Got a Pork toastie with cheese and pickles...classic, comforting, perfectly toasted, good size! For $8 - not too bad at all. Good to see they still got some business coming through during level 3.
The service at Melba Vulcan is always friendly & super helpful. It’s small but tidy, and everything runs smoothly.
On this visit I ordered the scrambled eggs with bacon & sun dried tomato pesto on a bagel - not my normal go-to, but it was delicious. Coffee is always good.
Have also tried the vegetarian brioche & muffins when they are freshly made in the morning. All good
Rating 4.0 Really lovely cozy cafe on Vulcan Lane. Nothing too fancy just homely delicious cafe food done well. Enjoyed the organic brioche French Toast, coffee pretty good. Friendly service. It’s a cafe you can stay for ages.
Such a cute little brunch/lunch spot! The service is always so lovely and the food is also pretty good. Only note I could make is that on the menu it says the Major Mac comes with garlic bread, although mine definitely did not. I received just a regular toasted piece of bread with some butter on the side. But all together the experience was good.
I came to MELBA with my friends for lunch. The food came out really quickly and the service was efficient. My friend had the breakfast burger and she said it was really good and it wasn’t dry. Another friend of mine also had the Mac and cheese, the menu said garlic bread was provided but he was given white bread instead. He said his Mac and cheese was average. I got the eggs Benedict and it tasted really good. The bread was crunchy, which provided more flavour. The poached egg was perfect as well.
It’s a very cozy place, warm and perfect for a winter breakfast or a morning meeting. The staff is nice and the food tasty. One of those places that are comfortable and you return back time after time.
Lovely ambience and great customer service. Always grab a long black to go in the morning to start my day. Coffee was great and staff were super friendly:)
Went there for a late lunch, had the jamaican or jerk chicken dish - came out quick. It was a very nice blend of sweet and savoury. Slightly small portion for a hungry guy, but not too bad. Only small issue were a few ants crawling on the walls and corner of the table...
Ordered the market fish dish which was salmon. Great dish, fish was cooked well and a good portion size, pea purée was really nice, would definitely have it again.
Melba Vulcan lane boasts exceptional service, beautiful outdoor seating, fair prices and freshly brewed coffee. Perfect for a business lunch break or a start to your weekend! Will always be my top choice for quaint cafes in Auckland city!
Great place for breakfast and coffee. The staff are really lovely even when they’re at their busiest. I really enjoy the S.E.B, so much that I can’t bring myself to get anything else. My partner enjoys the breakfast burger. Lovely little spot on a quiet lane too.
A reasonablely priced menu that accomodates many, hidden away in a vibrant little street in the middle of the city. I found myself coming here for brunch on many occasions because there was always something on the menu that I felt like. Although they can get busy I usually got a seat every time I went - and so this is my lazy Sunday go to breakfast and lunch
Nice outdoor seating in a good weather. Chatting with other two friends and having a good time here. Latte not bad, Houlumi salad is average as well.
Very nicely done coffe, the best almond croissant. Friendly and polite and welcoming staff.
Highly recommend them. Cosy place to sit for an hour.
We been to this place before and we like food here. But normally we more prefer to go the opposite cafe. But that they no table for us in the opposite place so we went to try different menu here. And food here very nice I like it.
Perfect stop if exploring the city for a day and looking for somewhere cozy to eat. Coffee was great, but was intrigued by the ‘bowl’ of coffee option, definitely going again to investigate that. Prices were reasonable. Portion sizes were perfect. Staff were very polite, friendly and helpful, wasn’t feeling rushed to order which was fantastic.
Recommend the brioche french toast. Perfect balance of sweetness that wasn’t overwhelming. 10/10
Saturday morning exploring the city and its many sights... need a little pit stop and a coffee.
"Found" Melba and were happy we did. Really friendly staff, welcoming smiling faces.
Ordered some coffee and a bagel with salmon. Both arrived promptly and both were excellent.
Food: 80%
Ambience: 86%
Service: 90%
Coffee: 70%
Happy to return 😊
Really nice place for breakfast- my friends and I came here in the morning for French toast and the breakfast burger and everything was delicious. Coffee was really good too and the staff were lovely. Would happily come here again!
