Food Review - Mt Eden Village Cafes

Frasers and Sierra Café - Mt Eden Village, Auckland

Frasers Café

I’ve been going to Frasers (434 Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden) for years. The food is consistently good and the service is quick and friendly. Frasers is open every day until late so it’s great for a family breakfast, brunch, lunch or early dinner. It’s noisy enough to drown out most kid’s noise so you won’t have to worry about shushing your kids if their volume switch is set to loud.

Kids Menu:
There is a small kids menu which is available all day (and night) or a standard ‘adult’ menu. They have a breakfast/lunch menu which is offered until 4 pm and a dinner menu which operates from 4 pm onwards.

My kids usually share the ‘Breakfast’ from the kids menu which is Bacon, Eggs, Sausage and Toast for $8.90. If they are extra hungry, they sometimes share the Pancake Stack with fresh banana and maple syrup for $8.90. Also available on the kids menu is a BLT sandwich for $8.90 and a chocolate sundae for $6.90.

I would also recommend the Hokkien Noodle Salad with BBQ chicken for $19.80. It serves two children generously, so ask for two plates and divide it. It’s very tasty, but not at all spicy and the chicken is very tender.

For drinks there are the usual juices and water, plus they make very good fluffies (babycinos) with any kind of milk (my daughter drinks soy). Fluffies are served in cute espresso cups with two marshmallows.

Pram access:
The tables are packed in very close to each other so there is no room at all for prams inside. Unless you are happy to eat outside (at tables on the footpath), I would recommend you leave your pram at home.

Extras:
• High chairs are available near the counter and there is also a basket of kids’ picture books.
• Another good thing is a water filter and glasses on the counter so you can help yourself to water (for free) or fill up sippy cups and bottles. If your kids insist on drinking out of a glass (which mine do), the glasses are small so won’t flood the place if they get knocked over.

Negatives:
• Take care with the café chairs. They are quite light and tip over easily if your toddler climbs up on them.
• The lack of pram access may also be a turn off for parents of young babies.
• Frasers is not a particularly cheap outing with most adult meals priced from $19.80.

Sierra Café, Mt Eden

As a comparison, I visited Sierra Café (418 Mt Eden Road, Mt Eden). We’d headed to Frasers for lunch and it was packed out so we decided to try Sierra.

Sierra is a much roomier café than Frasers with far fewer tables. There is also a proper outdoor eating area in a courtyard out the back of the restaurant, which is better than the footpath tables at Frasers. However, Sierra is only open for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea so we will be sticking with Frasers for dinner.

Kids Menu:
Sierra has a big menu with lots of choices to keep the kids happy. My two ordered the Poached eggs on Toast but you can order your eggs any way you like for $10.50

I only noticed that a kids menu was available (on request) after we had ordered so I will have to check that out another time.

In addition to the blackboard menu, Sierra has sandwiches, quiches and Panini ready to purchase over the counter and there is also a wide range of scones, cakes and cookies.

Pram Access:
There is enough room next to most tables for one pram, but not enough for your whole coffee group and their full-sized three-wheelers.

Extras:
• Sierra has wooden booster seats for older toddlers as well as high chairs.
• A water cooler with glasses is situated in the middle of the café. Take care with the glasses as they are bigger than at Frasers.

Negatives:
• The tables are a standard café size but the food comes on huge plates (and mine was chipped!) so if you are sitting across from another adult with a meal, both your plates hang over the edge of the table, which is not ideal.
• Like Frasers, Sierra Café is not cheap. For two servings of poached eggs, an open chicken sandwich and a burger (with two hot chocolates and two fluffies), we paid $63.60.
• I also prefer café’s where fluffies are free with a coffee purchase. $1.60 (the 60 cents was for the soy milk) is a bit overpriced for a tiny bit of milk fluff in an espresso cup).

In conclusion, Frasers would be my top pick, but Sierra is a worthy alternative if you want to go out to eat but need to bring your pram along.