Hill House Cafe

Gorgeous venue on an Auckland summer’s day as outdoor seating has plenty umbrellas overlooking artwork, lawns and mature trees; the latter offering additional shade. The place is both pet and child friendly and it was good to see sunblock available for patrons, if needed. They also have a selection of blankets should the weather get cooler which is a lovely touch. Eggs Benedict with the scone base was delicious but the scone was so small that I had to order additional food before I felt satiated. It turned out to be a blessing as the cinnamon buns hit the spot. Will return to sample other items. Staff are friendly and very efficient.

We booked ahead which I’d definitely suggest doing as it gets very busy. We ended up with a table outside, which was lovely and had great views.nnUnfortunately, the service really let the experience down. It took ages for a waiter to come take our order, and we had to follow up a few times. When someone finally arrived, the ordering process was quite awkward. Halfway through, it looked like his iPad updated or something because he just stopped and stared at the screen for about five minutes before continuing like nothing had happened. It was very strange.nnAbout ten minutes later, he came back to say some of the things we’d ordered weren’t available. Then, after around 40 minutes, we received the cinnamon buns, but half the group’s other orders had been forgotten. We had to follow up again and wait another 15 minutes for the rest of the food.nnThe “Sin-in-a-bun,” though, was genuinely delicious. It came out warm, fluffy, and drenched in cream cheese icing and custard, with lots of cinnamon. The texture was beautiful and every bite felt like a sugary, sweet hug.nnOverall, the service was disappointing, but the cinnamon buns were excellent.

Loved the open air porch, excellent upbeat atmosphere on a Saturday morning.nThe buscoff cinnamon roll is mental, can't forget the taste, it's baked professionally, crispy dipped in seductive liquid.nThe egg Benedict with bacon was on a specific type of bread which I couldn't tell me, just the taste was very good.nIf taking the red benches on the green, better make sure of the shade, sun is aggressive. Otherwise, give them a call the day before to enjoy porch seats.nThere are some local products sold on the ground which adds to the beauty of the experience.nWe paid 52 NZD for biscoff cinnamon roll, egg Benedict dish and a large cappuccino and medium latte.nPictures I believe do Justice.nI recommend it to be tried once.nPlenty if parking area for everyone. No worries.nForgot to take pics of the space, the outside area is beautiful.

November 2025nMy experience at this cafe was interesting, but it was mostly disappointing. The only highlight was sitting on the covered balcony on a sunny day and enjoying the garden views.nnThe service was disorganized, with staff seeming lost and unsure of what they were doing. My drink was made incorrectly three times, and even when it finally looked right, it didn't taste good. The scrambled eggs were dry and didn't pair well with the heavy, slightly sweetened gluten-free bread. When I asked for butter to make them easier to eat, I was told the cafe doesn't serve it. I had to walk around to find staff when I needed assistance, and when it came time to pay the bill, I had to queue with people ordering food, which meant a long wait. I was charged for all the remade drinks and had to explain the situation to the lady at the cashier so she would remove them from my bill.nnAll the desserts on display looked overpriced and overly sweet, with slices and croissants loaded with sugar.nnIn my opinion, this cafe succeeds mainly because of its location in a beautiful old house on the hill, next door to the Art House Trust. Otherwise, it's not worth the visit.

Took my Mum to the Hill House Cafe for their High Tea. A wonderful and very filling assortment of savouries, sweets and scones. A nice range of teas to choose from too!nnBest of all was the wonderful and attentive service from Juna, who looked after our table. She was incredibly kind and went above and beyond.nnThe Pah Homestead, where this venue is located, also has an art gallery you can check out before or after for a fun afternoon.

Directions to Hill House Cafe with public transportation

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