Bloody good Breakfast Burger 😍 bacon and hashbrown crispy, bacon jam packed with flavour, refreshing bits of pickled onion and greens, and the softest milk bun! Salmon hash wasn't quite my thing, but the coffee and hot chocolate were decent. Location is a bit busy, but the serveware is gorgeous.
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Service was a bit slow to take our orders, which was really an irritation since as uni students we had to work within our timetable, but that's not a deal breaker since they were fairly busy.
My friend ordered the Salmon Hash, and if I can recall did quite enjoy it. I ordered the Louisiana Chicken. The food itself was delicious, although for my personal taste I deceived myself by forgetting that the sauce is sriracha-based, not tomato sauce. So the unexpected fire-iness of it caught me off guard. Still quite a decent meal. The serving size was more than adequate, good size of chicken, great amount of chips with it. Salad isn't really my thing, and there was definitely quite a lot of it compared to the chicken/chips. Didn't finish the greens.
MELBA is in a wonderful location up Vulcan Lane, resting in one of my favourite parts of town. We got a table for two outside immediately, and did notice a few options inside, which was good for us as we came around midday and expected every place to be busy.
Food: The food here tasted quite good and was flavorful, however the vietnamese pork belly and market fish appeared to be smaller than average portions. Despite the size of the food though it turned out to be fairly filling once we finished.
Service: The service here was fantastic! The waitresses were friendly and helpful. Probably one of the best services I've experienced in a cafe
Ambience: The location was quite nice as well as it was in a little alleyway and even though the cafe itself is a tad small it had a very quaint and cute vibe.
First time trying a ginger latte, highly, HIGHLY! recommend. It's like someone took a ginger nut biscuit, a cloud of foamy milk and God's tears and mixed them all together. So delicious.
I also had the smashed avocado on toast which was yum and my partner had the fish and chips.
The chips were really nice and had chicken salt on them too. Black garlic aioli is out of this world. The fish was good but there were only three small pieces about the same size as some small chicken tenders.
Other than that staff were really nice but the restaurant itself is quite cramped so warning folks you might find yourself bumping shoulder to shoulder with a window, wall or a new friend.
This is the first time I came to this restaurant. The benedict eggs is really good. I like the sauce very much. Also, the sparkling water is also good and for free.
Highly recommend this place in Auckland. We found this place by accident walking through the CBD. Amazing food and great service both times we are there.
Can't wait to try this place again.
Our French waiter was a complete delight, engaging with my partner and creating a very pleasant atmosphere and made us very comfortable despite the busyness of the cafe. The barista did a superb job making my coffee extra hot, as requested and was very sweet and funny. The Avocado Smash was superb, a taste sensation.
The quality of the coffee was really good. We ordered eggs benedict, S.E.B, and salmon bagel. Staffs were really friendly and their scramble eggs tasted so fluffy and buttery! Definitely gonna come back for their S.E.B and mocha again!😋😋😋
This review is based on a breakfast I had today.
Eggs Benedict with honey cured bacon was divine. The poached eggs were perfect, the bacon and bun were fantastic. If you are in town this is the place for breakfast! Check photos I uploaded
Cute place for a good coffee. The salmon hash with poached eggs was tasty but a bit on a the dry side. The place was quite at 730 am and packed by 8 am.
Had the breakfast burger and found it to be delicious! The mix of things come together really well 😊! Also ordered the fries (chips) and they were nice and crispy! Its a bit pricey but other than that it's a good spot.
We made a quick stop at Cafe Melba the other morning. It was pretty packed inside so we decided to make the most out of the beautiful weather and grabbed a table outside. Their carrot cake was so YUMMMM! Would 10/10 order it again. The place serves standard cafe prices. I like that the cafe is quite hidden and located right along the top strip of Vulcan Lane so it's quieter and more tucked in compared to the rest of the cafes in that area that are more open and unsheltered. The service was great!!
