Alleluya, Karangahape Rd
Alleluya. Photo / Steven McNicholl
We came here because I'd heard it was a cool place to visit. Parking was surprisingly easy on the street (pay and display), though the weather was not enticing the day of our visit.
We walked in and immediately thought the arcade is a beautiful flashback to Auckland's 1920s heyday.
The most unusual thing on the menu was the breakfast burrito with spicy scrambled egg, chilli and coriander, topped with avocado and tomato salsa ($11.50).
We ordered the breakfast burrito - lovely, creamy egg in a tidy little package which was nicely spiced - and the Spanish omelette with potato, chorizo, capsicum and red onion ($13.50) which Leanne deemed very flavoursome but a bit heavy on the potato.
The service was laid-back to the point of standoffish, but perhaps that's part of being in K Rd.
The coffee was very good. Hot and the perfect foil for the raging elements outside.
We recommend if you come here sit down the end of the arcade where you can look over Myers Park and out towards the Sky Tower. The view would be even better on a less grey day. Then take time to ferret through the interesting boutiques in the arcade.
Overall we thought it would definitely merit a return visit.
After a really disconcerting incident with the owner/manager today, I won't be going back - I bought coffee from another cafe in the arcade and sat down in what I thought was communal/food court seating - only to have the manager of Alleluya approach me and tell me furiously that I was drinking takeaway coffee at his tables and I was extremely rude.
I explained I had no idea that seating was attached to Alleluya, but he wouldn't accept the apology and just repeated that I am extremely rude and walked away. I even asked him which cafe the chairs are for - I had no clue - he just ignored that.
It's a pity because I really did enjoy their food - but I won't ever be going back to Alleluya. Absolutely shocking for someone to treat a potential customer that way.