The roasted lamb get cooled down fast and the meat was a bit dry. The sides and sauces are nice. It’s interesting to try out the hare, but wasn’t really my cup of tea. Nice view and place to chill with family. The pork belly from last time is terrific.
We had our High Tea there and were pleasantly surprised by the nice garden setting. Love the indoor/outdoor flow arrangement. Booking is essential as this is a very busy place but we still received reasonably good service from the staff even though they were running around like headless chicken - well done guys! The highlights for us were the freshly made sandwiches, scones and the ginger tea - very impressive! The quiche and cakes were so so, like they weren't made on the day or something. Hope to come back to try their BBQ Pork Belly dish though as we saw the next table ordering it and it was mouth-watering haha :-P~
My friend had his wedding reception dinner here. It is quite small, probably fitting around 50 people or so.
It's not too hard to find, just keep an eye out for the church and its the next driveway down. It was quite far in from the motorway. The place itself is really nice. The gardens were amazing, with a large grassy area with games scattered around. There was also a pond behind the gates. The gardens were very picturesque. The dining area is open to the gardens so there were a few surprise insect interactions throughout the evening.
They had quite a few beer selections, both bottles and on tap. The tap beers were craft beer. The food was quite nice. The smoked salmon was really nice. The meats for the mains (pork and beef) were cooked well too. We had a dessert trio of brownie, panna cotta, and lemon meringue tart, and all three were nice.
It is a nice place for a wedding but it is a really small venue. They also had Mongolian lamb during weekends which looked interesting.
Had been wanting to visit here for a while, and finally made it. St Margarets is a beautiful location with well tended gardens that are stunning all year round. There is indoor & outdoor seating with a good area for the kids to run around & toys to entertain them.
We tried the beef short rib & confit duck after been tempted by the lunch menu. They do have a breakfast menu with all the favourites & dinner on some nights too.
We've just had high tea for 4 and it was absolutely delightful. Lovely surroundings with great service and the food was delicious. Way too much for us to eat but we gave it our best shot
Absolutely lovely, great service and great food. The skewer sharing platter is a great idea and offers a bit of everything which is perfect for those days when you just don't know what you feel like. Also a great environment and not too loud so you can actually have a conversation. Will definitely be back, keep it up guys
Welcome to St Margarets! We have a new owner , new chef and new menu since The end of last year. Now we have great lunch and breakfast, English high tea, craft beer, great evening BBQ etc. Welcome to try the difference!
My most favourite cafe in Auckland. It's a nice cafe to get away without going too far. Family friendly with amazing high standard quality dishes. I usually order a coffee at the end and walk through their garden.
Went as a group of 28 for a special birthday. The only grizzle was first course was a bit slow getting to the table but apart from that everyone without exception was really impressed. The 3 course menu was tops with nicely presented dishes with wonderful flavour combinations and good sized portions. The venue setting and excellent food made it a top day for a special occasion. I think you can be very confident in choosing St Margaret's!!
Partner had the braised beef, very rich, portion size perfect. I had the pork belly with rhubarb jam, amazing!! Best ever!! Highly recommend.
Came here for lunch today, all I can say is wow! Right from when we sat down, service was quick, staff very attentive and nice! Our lunch was amazing, my pork belly sandwich was so delicious and my friend had the Lamb special which she said was divine, we were so full we shared a dessert which was a beautiful white and dark chocolate mousse. Then we went for a walk through their gardens. Can highly recommend!! They also had a large group in but still service was quick. Such a gorgeous spot :)
We have been regulars here for 3 years now. Hard to find food this great in south auckland. Feels a bit like fine dining but country style. Love love st margarets!
St Margarets is our Local Café and fantastic. The Food has never been faulted and the service amazing. My family and I venture to St Margarets on a regular basis and will continue to. Value for money and worth every mouthful. My Mothers day experience was amazing. On a sunny day the outlook is beautiful with the Pond, Jetty, and landscaped grounds.
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
What a hidden wee gem this place is! Looking for a spot where we could have lunch and a stroll without running into a huge crowd of people, we decided to head out to St Margaret's Cafe in Karaka. Located in beautiful gardens behind a tiny country church, it felt magical from the moment we pulled up in the car park and walked down the cobbled park to the cafe. The cafe itself is in a pavilion with removable weather shielding - I can imagine that it will be an ideal summer spot as the covers come down and the breeze wafts through. The tables are somewhat utilitarian, which I imagine would be necessary when they are exposed to the elements. There's also more stereotypical outdoor seating available.
The food was the absolute highlight. I had the open-faced pork belly sandwich. Served with pork crackle and a delicious spiced pear and apple chutney, it managed to be both filling and moreish at the same time. The kids' meal managed to be a slightly more healthy version of the chicken and chips and was well-seasoned; my little dude thoroughly enjoyed it! I was really impressed to see good cuts of chicken used and a side of salad included. Well worth the money we paid for both meals.