Melba is a cozy place on Vulcan Lane, offering good atmosphere and reasonable price. It is of course always packed during peak hours, especially lunch time, so I usually come a bit early, brunch perhaps. Taste-wise, food is strictly average but in term of presentation, very nice. My favourite dish would have to be the salmon mashed potatoes with poached egg and chives. I haven't seen it on the menu anywhere else. However, the cook on egg is not consistent, 1 out of 3 times it is not runny but rather hard-boiled. I made complaint once but got no resolve so a little disappointed. You can always order the usual burger and chips, big breakfast, avocado and toast, etc. All and all, a nice place to hang out with friends on Sunday morning.
Food was so yummy and service was wonderful too. Would come here again for sure! The menu has so many delicious sounding items I think we must have spent 20 minutes trying to make a decision. I thought my mocha has a touch too much chocolate in it, but that's just my personal preference. I'm sure chocolate lovers would drool over their mochas. Definitely recommend!
Had the breakfast burger which was pretty good. It was like having a big breakfast but all packed into a bun. Service was really fast. It felt like it was only 5 mins before all our food and drinks arrived, which was good. It was a nice bustling cafe, seems popular for early morning workers in the CBD.
Lovely options to choose from. Breakfast fills your tummy and quite delicious. I had the waffle combo and it is good but you do get sick of it near the end. The smoothies are a must have as well! Clean interior with indoor and outdoor seating. Super friendly staff members too. I recommend!
This is the perfect place for a cold winters day. I have been here twice over the last mobth. Once for cake and once for breakfast.
The white hot chocolate is sooooo delicious! Have not had it before but its delicious and pairs perfectly with the blueberry and mascarpone cake.
The breakfast menu is what you can find at any cafe. Nothing out of the ordinary which is fine when the items are done well. I tried the creamy mushrooms and the bacon buttie. Yummmmmm!
Melba Vulcan Lane is always buzzing. Today is no exception. Great vibe and friendly service. Coffee is good. You can always be confident that you will be a proper caffeine fix at Melba. Had a blue berry muffin and smoked salmon bagel. Muffin was moist and yum. Salmon bagel was also good with generous amount of cream cheese and capers..
Melba is really busy on a Saturday morning, but their service was quite on point and the food were prepared fairly quickly. Their coffee is lovely and I also had a cabinet cake (lemon & plum), which came with a little pot of yoghurt! Loved it. :)
We were spending the day in the city, and when we arrived, we were a little peckish, so we headed to Melba for a bite to eat. The place was full. We managed to get a table. My husband had the B.A.T and I had The Buttie. Yum. Best breakfast I have had in a long time.
We also ordered coffee, which were perfect.
Service was friendly and efficient.
Two thumbs up. We will be back. Keep up the good work.
Café Melba is located at the top end of Vulcan Lane off of Queen Street in downtown Auckland. The coffee is very good and the food was generous, a good quality and a reasonable price. The service was fairly quick as we had brunch on a busy Sunday morning. Unfortunately the outdoor seating area is quite small and we had to sit inside.
Today I continued my exploration of Auckland in search of the perfect brunch. Hidden away in Vulcan Lane is this great kitch kitchen serving up grandmother style meals with great coffee and sweets to finish. Coffee was good and I had a Chai as well. The Chai was quite ginger heavy however still a decent cup.
We popped in here for lunch... Hidden little cafe that it is! The service was very friendly and quick. We just had the pulled pork and the blackboard special Thai coconut chicken curry... Both were very yummy ... It's a busy cafe but we walked away very happy.
Love there pancakes with stone fruit .
Bit dark in the cafe and a bit cramped but overall enjoyed the food & service was good.
Food 8/10
Service 7/10
Atmosphere 5/10
I've probably tried most of the dishes on the menu and I've always walked away okay parting with my hard earned cash. The smashed avocado with feta flavors a good way to combine flavors and texture, lamb burger, pulled pork and the coffee is always very good. My only wish would be a slightly bigger indoors area as it is a very tight fit but other than that when I'm in the hood and it's early I enjoy there menu.
Only been here because they said the coffee is o so good here. To be honest, I wasn't stunned or overwelmed by the quality. The location is pretty nice though, a bit hidden away from busy Queen Street.
