Dear Jervois

It was good. Staff were onto it. Great bakery selection and decent breakfast. Coffee was strong. Would come here again for sure.

First time here I think although lived in ponsonby before but was long time ago remembered many places in Herne bay/​Ponsonby do good brunches at that time. I was attracted by the pic to start with of this restaurant and made my visit today finally. Was quite busy, almost full in the restaurant. For the food, I think just ok. I ordered DJ complete which is the big breakfast friend had the crab omelette he thought might be special. I asked for the French toast fancy I saw from the pic they don’t do it anymore. I got one piece of bread with all other necessary ingredient but the taste and looking is very ordinary, friend’s one is nothing special. I guess when u go to food when everyone else can also do flowers or other fancy staff then what else? It’s about the taste in the end right? So I can only give 3 stars which to my standard is so so. May not go again, certainly not a recommendation.

extremely Delicious food, had beef burger, best burger sauce ever! relax vibes highly recommended

Be ready too wait. Long or not depending of the time you manage to wake up :) place is really nice and cosy, with that special feeling that let you think that you re gonna have some good foods and healthy ones. Service is very caring and always smiling. The show really start when the plates arrived and you won’t be disappointed. It is so tasty
Took the green eggs and the gluten free waffles and both were awesomely delicious and with a good size portion. Definitely a bit hype, but also definitely good. Head there without hesitation

If you don’t have to wait for a table or to be served at this café you are already off the a WIN! There is a reason people will cue and wait at the very well known and popular Dear Jervois in Ponsonby. This café is next level with food that is impressive on the eye and on the pallet! It’s the place to go for breakfast or brunch. With notable dishes such as GF Waffles with all the toppings, Superfood Cruesli that will beat any muesli and my new fav Wagyu Mince on Paleo Toast They also serve none other than the perfect Flight Coffee which seems to be taking over Auckland at the moment and popping up in more and more cafes I visit! I had a delicious long black that was brewed to perfection using the Bomber blend with its subtle hints of caramel that you can never get sick of

Still adorable décor, still great coffee but the jury is no longer out on the food — it’s delicious! Especially the salads — fresh, exciting, interesting combinations. I particularly like their soba noodle salad with pickled ginger and lots of crunchy vege. Also, i’m wasn’t a tofu fan but their tofu croquette w poached eggs has quickly made me a convert!

Something to write home about, this is hands down the best new café in the Ponsonby-​Herne Bay area! Akin to L’Oeuf’s achievement of 2014, Dear Jervois manages to infuse originality and demonstrate quality execution of classic and modern brunch dishes alike. Unsurprisingly, the first thing I tried was their waffles, having seen the recommendations of my fellow Unilocalers. The matcha tea version (one of two) certainly did not disappoint — see the photo! The coffee is Supreme and so are the baristas. Smoothies are available for those allergic to caffeine. My second visit led me to the prettiest french toast I’ve encountered in a while. The associated combination of poached pear, bacon, beetroot and yoghurt offered many mouthfuls of interest indeed. I believe that there are a number of great vegetarian and raw food options also available, although hell may have to freeze over and the world run out of waffles before I decide to try those, so please read someone else’s review of you want to know more! Meanwhile I can tell you that the clientele here is trendy and foodie, and that the atmosphere friendly and airy. So, if that sounds vaguely like you, then head on down. When you get a meal that makes you want to come back and try it again this badly. you know that you are on to a winner (psst… Metro magazine, this place is a serous contender for your spring ensemble). Dear Jervois, thanks for the memories and look forward to meeting again soon.

Visited Dear Jervois on a Saturday morning, as a group of four. This was probably our biggest mistake as we waited almost half an hour to get seated.
We were originally seated right at the back by the bathrooms, on a long table which we shared with another couple. We were directly under a skylight so it was burning hot sitting there and waiting, even just to get our order taken. Luckily, the couple at the other end of the table left about 20 minutes later, so we were able so move over into the shade.
I found the service to be average overall, some staff members were great and others not so much. We asked for water twice and never got it, which was disappointing.
I ordered the matcha waffles and peanut butter/​blueberry smoothie– they were both filling, full of flavour and absolutely delicious! The food at Dear Jervois was the highlight and the reason I’ll considering visiting again.

