Crispy eatery — Restaurant in Ōrākei

Having spotted Crispy Eatery all over my Instagram and hearing rave reviews from friends, I couldn’t resist the temptation to give it a go. The café serves up a mix of breakfast and lunch classics, and what particularly caught my eye were the Eastern European dishes—something close to my heart, considering it’s part of my heritage. Opting for a classic, my friend went for the Big Breakfast, and it seemed like a winner, given the empty plate.

Being drawn to my roots, I chose a Russian classic, Syrniki (cottage cheese pancakes)—a dish I cherish from my childhood. Although the presentation was lovely and the accompanying elements were well put together, I sensed a tad undercooking, with a faint hint of flour. Still, my love for Syrniki remained strong, and I polished off the plate. And, of course, we couldn’t pass up the chance to try Crispy Eatery’s claim to fame—the Honey Cake, another Russian classic. Opting for the traditional version, it was a sheer delight—soft and boasting perfectly balanced flavours, just like home.

The coffees were equally impressive, with my Matcha Latte emerging as one of the finest I’ve had in Auckland—hitting that sweet spot between not too sugary and not too bitter. The staff was delightful, the vibe was charming, and the setting was cozy. I’m eagerly looking forward to a return to sample more dishes and, who knows, maybe give Syrniki...

Google reviews are broken unfortunately and anything below 5 is considered bad. Since the place and the food are actually good I don't wand to mess up their rating and will give them 5 star. However, in my opinion good is 4 and for 5 there should be some "wow!" or "amazing". It was late morning on Saturday and the place was quite busy, parking is exactly what you'd expect from the location. Also want to point that Slavic dishes are probably adopted to Kiwi taste (or rather Asian taste, no Pakeha spotted and a lot of attention to appearance of the food making it more "Instagramable") and not so much of babushka style :).

Latte is awesome! Just as I like it, rich, bold and full-bodied. This is firm 5.

Honey cake is rather light, flavor and sugar wise. Nice overall. Firm 4.

Vareniky/dumplings with cottage cheese (quark actually) were somewhat watery inside and sprinkled with dried raspberry pieces (appearance!), but nice overall. Firm 4.

Crepes were ok -ish, that is 3. Couldn't get the idea of the dish. Too moist and sugar powdered even when it comes with honey.

Staff is very nice.

Definitely will come back for their coffee when I will be...

This was our first time dining in the restaurant after reading all the glowing reviews online. I would like to say we had a pleasant experience, and my wife and I will be visiting again.

Staff were friendly and attentive. We were initially seated outside but were offered an indoor table once they became available.

There were a lot of young diners, which was expected for an establishment with a strong online presence. The seating area is relatively small, and with all the animated conversation happening around us, the restaurant felt somewhat loud. Which is probably why some guests preferred to sit outside.

The food was good. Although it is a bit pricey for what was offered, they are very well displayed, and each ingredient were cooked well. The food wasn't overly sweet or salty, and the vegetables were especially well prepared.

One improvement I would like to suggest are the coffees. I tried one of the sweeter coffees with chocolate, and it wasn't really my taste. While the drink was indeed sweet, it wasn't the flavor I was expecting. I'll be exploring a different drink on...