Hubby and I were back up in Auckland one weekend and came across this cute little place while out on a stroll. It was quite busy but we got a table. Staff were friendly and our coffees were out quickly. We really liked the options on their menus (beverages and food) and our meals were good.
This place does good coffee and food. The corn fritters are delicious and the chicken salad is also very good. My only criticism is that whilst the amount of chicken is spot on, there is not enough salad stuff to go with it (for example, it says there is apple in it and in my one there were 2 thin little slices) a little more generosity with the greens and it will be great!
Nice Food, nice coffee, friendly and onto-it staff. Will definitely go back.
We stopped in for coffee. It was late on a Saturday with the cafe heading toward closing.
The coffees were great. Surprisingly good. The staff were friendly and helpful. A great spot to sit.
We were given glasses of water with a hint of lemon.
We didn't experience the food.
A lovely quaint cafe on Vulcan Lane. We arrived a little pressed for time (a show to get to), greeted by the nicest of staff. Ordered cold drinks and the honey chicken salad and mentioned it was to share. Our meal arrived a few moments later on not one, but two plates. The waiter admitted he took the liberty of splitting our meal for us. Well, what a lovely liberty to have taken - a very nice touch!
The salad was delicious, the service great. A lovely find!
The coffee is tight and so are the jeans. Great feel to the place, almost as if you're in Melbourne. Good food and good service. Price wise, it's on the high side. I do wish more cafe's would utilise the space within the city a lot more. Great place to escape on a cold day, where it's snug and warm. I could be giving away my secret hideaway, but I don't think they'll mind that much.
Good location, good food, friendly staff and reasonable price. The risotto that I ordered had some tender chicken strips and tasty sun-dried tomato to go with it. The place is a bit small but it was fine for a quick afternoon bite with friends.
Wow another Melba like in Takapuna, except in CITY !! XD food and service is almost innevatable *super cool* while food and coffee taste as good as every, wide variety of breakfast menu and also lunch of coarse, the only bad thing about it is that the toast is still a bit hard>< though a very satisfied customer
This cafe is a favourite of a friends, and she introduced it to me a few months ago. The staff here are friendly and I love the atmosphere inside; always busy with customers but relaxing at the same time.
I've been here for breakfast twice; the first time ordering the blueberry pancakes with fruit, and more recently, the smashed avocado & puhoi feta. The pancakes were nice and fluffy, and not too sweet. The avocado smash was also delicious, with the feta complimenting it perfectly, but the egg was a little too runny for my liking. The meals are all beautifully presented, although the serving sizes aren't very large (perfect for me though, as I often find it difficult to finish meals when eating out).
I am yet to try out their lunch menu, so hopefully it will be just as good as the breakfasts I've had.
We bought this deal on GrabOne for 2 lunch mains for 20 bucks and were treated with some quality food. Overall, quite a soothing experience. Nice coffee, pretty chilled out atmosphere on a rainy weekend afternoon. service was quite friendly and food was tasty. Just what you'd expect from a quality cafe on Vulcan lane.
Really great experience at Melba. We’re visiting from NY and my toddler absolutely adored the iced chocolate, French toast and also tried his first ‘fluffy’ (frothed milk with choc sprinkle and marshmallows).
The French toast was beautiful to look at but also so tasty. The combination of the rhubarb, berries, compote and custard was so good.
Also amazing customer service from our server. He recommended food for us to order, was so accommodating and genuinely lovely. I never write reviews, but this experience was too good not to write one. Highly recommend!
We had flat white espresso with the Turkish Cilibi eggs for breakfast. Everything was amazing and the service was good despite being very busy.
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When I’m in Auckland for an overnighter it’s a no brainer where to go for breakfast.
Dear, sweet, Melba.
The Favourite Husband and I stumbled upon Melba years ago, completely and utterly by mistake. Which goes to prove; I have a guardian angel.
I have never, ever, been disappointed with an offering here. So much so that I took the risk of all risks last year and bought my incredibly fussy daughter here and she ate. A miracle.
