Bambina Newmarket Cafe — Restaurant in Waitematā

Ahh. mmmm. So you know how sometimes you walk into a place and the decor is a million bucks but the food sucks. Well Bambina is the opposite of that.

Let me talk about the food first. So my number one daughter and I decided to go out for breakfast on a wet and windy Saturday in sunny Auckland. being a Saturday, breakfast for said number one daughter is no earlier than 11am so it was a trifle before 11.30 that we headed out in the Defender to forage for breakfast. Finding ourselves in Newmarket we eventually found a park across the road from Bambina. Given said wind and rain the choice of Café was therefore a little arbitrary. Now I said I would first talk about the food but actually it was the coffee that first made me happy. Number one daughter, forthwith to be known as NOD, ordered a hot chocolate while I ordered a Mocha since the sun was not yet over the yard arm and coffee plus chocolate seemed appropriate given the weather. The thing about hot chocolate and the old Mocha is that like scrambled eggs its one of the cafe offerings that most often fails to please. Either its insipid because the 15 year old barista only dropped half a teaspoon of the chocolate analogue powder into the cup or insanely sweet because they decided that about half a cup of ersatz chocolate powder was about the right quantity. Not at Bambina! No Sir! Here the hot chocolate and therefore the decadent mocha is made with real solid chocolate that forms a melting lump in the bottom of your cup. Gentle stirring produces a beverage that tastes like, wonder of wonders, chocolate! Bliss on aforesaid wet and windy September morning.

Ok, now for the food. So Bambina looks like a typical cafe. Tidy, slightly sparse, plain but smart. Typical café. So when I ordered the slow cooked short ribs and NOD ordered the corn fritters I expected average café food. The main item with some limp lettuce or baby spinach on the side. You know, typical café fare. What I wasn't expecting was restaurant quality presentation of really good restaurant quality food, emphasis on really good quality.

I can't provide pictures because we devoured the flavoursome and beautifully presented food as if we hadn't eaten since dinner last night. So if you are skipping to the end the takeaway here is that Bambina in Newmarket is a smart little café that serves exceptional food and great...

Visited this hidden gem twice in one week! Once by myself and once with family. The food is really bang for your buck! The atmosphere is very.. quiet but a nice quiet. Wasn’t too busy both times I went which was good because seating can be hard to get in other places. It’s a big empty space in a way inside and workers are very quiet also but they’re super nice and quick.

I ordered the banoffee French toast twice. The first time was bittersweet as the fire alarms went off midway through my meal so I wasn’t able to finish it all but it was a meal that filled me up. The attention to detail and presentation on the plate itself was 1000/10, so definitely a meal worth posting on instagram. It’s not a meal you’d likely expect to be ‘banoffee’ though because it’s a deconstructed version but everything comes together on the plate nicely and goes down even better. Citrus, fruit and French toast weirdly makes a good combination and I’d definitely come back for it again. I also tried the smashed avo on toast and would’ve enjoyed it overall if it didn’t have lemon juice throughout. Maybe others enjoy a bit of citrus in it but I didn’t personally like the taste. It was really good either way and you get a lot of avo on your bread for the price. It also came with poached eggs which I eat a lot of and they were divine with the avo, kinda made the taste of the lemon disappear but it went down a treat.

On my second visit, I took two of my family members with me. They both ordered the big bambina breakfast and loved it. The portions were just right for both of them. (So big they couldn’t finish it all).

Their baked goods are really good too. I took home a blueberry and custard danish. Tastes just as good as the ones from bakers delight. They also had cream donuts which looked really good but my stomach was already so full so I’ll pass on them until my next visit.

And lastly, as a drink, I ordered a caramel macchiato which was a first time thing for me and it was pretty decent. Not what I’d normally order but it was refreshing after a full meal.

Overall, this business is one that people should put on their bucket lists. It can be pricey for some but if you’ve ever got spare change and want a meal from a place that knows how to give out good portioned meals, I’d...

I come here often when I'm around new market, their tea's my fav, out of all that I've tried I don't think I've had anything bad. That huge table in the centre back is my go-to place, I try to pop by only when they're quiet, sit at that table, have a nice pot of tea and do whatever is needed on hand or just simply flip through the magazines.

Been family friends with the new owner so generally my mother would chat away while I mind my own business, with that said I promise I'll give a fair review ;)

I haven't tried much of their coffee, just not a coffee person in general, but out of the few mochas and lattes I've had I'm quite happy with them, and from what I've learnt they use top notch ingredients for their food although I haven't had a chance to have anything.

Tea, as I mentioned, is a must try. But as I try out new stuff I'll be sure to put my thoughts here!

Aaaaaaaand I'm back! With a foodie review this time!!

Lemme just say this first, their flat white is superb!! Well, for my taste anyways, I like smooth mild coffee with aroma :)

Came with another friend this time, ordered some simple lunch, an Aubergine Panini and Chicken Filo, tried both, loved both. They're definitely up to standard, not your average café food. Is it just me or have they gotten better?! I'd be satisfied with this quality at a fine dining restaurant!

You know how most café side salads are just too horrible to even try? ( I know I'm picky) this is not the case! I actually enjoyed it!!

Well worth the money and experience!!

If you're coming by Newmarket, this would be the café...