I had been hearing great things about Dear Jervois and again, seeing mouth-​watering pictures of their waffles on Instagram. So, when my cousin came to stay a few months ago, we ventured to Dear Jervois in search of a delicious breakfast.
It was incredibly busy when we arrived at 9am on the Saturday we went, but luckily we still managed to get a table. I recommend coming this early if you can, otherwise be prepared to wait during the busy lunch period.
I really loved their menu, as it has many different options whether you are a sweet or savoury fiend. Every dish is also clearly described and they have many gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian options.
We ordered smoothies to start — peanut butter and blueberry for me and cacao maca for my cousin. Both were tasty, but quite filling. I think next time I will opt for coffee instead!
The food was absolutely delicious. My sister ordered the eggs benedict with salmon, avocado and spinach, which for a normal size would be $ 18, however they have this cool option where you can order half the size, and in this case it was $ 10. It was truly more than enough and still a very generous serving for $ 10.
My cousin also chose eggs benedict, but with mushrooms, homemade hash browns and spinach (normal size is $ 19.50). It was such a large portion that my she couldn’t finish it! Definitely reckon the half portion meals are the way to go!
I just couldn’t go past the waffles section! Waffles with four different options — never seen so many in a café! I ordered the bacon, caramelised banana and maple syrup waffles. They were seriously amazing AND crispy — highly recommend!
We also ordered two sweet and two savoury muffins for takeaway to have for afternoon tea later. They were moist, flavoursome and again, like the waffles, I highly recommend!
The service was friendly and efficient even though they were really busy. We also didn’t have to wait long for our food, which was another highlight!
Overall, I cannot fault Dear Jervois. The atmosphere was lovely, the food was delicious and the service great. I would definitely come back again, namely to try their coffee! And to also try their ‘Be Good Vegan’ dish with quinoa, kimchi and beetroot (ultimate noms) or the Superfood Cruesli with fruit, yoghurt and berry compote — or maybe I’ll just order both!

Well we finally got to Dear Jervois. I had been a bit reluctant because I’d heard there were always long waits but the kids wanted to go so away we went. And yes it was a bit of a wait — 20 minutes or so but at least they have an efficient system of recording names on a blackboard so you can see how you’re doing and that seemed reasonably fair. And we had coffee while we waited and it was good.
It’s an appealing menu with a range of choices from tofu croquettes to soba noodle salad — I had neither.
I’d heard the mushrooms were good — they were
I’d heard the smoothies were good — they were
I’d heard the home made potato hash was good — it was exceptional!
I had the poached eggs on five grain, think cut bacon and the best home made potato hash in town — loved it.
Get there — it’s well worth the wait.

I don’t venture down Jervois Rd much as I live closer to Ponsonby Central end where we are truly spoilt for choice for cafes so it was nice to visit Dear Jervois after a friend of mine visiting from Australia suggested we try there. On first appearance the café looked open and inviting and as it was around 3pm on a Tues there were plenty of tables free. We were welcomed by the very friendly manager and took a table outside. I did notice the café inside was very spacious and the coffee machine was a bright la marzocco which is always a good sign! As we were only having coffees didn’t really see the menu but the coffee was hot and it was a double shot. I’d definitely recommend this café and a little piece of trivia, this site has changed 17 times in the last 20 years or so. Let’s hope Dear Jervois sticks around for a while. I think it will serve the locals we for a long time to come!

I was in such a rush to be on time that I didn’t even notice the beautiful décor of Dear Jervois at first. Cute name for a café with a personal touch. The past 2014 had been a winner with all the new cafes that proved that brunches don’t have to be just an eggs benny casually tossed together.
This newish café had always been on the back of my mind and I thought just after new years would be the ideal time to sneak a table at this busy café.
We were lucky to get a seat too, settling at the long wooden communal table. The menu seems to boast it all, catering for the gluten free, vegan and free range meat crowds. But people pleasers can’t always win it all.
The menu is similar to their sister café Little King with their Shore famous waffles, Best Ugly bagels and choice of half an eggs benedict — a welcoming choice for small stomachs.
I gravitated towards the portobello and potato hash stack, mainly for the love of mushrooms.
Little did I know it would be the hash stack that was the tastiest on the plate. I love hash browns in general but these were done so perfectly — not oily or too loose that it would fall apart before entering my mouth. The mushrooms were ok but it lacked some punch in flavour. Another clear winner was the pork belly — impressive when it came and continued to impress with the fresh crunch and warm heaty flavours. And while you can’t go wrong with a salmon benedict, it was one of the better ones I’ve had with generous lashings of salmon curled around the perfectly poached egg.
If I had a separate smoothie stomach, I’d try the peanut butter and blueberry, or cacao maca smoothie. But priced at $ 8, they will no doubt come in the massive trendy mason jars that basically mean one liquid meal for me. Next time for a health grind, I’d love to try Be Good Vegan with promises of quinoa, brown rice, beetroot, kimchi, pumpkin, coriander, sesame seeds and cashew aioli — sounds good already!

