Pilar Café & Eatery

Right on the corner connecting Ponsonby and Karangahape Road, Pilar Café & Eatery is the perfect little sun-drenched spot for coffee or brunch with a side of people watching. 

Serving all your classic breakfast and fresh cabinet food favourites, it’s clearly popular with locals, especially on a weekend morning. Owner Siyuan Sheng has worked as a chef in New Zealand for more than a decade, slowly curating a menu that blends the kind of familiar Kiwi comfort we all tend to reach for, made more interesting with a mixture of Asian-fusion flavours. Blueberry pancakes with bacon and red wine-poached pear, kimchi fried rice, salmon poke bowls and chilli scramble, to name a few.

People definitely seem to come for the coffee alone, too. Their large storefront windows and outdoor seats are often lined with customers perched in the sun, drinking one of their Rocket coffee brews - a Hamilton roaster not widely found in Auckland. If you’re in the mood for a snack as you’re passing by, they are always stocked with a bunch of freshly-made sandwiches and sweet treats ready to go. 

The space itself is bright and warm, with plenty of comfortable sofa seating inside, as well as high window perches for those who prefer a view. The little touches make it feel extra cosy, like today’s newspaper always ready by the door for those who prefer to sip and read quietly. 

A welcome pause on a busy stretch of road, this spot is a great recommendation for brunch with friends, working remotely, or a solo breakfast with a book.