scarecrow

scarecrow is a cafe and also a shop. quite an interesting experience. coffee was served in a double wall glass which kept the coffee hot until the last drop. the 2 sandwiches - chicken avocado and smoked mushroom were very tasty and came with a side of salad if your choice. my potato salad was so yum. so good.

one of the healthiest cafes i've been to!
i had this crossiant which resembled a french toast and it was just amazing
the crumble on top with the berries and buttery crossiant was unique and delicious
their sandwiches were average though
bf had a chicken sandwich and i think i could have made one at home for a lot cheaper
quite crowded and gets stuffy on a summers day but lovely interior

updated review: february 2017
finally find time to try dinner at this place. the new place look nice.  we ordered hummus for entree, eggplant gratin and seared beef for main. the portion size for the main is good for the price you paid. the food didn't wow me compare to the first time i came to this place, but it's still good. it's a bit light on taste. this may be funny way to describe the meal but it tasted "quality".

customer service: 7/10

food: 7.5/10

atmosphere: 8/10 

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tried this place on friend recommendation. the food is very good, even though a bit pricey. i ordered an egg omelette and it tasted quite fresh. would recommend people to give this place a try.

customer service: 7/10

food: 8.5/10

atmosphere: 8/10

date: october 2015

i love this place so much, its so hard to get a decent salad in the city. it's my destination of choice for lunch dates with friends from out if town, cos it makes me look like i know all the hip vegan spots. scarecrow is pretty much in a league of their own in auckland central. i also like the new location cos its bigger. not such a challenge to get a table. this place caters to pretty much all food requirements. five starz

excellent food, coffee and service. highly recommend this place for fast, healthy and reasonably priced food in the city. vegan/gluten/paleo/[insert dietary concern here]- friendly with a wide range of options for everyone.

i recommend the daily sandwiches and anything they do with the kokako coffee.

the florist and grocery store aspects are cute additions as well.

my brisket on rye was delicious, served with lashings of brisket and a sharp mustard. i thought i would get sick of the sameness but it tasted great. the brisket was the right touch of salty and came with pickles on the side.

very dim inside with led to an interesting atmosphere.

love the premise of a cafe/florist/grocery store but maybe it was something about the temporary location that just didn't do it for me in terms of atmosphere. 

we visited at around 1pm. usual lunch crowd but quite dim inside and atmosphere lacking (couldn't quite put my finger on it!), maybe some light background music needed.

ordered a salmon bagel. the diy aspect was quirky and allows you to customise your toppings, i think i'd prefer it already put together though. the salmon was perfectly smoked and salted and the cream cheese was delicious. the bagel didn't hit the mark for me though, didn't have that nice chewiness and denseness i like. i still enjoyed the dish overall. they also had a range of salads in the cabinet which looked nice, but overall the menu seemed a bit flat for my tastes. think it's nice place for a coffee, pastry and a browse.

will check out their place on victoria st when it opens up again.

i was lucky enough to go along to a #zomatonz foodie meet up at scarecrow - finally something for the vegans!! we arrived and i was immediately in love with the decor, from the wooden oars (or are they spades? haha) on display next to our dining table, to the black glass menu and the way the small grocer was set up at the back.
we started our experience at scarecrow with some beautiful vegan wine, followed by some incredible starters like: lentil balls, seeded bread crostini with cashew dip, and toasted breads with vegan pesto, cashew dip, and salsa.
while we were eating our starters the founder of scarecrow was lovely enough to stand and talk with us about the history of scarecrow and the ethos behind their cafe/florist/grocer - essentially they want to bring a sense of community into the cbd, as well as bringing local market produce into the central city to further its reach and save cbd dwellers from having to go out to matakana, clevedon or waiheke etc for their produce. this they have definitely achieved - you’re immediately made to feel so welcome, and the selection of produce they have on offer as both meals and groceries are second-to-none in central auckland.
once we had finished our wines we popped outside and the lovely resident florist, izzy, taught us how to make a simple posy of flowers - not as easy as it looks people! this was my favourite part of the evening - it got us all talking, using our hands and laughing about how good we thought we were going to be at it.
following our flower arranging we ventured back inside for more tapas - from fish cakes and ceviche for the omnivores, to roasted asparagus with almonds, chickpea curry with cauliflower crumb, and antipasti with beautiful fresh olives for the vegan attendees.
finishing up at 7pm with the beginning of evening jazz, i have to say this was one of my favourite dining experiences i’ve had in auckland in a very long time.
thanks to everyone at scarecrow for being such kind and gracious hosts and allowing us to have such a wonderful evening.