Heard so much about this place so I just had to go and give it a try, and it was SO worth it! The superfood cruesli was one of the most beautiful plates of food I had ever seen and was so, so delicious. The fruit was gorgeous and topped with some almond milk, I was in brunch heaven. Great coffee too! Only mild complaint was that there was quite a queue to get in the door and food took a while to arrive, but it was worth the wait! You may have to be strategic with your timing if you’re wanting to get in and out of here quickly! Lovely atmosphere inside and we were served by a very sweet waitress! Great brunch experience!

Visited the «new-​ish» joint for the first time this weekend for Sunday breakfast/​brunch. We got there around 10:30 and it was pretty busy. They took good care of us in the meantime though with coffee. I have to say, this is the first time I saw Americano on the menu and was able to order it without getting a strange look from our server. Needless to say I was super excited and minutes later I have an iced cold American in my hand. They asked me if I wanted «coconut nectar» which I assume is some sort of sweeter, but sweetener is not my jam so I said pass.
We waited about 5 – 10 minutes before we were seated at a shared table with a few strangers. Loved the buzzing atmosphere of the place — great lighting, lots of lovely plants growing out of the walls, and sexy Christmas music. Who could ask for more! Definitely a place to come with friends, not for first date (it was a bit loud).
I had the Eggs Benedict with bacon, which was at a whole new level. Instead of having it on toast or a bagel, the beautifully done eggs, bacon, and a few greens were nicely perched on a square hash (hash browns, potatoes for those of you who don’t know). It was FANTASTIC. The square hash was done perfectly and just blended well with the flavours of the the eggs, hollandaise, bacon, and greens. Sorry folks, I was too hungry I didn’t take a picture.
My partner had the asparagus and added some halloumi and prosciutto. There was nothing left on the plate.
Would for sure come back. The smoothies looked good and I was definitely eying up the waffles on the menu.
Also Supreme coffee, Amazing!
If you come after 11 expect to wait! when we left there was quite the list of people waiting for tables — definitely worth the wait though!

Finally got around to trying Dear Jervois after hearing the hype for ages. It was good, but perhaps not great?
We went for brunch on a Sunday and were lucky to get seated straight away — I could see that there’d been a waiting list a bit earlier. The staff were friendly ish, but were perhaps a little overwhelmed — we had to wait a wee while for certain things, in particular a smoothie which i suspect may have actually been forgotten until I re-​ordered it.
However, the food, the coffee and the general décor/​vibe were all great. We ordered the roast vege salad and eggs with haloumi, avo and hollandaise. Both meals were really nicely presented and very yum.
The menu was kind of weirdly broken up into sections — which I guess was intended to make ordering easier, for some some reason, kind of didn’t. i reckon just a list of meals would be a much simpler option
We trialled the ‘brew’ coffee (the waitress was vague on how it was prepared, so not totally sure on what it actually was), and it was delicious. Really smooth and flavoursome. We got a second round, which is rare for us…
The only dud of the meal was the beetroot and berry smoothie I ordered, but that might just be me. It seemed to be a flavour combo that just didn’t quite mesh. Will have to return and order a different one!

Interesting menu with some vegan, gluten free and sugar free options. I had a fish finger burger which came with a yummy seaweed tartare. Service is slow and haphazard.

First of all can everyone RELAX about the fact that if you choose the most popular new spot in Herne Bay you may (gasp) have to wait for a table and yes, it will be busy.
Sadly, I had a chat with a friend about her experience here, and she said she waited almost an hour for a table and another 40 mins for food to arrive. So I guess that is not cool and the darker end of the wait game scale. But a small wait — please don’t ‘holler’ about it as though you are more worthy of a stool to sit on. No one around you cares
The décor is ME IN A NUTSHELL. I found myself gazing at the way they had decorated and was imagining it was my future pinterest home. Thumbs up for that
The coffee was good but I was busy holding my friends crazy child, so I can’t quite remember how it tasted. It can’t have been half bad though. Mums I salute you.
The food — So I made a silly mistake here. I went for the Best Ugly Bagel (yum) which for me is a trusty friend. Salmon, lemon, capers, cream cheese. Those are flavours that will always satisfy me but I soon realised I hadn’t tried the actual Dear Jervois menu. I went with 5 friends who ALL got the chicken salad though and rated it highly
Cabinet food looked amazing! But in my opinion — very overpriced
In saying all of this, I like the location and the idea of this place so will definitely go back and order something specific to their menu and give that a whirl

