Chateau Kiwi

A lovely organic supermarket on the Parnell road, it is a bit like Nosh but on a smaller scale. They have a great range of ingredients and we always pick up some De Checco pasta and arborio rice for risotto. They do some lovely fresh bread which is as good as what they serve in Pandoro at the other end of the Parnell road. The last time we were here, we tried the coffee and the verdict is that it was impressive and was as good as many of the cafes around the area. They have a lot of speciality food such as gluten free and vegan — this is handy as we have an in law who is vegan and we have to cater for her when she comes around for dinner. The only downside here (and it’s a minor quibble) is that the staff don’t seem all that knowledgeable on food — don’t get me wrong they were super friendly but when I asked them something about quinoa, they were a bit mystified.

In Parnell almost every second shop has something «French» to give it that extra glamorous appeal. Not surprisingly then, near the top of Parnell Rise you can find Château Kiwi.
Designed to accommodate to the new organic, gluten-​free age, Château Kiwi stocks a lot of specialty items. They also have a range of wine, including New Zealand’s Babich brand.
The smaller store is overshadowed by the large budget advertising campaigns of places like Nosh and Barrow. The staff are friendly but timid, in a store trying to be another «boutique supermarket». Château Kiwi may just edge into your memory when you have exhausted efforts to find a specialty ingredient.

The château kiwi is very like ‘The Barrow’ in the central city. Aimed at providing a more gourmet take on regular grocery shopping, they both chase the same sort of niche.
I like the Château kiwi as it stocks a really good range of organic and health foods. Nowhere else can I find my favourite range of little bird organics apart from their original shop in Kingsland. You haven’t lived until you have tried the strawberry and White cacao macaroons.
And then of course there’s the frozen dumplings which I often buy from here and make my own dipping sauce and trick my friends into thinking I am a real life masterchef.

Luscious is a gourmet health grocery store located just past the top of Parnell rise. A specialty health food store which also stocks an extensive range of wines (they even have vegan wines) and an impressive array of hard to find health and specialty gourmet foods just to make your diet a little more interesting. You will find fresh vegetables, frozen yoghurts, specialty breads, pastas, grains, cereals amongst your more common ingredients (only organic) and some not so common like date paste and red quinoa. Down the back of the store is a fantastic selection of specialty juices, coconut waters and iced teas and much of the product here is sourced from New Zealand.
This place is popular with those who work in the area who want a healthy lunch on the go with a decent amount of cabinet food to choose from and fresh juices and smoothies. The coffee is pretty amazing too, very strong. Château Kiwi use beans from Organica. Whether you have food allergies, a specialty diet or just like your food to be not so common then this is a place you should check out.