update: so good, i had to go back the next day for lunch and take my dad along to see what their lunch menu was like! he had the lamb meatballs, and i had a mushroom & vegan mozzarella sandwich with a side of quinoa/cauliflower salad - only $10 and seriously the best sandwich i’ve had in months!! new favourite place!

second update: popped in today (3rd november) to celebrate international sandwich day with the roast eggplant, mushroom, tomato and vegan mozzarella sandwich with a side of courgette salad - once again a 10/10 for taste and service. love this place so much. :)

i was at scarecrow for a #zomatonz foodie meetup last week, and loved every minute of it. it started off with some delicious canapes, followed by being allowed to make our own floral bouquets, and then some dishes to share with the table. my favourite was the cerviche, the fish cakes, and the antipasti platter. the food is absolute top quality, the service is brilliant, and the idea behind scarecrow is neat too. there is locally sourced food, chocolate and flowers sold, and the owners are trying to create a place for the city community to come together and get to know one another. to achieve this there are ‘family tables’ where you sit down with other people who have come to the same place, for the same meal, and enjoy it together socially. i love this idea, and i’m significantly impressed with the food (which to me is the main purpose of the restaurant). i will definitely be heading back there, especially to try some of the other dishes on the menu that look mouth-wateringly good.

locally sourced produce, passionate staff and diverse flavours; scarecrow on high ticks so many boxes. besides creatively crafted meals, they also have a selection of (often hard to find) food items and novel gifts available for purchase. most importantly, you'll find a delicious variety of artisan chocolates and beautiful floral arrangements (yes - they double as a florist too)!

i especially loved the family-styled seating and the jazz band that set the tone for our evening. if you're in the city and looking for a flavoursome meal, ingredients to create your own or a special gift, scarecrow is a must.

(unfortunately i didn't get many pics but i feel like its a good excuse to visit again!)

i came to scarecrow last week as part of a zomato foodie meet up, and i was excited to try a different variety of food to what i usually would eat. everything we had was shared plates, which was nice because it meant we all got a bit of everything. i like that scarecrow has a focus on healthy food, and locally sourced ingredients, without compromising on taste at all. i loved the spicy lentil balls, which are vegan. the fish cakes were delicious, and i even ate cerviche!

scarecrow is also a florist, and we had the chance to make our own floral bouquets. izzy, the florist, did a beautiful job so i'd recommend scarecrow to anyone wanting to buy flowers in the city. i will be back to scarecrow, i can't wait to see their permanent home on victoria street

scarecrow is one of my go-to places when my coffee-snob friends from wellington want a good cup. on top of acting as a cafe, they are also an amazing boutique grocer where i get my vegetables and family christmas presents. oh, and a florist!

scarecrow is warm and has a farm-village atmosphere which is constructed by is consistently pleasant temperature and the dog sitting outside to welcome each guest. 

among many positive memories at scarecrow, once i was sitting writing my research proposal at the shared table and someone who studied osteopathy came along and gave me some amazing tips. 

the main reason i took an interest in scarecrow was the ready availability of vegan food. on this particular dinner trip i found once again the food exceeded my expectations. to start we had a selection of canapés, which included the vegan lentil ball. i have a thing with lentils- they need to be cooked perfectly but also not taste like lentils. the way this dish was put together meant the dryness of the lentils was balanced by the relish, creating a creamy texture. 
for mains we had a tapas which really adds to the 'sharing' vibe i always get at scarecrow. they encouraged conversations and made us all laugh. we had wedges with this perfectly balanced salsa, a chickpea curry with just the right amount of spice and bread with a selection of dips which each matched different flavour profiles. 

oh yeah- scarecrow gives you space to laugh without making the room awkward.
see you soon, can't wait to come back.

we tried the tapas style food, and everything we ate was delicious. they were all perfect paired with wine. everything about the restaurant was well thought of, even the toilets! i love the touch of fresh flowers in the toilets. the service was great, they were all very friendly. my favorite was the vegan curry with cauliflower. i would come back again and again for that.

i really enjoyed the food. too bad i don't drink alcohol (allergic), because the food would be perfect paired with wine. the interior of the place is also very welcoming and the service was great. i am definitely bringing my vegan friends to this place.

amazing raw kitchen focusing on providing city dwellers with fresh, great tasting locally sourced food and artisanal products.

we had a table with 8 of us so shared a large variety of plates. all was super tasty, guilt free food. fav was the fish cakes!

highly recommend.