Phone: (09) 489 0091
Open: 7am-4pm, Mon-Fri. 7.30am-4pm Sat-Sun
Cost: $43.50 for two
SET UP & SITE
Both my friend and I thought it was a trick when the parking warden assured us Takapuna's parking was free on a recent Saturday afternoon. So we kept half an eye on the car and half an eye on our plates as we sat in a little glass-covered alley next to Cafe Melba in Takapuna. Well-placed planters and carefully angled tables meant alley-diners could enjoy the cool breeze and the people-watching opportunities without being elbow-to-elbow with those revelling in the natural light flooding in through the ceiling-high windows to warm Melba's inside. You'd be lucky to find a seat - let alone a car park directly outside - in this compact little cafe in Takapuna's dining precinct on a weekend morning. But on this sunny autumn early afternoon the only people bothering us were the staff who asked us almost before we'd managed to sit down what we wanted to order.
SUSTENANCE & SWILL
![The smashed avocado at Cafe Melba. Photo / Getty Images](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/DGZROSYL75QX2VL5E32XTEPF3Y.jpg?auth=f81aa8a647398ba702e72833a49810559d5129b1f6a441e5603881d35e706b83&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)