Service was pretty good - initially the waitress seemed a little flustered (a little bit surprising seeing that there weren't that many customers) but was very warm by the time we left. There was just enough time in between ordering and food arrival to go for a stroll and meals came beautifully presented. Just a quick note, this place not be infant friendly - there was no visible high chair and we weren't offered one. BYO high chair or hold off until your toddler is able to sit to the table.
With delicious food and beautiful surroundings, we'll definitely be back.
Great food, people and good vibes! Perfect in winter where you can sit by the fire with some soup or on a sunny day, outside in the garden!
Great Restaurant/Café. Lovely Husband & Wife owners (Jamie – head chef) &
Kathryn (front of house). The food is thoughtful & executed
superbly. The staff are helpful & courteous. We have had 2 recent Sunday
afternoon experiences & they have been first rate. The specials are well worth
a look & the menu offers something for everyone. My personal favourite is
the 18 hour slow cooked Pork Belly with crackling, Mustard cider cream with
Roast vegetables & Fennel scallop Potato. Sensational! Sadly, the Zomato website shows only a fraction of what this excellent eatery has to offer. Only the website will give you the full picture. The website indicates that there
are themed dinners, Winter Sunday Roasts & much more – all with a beautiful
fire roaring in the background. Well worth a look!
Visited this beautiful venue for Mother's Day. I've been before and it's a great place for young and old alike, offering a nice opportunity for a wander around the gardens.
I'm not usually one to nit-pick but I do I feel that if one describes “eggs” in the plural sense you should get more than one! At $22.50 I felt the 'garden breakfast' (and eggs benedict) was a little lacking. Service was attentive enough and with the scenery I didn't feel as ripped off!
We chose St Margaret's Cafe & Garden for our wedding venue, both ceremony & reception.
Being a bit of a foodie, I particularly enjoyed planning the menu with Jamie, who came up with a number of creative meals that suited our requirements: the only difficult part was choosing!
The meal was beautiful and I stuffed myself trying a little bit of each of our three menu options...they were all delicious!
I'm looking forward to starting a tradition of returning each year for our anniversary.
We recently had our wedding at St Margarets (11/1/14), and couldn't have chosen a better venue. The food was well like by all our guests, which included a chef and a family of foodies! Jamie was very helpful in all our planning and worked with us to make a special day to suit our needs and tastes. During the reception, the staff were very considerate and made sure we were well looked after. It was a real bonus to be able to find our special corner in the garden to have our ceremony, and the staff were very accommodating, and helped make the day run smoothly. It is an ideal venue, the garden is beautiful and great for photos, and the venue is ideal for both indoor and outdoor ceremonies, any time of the year.
Wow wow wow! We would like to say a big big thank you to Jamie and his team for making our wedding day so special (4/10/13). All the staff were brilliant, they were attentive, willing to help, pleasant, considerate and nothing was too much trouble. Every thing was so beautiful and all our guests made complimentary comments about the venue and immaculate gardens, which provide for some lovely photographs.
The mouthwatering food was excellent, fresh and cooked to perfection, compliments to Jamie and his crews put every thing together so perfectly.
Our special day turned out to be stress free and full of wonderful memories that will always bring big smiles to our faces.
Thank you so much again and we would have pleasure and confidence in recommending St Margaret's Country Garden & Restaurant to any engaged couple!
Took my mum in law who has dementia here for lunch. We had a great experience. Staff were kind, understanding, helpful and very ready to please. Food is very nice and the menu is comprehensive. The garden is beautiful and we had a lovely, long walk around it, admiring all the plants and flowers. Every consideration was shown to ensure we had a wonderful experience. Loved the option of sitting inside or outside, so weather is not a factor! Definitely a place we will dine at again!
I have recently visited St Margarets Country Garden& Restaurant for dinner with family and friends. I was impressed with the beautiful rustic and manicured gardens. The food was simply delicious, the service was excellent, the staff very friendly and attentive without being obtrusive and made us feel warm and welcome. I highly recommend the restaurant and I cannot wait for summer to order off their summer menu and to enjoy the gardens more.
Magdeline T
We had our wedding here on 2.3.13, it was an amazing venue! The service was fabulous - staff were efficient and unobtrusive, and provided the highest level of service to us and our guests.
The food was also excellent. All our guests raved about the canapes and the wedding breakfast alike, incredible talent both in he kitchen and at front of house. I highly recommend this venue to anyone looking for an intimate yet relaxed wedding venue with highly professional staff
We have been going to this cafe for years & it's a real gem, especially since it's been under new management.
The food & service are much better than many city cafes charging appreciably more.
It's well worth the trip, you won't be disappointed.
We recently attended a wedding at St Margaret's Gardens, I just want to say that this venue is up there with the best!!!!
