Olea Cafe

cafe — East Tamaki · Auckland

About Olea Cafe

Olea Cafe sits at The Crossing on Business Parade South in Highbrook, East Auckland, and happily calls itself the area's little oasis in the middle of all that industrial hustle. Surrounded by business parks and warehouses, it is where locals go for artisan coffee that actually wakes you up, and food good enough to make a 2pm meeting feel like a treat instead of a chore.

On weekdays the cafe keeps business hours with a twist: doors open at 7am for the first coffee run, and the kitchen serves until 2pm. It is built for people powering through a big workday, sealing a deal over a flat white, or needing a proper lunch break that doesn't involve a car park view.

Come the weekend, Olea swaps the business hats for something more relaxed — long brunches, good company, and the kind of meal that makes you linger longer than planned. Families are especially welcome: kids eat free on weekends, with one free kids meal per full paying adult for children 12 and under.

The menu covers all-day breakfasts (eggs your way, benedict on hash brown, a loaded Olea breakfast, a roasted-kumara omelette), toasties, burgers, a tom yum prawn pasta and more, backed by a serious coffee programme, house-made smoothies and juices, and a short wine and beer list. There is also a sister company, Olea Catering, for events and office catering.

Olea Cafe: Highbrook's Little Oasis for Workday Coffee and Weekend Brunch

East Auckland's Highbrook precinct is a landscape of warehouses, corporate parks and car parks — which is exactly why Olea Cafe describes itself as a little oasis in the middle of all that industrial hustle. You'll find it at The Crossing on Business Parade South, pouring artisan coffee from early morning and serving the kind of food that makes a 2pm meeting feel like a treat instead of a chore.

On weekdays the cafe runs to the beat of the business day. Doors open at 7am for the first coffee run, and through the morning the tables fill with people powering through a big workday or sealing the deal over a flat white. Lunch here is a proper break rather than a chore — whether that's a quick toastie and fries or a sit-down plate. One thing to note for planners: the kitchen winds up at 2pm on weekdays, so the early birds get the eggs.

From workday fuel to weekend brunch

Come the weekend, Olea swaps the business hats for something a little more relaxed. Doors open at 8am and the pace slows to long brunches, good company and the kind of meal that makes you linger longer than planned. It is also when families catch a break of their own: kids eat free on weekends, with one free kids meal per full paying adult for children 12 and under — a genuinely welcome gesture in a world where taking the littlies out gets expensive fast.

The menu covers both moods. The all-day breakfast list runs from eggs your way on ciabatta or rye, to an eggs benedict stacked on a hash brown with baby spinach and hollandaise, to the full Olea breakfast with streaky bacon, pork breakfast sausage, roasted mushroom and tomato chutney. Vegetarians are well looked after by the Olea omelette, built on roasted kumara, caramelised onion, baby spinach and cheddar with a slick of red pepper puree.

What to order

If you only know Olea for its coffee, you're missing half the story. The kitchen's Korean fried chicken — glazed with gochujang, served with herb slaw and pickled red onion — works as both a snack and a burger. The tom yum prawn pasta, with house-made tom yum paste, prawn cutlet, coconut cream and a poached egg, is the kind of dish you don't expect to stumble across in a business park. Toastie loyalists can choose between a chicken parmy version and slow-braised beef chuck with swiss cheese and mustard aioli, while the Olea open sandwich piles pan-seared beef, asian chimichurri and pickled red onion onto toasted rye sourdough. Spanish eggs, with chorizo and crushed tomato, round out the savoury list, and snacks like salt and pepper squid and kumara fries keep the table happy between mains.

Serious about coffee

The drinks list is where Olea's artisan streak really shows. Alongside the espresso standards — long blacks, piccolos, flat whites, cappuccinos and mochas — you'll find a purple kumara latte and matcha latte, house cold brew in two sizes, hand-brewed V60 filter, and an iced range from lattes to iced chocolate. Non-coffee drinkers get Harney & Sons teas, a lemon honey ginger brewed in house, house-made smoothies such as Tropical World and the green Forever Young, and cold-pressed juices including an Immune Juice of carrot, ginger, orange and turmeric. There is even a short wine and beer list for a leisurely weekend pour.

More than a cafe

Feeding a whole team? Olea's sister company, Olea Catering, handles events and office catering, so the same kitchen smarts can show up at your next meeting or celebration. For everyone else, the practicalities are easy: open seven days, reservations available through the website, many dishes offered with gluten-free options, and phone or email on hand for questions. It all adds up to a place where work, weekends and seriously good food genuinely get along.

Signature items

  • Olea Eggs Benedict
  • Olea Breakfast
  • Tom Yum Prawn Pasta
  • Korean Fried Chicken
  • Olea Omelette
  • Purple Kumara Latte

Menu

Pasta

  • Tom Yum Prawn Pasta — House-made tom yum paste, prawn cutlet, coconut cream, spring onion, poached egg, sesame, herb oil; veg option with creamy mushroom, spinach and parmesan

Sides

  • Toast / GF Toast — Plain or gluten-free
  • Egg — An extra egg, cooked your way
  • Roasted Mushroom — Simple side
  • Streaky Bacon — Simple side
  • Breakfast Sausage — Simple side
  • Potato Rosti — Crispy potato side
  • Grilled Halloumi — Simple side
  • Hot Smoked Salmon — Simple side

Snacks

  • Herb-Dusted Fries — With ketchup and aioli; GF
  • Kumara Fries — With sweet chilli and aioli; GF
  • Salt and Pepper Squid — Crispy squid with sweet chilli, aioli and fresh herbs
  • Korean Fried Chicken — With slaw, pickled red onion and gochujang glaze

