Overview
Whether you're at work and manage to grab five minutes in-between meetings, are loading up for a long road trip ahead, grabbing something quick and easy for dinner or fuelling up on a weekend shop-a-thon, café cabinet food allows you get fresh tasty morsels in an instant without the need to sit down. We've rounded up the ten best food cabinets in Auckland to fuel your on-the-go, picnic and hunger needs.
Jones the Grocer
Tucked down Carlton Gore Road, Jones the Grocer has one of the best cabinets for options we'd seen. Under the guidance of a new head chef the café has completely upped their game over the past six months with not one but two cabinets. Their heaving savoury cabinet is filled with a variety of fritters, fresh rolls all packed with filling, quiches, salads, filo pastries and sausage rolls while their sweet version includes bliss balls, a variety of slices, cookies, muffins and cupcakes. With one cupcake flavour being salted caramel popcorn, other cafes might find they do indeed need to start keeping up with the Jones.
143 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket / 11 Customs St W, CBD / 425 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden
Photo Credit: What's Yummy
Hello Friends + Allies
The dictionary describes an ally as 'a person or an organisation that cooperates with or helps another for mutual benefit'. When it comes to a well stocked cabinet, Hello Friends + Allies not only have allies but plenty of best friends knocking down their door. Their cabinet selection changes daily but options such as pork belly brioche buns, big billowy meringues, coconut ice and salted caramel smores feature regularly. It's the new kid on the block in Epsom but with people known to travel across town for their food, they'll soon be the most popular kid in town.
95 Great South Rd, Epsom
Ripe Deli
Described as 'a food-lovers haven', Ripe epitomises good homemade hearty food you can truly grab and go. Open all day, everyday, you can find options here for every meal of the day. In the morning you can create your own muesli and yogurt mix. At lunch tuck into a light and healthy salad or wrap. Enjoy a coffee, juice or freshly baked slice for afternoon tea then pop in after work and pick up either a ready to heat or freshly made meal for dinner. Who needs grocery stores when you have Ripe Deli making life that easy?
172 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn
The Baker's Cottage
At the other end of the scale is The Baker's Cottage in Kingsland. Here, selection is king with cheap and cheerful offerings spanning the entire length of the store. At one end there's a cabinet with literally 20 different cakes to choose from and at the other a selection of loaves and rolls with at least 20 different other options in-between. Everything from cookies, iced gingerbread people, tarts, salads, sandwiches, toasties to drinks and a dedicated pie cabinet. The Baker's Cottage is more of a baker's mansion.
2 New Bond St, Kingsland
Little Bird Unbakery
Choosing the healthy option has never been so delicious at Little Bird. Offering a variety of raw, organic, vegan and paleo sweet treats and snack options from their three locations in Kingsland, Ponsonby and Britomart. Here you can treat yo'self to some seriously tasty options including a raw snickers slice, almond butter jelly cups, cacao hazelnut slab, and blueberry cheesecake amongst other treats. Feel both virtuous and satisfied with your takeaway from here.
14 Customs St E, CBD / 1 Summer St, Ponsonby / 385 New North Rd, Kingsland
&Sushi
Love sushi yet hate being restricted to 8 pieces all of the same flavour? Head to &Sushi in Newmarket and you can mix and match to your hearts content. Their cabinet let's you choose every piece you want in your pack. With innovative flavours such as chashupork and kimchi nigiri, tuna tataki with basil mayo, tofu with oyster mushroom and grilled prawn, choosing which pieces to include may be more difficult than you think.
10-12 Teed St, Newmarket / 3F 77 Cook Street, CBD
Milse
Milse gelato sticks take popsicles and ice creams to the next level. Forget pineapple Frujus or a double scoop of hokey pokey, here you can get a bombe alaska or flavours including salted caramel and popcorn, vanilla bean and brownie or fig and walnut. There's even a milk and cereal gelato stick, which gives you the perfect excuse to have ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dessert.
31 Tyler St, CBD
Photo credit: Metro Eats
Catroux
The café may be minimalistic and simple in style but the cabinet is anything but. Step into Catroux and you'll be greeted by a cabinet filled with big, beautiful and healthy salads, a variety of freshly made sandwiches and bagels, fritters, koftas, glazed ham on the bone. Adorning the counter they'll often have gorgeous cakes, muffins, cookies and homemade protein bars. If you get in early enough too you'll be in time to get a date or cheese scone fresh from the oven, best served heated and slathered with butter.
129 West End Road, Westmere
Foxtrot Parlour
You can't walk into Foxtrot Parlour without uttering the word, 'whoa' and you'd better walk in with an appetite. Everything here is big, indulgent and delicious. Their eye-level counter has a presence that can't be missed. Inside it you'll find baked potatoes bursting with filling, tarts of every variety, hearty homemade pies with a golden pastry and if all that doesn't tempt you, the most indulgent of them all - donuts with injectable fillings. It's decadence and deliciousness all rolled into one.
7 Richmond Road, Ponsonby
Bird on a Wire
If you've ever had a hectic day and been traumatised by the thought of cooking dinner. Bird on a Wire is the perfect quick, easy and healthy take away option. Their cabinet showcases a variety of fresh salads and free range cooked whole chickens for you to enjoy salad and chicken or burgers and baguettes. Open in both Ponsonby and Takapuna and giving you good bang for your buck, Bird on a Wire will have you saying winner winner chicken dinner.
136/146 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby / 40 Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna