Sequel Cafe on Bishop Dunn Place in Flat Bush is the next chapter for a team that spent more than a decade as the area's favourite local cafe owners. They describe it as a place to meet, to share love and life, where you can be who you are - and the day runs on two simple promises: delicious, wholesome food from their chef and superb coffee from their barista.
The kitchen makes everything from scratch, and the diverse all-day menu and cabinet range is built to offer something for every palate and appetite. Breakfast runs all day - think Big Breakfasts, Eggs Benedict three ways, sweetcorn fritters and a masala omelette with roti - while lunch brings everything from wild dory fish and chips and poke bowls to butter chicken or keema lamb, salads and the house Sequel Burger. Vegetarian, keto and low-gluten options are marked, the team is happy to adapt dishes for dietary needs, and the chicken used is halal certified. A kids menu, frappes, smoothies and milkshakes keep younger guests and sweet tooths happy.
Beyond the counter, Sequel Cafe caters and hosts: the private dining area takes meetings, functions and parties of 30 to 50 people during opening hours, and after hours the venue - with its outdoor area - can be hired for occasions like birthdays, engagements and baby showers, with capacity for around 100 people. Gift vouchers are available, tables can be booked by phone or email, and online ordering makes takeaway easy. Doors open 7am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on weekends.
Sequel Cafe sits on Bishop Dunn Place in Flat Bush, and the name says a lot about the people behind it. The team had already spent more than a decade as your local favourite cafe owners before opening Sequel, and they describe this as their next chapter - another step along the journey, filled with joy and laughter. The idea is simple: a place to meet, to share love and life, where you can be who you are.
That warmth shows up first in the kitchen and at the coffee machine. Everything is made from scratch, and the menu and cabinet range together are designed to offer something for every palate and appetite - whether that means a quick espresso and a cabinet treat or a long, leisurely sit-down meal.
Breakfast runs all day, and it covers a lot of ground. The Big Breakfast loads the plate with eggs your way, streaky bacon, kransky, roasted portobello mushrooms, grilled tomato, hashbrown and toasted ciabatta, while the Vegetarian Breakfast brings avocado and spinach into the mix. Sweet tooths can choose Belgian waffles, pancakes or brioche French toast, finished with either berry compote and mascarpone or caramelised banana, streaky bacon and maple syrup. Eggs Benedict comes three ways - streaky bacon, portobello mushrooms or smoked salmon - and there are sweetcorn fritters, smashed avocado with feta and mixed seeds, a masala omelette served with roti, and toasted bagels from a simple cream cheese and preserves version up to smoked salmon with capers.
Lunch is just as broad. Expect crispy battered wild dory fish and chips, a Vietnamese chicken salad with vermicelli noodles, poke bowls with your choice of salmon or chicken, butter chicken or keema lamb from the Sequel recipe served with poppadom and basmati rice, a sirloin steak sandwich, Cajun-spiced calamari rings, Caesar and warm steak salads, seafood chowder with garlic butter ciabatta, soup of the day and the house Sequel Burger. There is even a build-your-own toasted sandwich, which arrives with curly fries.
Superb coffee from the barista is half of the cafe's own introduction, and the espresso list runs from flat whites, cappuccinos, lattes and piccolos to long blacks, macchiatos, a keto espresso and an affogato. Coffee warmers cover Belgian hot chocolate, lemon, honey and ginger, chai latte in spicy or sweet form, plus gingernut and matcha lattes, while tea drinkers get a proper range from a special breakfast blend to Earl Grey, Japanese lime green and herbal and fruit infusions. One charming touch: edible coffee cups in vanilla or chocolate. When the weather leans warm, frappes, milkshakes, fruit smoothies, iced coffees, iced tea and a mango lassi step in. Soy, oat, coconut and almond milks, flavoured syrups and an upsize are all on offer.
The menu is marked for vegetarian, keto and low-gluten choices, and the team states plainly that they are happy to accommodate your dietary needs and prepare a meal especially for you - if you don't see it on the menu, ask. The chicken used in the kitchen is halal certified. Families are well looked after too: the For the Kids list runs from a mini breakfast with scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown and toast to pancakes, waffles, eggs on toast and chicken nuggets with chips, and a sides list covers everything from hashbrowns and avocado to wedges or curly fries with aioli.
Beyond day-to-day cafe life, Sequel doubles as an events space. The private dining area accommodates meetings, functions and parties of 30 to 50 people during opening hours, and after hours the venue can be hired for special occasions such as birthday parties, engagements and baby showers, with capacity for around 100 people once the lovely outdoor area is included. Catering and gift vouchers are available as well. To book a table or talk through an event, call (09) 265 1368 or email [email protected] - and note that a booking is not confirmed until you have had a confirmation back from the team.
You will find Sequel Cafe at 16J Bishop Dunn Place, Flat Bush, Auckland. Doors open 7am to 4pm Monday to Friday and 8am to 4pm on Saturdays and Sundays. If you are in a hurry you can order online, and if you are dining in you can scan the QR code to order from the table - just mention your table number in the comments field. One small heads-up: a 1.9% surcharge applies to all Paywave and credit card transactions.