Johnny Feedback

Overview

Auckland has never really got the hang of footpath dining, but Johnny Feedback has capitalised on a unique corner site. Just across from what used to be the Supper Club, where Beresford meets Pitt St you’ll find clusters of brightly coloured stools adorning the footpath, along with tables boasting fresh floral arrays. It’s hard to go past such a funky little set up, especially when it’s bathed in sunshine, as it is for most of the day. And if the heavens decide to open, as the frequently do in our little city, there are cosy corners to hide away in.

At Johnny Feedback, you won’t find a Big Breakfast, but you can still get your bacon and egg fix. What's great is that it comes perfectly packaged in a fresh roll (which can be toasted on request) which makes for supreme ease of eating. What's even better are the daily specials—pork belly and apple slaw rolls, crumbed chicken withe pesto and red pepper sauce, meatball subs—and just in time for winter, piping hot bowls of seasonal soups. Who needs a menu when you've got a cabinet and counter packed with saliva-inducing sandwiches and freshly baked brioche? The food literally sells itself.

Johnny Feedback is ideal for breakfast on the run, a mid-morning snack or a light lunch.  If the geometric shapes on the folding doors and customers with excessively bushy beards are anything to go by, then I suspect this is a bit of a hipster haunt. Don’t let that put you off though. This petite corner café manages to be cool without being pretentious and proves that  pavement seating is doable. The service is friendly, the coffee’s great and the art’s good. Well worth a visit, whether fleeting or to peruse the paper in a patch of sunshine.