Neil Cafe and Bistro — Restaurant in Henderson-Massey

My friends and I went here for a birthday brunch recently after hearing really good things about it. We had scoped it out on instagram and were really excited by it. Unfortunately it was quite different to how it appears on google and their instagram page. We were presented with a menu which was wildly different to the one showcased on instagram (the design and logo as well as the food options) so we suspected the ownership must have changed, which a friend of mine later confirmed. The service was lacklustre and they mixed things up a couple of times, but it’s possible they were just having an off day. My friend and I ordered the crispy corn fritters which were not great, in fact they appeared to have used frozen mix veg in the batter and the texture itself was quite cakey. My other friend ordered the eggs on toast which oddly came with a “pile of curried potatoes” as many of the food items did. It was a strange side to have with eggs on toast particularly as it was a default inclusion. The coffees seemed fine although my earl grey tea was just a dilmah tea bag which was a real let down as I had been looking forward to a nicely brewed T2 tea which looked to be the standard under the previous owners. It’s a perfectly fine neighbourhood cafe, but not at all what we had expected and very far removed from the previous set up it seems. I think they possibly need to rebrand or update their social media so it’s more inline with their...

Neil seems to have changed hands in the last month or so and it feels like the new owners are riding on the coat tails of the previous ones. Their instagram boasts a denizen review but this must have been of the previous owners’ offering. The menu online is quite different from what’s presented in the shop, which is much more expensive. Also nearly everything comes with a “small pile of curried potatoes” which might be fine at dinner time but the luke warm curried potatoes were a bit weird with my poached eggs on sourdough for breakfast. I was glad I didn’t choose the corn fritters like my friends did. They weren’t corn, they were frozen mixed vege fritters, which were doughy, almost inedible, and expensive with it. My coffee was nice but only after the order was wrongly understood the first time. Perhaps a little more research on what makes a good point of difference is in order, I assure you the curried potatoes aren’t...

I Arrived at Neil Cafe late this morning upon being urged by Te Atatu locals to try my regular brunch classics with Mediterranean accents. Once cordially greeted, I was compelled to order multiple dishes to observe Neil’s offerings in depth. To start, I ordered the “Neil eggs”. Superbly poached eggs on sourdough were complimented by a drizzle of Aleppo oil. As I tucked into the dish, I was pleasantly surprised by a butter bean and roasted garlic mash that gave a simple dish sophistication. To follow, I ordered a “Mezze platter” to see if Neil would place their unique touch on a dish I absolutely love. They did. The grilled flatbread and courgettes were the stars for me, the plate was generous and I left with a smile on my face. The chef was definitely on point. A fantastic, inconspicuous cafe and eatery I would recommend to anybody who enjoys a relaxed atmosphere and...