Humbug Cafe — Restaurant in Whau

I live a few blocks from this café, but had no idea of its existence until one of my students told me about it. Even if it wasn't quite so close to home (major advantage and temptation) I would rank it as an outstanding café. It's got a relaxed, slightly retro vibe, but a very wide clintèle from families with kids, to businessy types hatching plans. There's a wide selection of food, from cooked meals to excellent baking and sandwiches. In my opinion the range on offer is far more interesting than what you find in more café-ridden neighbourhoods like Kingsland or Ponsonby. It can get quite busy on Saturdays and Sundays, but I've usually been able to find somewhere to sit and read a weekend paper. The coffee's excellent (and I'm an inveterate coffee snob). My only minor quibble is that once you're finished whatever you're eating and drinking, they tend to whisk your cups and plates away. It might be something peculiar to me, but I always feel as though my cup etc. give me licence to sit there and read or stare out the window. As soon as they're gone, I get the feeling I'm being hurried away. Still, on a crowded Saturday, maybe someone...

I cannot understand how this place is busy every time I drive past. We’ve consistently tried Humbug every couple of months over the last year or so and every time there’s been an issue. They drastically over charged my friend for her coffee (upwards of $10 more than they should have). We went back again another time to dine in and the coffee was so burnt and the mushrooms were chewy and inedible. She went back by herself and they were rude to her about the fact that she sat down at a table for a minute while waiting for her take away coffee - apparently they don’t like takeaway cups being used if you’re sitting in. This would be fine if she was actually sitting in, but was simply sitting while she waited for her order. We gave it one last try a couple of months ago. One member of the group purchased a smoothie, as did I. My smoothie arrived and 15 minutes later hers did. The staff are blunt, the building is messy and disorganised. We will be steering clear from now on. How they still have customers...

The cafe is located off the main roads so it is quite isolated. there is plenty of parking around though. They are quite big and act both as a cafe and a grocer, selling a few interesting items such as Foxton sodas. I did stop by to have breakfast. There are plenty of tables inside and out. The inside area is separated into two, where the one further back looks to be more like a family room and a bit more casual. I ordered the Humbug grill and a hot chocolate from the menu but they also did have cabinet food. The hot chocolate was nice and did come with marshmallows. The grill was decently sized and had a selection of different items. I quite liked the schnitzel since it was quite different to other grills. The salsa and the beans were quite interesting and nice too. It is quite an interesting cafe hidden off the...