This Saturday I was pretending I wasn’t hungover; so needed to be cautious. I’d think even the Favourite Husband surely must suspect it when I order orange juice as any other time I literally hate fruit. The orange juice was the size of a small country, fresh and delicious.
The Favourite Husband had his usual big breakkie and I went with creamy mushrooms and bacon. I didn’t cancel the bread (see earlier note re: hangover) and boy was I pleased I didn’t.
The big breakkie was “stunning” and the sausage declared “outstanding.” Top marks for using a proper butcher’s sausage not a pseudo sausage imposter.
My mushrooms came in the tastiest, creamy sauce. Garlicky but still remembering that it’s breakfast. Now I’m not a bread person. But whatever buttery, crispy but pillowy, sweet but savoury delight of carbs came with this dish needs to be certified. I ate the lot AND it cured my hangover.
Gawjus, friendly, professional, friendly staff to boot.
If only they could get more tables …
Great little spot. Smooth and friendly service. Good quality coffee and food.
Definitely recommend if you are in town.
Keep up the good work 💪
Mind blowing experience. Ordered Eggs Benedict and they were they were simply the best I ever had. A shout out to the Melba Vulcan team..Keep making good food and coffee! Kudos
A trendy and charming café in a central area. The food is really tasty, and the service is good. There's an option to sit and take away.
Really good food ! Glad we stopped here for brunch. So refreshing to find somewhere that sells eggs bene with an actual vegetarian option not just salmon or ham ! Only thing I could recommend would be to have bread with the eggs bene, it had a potato uuuhh … pattie type of thing, but to me bread was needed ! (You may be able to buy this separately though!)
This place was amazing ! First time visiting New Zealand, we had breakfast and coffee. Quality is amazing, food came out super fast and most importantly it was very delicious !! A must visit spot when you are in Auckland!
We arrived around 11am on Sunday for brunch. It was clearly a busy, popular spot. The outside tables were full so we went inside and were able to grab a table for three. The staff gave us some menus and we made our selections. Lots of good stuff on the menu so it was a struggle to pick! My daughter went for a iced chocolate and a cabinet brownie which she enjoyed. We also shared a French toast. My other daughter ordered the porridge. We got some hot drinks too. The drinks all came out quickly. The menu food was a little slower but understandable as they had so many tables of people. Everything looked great and tasted great too. Staff were doing well, given how busy they were.
Love this place, have been here twice in the past few weeks and really enjoyed it. The staff are pleasant and great you immediately, and the food and coffee is super good! The food tastes very fresh and tasty. Love the little touches like the nice italian salt & a good brand of hot sauce.
Service 10/10; Though they are all busy, but they are super nice and efficient.
Very good vibe.
Delicious breakfast, food were freshly prepared and hot. We all love the breakfast there.
Better to book in advance.
Lovely staff was very busy. Food was really nice and tasty. Good coffee. Would recommend We shared the eggs Benedict so you do get 2 eggs
Amazing breakfast. The place is on the smallish side but cozy. I had eggs benedict with halloumi and mushrooms and a cold pressed OJ. So good, I was very full and happy. I did make a reservation for breakfast as the place fills up rather quickly. The have outdoor seating, as well.
Fantastic food and drinks with top-notch service – couldn't ask for more!! 😃😃
Wonderfully fresh breakfast. I had the breakfast burger on the freshest brioche bun I've ever had. Coffee is freshly made and perfectly prepared.
The store is small but that only adds to the atmosphere. There are outdoor tables but it was a little too cold. The staff is friendly and never rushed us. It would be our pleasure to visit again if we are ever in town again.
10/10 recommend! Service was great. There was a bit of a wait on food but it was quite busy and their attitude was still kind, so we didn’t mind. Loved the smoked salmon bagel too.
Easy spot for breakfast. Food, service, and atmosphere was what you expect. Thanks 👍
Great food, great coffee. Very busy but service was fast. Staff lovely and helpful
Absolutely adorable! Little European alley in the heart of Auckland. The food was incredible and the coffee perfect. Quick and friendly service by the staff. Highly recommend!
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