Loved my experience here the staff were super kind and helpful, I rang beforehand and was made to feel super welcome and when I arrived I was told all the safety measures put in place such as a seperate gf fryer and working area. I had the fried chicken burger it was okay, the bread tasted a bit sconish and the chicken was a little underseasoned but the Kumara fries were insanely good! Would love to try one of the other burgers :)
Quality fish'n'chips, have a gluten free fryer so the coeliac in the family didn't miss out. Super busy at peak times. Recommend ordering online for pick up.
I almost never go into town, but I will more regularly to go to this cafe. I'm not on a plant-based diet, but that doesn't matter - their selection is huge, healthy and delicious, service excellent. (Also tons of gluten free options)
Great place to get a burger for a coeliac, though only if you go on a day the buns are fresh! I went twice, and the first time my gf bun was really nice, but the second time it completely broke apart within the first two bites, making it too hard to eat without a knife and fork. These are things we deal with as gluten free people anyway, so it wasn’t surprising, but a little disappointing after such a good bun the time before. Otherwise the burgers were great, the chicken nuggets were really nicely cooked, and the chips were yum too!
Amazing spot! Fab for coeliacs / gf folk and anyone else to enjoy. Hubby said his burger was the best smash burger he's ever had, and the milkshakes were very naughty and yum 😍 Service was so so friendly, the guys working here are absolutely wonderful.
Amazing kai every time with excellent service. There have been numerous times I've ordered when they're closing and they are still happy to make my order. Great gluten free options that are coeliac friendly. Thanks so much for your excellent business!!
A beautiful, cozy cafe! We had breakfast in the café and absolutely loved it. There are many vegan and vegetarian options. I had the granola and can recommend it to everyone. The taste is simply indescribably delicious! Plus fresh vegan yogurt and almond milk. Also fruit paste and fresh fruit included. There are plant-based milk alternatives to choose from. The food was really nice and carefully prepared. Therefore it tastes and looks great! Since we were so excited, we took our lunch to go with us: the vegan panini and a “vegan and gluten free peanut chocolate bar/cake”. I still dream about both of them now because they were so delicious! The panini had a delicious vegetable patty. The chocolate cake/bar was so creamy and delicious! If I had the opportunity, I would definitely be a regular customer of the café! Therefore a recommendation from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for this great breakfast experience!
Finally a Cafe that caters for allergies! Specifically for me, most of the menu could be catered as gluten free and I wasn't disappointed. The menu was varied, not just the normal Cafe staples which was so refreshing and the staff were lovely. A lovely lunch on my last day in New Zealand. One happy tourist and if I were a local I'd be a regular. 😁
Delicious food and drinks, fantastic service and a really cool vibe. Tonnes of gluten free options which is fantastic. A must if you’re a burger lover in Wellington!
Travelled down the north island with a coeliac this evening and found this place on the Coeliac New Zealand FB page. I phoned and we were told they have a separate area. Ordered and got two packages- one for the gluten folks and another for the coeliac. both were absolutely delicious and this place was super busy. it's a good hour from where we live but we'll be coming back up here for dinner. LOVE that this place is safe for coeliacs.
My boyfriend & I had a lovely dining experience here recently.
Our waitress Hannah was so attentive to our dietary restrictions (Coeliac) and it was clear she genuinely cared.
The same goes for the talented chefs in the kitchen, who were super patient and understanding and took the Coeliacs/gluten allergy very seriously.
Thank you all for making this such a lovely date night for us! We’ll definitely be back.
Amazing place for breakfast! Delicious food and coffee, awesome service. You can buy there very nice local products, real fruit ice cream (also vegan), salads and pastry to take away. Many gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options
What a find
Food awesome lots of choice
amazing friendly and knowledgeable about menus
Gluten free options and had oat milk so all good
Would highly recommend this cafe
Ten out of Ten for me
Came in for a quick lunch. My partner ordered the fish and chips with mushy peas Gluten free and I had the pork tacos, beef brisket lollipops and the chips.
Atmosphere was nice and chill. Quiet for a Saturday lunch time but there was a lot going on outside.
Service was quick and easy. The server helped my partner who had a bee sting which was much appreciated.
Food came out fast and was temperature hot. The chips were the best thick cut pub chips I’ve had in a while. Good amount of salt and perfect amount of aioli. The fish was cooked well and wasn’t dry. The brisket lollipops had great seasoning and flavours were sweet and fragrant.
The corn tortillas on the tacos did fall apart more than I’d like but everything else for the taco was delicious. The salsa and mole were delicious with the pork.
