday night, it is not too busy but got a few people. Food is good, desert is good and coffee is good! The only thing is very cram inside, everything I went there I will get sick – may be the air flow is not good enough but i still go back.Might just go back in summer time that I can seat outside rather than inside. it is a good cafe on Ponsonby road.

Great coffee, Great food, Great service. What more could you want?
I have never done a review before, but this place was worth it.
When I’m back up in Auckland, this will be where I’ll be hanging.
Awesome!

I love cafe cezanne, my partner an I go almost every sunday and are never disappointed!
Mike wont have eggs beni anywhere else and I am slowly working my way through the menu…..its all yum!
Awesome staff, great food, just a great place to chill out on a weekend!

Cezanne’s has been my favourite cafe since 1994. Have taken soooo many friends and family there (only because I KNOW that everyone will enjoy themselves!)I first took my niece there in 1995 (she was 5 years old then). We reintroduced her in 2009: now Miss 21 takes her friends there! When friends and family are in NZ, or if meeting with local friends, Cezanne’s is ALWAYS the best pick: and they’ve all agreed! Here’s why: if you’re not happy about something, politely tell the staff and they will endeavour to correct it. Personally, I cannot recall any occasion, during the last 17 years of patronage at Cezannes, where I was unsatisfied with the food or drinks, presentation, or service. The food is fantastic; service is second to none; and I appreciate the attention to detail – especially the special coffees in the evening! Great place for a quick catch-up with friends over coffee, or to take some time for yourself (inspiring environment for writing poetry); lunch and dinner too – I often want something added to the dish and they’ve always catered for me; you have to try the cakes…mmm caramel; and Saturday/Sunday brunches are just as good every other day of the week. So, I’ll leave you with a few words uttered by my many friends and family on their first taste at Cezanne’s, “Oh, it’s so good!”

There’s not enough great words to say about Cafe Cezanne. Having been a loyal and faithful customer of this fine eating establishment since I was 22 (I’m now 36) I hesitate to eat anywhere else -as I’m nearly always disappointed. The Mocha coffee is divine, I’ve eaten nearly EVERYTHING on the menu and it’s all fabulous. The staff are long-standing, the surroundings warm and inviting, cool music, the food always exceptional and the owners are just lovely.

Personal favourites: ***DINNER*** Stuffed chicken breast, Lamb Shanks. ***LUNCH*** Chicken Penne, Cezanne’s Mess, Thai Lamb Salad, Bacon and Mushroom Omelet, Savoury mince on Toast ………. I could go on and on and on….. IT’S ALL GOOD – JUST TRY IT!!!!! Having been there nearly every Sunday in the years you’ve owned it, I’m ashamed to say we’ve never asked your names My hubby and I are proud to be part of the Cezanne’s furniture, long may the FABULOUS food and service continue.

Viva Cafe Cezanne!!!!

Karen and philip XO

We go there for lunch almost every weekend. The food is always good, staff is always friendly and the owner takes time out to talk to his valued customers to make sure they’re happy. We drive from out West to go there. The couple of times we’ve gone elsewhere, we regretted it and told ourselves we should have gone to Cezanne’s! Keep it up guys and see you this weekend!

I have just been to Cafe Cezanne for the first time and I know I will be going back. Great atmosphere and space for sitting and watching the world go by. Good no fuss service too! I only had the Cezanne’s own take on a Caesar but what a great take on a classic. As I said I have no doubt I will be back very soon even if it’s just for that Caesar Salad, but I will definitely be trying some other menu items.

I am always confused when I go to cafe cezanne because the service is so all over the place! About a month ago a friend and I decided to grab brunch (despite being hesitant about previous experiences) she orded a ham cheese and pineapple toastie and a coffee. after eating maybe a quater of her toastie she realised there was no ham in it..and asked the waitress if she could just chuck a piece in, then the owner came over and stated that “she had eaten over half the toastie and he would give her a stamped coffee card for next time, despite the fact that she had paid for ham! he was abrupt, ridiculous and rude…all for the sake of ham! we will never being going back there.

