Zomer Cafe & Beach Club

Following on from owner Gabrielle’s reply to my last review, I thought it only fair to give Zomer the benefit of the doubt! And I’m pleased to say that I’m glad I did.
I’ve had a faultless experience now on two occasions and as the spring/​summer approaches I look forward to frequenting their sunny outdoor courtyard!

I headed to Zomer with the smallest pooch and friend Lou after a long walk on Takapuna beach with our two dogs on a gorgeous winter’s morning. Not only did Zomer have an outdoor table in the sun that allowed Bert to join us, but we were offered a bowl of water for him as soon as we sat down.
Dutch inspired, it took pretty much all my self control not to get the pancakes and I instead went for the Akaroa salmon with beetroot, pesto and hummus and was not disappointed. The colours on the plate were divine and the flavours full and punchy. The best part was that although it was very light (perfect after a long walk when we still had to cross the bridge home and then spend the afternoon cleaning), but it kept me full most of the afternoon. My mocha was super chocolatey and my only regret was seeing all the delicious sweet treats inside as I went to pay.
This was mine and Bert’s first walk at Takapuna beach (off-​leash in Winter) and hopefully won’t be our last — which means we’ll hopefully be back for another post-​beach brunch at Zomer in the not too distant future!
(next time I’m getting the pancakes!)

A cold windy night and a Grabone voucher for a 3-​course dinner for 2pp sets the scene. Zomer is primarily a café with a Dutch influence, but they also do dinners Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The food was fairly good overall — we ordered chilli crispy chicken and beef croquettes (Bitterballen) for starters, 4-​hour braised lamb and roasted pork belly with a ‘ball’ of cabbage for mains, Bamalaska (as in bombe Alaska) to finish. The dessert was easily the best of the three courses. And I only consider it good value because of the deal.

Five stars for service. Went in for brunch and my mum who is vegetarian ordered something with bacon by mistake and they were awesome and completely re-​made another meal without the bacon no hassle. They also made me an ice mocha off menu. My meal was delicious so big thumbs up. I believe they open for dinner so will try that sometime.

Zomer reminds me of summer … which reminds me of the beach … which reminds of the sea … which reminds me of getting really f*cking sunburn.
(Sorry but, it’s not always a happy ending).
Despite my ruddy complexion, I could sit outside at Zomer ’cause they’re forward-​thinking and provide outdoor seats a la shade.
The coffee was small, but super smooth. The house-​made «pizza» hit the spot — although far from my traditional pizza perceptions, being served on crisp sourdough bread. Portions aren’t terribly generous, but the pizza did come to 6 small pieces, which was easily shared, and surprisingly filling.
Wishlist: more vegetarian options, SPF 7,892 and maybe a second chance at that blueberry lime muffin I spotted on my way out?

A casual business lunch bought us to Zomer. We sat inside as the spring weather is still a bit cool if the sun is not out.
Started out well as they had the Japanese Green something something tea my friend wanted — a good start.
There was a bit of a chat about sandwich or salad, salad or sandwich so we decided on one of each. Neither disappointed. The chill chicken with gems in pita looked delicious — not my choice but a bit of envy. It looked a bit hard to eat but that only made it look even more succulent.
I had the sirloin salad and while it was great, tasty and somewhat virtuous — i wanted that sandwich!
Next time…
The coffee was very good as usual and the friand looked moist and disappeared quickly so I assume was very good

A great place for a morning coffee and breakfast, fun positive vibes and helpful+ friendly staff.
The time and effort put into the Ham Hock meal as well as the Breakfast Burger really shows with one of the most delicious breakfast/​brunches I have consumed. Special mention goes out to the Scotch Eggs as they were a real highlight!
Meals are slightly on the small side so my hunger wasn’t quite satisfied.
On the whole a nice place with a fresh and tasty menu!

This is just gonna be a one liner review. Had a take away coffee on Saturday, because they were fully packed and I didn’t have time to wait.
Nevertheless, the coffee was the best I have had so far on the shore.
If I have got time, I would love to try their food next time.

Had a weekend brunch here with a friend. Takapuna has a lot of good cafes and I would put these guys on that list
Good interior design. Staff are nice and friendly (got my order wrong but they happily changed it after a small discussion with the manager behind the counter and came back out really fast too!). The food is fresh and tasty.
Only downside is that they are a bit pricey for café food but that’s Auckland, right?
We ordered two breakfasts, a side of halloumi cheese (two pieces on a plate) and we both ordered one of their juices. Around $ 60? Maybe a little less.
Still walked out happy though!

I love going to zomer — I have only been on the weekend but it’s always packed with locals, there are dogs chilling with their mates socializing while their parents are sipping away on their latte’s In Their exercise gear (which is a tad cliché) the food is alway fresh and yum and they do some excellent fresh fruit juice mixes which I would highly recommend. I can’t speak for trying different dishes as I am a creature of habit and have the mushrooms every time but all the dishes look great!

I was a bit wary reading other reviews of Zomer online but was keen to give them a go as they have a good standing in the Unilocal community.
Spacious and tidy, with a good assortment of magazines and newspapers to pass the time, Zomer looks out towards Takapuna Beach.
I had heard their portion sizes aren’t the most generous, so I made sure I wasn’t starving when I arrived! I ordered a soy flat white which arrived in what appeared to be a small juice glass. It couldn’t have been more than 150ml, plus foam. Dissapointing. My main was three vietnamese style duck tacos, which were tiny but nicely presented. For $ 18 it was definitely more of an entrée (appetiser) size. The duck was very tender and succulent, I would have appreciated a bit more greens inside the tacos and less sauce as it overpowered the delicate flavour of the duck. It came with a small dish of soggy ribbons of carrot and something that resembled daikon, submerged in a bland vinagrette. I also ordered a beetroot ginger juice which arrived slightly warm, it would have been much more enjoyable chilled, but at least it was a decent size!
Nice décor and location with friendly staff but the food sadly was overpriced & pretentious in my opinion.

