Young Dandy Cafe — Restaurant in Waitematā

I’ve popped into Young Dandy a few times for a smoothie, matcha, hot chocolate, or a slice of their gluten-free almond tea cake—but today was the first time I finally sat down for a full meal. I genuinely love everything about this place. It’s warm, inviting, and thoughtfully put together—from the cozy layout and beautifully plated food to the kind, down-to-earth staff.

One of the things that makes Young Dandy stand out is their rotating selection of coffees from around the world. Even as someone who doesn’t usually like coffee, I have to say their current cold brew special, the “Benji,” is insanely good. This café has become one of my absolute favourites—it’s the kind of place you just keep coming back to. And yes, their matcha is...

We went here because of the reviews. Perhaps it was just a bad day. We decided against breakfast as there wasn’t the variety in the menu. Ordered coffee instead. When a different coffee turned up and we pointed out that it probably belonged to another customer we were made to feel like it was our fault. When it did arrive the coffee was nice.

EDIT: All credit to James for reaching out to us over our experience. Clearly a business owner that cares about their reputation and their customers. We will come back and try...

Had the french toast with fruit - which was recommended by the server. It arrived with semi frozen blueberries swimming in a sea of defrosted blueberry water. French toast was soggy. Left most of it on the plate - inedible. How it got out of the kitchen in such a state is a mystery. I have had much better french toast on airplane flights - which is saying something. I am perplexed by the ratings this place...