Arobake Aro Street — Restaurant in Wellington

Like a number of people who go to this cafe from time to time, I only set foot here when the cafe across the road has a queue out the door. The food selection is poor and often pretty undesirable. But the biggest problem i've noticed in most of my trips here is customer service. Staff have often seemed dismissive and seem to view having to serve customers as a great inconvenience.

I don't usually write reviews, but an incident during a trip a month or two ago was so severe that frankly people should be forewarned.

I went in and ordered a dine in meal. It was of a type that requires cutlery, especially as the type of bread is very tough and requires considerable force to separate. The staff member just shoved the food at me and away she went, didn't even give me cutlery or even a plate. So I asked another staff member for some cutlery and a plate. She glared at me as if this was a great imposition and then gave me a very flimsy light wooden knife and fork. The food was of a type that would cause these flimsy utensils to snap well before they even penetrated the surface. I politely explained this and asked if I could have some metal cutlery and a plate. She rolled her eyes and very reluctantly gave me a metal knife and fork. I asked for a plate as well. She flat out refused with a firm 'No'.

So I went back to my table. The only thing I could find to use as a plate was a flimsy paper bag. As I ate, the two staff members kept glaring at me and whispering. When I had finished eating, the staff member who had refused me the plate came storming up to me, now wielding a plate. She shoved it on the table under my nose and scolded me saying that cutting my food without a plate was bad for the table. I politely pointed out that I hadn't been given a plate. She snarled "You should have asked for one!". I reminded her that I had asked her for one and she had refused to let me use one. She glared and then stomped away, rejoining her pal behind the counter. The two continued to glare at me and whisper.

The whole situation was utterly disgraceful. I would never tolerate any of my staff behaving like this towards customers. But clearly this cafe sees no...

Located across town in Aro Valley, Arobake isn't a place I frequent often. However, when I do find myself in the area, I usually make a point of stopping by. They offer a range of European- and Kiwi-style baked goods, and I generally try something different each visit, along with purchasing some of their artisan bread. They haven't let me down so far.

The variety is decent, with a mix of pastries, cakes, and savory options alongside their bread. The quality seems consistently good, and it's clear they pay attention to the baking process. The bread in particular is well-made; it’s crusty and tastes as you'd expect. Their coffee is also satisfactory, making it a reasonable spot for a quick break.

Arobake's website notes they supply to restaurants and cafes around Wellington, which suggests a level of reliability in their products.

Overall, Arobake is a solid option if you're in the Aro Valley area and looking for a bakery. It’s a reliable place to pick up some well-made baked goods and a coffee. While it requires a bit of a trip for me, it's generally a worthwhile stop when I'm nearby. There are a few options on offer so there should be something for...

A magical birthday cake. Ordered the large (30 cm round) Black Forest Torte, $100, which is approximately 20 large sized pieces. Cake looked amazing - photo is from Arobake website and cake was identical, with personalised chocolate message on top. Although I am not in general a big fan of cakes, particularly chocolate flavoured ones, the first delicious bite of this incredibly smooth and light cake made me go "Wow!". The layers of some kind of fancy melt-in-your-mouth chocolate sponge, whipped cream and stewed cherries have the perfect texture and a flavour which is much more pleasantly delicate and well balanced than I was expecting. I should have known it would be awesome because amongst locals Arobake is famous for putting the aroha into their kai and it shows in the food. Absolutely 100% the best cake I've ever bought, and made our special day that much...