The Luscious Food Store: 547 Te Atatu Rd. Photo / Sarah Ivey
The Luscious Food Store: 547 Te Atatu Rd. Photo / Sarah Ivey
Here are five of the best family-friendly cafes praised by our parent pals.
When there are whipper snappers in tow, eating out requires a few extra family-friendly touches. What we're after is a place that offers delicious and nutritious meals for grown-ups and little ones, and also provides some sort of entertainment for kids - even if that's simply space to roam and have fun.
Here are five of the best family-friendly cafes praised by our parent pals.
This Ponsonby Central spot is known for its tasty, hand-rolled meatballs - all organic, free-range and gluten free. The service here is also something to write home about, in our opinion. But the thing that appeals to the family is the fun way diners place their order by marking their meal choices on the plastic re-usable menu. Tick your pick of the Bedford Balls - beef, chicken, pork or vege - then add a sauce and base. Or opt for a sub or slider. It's all good here.
2: Dante's Pizzeria
Ponsonby Central, 136 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
We do try to spread our wings around Auckland, but we had to give another Ponsonby Central shout-out to Dante's pizza joint just next door to Bedford. The wood-fired pizza has been voted the best in the country. The outdoor bench seating allows kids to safely wander around the space without being strapped in. But the family-friendly clincher - a mum in the office tells us every time they have visited, the kids are taken inside to make the pizza - we want a turn!
Kevin Morris with pizza at Dante's Pizza. Photo / Doug Sherring
3: Fernielea Cafe
302 Coatesville Riverhead Hwy, Coatesville
Ferniela cafe. Photo / Supplied
This old Coatesville farmhouse cafe has a great outdoor garden, making it easy for grown-ups to keep little ones entertained. There's a popular, secure playground, complete with a trampoline and sandpit. Shaded seating beneath the trees nearby allows adults to keep an eye on the kids and dogs are also welcome. A few funny chooks wander about, a nice touch for the animal lovers. We've heard lots of parents praise this place.
This Te Atatu tip came to us from a father friend who reckons taking his two little kids out for meals is too stressful right now. However, when they can get it together, Luscious is the best, he says, because it has a sandpit in the garden out the back and a giant blackboard with chalk. The dad raves about the delicious mini mince pies - it also offers a "kids build a sandwich plate" on the dedicated children's menu and the owners do their best to source all produce from local suppliers.
5: Catroux
129 West End Rd, Westmere
Catroux on West End Road. Photo / Sarah Ivey
This simple white Westmere cafe boasts a beaut cabinet full of delicious salads, panini and sticky pineapple and apricot-glazed ham off the bone. The Eight Thirty coffee is some of the best we've had - a bonus for grown-ups. Llittle people can have a mad time mucking around in the sandpit out the back. Catroux also offers a kids' menu with $6 dishes such as boiled egg and soldiers.