Zomer is a vibrant delightful café situated in takapunas commons. The coffes is excellent and the atmosphere is inviting and completely free of pretense. Thoroughly recommend.

Oh, Zomer, how I adore you.
This is my second or third time here, and I am reminded how great this place is. Good vibe, good service, and great food.
We started with the smoothies, of course. My wife had the beef croquettes, again, because she likes it so much. This time, I had the baby beetroot salad with haloumi, spinach, and — oh, my — almond gazpacho. It was the best salad, ever. I didn’t have room for dessert, unfortunately. Next time!
My favourite café in all of Takapuna.

Decided to try out Zoomer after heading to the shore for a spot of retail therapy with a friend. Beautiful spot to sit outside and soak up the sun, love the décor hamptons beach house kind of theme. We arrived just after 12 and were handed the lunch menu after asking for the breakfast menu we were told that they stop serving breakfast at 12 but that they could make an acceptation. Coffee was delish and my halomui salad super tasty tad on the small side though. Dinner/​lunch menu looks great and served from 12 till close can’t wait to go back and try!

In my book nothing beats a Saturday morning walk followed by a spot of brunch in the sun and I think this may just be my new favourite spot. It’s hardly surprisingly, considering I’m a huge fan of Zus and Zo and this new-​ish sister café has a lot of similarities; the huge communal table full of amazing looking sweet treats, the delish home made preserves, the lovingly made coffee and the fresh-​faced staff. However, one big difference is that there is heaps more outdoor seating at Zomer and for a sun seeker like myself this is a definite plus.
I came here last Sat for a lazy brunch with a couple of friends. Grabbing one of the last tables outside, our waiter promptly came took our drinks order. Whilst my buddies went for coffee, I was a tad hungover so opted for their refreshing almond milk, baby kale, banana and honey smoothie ($ 8). It really just tasted like a banana smoothie but it was delicious all the same.
For brunch, I went for the Bruschetta, which is served with haloumi, roast pumpkin hummus, rocket and streaky bacon. Although simple, it was really yummy and they didn’t skimp on the haloumi or the bacon. Big tick in my book!
I am excited to head back here to sample some of their dutch offerings and their freshly squeezed juices, which looked devine.

Me oh my I love a Zomer open sandwich. The pulled pork one is amazing. I’m a real meatlover so I was stoked to see that it’s packed with pork, apple sauce and Asian slaw. Yum! There are heaps of other menu options and variations on this sandwich. And there’s also loads of sweet treats.
They also do a darn good coffee and I was so happy with the one I had there.
I love Zomers sister café Zus & Zo so had high expectations for this one. It definitely succeeded them and I am so happy there’s a Zus & Zo equivalent on the shore.
The staff were so, so onto it. We’d barely stepped foot in the café when the front of house girl had made us feel right at home. The owner also chatted to us and I was so wowed to see him manning the til.

Takapuna has had quite the little boost with the introduction of The Commons. This area has only really been open over this last summer and it has been extremely popular. There are plenty of new reasons to pop over to the shore and visit The Commons, but right now I’m reviewing one of my favourites; Zomer. Open every day including public holidays from 8am — 3pm, this is always a great option for brekky, brunch and lunch. Zomer is the sister café to the popular Zus & Zo in Herne Bay and has a menu which reflects its summery location perfectly. With pastries, big breakfasts, delicious salads and gourmet open sandwiches, there’s something for everyone. Sit inside amongst the beautiful interior, or out the front in the sun. And being situated just a two minute walk from Takapuna beach, you can finish a delicious meal with a lovely stroll looking out over Rangitoto Island. Zomer is a great addition to my hometown, and one that guarantees every visit is successful.

What an amazing find this café is. Sitting along the new golden mile in Takapuna, across the road from Café Massimo, next to Mexico and The Commons and two minutes stroll from beautiful Taka-​puna beach.
I think you would be hard-​pressed to have a bad meal in one of Takapuna’s fabulous cafes, so to say Zomer’s brunch is the best I have eaten is no small compliment. I went for the unusual grilled asparagus on toast, which came on a single slice of delicious seeded bread, topped with hollandaise (or mayo I forget), a single poached egg and parmesan shavings.
Being particularly hungry that day I ordered an extra egg, a coffee and juice. Everything was delicious but the total came to over $ 30 for what would have been an average-​sized breakfast elsewhere. I’d say come here to enjoy the delicious food when you have a smaller than usual appetite.

Wooo! Go Zomer! I really do love this dutch beauty of a spot! The food is delicious and there’s a selection of eats you wouldn’t find at your regular café. The Uitsmijter is this crazy looking toasted sandwich cheesy egg thing. OK I don’t describe it that well but bloody hell it’s great! I’m also a big fan of the taosted cruesli. Yes it’s pretty much muesli. It comes with yogurt, fresh fruit and some honey. The smoothies are pretty good too — there’s quite a few flavours to choose from. But best of all they have great flavoured teas. I’m not usually a fan of tea but i tried sipping on a cinnamon one here and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Will definitely be going back. Perfect place for a feed and a gossip amongst friends!