Pikuniku is a Japanese-fusion brunch café at 167 Great South Road in Greenlane, Auckland. The name is Japanese for "picnic," and the café set out to capture the feeling of a carefree afternoon outdoors, filling its sunny corner site with gingham cushions, wicker lights and pops of pastel.
Pikuniku draws its aesthetic from wabi-sabi, the Japanese philosophy that celebrates the imperfect, incomplete and transient. Every dish is built as a conversation between Japanese tradition and New Zealand's brunch culture, taking familiar brunch classics and giving them a generous, playful shake-up with distinctly Japanese flavours — think matcha croffles, miso mushroom noodles and crispy fried chicken sandos.
Coming from the team behind Slowlane, Pikuniku takes its coffee seriously too, sourcing, roasting and profiling all beans in-house, finished off with a bit of cute bunny latte art. There's also a cabinet of cakes and a dedicated Kohu Road ice cream stand for anyone after something sweet.
On a sunny corner site at 167 Great South Road in Greenlane, Pikuniku brings a distinctly Japanese twist to Auckland's brunch scene. The name is Japanese for "picnic," and the café was built to capture that same carefree, outdoor feeling — without having to worry about the weather — filled with gingham cushions, wicker lights and pops of pastel.
Pikuniku draws its soul from wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic that celebrates the imperfect, the incomplete and the transient. That philosophy carries through to the food, where every dish is treated as a conversation between Japanese tradition and New Zealand's vibrant brunch culture — familiar brunch classics reworked with generous, playful, distinctly Japanese flavours.
Among the café's favourites is the Tako Omurice, an omelette served over fried rice with octopus, prawn, edamame and vegetables, finished with bonito flake, Japanese mayo and tonkatsu sauce. The Pikuniku Brekkie pairs free-range eggs with smashed avocado, shiitake mushroom and korokke, while the Pikuniku Donburi brings coleslaw, stir-fried vegetables and pickled ginger together in a rice paper bowl. Beyond these, the kitchen turns out matcha croffles, miso mushroom noodles and crispy fried chicken sandos — all part of Pikuniku's playful take on brunch classics.
Pikuniku comes from the team behind Slowlane, and that heritage shows in the coffee programme. Beans are sourced, roasted and profiled entirely in-house to guarantee a consistent cup, and the café's baristas finish things off with a bit of cute bunny latte art. For dessert, there's a cabinet stocked with cakes, plus a dedicated Kohu Road ice cream stand for anyone after a scoop or two.
Described as "tucked away in Auckland, found by those who look," Pikuniku positions itself as a genuine neighbourhood spot — somewhere to gather, relax and share good food with friends. The café asks guests to let staff know about any dietary requirements when ordering, and gluten-free bread is available as an option.
Pikuniku is open Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 3pm, and Saturday to Sunday from 8am to 3:30pm, with the kitchen closing at 2:30pm. Tables can be booked online or by phone, making it easy to settle in for an unhurried morning at 167 Great South Road, Greenlane.