Lola Cafe — Restaurant in Maungakiekie-Tāmaki

UPDATE: Wow ok, the "owner's" late reply seems a bit rude?! I forgot to write a review at the time and went through my photos and it reminded me to post it. I don't see what the issue is? Reviews aren't required to be written "asap" - my experience was the same, regardless of when the review was posted. It wasn't a complaint - my review is of what we experienced so other people can read it, it may or may not be the same for everyone. I originally gave a FOUR star review, the photos of the food were nice, literally said everything was good except for the service at the counter (I even gave a reason as to why I thought it was that way for benefit of the doubt) and said that we would go again??? I was honest and said we ate here before lockdown, I could have left that out. I felt my review was honest and just stating what happened. If you feel attacked by that, you should check yourself as to why you feel that way. Perhaps you were the one who put our payment through, who knows. Would have loved to support your business more as it's local but probably won't return now due to this response. Seems incredibly uncalled for and unnecessary when my original review was mostly positive?! Bizarre, but hey, just my 2 cents, even if it was posted a couple months after we visited.

ORIGINAL: The food, decor and cabinet set up were really nice but service at the counter was a bit poor. On arrival we were greeted nicely and seated straight away, menu was a little grubby but not a major, food also came out in good time, food was presented nicely and decent portions for reasonable prices, but when we went to pay, it was a bit “bare minimum”. The girl just rung our order up and put it through the eftpos machine, not really present. Felt like it was a nuisance for her to have us there for some reason, probably just busy and thinking of things that needed doing - it was just the vibe we got. As the food was great and it’s local to us, we’re keen to give it another shot when we can dine in again! (We ate here...

Update: Owner seems to think in their response I didn't raise the issue when paying or receiving the plate, which I did, and is now launching personal attacks. And no I didn't eat your 2nd plate of uncooked pancakes, I ate the cooked ones?! The fact they didn't handle it the issue well is their problem, for which they are dodging any responsibility. If Covid doesn't tank this business maybe the owner's unprofessionalism will.

Another terrible experience a year after!! Served uncooked pancakes so had to wait for another plate. Bought 2 coffees and a pastry, and beyond an apology NOTHING! Seriously not even an extra coffee stamp? The owner's excuse was that they pancakes are thick so difficult to cook. Excuse me but the McDonalds next door can cook pancakes fully every time, as I can I. Mcdonald's would certainly give a voucher or shout a coffee. Why support a local business when $20 pancakes are uncooked, you spend $50 in total and service is worse than a multi national where pancakes are $5

Prior experience- Very good quality food and coffee, but slow service. I get they are busy with being new, but we were the 3rd table of the day going in 20mins after they opened that day. An order of pancakes and a cookie skillet took half an hour! No apologies or updates from the servers. It's not like they were busy or other tables...

Lola Cafe - named after owner, Rebecca McRobie's dream, of a sunny tropical island where a beautiful polynesian girl in a vivid yellow dress approached her, introducing herself as 'Lola' - is a vibrant new eating spot which opened in the new Panmure Corner. The restaurant is decorated with bright hues of red glass and bursts of yellow and mustard splashes of colour on chairs, booth upholstery and even the coffee machine, which at once transport you to back to the warmer climes of the dream. We had Philly Cheesesteak and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. The sandwich was a good balance of Steak and Provolone which had been decadently melted over and heavy on the grilled peppers and onions. The fried chicken was paired with a coleslaw which didn't quite cut through the chicken grease, but was a welcome addition along with a pillowy sourdough roll and a small cruse of rich gravy. Both meals were served with excellent crinkle cut fries, hot from the kitchen and neither greasy nor poorly seasoned which rounded out each meal nicely. Service was friendly but often fractured due to the sheer chaos of the lunch rush. Our meals were further delayed by a huge table which were seated just prior to us, so getting in early is your best bet. Lola is certain to become a local favourite and well worth a try if you're in the...