Autumn Bakery Cafe at 3 Pah Rd in Epsom, Auckland, holds a 4.8 rating from 129 Google reviews, with diners praising the team's warm welcome, the inviting decor and the pastries made in house — croissants and eggs benedict come up often.
A bakery cafe with an in-house pastry operation is a different proposition from the average coffee stop. Lamination — folding butter through dough in layers — is slow, exacting work, and it shows in croissants that shatter rather than bend. Because the bake is fresh each day, the best selection tends to go early, so regulars time their visits to the morning trays. Brunch classics are a fair test of the kitchen too: a properly judged eggs benedict, with softly poached eggs and crisp bacon on good bread, says more than any menu.
That is exactly what Autumn offers Epsom locals on Pah Rd: pastries laminated on site, a well-made benedict and coffee to linger over.