Reviews for Imperial Lane

by John H.
15th May 2012

I went to Imperial Lane with some business colleagues for lunch. I had a salami sandwich which was very tasty. My friends had a pies which looked good also. We all had coffee, they were nice but mine was a bit stronger than I’m used too.

The architecture of the place is very impressive and the highlight for me. The light wells going through the entire height of the building let in natural light and complemented the industrial look inside. The wall mounted lights were great and the lane being a public access added to the aesthetic of the space.

I’ll be having more lunch/coffee’s at Imperial Lane, a great place to people watch.

by rachel
2nd March 2012

Brought NZ Fashion Festival Tickets.
Was advertised extremely clearly that a free drink could be claimed after the show on 2 March 2012 when purchasing tickets on http://www.ticket.co.nz/2012/mar/nz-fashion. Went to bar after fashion show to be refused entry to bar along with many other show payers and told they knew nothing about the fashion show deal although medium sized line outside bar to claim free drinks. Why was this deal agreed to if they could not accomodate it???

by SPat
14th December 2011

I tried out Elske on 13th December (a Tuesday) for lunch after I’d read about it in Denizen. My expectations were high as I’d read that the pastries were made by Michelin-star Danish pastry chef Kristina Jensen.

Yes, the floor is on a slope, but it is a gentle one and didn’t bother us in the slightest. We were impressed with the way one of Auckland’s older buildings had been preserved and reawakened in such a flattering way. Anyway, back to the food…

We were not disappointed with the food. Our order was taken promptly once we were seated at a table (nice touch) and our drinks and food followed quickly. My friend and I shared an almond croissant (one of the largest I’ve ever seen) which was light, flaky and simply delicious. We also shared a ham/cheese/salad baguette – the bread was divine and the filling ample. The food plus a coffee filled us up and we were happy with the price ($20.50 all up).

I’d definitely return to Else again and I’d like to congratulate the developers for doing such a superb job on the restoration of the Roxy building and giving Aucklanders another area to rediscover.

by Han71
10th December 2011

Went there for the first time on the weekend.

I didn’t notice until I sat down at one of the tables along the wall, that the whole cafe is actually sitting on a slope. The table is leveled, but the chairs arn’t, so you are constantly in an angled position which made me do some unwelcome workouts.

I was also quite disappointed that they only have very limited selection of the kitchen foods. Most of them were around $14, and I chose sage fried eggs on sourdough with cooked tomatoes on side. Sourdough was just a thin slice and two eggs were on top of it. On the side was 4 cooked cherry tomatoes. Well, it was good. But not enough to fill me up at all. If you go there on your empty stomach and expect for a normal portioned cafe meal, this place will disappoint you.

Out of all what really disappointed me, was at the end when I walked out, the manager came running down the road yelling on top of her lungs saying “Excuse me! Have you Paid?!” That was SO embarrassing. Of course, I have paid before I walked out, I just paid when she was not around. Fortunately, the girl who served me remembered me paying so I was free to go, but the other customers were staring like I was caught by eat and run and that was really embarrassing.

I will not go back there not only I had a bad experience, but most of the food there are just bakery foods which isn’t something what I expect from cafes.

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