Crumb - CLOSED

Overview

Decent coffee, breakfast and lunch options are hard to come by in Grey Lynn proper, and new opening Crumb - on the corner of Ariki Street and Crummer Road (previously inhabited by the Ariki Store) - is sure to become the water cooler of the neighbourhood.

The cafe has kept the signature white storefront (with the addition of a couple bean bags on the footpath), and is rather cosy on the inside, with a simple, home-y fit out and intimate seating to encourage yarns with the neighbours.

The coffee is Supreme, and our long black, mocha and soy cap were smokey and delicious. The food offerings are short and sweet and curated by owner Hugo Baird, who's spent a few years under the wing of Depot and Federal Deli's Al Brown. The menu is hearty, non-fussy and traditional, lending itself well to takeaway if you're swinging by on your way to work.

Classic Fix & Fogg peanut butter and jelly toasties, date scones or freshly toasted egg and bacon baps make for an ideal brekkie, and come lunchtime, there are BLTs, roast veggie sandwiches and a range of saintly seasonal salads sitting pretty in the cabinet. A tempting line-up of green juices, smoothies and milkshakes (the strawberry comes highly recommended) is available all day, alongside glass jars crammed with slices from the nearby Meola Kitchen.

I flatted on Ariki several years ago and would have frequented Crumb every weekend, minimum, if it had been around then - it's a charming, friendly little place, all set to be your new local.