Had the pleasure of eating at Dear Jervois on Sunday morning with a good friend, who’d been wanting to go for ages but wanted to wait until the opening hordes died down since the café started a month or so ago.
We got there fairly early, around 9am, and perched ourselves at the window bar seat, perfect for Herne Bay people-​and-​dog watching. The place is certainly popular — about 20 minutes after we got there the staff had to start a blackboard list of people waiting for tables. I’m too impatient to wait for a table at breakfast, and if you are too then get in early!
I give the menu full credit for breakfast because of its delicious range (eggs with build-​on options, Best Ugly bagels, waffles…) although this did make it hard to choose (not a bad thing!). I had the portobello mushrooms with potato hash, lentils and basil pesto, which was filling and delicious but could have done with a dollop of relish on the side. My friend had one of the waffle options (there are about four to choose from, including with ice cream) and had a huge plate which she was extremely happy with.
The food was beautifully presented, coffee was perfect, and I also had an unusual beetroot/​raspberry juice which on first taste was faintly shocking but taste buds liked it by the end.
I particularly like that the café is vegetarian-​friendly, with most meals starting off vegetarian with an option of adding meat in — a much better way of doing things for people who aren’t carnivorously inclined!
Will certainly be back — am very interested to try the soba noodle salad or the interesting-​sounding tofu croquettes with avocado, rocket and kimchi. Plus, the cabinet selection of cakes looked delectable. A great start to my Sunday.

Dear Jervois is the new kid on the block on Jervois Road, Herne Bay. Just newly opened, it was an attractive must try for my foodie friend and I.
After trying to search for a menu or website online and with no luck we were a bit unsure about what to expect. But Dear Jervois aims to serve, the GF, Vegans, FR (Free Range) Meat crowds. These trends are def following more and more with each new eatery opening up. I really support that these options are available especially the Free Range Meat. The healthier the better — as long as flavour and texture is not lost.
What was great was the portion size. Both dishes were like $ 18 each and for the amount served, neither of us could finish what we started — coming home with doggie bags. We both agreed that the food was presented beautifully and came out efficiently.
I actually ordered the Vegan dish but ironically added chicken. I’m glad to say the brown rice and quinoa was cooked nicely, not being crunchy and hard like most places you eat it at. However we both had undercooked roast veges — which tends to be the case at most eateries. Most of the time kitchens undercook roast veges slightly so they don’t go soggy whilst being stored. but tbh they are never reheated well enough and still are undercooked when served. Food was good but a bit bland. It just needs that oomph.
There were a lot of staff on for a Monday, however it was quite busy — but maybe some confusion on which staff looked after which table?.. as we were asked like 10x if we were ready to order from maybe 3 or 4 staff members. — I guess its much better then being forgotten about and being ignored ha.
Great first impression and warm and comforting atmosphere. Definitely go try it!
Rating:
Food: 6.5÷10
Service: ⁷⁄₁₀
Value for Money: 8.5÷10
234 Jervois road, Herne Bay
Opening Hours:
Mon, Weds-​Fri: 7am-​4pm
Sat-​Sun: 8am-​4pm

Been meaning to come here ever since it’s opened– being a big fan of their original Little King café in Milford and finally got to with friends for brunch.
A wee bit difficult to find along the street so look around for it’s slightly hidden old-​school-​house door and window panes. And park along one of the nearby side streets for an hour park instead of only 30 min on the main road.
Love their interior– especially their exposed brick wall just near the coffee machines and cabinet with delicious-​looking, beautiful cupcakes and mini cakes (next time!) Lots of wee nooks and crannies with a range of seating with a large low table, and front benches, back corner tall tables where we sat on big stools. Fan of their black wall tiles and beautiful flower pot feature in the back as well as pretty flowers/​terraniums around and about.
Got their Be good vegan– which was a lovely mound of quinoa and brown rice on a dark gray circle plate. Was infused with pieces of pumpkin cubes, scattered with thin slices of beetroot, topped with mild kimchi and fresh coriander. Sprinkled with sesame seeds and drizzled with their great cashew aioli. Lovely large purple flower and yellow flower on top to decorate. Was a beautiful plate– and not only tasty but healthy so no guilt. Even better.
Was really tossing up their coffee and amazing superfood health-​freak smoothies but needed caffeine but next time definitely getting one of their smoothie creations– so many cool flavours and can feel good about it afterwards. They make a mean trim flat white with a cool fern pattern– definitely try coffee!
Friends both got an orange juice which came in a cute glass coffee jar with a stripey cute paper straw as well as the cruesli– which was beautiful and came with trim or normal milk.
We all became huge fans– it’s such a beautiful café inside and their food is really great also. Definitely worth dropping by the Herne Bay area for this one