kaiaroha vegan deli and eatery

so good to see vegan cafes popping up, and we really wanted to love this place... it's possible that we made poor choices, but we were pretty disappointed with what we ordered: the chickpea and polenta bake, sausage roll, tomato soup with spicy sausage, and green juice. the polenta base of the bake had an unappetizing texture and the dish as a whole lacked flavour. the green juice had such a strong ginger taste that we couldn't get through more than half of it. the soup was ok, but the sausage lacked flavour and had a weird, spongy texture. the sausage roll was the only thing i iiked, but it wasn't worth the price... nothing, come to think of it, was worth the price. although thisplacespecialises in meat/dairy substitutes, i think they might be better off just making simple, honest vege food well. we didn't like leaving feeling like we could've made better vegan food at home for half the price :(

absolutely terrible service- tables were all covered in used plates and dirty napkins, the staff made no attempt to tidy them, even after they served us they didnt take away the previous customers dirty dishes (it wasnt just our table too all the others were a mess). the food in the cabinet was not labelled and the lady serving us had no idea what it was. they didnt have any change in their till for cash. after i ordered my coldbrew and had been waiting for it for around 15mins they informed me they had actually run out but politely offered to swap to an iced latte which was nice but tasted very average- like a weak shot poured in a large glass of very sweet coconut milk. our food which was a pie and a quiche(from the cabinet) took a solid 35 mins to arrive- and when it did it was cold. it tasted ok, would have been better if we werent eating a cold pie tho . would have asked them to heat it up more but didnt want to wait for another half hour. overall theplacewas in absolute shambles- it looked as if the staff had no clear direction whatsoever. would not reccomend and will not be returning unless their is a clear change in organiseation as although the food was not bad the service was unacceptably horrendus.

i don’t usually opt for vegan food but thisplacelooked peaceful and inviting compared to the bustling cafes in the area. the food looked really interesting and they did not disappoint! i like how vegan food here is creative and delicious. i had the benedict rosti and the carrot lox that is supposed to be the salmon alternative was awesome. also loved their ‘hollandaise’ sauce~ i would definitely come back and try more of their dishes and desserts too!

went here and had amazing vegan deli/cafe style food for breakfast. reasonably priced and you can tell it's homemade and not mass brought off premises like some other cafes these days. i liked how the cafe building has a massive glass wall out to the street, reminds me of a melbourne cafe or something. friendly staff too. definitely go and check thisplaceout if you haven't already.

had a coffee at thisplaceand it was amazing, vegan or not people should try their incredible coffees. and everyone is so nice! i really need to try more from their menu because everything looks so vibrant and colorful.

vegan comfort food at its finest. truly inventive cooking and always delicious from the generous sunday platters to the cabinet food. we have been there several times and are never disappointed. the service is friendly and considerate. can't rate thisplacehighly enough.