MELBA Karaka is a relaxed yet refined café on Harbourside Drive in Karaka, serving an all-day menu crafted from fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Expect expertly brewed coffee — every coffee is poured as a double shot — alongside house-baked treats and a menu that runs from Turkish Eggs and avocado toast at breakfast to Japanese curry, seafood chowder and the house-favourite Karaka Chicken Waffle later in the day. A dedicated kids' menu makes it an easy choice for family lunches.
The café is run by licensees Connie and Hui Zhang, who joined the MELBA family to create a warm, welcoming space where people feel genuinely cared for. They love Karaka's calm, friendly, connected 'small town, big heart' atmosphere and see familiar faces every day — families, school children and local professionals who have become more like friends than customers.
MELBA Karaka is now open nights Wednesday to Saturday, adding a dinner menu of shareable small plates and hearty larger plates, from sticky karaage chicken and prawn gyoza to slow braised lamb shoulder and the catch of the day. There's also a high tea menu, catering & canapés for events, and bookable meeting rooms. Part of the MELBA family that began in Vulcan Lane in 1995, it delivers comfort, community and contemporary café dining in Auckland's south.
MELBA Karaka sits on Harbourside Drive in Auckland's south, and it has quietly become the area's go-to for everything from an early flat white to a slow family lunch — and, since recently, dinner. The café serves an all-day menu built on fresh, locally sourced ingredients, pours expertly brewed coffee, bakes treats in house, and delivers it all with the signature warmth the MELBA name is known for.
The MELBA story began in 1995, when Café Melba opened in Auckland's iconic Vulcan Lane and quickly became a favourite with locals and visitors alike. That success carried the brand beyond the CBD, and today the MELBA Group — led by directors Shawn and Michelle Pope — runs cafés across the city, including Ellerslie, Hillsborough, Lunn Ave, Manukau, Victoria Street, Vulcan Lane and Karaka. Each site is guided by dedicated licensees who uphold the brand's standards for quality, creativity and genuine hospitality while adding their own local personality.
At Karaka, that's Connie and Hui Zhang. The couple joined the MELBA family because they wanted to create a warm, welcoming space where people feel genuinely cared for — and they say serving Karaka is especially meaningful. Familiar faces fill the café daily, from families and school children to local professionals who have become more like friends than customers. The pair love the area's calm, friendly, connected 'small town, big heart' atmosphere and take pride in being part of people's daily routines, whether guests call in during the day or stay on for one of the four nightly dinner services.
The all-day menu covers the full spread of contemporary café dining. Breakfast highlights include Turkish Eggs with garlic yoghurt and chilli oil, the indulgent Pink Palace vanilla bean waffle with mulled raspberry and raspberry mascarpone, and the classic MELBA Breakfast with manuka smoked bacon and bratwurst. At lunchtime the kitchen turns out dishes like the Karaka Chicken Waffle — parmesan waffle, buttermilk fried free range chicken and maple & chipotle aioli — alongside Japanese curry, pork belly noodles, seafood chowder and the long-standing MELBA classic, the Honey Garlic Chicken Salad. Younger guests have a dedicated kids' menu running from egg on toast to mini fish & chips.
Coffee is treated seriously: every coffee is served as a double shot, with oat, soy, coconut and almond milks on hand. Specialty brews like the Cloud Nine — a long black topped with vanilla protein cold foam and cinnamon — sit alongside gourmet milkshakes (The Mare, The Colt and The Filly), smoothies and Harney & Sons teas. After dark, the drinks list stretches to cocktails such as the Espresso Martini, Mojito and Aperol Spritz, plus a compact wine and beer list.
The café's biggest recent news is evening service, running Wednesday through Saturday. The dinner menu leans into shareable small plates — sticky karaage chicken, prawn gyoza, crispy squid, buttermilk chicken bao buns and arancini — alongside larger plates such as slow braised lamb shoulder, beef cheek, prawn spaghetti, katsu chicken burger and the pan-fried catch of the day. It has turned a beloved daytime café into a genuine evening destination for the suburb.
Beyond the everyday menus, MELBA Karaka offers a high tea menu and a catering & canapé menu, and meeting rooms can be booked through the group's events page — making the venue a flexible choice for celebrations, work sessions and special occasions.
MELBA Karaka is at 47 Harbourside Drive, Karaka, Auckland 2113. It opens Sunday to Tuesday from 7.30am to 4pm, and Wednesday to Saturday from 7.30am till late to cover dinner. Bookings are available online, a 10% surcharge applies on public holidays, and regulars can join the MELBA rewards programme. If you have allergies or intolerances, the menu doesn't list every ingredient, so let the friendly team know. Whether it's your first visit or your four-hundredth, expect comfort, community and contemporary café dining — a true taste of the MELBA experience in the south.