My wife and i had Brunch here recently and found the staff friendly and helpful. The meals we had were great and reasonably priced. Great place to sit outside and enjoy the atmosphere. We will definately be going back.
Gary & Moana

Cafe Cezanne was a disappointment. Service was useless, a miserable waitress kept asking if we wanted drinks, didn’t offer us a drink menu just pointed at the bar when we asked what was available. The food was average at best and kids meals were tiny without even a garnish. Oh, and the table was sticky.

Cafe Cezanne is an excellent place to stop in to eat; relaxed, friendly and with none of the stuffy holier than thou antics you find at other etablishments. We come all the way from Onehunga for the lambs fry which is cooked to perfection. They are one of the few places which understand that scrambled eggs should be fluffy. We have never had a bad meal yet and the chiefs are always willing to cater to your tastes. We love it here.

Thank you Cezanne for being the only sane people that are open at the crazy absurd hour of 11pm *SHOCK HORROR* on a Friday night when I just want to sit, chat and have a coffee with a friend. You guys are awesome, although your eggs benny with salmon made me feel a bit queezy. Also, heaps of improvement on the customer service & coffee from a year ago. Two thumbs up.

I have been here for brunch numerous times and it’s always good. Great service, quick, and the meals are generously sized – you definitely get more bang for your buck! Love the cajun chicken salad and the French toast. Highly recommended.

We had lunch here last Saturday 30/1/2010. As always the food was great – no complaints in that direction. The muffins are even better than I’ve previously had. Coffees excellent. Also the Head Chef was very friendly and asked if everything was OK. Appreciate that.
The one complaint I have is that within 3 minutes 3 tramps stopped and asked a customer for a smoke. He kindly rolled one for this person and gave some tobacco to a second to roll himself. One of these tramps actually made herself at home. Your customers in turn left and she moved to their table and scoffed the leftovers.
In the past we have seen similar behaviour.
Now a full paying customer should not have to sit and look at this happening.
Also the staff and owners have been seen at times smoking at the front tables. Do yourself a favour and stop this habit. Doesn’t look good and you maybe turning away customers. Something worth thinking about in these tough times.

my friend took me there and i ordered one of there breakfast dishes,it was really really yum,and it made you full and the price was really good for the amount they give you. the staff there are so friendly they make you want to go back,overall its the cafe to eat at!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lovely atmosphere for meetings; staff real friendly!!

I don’t know why this cafe has had such good reviews. i went for brunch on a friend’s recommendation and ordered a scrambled egg dish. When the dish came it was so coated in garlic butter that I actually couldn’t finish it (and I’m not one to turn away food). The service was also extremely sloppy, my friend ordered a second coffee and then forgot about it so we had to remind them, 15 minutes later that it had been ordered. We will not be back.

good value food. very friendly, helpful service.

Great place, great atmosphere. Cafe Cezanne has a good selection of food, reasonably priced. The cook breakfasts are great!!

We love Cezanne. Its been an icon in the Auckland cafe scene for 20 years, famous for its excellent coffee (try the chocolate chai too)wide range of wine and beers, great menu with a real variety from Thai to Mexican, mains include salmon and crab stuffed chicked breasts to rich slow cooked lamb shanks. Then there is the cakes .. a huge case of maybe 12 to choose, passionfruit cheescake, chocolate whiskey cake, tiramisu, kahlua cheescake, wheat free orange and coconut … cant remember them all … add yoghurt or cream or ice cream .. or all three. We were told the new owners took over before Christmas and you can see they have already made huge a difference with the same atmosphere but now its sparkling clean and you can feel the upbeat vibe when you walk in, and a happy friendly team of staff who cant do enough for you. Lots of tourists (its in Lonely Planet we were told) and fun locals and this week when we had lunch there was Robin and the guy (sorry for forgetting your name from Outrageous Fortune.

As somone who moved to Auckland and couldnt find anywhere relaxed and not precious for so long its going to be my new haunt for everything from weekend breakfast to coffee and cake after the movies. Oh and bring your puppy too, they have a big waterbowl outside and hes welcome to sit and enjoy the passers-by at any of the outside tables.

This cafe does the best breakfast in Auckland and I eat there every Sunday!

If you like a good feed and like to be full after a meal then this is the place.