Haven’t had a bad meal at The Kestrel to date. Thanks team
What a debacle! Just a couple of snacky ski bums craving a tasty gluten free tender meal after a cracking on the maunga. We love chicken, so this seemed like the perfect choice. It was not. When you think of a chicken tender you think of golden, juicy, tasty, crispy... But how wrong we were to rely on the website photos. What we received was an unseasoned, insipid, whiter than the snow tender with really no redeeming features. For an outfit that specialises in chicken, this was exceptionally bad. Only plus side to this whole shamozzle was the chips. Thank goodness Briscoes and Woolworths are close by to grab the other couple of necessities on this trip. We're not angry, we're just disappointed.
Protip: Woolworths is just down the road. Grab yourself a packet of Waitoa gluten free burger fillets and some Makakihi Fries and you'll be waaaaay happier than us.
Edit: old mate Owner is (again) saying it was a kids meal... Absolutely wasn't! ...not sure how long they can keep hiding behind that. Poor form to be honest. Get down to countdown - 3x the food, 10x the taste for less pesos
Great fresh burgers and friendly staff. Had two rounds because the first burger was so nice
Accommodating of Gluten Free (celiac) for the burgers. Chips are GF but unfortunately cooked in the same fryer as crumbed things.
Food was amazing! I wish I'd remembered to take some photos. The only let down was service was a little slow- as in getting drinks initially and then the tables weren't cleared at all...but the food came out quickly and I'd go back again simply for the food options! 4 of us are coeliac and there were so many dishes that were either gluten free or could be modified for us 😍
Great view and service, good sandwiches at lunchtime. The glutenfree hamburger bun was one of the best we've encountered. Celiac friendly, dedicated fryer.
Big burgers with good sides. Real meat, no fillers.
Gluten-free, bunless, and vegan options.
Dairyfree milkshake options with soy.
I have found inconsistencies between franchises. Some are great with attention to your specific dietary requirements and some not. Hamilton burgerfuel was messy. Burgers were rushed assembled, and the avocado was off.
Wellington was great. I'm a carnivore, and I just ate the meat with no buns or even sauce.
New plymouth are friendly, and all burgers are well presented, and all food is labeled easily.
Great for families with allergies. A good range.
Pricey with burgers just under the $20 mark.
An average cost for a family of four, around $90 to $100 with sides and drinks
I ordered a Gluten free burger(allergy) and received a normal bun.
Rang and was offered a replacement or vouchers and opted for a replacement.
The replacement had aioli which our original order did not have, and the service by Lex was rude and she tried to charge for the replacement
Went here after a ceremony, food was fast and extremely good! Extensive vegetarian and gluten free options and amazing service. Had a mix up with the orders and they replaced no questions asked and at no charge- absolutely incredible service. Well worth the money!
Great coffee, the open steak sandwich was amazing! The potato roastie was definitely to come back for! Great flavors on such a simple dish. The table next to me had the smash avo on !in house made bread! I'm pretty sure it was gluten free and keto 👌 and strawberry matcha looked like a coctail 🤩 very friendly staff 👌
May have walked away with a macadamia and( "something,caramilk?🤷🏼♀️") slice 🤫 (no regrets 😋)
Everything in the cabinet looked so good,so technically that's a win 😉
Overpriced for small portions served with a side of attitude for free; rushed to order and felt unwelcoming and like we’d done something wrong before even speaking. Also says gluten free can be accommodated on a sign outside but when asked, we were told no (no further context or explanation) and felt like we couldn’t ask anything else.
Plenty of Gluten free cupboard options which i really appreciate as most cafes only offer if at all gluten free brownies from the cupboard. Decent coffee and friendly service will be back :)
I made two seperate orders with my partner (they didn’t know we would pick up together) and he was given my gluten free burger, i received a regular burger and it was very lucky I didn’t eat it as I am celiac and get bad symptoms when eating gluten. This is quite a big mistake and they need to be more careful when it comes to allergies, I also paid more for it to be gluten free but that was the least of my concerns.
If someone is giving out awards The Shelf should get one. Amazing food and great value. Fast service. Lots of gluten free choices that made me happy. Our go to cafe when we visit Auckland city.
If you are a coelaic this is the place for you!
We are on a cruise and Auckland is one of the stops. We had tried so many different places with no luck.
When we got here we asked the friendly staff about gluten free options for Coeliac. She walked us through the menu and told us all the options that are not safe!
All gluten free options have a dedicated fryer and they were knowledgeable about coelaic and cross contamination.
When it came to ordering every item was noted that it was for a coelaic and when we received our food it was “*insert food* for coelaic”
Would come back to Auckland again just for this feed!
It was delightful. Thanks so much for the excellent service. Food was great, Gluten free options were mean and the kids were welcomed with smiles. That doesn't always happen!
100% Dedicated Gluten-Free
Celiac friendly
Accommodating Gluten-Free