Caffe Massimo

I was very disappointed with this restaurant. I saw the great reviews and decided to have dinner and dessert with a friend. My seafood chowder was extremely fishy — I had to push it aside because I was scared I might get food poisoning from it. My friend had the Oreo cheesecake and it was warm and tasteless. The environment is great for drinks but I wouldn’t recommend the food!

Being an inner city kinda gal, I can say wholeheartedly that it is only on a very rare occasion that I ever make the journey across the harbour bridge over to the North Shore; however, when I do, I almost always end up at Massimo in Takapuna. The location itself is great, with the café having inviting giant outdoor fireplaces (which comes in very handy on arctic cold days like today) and big moorish cushiony seating, lending a very cozy café feel all year round. The food is also always up to scratch, with the portion sizes being generous (don’t worry the little plate was just a side not a main meal). Pictured above is the King Prawns and Free Range Chicken Salad, the Lamb Shank with Feta Mash and a small little tapas plate of Chilli and Garlic Prawns. The lamb was really tender and falling off the bone and the salad was extremely flavourful and exciting texturally with the addition of crunchy noodles. I must say though, the chilli garlic prawns deserve a shout out as they were phenomenal. So much flavour and such a great marinade! However, I rated my experience down because it took an entire hour for our food to come out of the kitchen, and we were given no explanation for that whatsoever. Overall, if you’re looking for a lazy Sunday lunch close to the Northern beaches, this is your place AKL.

Café Massimo is a Takapuna stalwart. It’s been there ever since I can remember but until recently I’d never been there, largely because I was (mis)judging a book by it’s cover. It’s not the most modern looking place and it spells cafè with two f’s…
I’ve only been for coffee so far, and to bask in their covered courtyard. It was a super steamy Auckland day and the light breeze and shade was blissful! The coffee was on the money too. I had a long black and it was perfectly extracted — not bitter but good & strong.
I’ll be back soon to try the food — update to come soon!

Food is good and love their hot chocolates! Setting is good and will coming here more often in summer as they have good outdoor seating. Only thing that lets this place down a little is their staff, need to be more attentive, friendly and welcoming.

This has to be the best café on the North Shore, with yummy food, great coffee and very friendly staff. The location is great, with indoor out door flow, the right ambience, with that endless summer appeal.
Don’t be late for their Happy Hour, 4– 6 each day and while you are there try their new Menu, very innovative ranges of delicious food. You won’t be disappointed.

The choice to go this café was actually chosen pretty random. We were just walking past the street and we’re thinking of getting somewhere to have a drink.
Decided to go into Massimo. I tell you this was a very good choice.
If you come here, sit on the outside terrace with heaters on (in case you are visiting during winter). The sofas and chairs had a bunch of soft pillows all over them. I would also recommend ordering alcoholic cocktails (as they are just awesome) and a desert, which is not expensive, but very substantial.

I’ve been here a few times for weekend brunch. In summer the sunny courtyard area is great, although I recommend getting a seat with a bit of shade.
The coffees, food, smoothies are all good, although nothing really stooed out in my mind as being a specialty. Just well-​cooked, simple brunch fare like you could make at home if you could be bothered. Bonus points for being a stone’s throw from the beach.
I noticed they sometimes hold dance parties here on a Sunday afternoon now too, who knew?

Have visited Massimo for brunch a couple of times and have come away impressed on each occasion. It sits in a fantastic spot on The Strand in Takapuna — one minute’s walk to the beach, the Takapuna shops, the library, car parking, bus stops, the works. There’s a great indoor-​outdoor flow here, with outdoor tables and a conservatory-​type space that’s breezy on the fine days and warm on the murky ones. The coffee here as a rule is pretty good, and I’ve never had much to complain about foodwise — eggs benedict off the all-​day menu is a good treat.

I took my girlfriend here for a Valentine’s Day breakfast and was glad to find the place lived up to the hype that I had heard before going.
As a Shore girl, she’d heard about the place, but never made it there.
It was relatively busy, but we got seated outside and had a stunning breakfast with some of the best coffee I’ve had in a long time.
It’s a great place to sit and enjoy the summer sun as it twinkles off the waves of Takapuna Beach just down the road.

This location has been through a few transformations during my life on the shore, but I think Massimo is the most successful and definitely the one best suited to the environment.
Just a stones throw from Takapuna Beach, Massimo perfectly reflects the relaxed beach vibe. I have often gone here with big groups for both brunch and dinner, and it’s been great. The service is relaxed but professional and the food is delicious. There are the usual brunch items, open sandwiches and delicious salads. Plus really yum sides.
Massimo is one of those places that can do day and night really well. It also hosts some pretty great parties and is a very cool venue to hire out. There is an outdoor area, plenty of seating, and generally just a lot of space.
Most tables get the sun, but if the weather turns there’s a lot of room inside.
A nice place to soak up the Takapuna vibe.

My partner and I recently had our first experience at Caffe Massimo and was pleasantly surprised. It’s a stone’s throw from Takapuna Beach and there’s a carpark just across the road, which made it the perfect location. The waitress that served us was friendly and to the point (in a good way) which I liked, as we were already hungry by the time we’d arrived! The layout is simple and I especially liked the flow of the outdoor area.
There wasn’t much foot traffic through the restaurant that night so our food came out fairly quickly. We’d ordered the risotto balls and half a dozen mussels with bacon and parmesan. Both were well priced and tasted amazing! I’m not usually one to order mussels at a restaurant, but I’d heard Massimo’s ones were good and the decision definitely paid off. I ordered the King Prawn & Crispy Chicken Noodle Salad as my main, and its one of the best salads I’ve had in a long time. The tangy mango salsa they add to it is wonderful and brings all the ingredients together perfectly! I also got to try the Angus Eye Fillet; it was cooked a perfect medium rare and tasted great with the kumara and portobello mushrooms. We were too full for dessert but tried out their mochas, which tasted great and will definitely have us back to try out their all day menu.
Caffe Massimo is easy to find and definitely worth a visit whether you’re after a coffee, brunch or a three-​course meal.