One morning in need of some serious fuel for breakfast and coffee, I found myself stumbling into Seraphius Cafe on Queen St. I was glad to stumble in. It was the sort of place that has an easy, local feel, not too polished but just the right amount of comfortabley. The food ended up being better then I thought it would be for a weekday brunch in Auckland.
How’d my morning go?
My Breakfast at Seraphius Cafe
Seraphius Cafe
By half nine, when I arrived, there was quite a crowd inside which are generally a good indicator. It’s located directly on Queen Street, so if you snag one of the window seat you can do some people-watching while you wait for your food. The interior is cafe-styled, all pendant light and tables is scattered about, with a servery counter at the front.
There’s nothing fancy here, but it looked comfortable and the staff was efficient despite the morning crush. It wasn’t trying to be anything other than a solid neighbourhood spot where you could sit down with a coffee and actualy relax for a bit, something I liked.
What immediately caught my attention was the cabinet up at the counter. In the chilled section there were some good looking tarts and cheesecakes, plus slice, muffins and fresh croissants. It was a nice selection.
What I also noticed was that they toasts any of the cabinet items to order. It is a nice touch, as it means it is not something that has been sitting under a heat lamp for an hour. Truth be told, I was tempted by the pastries but I’d skipped dinner the previous evening so went for something more filling.
First up we ordered some coffees, which were served in these bright cheery cups, very much on-trend for the Auckland brunch scene. I opted for the braised beef brunch bowl, while my friend have a bacon and egg bagel. The beef bowl was just what I wanted that morning; generous, well-seasoned and done right.
My friend also appeared to be happy with his bagel, nothing but silence coming from that end of table. Everything was served up fairly promptly given how busy it was in there, and the servings wasn’t over-the-top, but still solid.
On the plus side, the menu was available on screens over the counter as well as on a framed board, which meant you could read it through at your leisure without delaying the line-up. The prices looked reasonable for central Auckland, not cheap but not taking the mickey either. The point is, though, I’ve eaten more than my share of mediocre cafe breakfasts in this town, and Seraphius wasn’t one of them.
It serve up some well-executed, no-nonsense food in a place where I wouldn’t mind hanging out for a while. Overall, my experience at Seraphius Cafe was as good as I hoped it would be on that particular morning. The breakfast fare were tasty and well-made, the coffee was decent, and it was a place where I wasn’t desperate to run for the exit.
Will I return? Yep, I think so. If I’m around Queen Street and wanting to grab a solid breakfast, then I probably will.
Do you have a favourite brunch joint in the Auckland CBD? Or perhaps you’ve visited Seraphius yourself? I’d love to know what you recommend.
