The Gallery Cafe sits at 35 Uxbridge Road in Howick, in the heart of East Auckland's creative hub alongside the Uxbridge arts centre. Its promise is a simple one — delicious food and fresh coffee — delivered five days a week, Tuesday through Saturday from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Coffee is the anchor. The espresso list runs the full gamut, from flat whites, cappuccinos, lattes and mochas in small, medium and large to long blacks, americanos, macchiatos and piccolos, plus chai lattes, hot chocolate, iced lattes and iced americanos. Alternative milks, syrups and extra shots are available for those who like their cup built to order.
The kitchen covers the whole day. Breakfast ranges from sourdough toast and homemade nutty granola to smashed avocado with poached eggs, two Eggs Benedicts (manuka smoked ham or smoked Nelson king salmon) and a full Big Breakfast. Lunch leans homemade and hearty — soup of the day, lasagna, spanakopita and gluten free frittatas — while the cabinet offers baked and toasted goods that change every day.
There's also a thirteen-blend tea list with playful names, frappes, milkshakes, Karma sodas, Homegrown juices, and wine by the glass and beer for slower afternoons. Gluten free and vegan options appear across the menu, making it an easy stop for mixed groups.
Set at 35 Uxbridge Road in Howick, The Gallery Cafe occupies a spot many cafés would envy: the heart of East Auckland's creative hub, alongside the Uxbridge arts centre. The cafe's own brief is refreshingly simple — delicious food and fresh coffee, five days a week — and the menu that delivers it runs from a straight espresso at one end to spanakopita with salad at the other.
This is a daytime operation through and through. Doors open at 8:00 am Tuesday through Saturday and close at 3:00 pm, with Sundays and Mondays off. Because service runs straight through the middle of the day, the whole menu is effectively all-day fare: breakfast at noon is entirely legitimate, and a flat white with a cabinet treat at 2:30 pm is just as welcome.
Coffee leads the menu, and the line-up reads like a committed espresso bar's: flat white, cappuccino, cafe latte and cafe mocha in small, medium and large; long black, americano and espresso in two sizes; macchiato and piccolo for short, strong drinks. Chai latte and hot chocolate cover the non-coffee camp, while iced latte and iced americano handle the warm afternoons. Alternative milks, syrups and extra shots are all on offer if you like your cup built to order.
Breakfast is where the kitchen shows its range. The classics are all present: sourdough toast with spread, a bagel with cream cheese and jam, bacon and avocado, smoked salmon and avocado, and homemade nutty granola with yogurt. Free range eggs appear throughout — served with sourdough bread, folded into an omelette with your pick of three fillings (ham, cheese, tomato, onion, mushroom), or poached over smashed avocado on sourdough.
Benedict lovers get two versions: one layered with manuka smoked ham, the other with smoked Nelson king salmon, both with a gluten free option. And when the morning calls for the full treatment, the Big Breakfast stacks eggs, bacon, grilled tomato, hash brown, grilled mushrooms and sourdough toast on a single plate, with extras from sausage to baked beans on standby. Gluten free bread can be swapped in on request.
One of the cafe's quiet pleasures is its cabinet: baked and toasted goods that change every day, giving regulars a reason to peek each visit. The sandwich list runs from a toasted sandwich with three fillings and a bacon butty to Turkish bread sandwiches — ham, chicken, smoked Nelson king salmon or vegetarian — and a BLT with optional avocado. Grilled panini arrive in four combinations, from ham, tomato, pesto and cheese to salmon, avocado and cream cheese, with a daily special on top.
Lunch leans homemade and hearty: soup of the day with garlic sourdough toast, lasagna with salad, a chicken and mushroom filo parcel, spanakopita and a veggie slice, plus two gluten free frittatas — salmon, sundried tomato and feta, or bacon and kumara — both served with salad.
The tea list is a menu in its own right, with thirteen blends whose names are half the fun: Jafa Black, Ginger Lemon Kiss, Turmeric Mango Sunrise, Rooibos Madagascar Vanilla and Otago Summer Fruits sit alongside Japanese sencha, Japanese roasted green tea, chamomile and peppermint. Elsewhere there are Karma sodas, Homegrown company juices, iced teas in lemon, peach and mango, frappes from matcha to feijoa (with a vegan option), milkshakes, soft drinks — and wine by the glass and beer for the slower afternoons.
You'll find The Gallery Cafe at 35 Uxbridge Road, Howick, Auckland 2014, open 8:00 am to 3:00 pm Tuesday to Saturday. It's closed on Sundays and Mondays, so if a weekend visit is the plan, Saturday is your day. Call +64 9 535 6467 or email [email protected] to check the day's cabinet or specials. Gluten free diners are well catered for — gluten free bread on request, gluten free benedicts and gluten free frittatas — and vegetarians have plenty to choose from across the omelette fillings, sandwiches and lunch plates.