Concrete Playground

When you walk into Revel on K' Road it's like you've walked into a total encapsulation of what the whole area is famous for. Quirky furniture, mix matched art, vintage lampshades, dark wooden floors and friendly, chilled out staff.  The perfect retreat on a blustery day, Revel is welcoming not only in atmosphere but is backed up by a through and through knowledge and execution of good food. Having lived in Wellington, I often miss the seriously niche cafe culture down there and felt like I was always searching for the Auckland counterpart to Fidels on Cuba Street. Without saying one is too similar to the other, the same vibe and settle-in-for-a-good-lounge feeling is definitely present here. Don't be suprised if you get your coffee served up in a tea cup, it's all part of their gig.

The cafe has a vegan/vegatarian based menu, but unlike others that try and stick to this sometimes challenging food type, Revel's dishes are power punches of flavour. A definite pick of the menu would be the Apple Cinnamon Buckwheat Pancakes. It's not often I opt for a sweet breakfast when it comes to the crunch, but on this occassion it was the perfect choice.  The apple gave the pancakes just enough of a sweet hit to tick the box for the sweet tooth but not so much that I wasn't able to enjoy my trim cap without feeling sugarly sluggish afterward.

The cabinet food also is home to a wide selection of both savoury and sweet take away treats. Revel is definitely that spot you can come in for a quick fix and coffee to go or equally spend hours lounging with a book and delicious meals that will leave you with a contently full puku.  Auckland needs more cafes that understand the concept of being open past 4pm, but in the mean time, definitely note this place down as somewhere to cosy up at for hot evening cuppa.