The service was outstanding!! and as for the food, everything was cooked to perfection, and the dessert was to die for, not to mention the canapes were 5 star so well presented and tasty!!
I will be recommending this little diamond to all!!!
Thanks again for a wonderful experience...
Wow great place. my wife took us there for our anniversary.we where married 12 years ago there. we also took our 7 year old daughter with us. the staff made us welcome , I had the lamb rump an my wife had the pork belly. everything was cooked perfect. plus they made special Dina for our daughter prawns an wedges. desert was great sticky date pud mmm. topped off by a great coffee an port. will be going back again. close to pukekohe an some over the best food in the district. highly recommend
Fish yesterday was cooked and presented beautifully, tasted delicious as was the special dessert. Am going back soon to try something else.
Met up with some girlie rellies for a lovely time at St Margarets. The food was excellent and the service was very friendly yet professional. The roaring fire made us not want to leave, however, a stroll in the gardens afterwards compensated. I would highly recommend this restaurant and will be returning shortly - you need quite a few visits to work your way though the menu!
Discovered this gem by chance. Wonderful menu and could not fault the food. Highly recommend the beautiful chicken and prawn curry and their lamb salad was fantastic.
Great service and staff fully explained the menu. The chef even delivered our order to the table.
Would probably pay to book as this place filled up quickly. Pleasant surrounds with huge roaring indoor fire. Will definitely return.
My friend had his wedding reception dinner here. It is quite small, probably fitting around 50 people or so.
It's not too hard to find, just keep an eye out for the church and its the next driveway down. It was quite far in from the motorway. The place itself is really nice. The gardens were amazing, with a large grassy area with games scattered around. There was also a pond behind the gates. The gardens were very picturesque. The dining area is open to the gardens so there were a few surprise insect interactions throughout the evening.
They had quite a few beer selections, both bottles and on tap. The tap beers were craft beer. The food was quite nice. The smoked salmon was really nice. The meats for the mains (pork and beef) were cooked well too. We had a dessert trio of brownie, panna cotta, and lemon meringue tart, and all three were nice.
It is a nice place for a wedding but it is a really small venue. They also had Mongolian lamb during weekends which looked interesting.
We visited St Margarets Cafe & Bistro for Sunday lunch and when we arrived, it was super busy and with the glorious weather, people were dining inside and outside.
I ordered High Tea and was very impressed with the selection of salmon, Champaign ham, egg and cress and cucumber cream cheese finger sandwiches and spinach feta mini quiche with an assortment of sweets and freshly baked scones with jam and clotted cream.
My sweet cherry tea was the perfect accompanied to my first official High Tea experience.
Other dishes which were enjoyed were the pork belly and a pulled pork burger. Thumbs up all round!
Stunning venue from when you drive in the drive and park through to the view while you eat. We traveled out for a high tea in the afternoon and got a good table looking out to the garden. The high tea had some very nice savoury and sweet options, with a good selection. We also enjoyed the tea selection which was excellent and served in lovely glass teapots and nice china. Can recommend the hot ginger tea and the service was also very good, well worth the drive out
Hidden Gem ,was stunned by well kept yet wild garden cafe .Cheery blossoms in full bloom just were heavenly sight. We went mid week so were lucky to be accommodated. Reservation must for weekends advised by the service staff as lot of events and marriages take place
Excellent service but limited menu for food
Went there for a baby shower and was blown away by the beautiful gardens with all the flowers in full bloom. Best to take a good camera as they're a beautiful back drop for photos.
Great place for outdoor wedding and events etc, it is a bit distance from city central but the view all worth it. I spent too much time enjoy the view than food.
Was a nice morning at St Mararets. Had the high tea. $40 really good value. Great service. Pleasant atmosphere.
They closed for Xmas holiday now and will reopen on 3 Jan. The Charcoal BBQ lamb ,chicken ,pork belly are stunning, looking good and tasting good!
Absolutely beautiful food. Nice garden setting, great staff. Highly reccomend.
Really delicious breakfast with beautiful tidy garden. So satisfying cafe!
The grounds were very pretty, and it was nice to take a stroll around after we ate. That truly made the experience, and justified the drive from the city. We came for high tea twice, once at full price and once with a Groupon. Definitely a good deal with the voucher, but slightly overpriced in my opinion for the standard pricing. I would still return, but probably for a regular meal.
The food selections were a 3.5-4/5; dessert pastries 5/5; tea itself 2/5 (small variety, no timer, no offers for more hot water) and service 3/5. Ambiance and gardens 5/5. Our scones were mistakingly dusted with baking soda instead of icing sugar. They were replaced, but no real apology given. I would have been mortified if I’d served that to someone! Hard to get our server’s attention, even though we came in the winter and it wasn’t very busy. Again, beautiful grounds, but it could use a tad more attention to their service.
An error has occurred! Please try again in a few minutes