Beer & Wine

  • Wine by the Glass — 187ml chardonnay, sauvignon blanc or pinot noir
  • Canti Prosecco — 200ml bubbles
  • Beer — Heineken, Heineken Light, lager, pale ale or IPA

Cold Drinks

  • Organic Range Juice — Sparkling apple blackcurrant, apple peach, orange mango apple or apple feijoa
  • Ginger Beer — Chilled bottle or can
  • Lemon, Lime & Bitters — Classic refresher
  • NZ Natural Water — Still or sparkling
  • Coca-Cola Range — Coke series soft drinks
  • Energy — Served with a glass

Tea & Infusions

  • English Breakfast — Harney & Sons tea
  • Green Tea with Coconut — Harney & Sons tea
  • Earl Grey — Harney & Sons tea
  • Japanese Sencha — Harney & Sons tea
  • Peppermint — Harney & Sons tea
  • Lemon Honey Ginger — Brewed in house
  • House Brewed Iced Tea — Made in the cafe

All-Day Breakfast

  • Eggs Your Way — Poached, fried or scrambled on ciabatta or rye; GF optional; add bacon, halloumi or salmon
  • Toasted Bagel — Jam and cream cheese, or cold smoked salmon with capers, pickled red onion, cream cheese and lemon
  • Bulgogi Beef — 140g bulgogi beef with cheddar cheese, fries and mixed salad
  • Olea Omelette — Roasted kumara, caramelised onion, baby spinach, cheddar, red pepper puree, toasted ciabatta; add chorizo or smoked salmon
  • Olea Eggs Benedict — Hash brown, baby spinach, poached eggs and hollandaise; GF optional
  • Olea Breakfast — Streaky bacon, eggs your way, pork sausage, hash brown, roasted mushroom, tomato chutney, hollandaise on rye or ciabatta; GF optional
  • Spanish Eggs — Two eggs, Spanish chorizo, crushed tomato, fresh herbs, red pepper puree, toasted ciabatta
  • Olea Open Sandwich — Toasted rye sourdough with pan-seared beef, mixed salad, asian chimichurri, pickled red onion and fries

Smoothies & Juices

  • Tropical World — Mango, passionfruit, pineapple
  • Classic Banana — Banana, date, coconut milk, cinnamon
  • Mixed Berry — Mixed berries, banana, blueberry
  • Forever Young — Spinach, pineapple, lemon, apple, ginger, coconut cream, maple
  • Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice — Squeezed to order
  • Freshly Squeezed Apple Juice — Squeezed to order
  • Immune Juice — Carrot, ginger, orange, turmeric, apple

Toasties & Burgers

  • Chicken Parmy Toastie — Fried chicken thigh, neapolitan sauce, grilled cheese, red pepper puree, garden salad and fries
  • Braised Beef Toastie — Slow-cooked beef chuck, swiss cheese, mustard aioli, garden salad and fries
  • Korean Chicken Burger — Herb slaw, pickled red onion, gochujang glaze, served with fries

Coffee & Hot Drinks

  • Espresso — Regular or large
  • Long Black — Regular or large
  • Americano — Regular or large
  • Piccolo — Regular or large
  • Flat White — Regular or large
  • Cappuccino — Regular or large
  • Latte — Regular or large
  • Mocha — Regular or large
  • Hot Chocolate — Regular or large
  • Chai — Sweet or spicy
  • Purple Kumara Latte — House signature colourful latte
  • Matcha Latte — Regular or large
  • House Cold Brew Coffee — 250ml or 350ml serve
  • V60 — Hand-brewed filter coffee
  • Iced Latte / Iced Americano — Over ice with your choice of milk
  • Iced Mocha / Iced Chocolate — Chilled chocolatey picks
  • Iced Matcha Latte — Chilled matcha with milk

Frequently asked questions

Where is Olea Cafe located?
At The Crossing, 8 Business Parade South, Highbrook, East Auckland — an easy stop for the Highbrook business parks and surrounding East Tamaki area.
What are the opening hours?
Monday to Friday 7am to 3pm, with the kitchen closing at 2pm. Saturday and Sunday 8am to 3pm.
Is there a kids eat free deal?
Yes — kids eat free on weekends. One free kids meal per full paying adult, for children 12 and under.
Are there gluten-free or vegetarian options?
Many dishes are GF optional (marked GFR on the menu), and there are vegetarian picks such as the Olea omelette and a creamy mushroom, spinach and parmesan pasta option.
Can I make a reservation?
Yes — reservations can be made through the Reservations page on the Olea Cafe website, which is handy for busy weekend brunches.
Does Olea Cafe do catering?
Yes — sister company Olea Catering covers catering for events and workplaces; see oleacatering.co.nz.
Can I get wine or beer with my meal?
Yes — there is a short list of wines by the glass (187ml), Canti Prosecco bubbles, and beers including Heineken, lager, pale ale and IPA.

Tips

  • {"body":"The kitchen closes at 2pm Monday to Friday, so aim for a morning coffee or an early lunch.","title":"Beat the weekday kitchen cut-off"}
  • {"body":"Kids eat free on Saturdays and Sundays — one free kids meal per full paying adult, children 12 and under.","title":"Weekend family feed"}
  • {"body":"Weekend brunch is a big draw; reserve a table through the website's Reservations page.","title":"Book ahead for brunch"}
  • {"body":"Beyond the espresso classics there's house cold brew, hand-brewed V60 and an iced range, plus the purple kumara latte.","title":"Coffee nerds, look further down the menu"}
  • {"body":"Sister company Olea Catering handles workplace and event catering — enquire via oleacatering.co.nz.","title":"Feeding the office?"}

Good to know

  • {"family":"Kids 12 and under eat free on weekends — one kids meal per full paying adult","dietary":"GF-optional dishes throughout; vegetarian options like the Olea omelette and creamy mushroom pasta"}