Mimosa

There aren't many good cafes over this side of the bridge.  In fact if I'm perfectly honest I can only think of a couple, and Mimosa* is at the top of my list.  It's one of those places that just make you feel at home, or at least the kind of home I wish I had!  It's a little vintage, a little rustic, it has local influences and is just the right kind of quirky.  We come here when country life is getting the better of us and we're craving a bit of cafe loitering and people watching.  We hang out by the window sipping our coffee's and devouring our sushi rolls (well that would mainly be Ayana, she rates their sushi pretty highly).  You see this cafe has a little twist, it's run by the sweetest Japanese woman and therefore the food has a delicious Japanese influence.  Everything also happens to be organic and fair trade which is something I'm finding increasingly important. So if you ever find yourself stranded on the North Shore and would rather pretend you were somewhere more exciting then this cafe serves as a great refuge.
Must try: A Japanese breakfast (which I haven't actually tried yet but am dying to!)
Parking: Plenty of 30 minute parking on the street outside, 120 minute prepay parking on the side streets or if you're sneaky you could park at the mall for free.
Highchair: No proper high chair but a cute retro kids stool for the slightly older ones.
Vegan/ Gluten free/ Vegetarian friendly: You betcha!
* Psst, Mimosa isn't just the name of a prissy cocktail, in Japanese it means Silk Tree.

Address: 460 Lake Rd, Takapuna
Website