Ol' Mate Pt Chev is a friendly neighbourhood café on the ground floor of the Toi building at 1 Carrington Road, Point Chevalier. Built around a simple idea — doing the basics really well and treating people like mates — it serves barista-made kawhe, fresh and tasty food, and tasty treats, with the option to sit and relax or grab something on the go.
The café is best known for its toasties, which the team describes as AMAZING and regulars seem happy to agree with: no fuss, no shortcuts, just quality ingredients and familiar favourites done right. Coffee is the other heartbeat of the place, prepared properly by baristas and served with genuinely friendly service.
Ol' Mate Pt Chev is one of two Ol' Mate spots in Auckland — the other is the Ol' Mate coffee van at 1855 Great North Road in Avondale — both sharing the same energy: great kawhe, good vibes, and a welcome that makes the café part of your daily routine.
Ol' Mate Pt Chev sits on the ground floor of the Toi building at 1 Carrington Road in Point Chevalier, and it does exactly what its slogan promises: great kawhe, good vibes and tasty treats. This is a neighbourhood café in the truest sense — the kind of place built to slot into your daily routine, whether that means a lingering catch-up over coffee and a toastie or a quick grab-and-go order on a busy morning. What ties it all together is the energy. Ol' Mate was founded on a simple idea — do the basics really well and treat people like mates — and everything about the Pt Chev café, from the barista-made coffee to the genuinely friendly service, flows from it.
Ol' Mate didn't start with a business plan so much as a passion: a simple love for quality coffee and great food. That passion has grown into two Auckland spots sharing one personality — this café in Point Chevalier and the Ol' Mate coffee van at 1855 Great North Road in Avondale. As the team puts it, two spots, same Ol' Mate energy: you'll always find great kawhe, tasty food and a friendly welcome.
Two formats, one philosophy. Wherever you find the Ol' Mate name, the commitment is the same — no fuss, no shortcuts, just quality ingredients and familiar favourites done right. The team talks about treating customers like mates rather than transactions, and that's not marketing spin; friendliness sits alongside coffee and food as one of the core things the brand is actually about.
Ask around Point Chevalier what Ol' Mate is known for and you'll hear one answer again and again: the toasties. The café itself doesn't shy away from the reputation, describing them as AMAZING in capital letters. There's no gimmick behind them — the appeal is precisely the Ol' Mate approach of keeping things simple. Quality ingredients and careful execution turn a humble toasted sandwich into the kind of order people plan their morning around. Pair one with your kawhe of choice and you have the quintessential Ol' Mate experience: nothing trendy, nothing precious, just café favourites done properly.
Kawhe is the te reo Māori word for coffee, and Ol' Mate uses it proudly across its branding — it's the first word of the slogan, after all. The coffee itself is barista-made, meaning every cup comes from someone whose craft it is to get it right. That focus on coffee as the heart of the business shapes the whole café: the food is fresh and tasty rather than fussy, the treats are there to accompany the cup, and the welcome is warm enough that regulars become the norm rather than the exception.
Flexibility is part of the design, too. You can sit and relax in the café, or grab your order and go. Ol' Mate offers online ordering through its website and app, with collection available, which makes it easy to fold a coffee run into even the most tightly scheduled day. It's a simple formula, but consistency is the hard part — and that's where doing the basics well, every single day, earns its keep.
You'll find Ol' Mate Pt Chev on the ground floor of the Toi building at 1 Carrington Road, Point Chevalier, Auckland 1025. If you're out west, the sibling Ol' Mate coffee van trades at 1855 Great North Road, Avondale — same energy, different setup. Keep an eye on the website for merch, which is listed as coming soon. Opening hours aren't currently published online, so it's worth confirming times with the café directly before a special trip. Beyond that, the visit is refreshingly simple: arrive, order your kawhe, add a toastie, and enjoy the good vibes.