Box

The Box, a good local bar that has a good wine list and do great coffee is a favourite of all my workmates and a little different to all other cafes in that its outside. At night it has a great outlook over Aotea Square and is handy for after work drinks, morning tea, a stop after the movies or a warm up after an ice skate (just at this time of year when the skate rink is open). It’s also a very busy venue if there is an event on at the Aotea Centre or the Town Hall as it’s the best bar in that area. Don’t overlook it when your around Aotea Square.

Simply good coffee for a reasonable price. Nothing to fault at all. And the coffee art is also very cool.

One of the greatest things about Box is that it has free wifi available to use for patrons, which unfortunately is still kind of a rarity in Auckland City (however I am lead to believe that this is slowly changing). And there isn’t an hour limit or anything to it either, so if you have a break from uni or work for a couple of hours then this is a nice, airy open space to sit, drink a coffee and utilise the wifi for a while. What I’ve had from the cabinet before hasn’t been overly impressive and is still quite expensive; however the coffee is pretty good (if you are a fan of latte art then I would ask for the National champ latte artist Gerry to make yours!). Box also provides beverages during the events held at Aotea Centre, and although there are always cues before the performance and during intervals, the box staff are very efficient and handle it quite well so you don’t end up waiting in line for that long at all.

The Box café is a pretty standard and uninspiring café for the pretty standard and uninspiring Aotea Square. On a sunny day this is a good location and it’s nice and sheltered from the wind. I’ve been here a few times and they’ve always done really good coffee, which is great, but everything else is pretty boring. I had a potato salad last time I was there and it wasn’t cheap but it was pretty average. Just bland and boring. I suppose this kind of fits in with the feel of the Aotea Centre though, it’s anything but interesting just a pretty generic venue. So in that respect it’s at least consistent.

I made the mistake of heading to The Box for an interview with someone from an Auckland City Local Board. Due to The Box’s largely outdoor location, and due to that outdoor location being quite loud, I don’t recommend heading there if you’re looking to record with a dictaphone! Outside of my own foolish decision making, this place is quite grand. Looking out onto the refurbished Aotea Square is a lovely way to spend a lunchtime, and even though the area can get quite cold in winter, The Box is naturally well lit and very warm, even in the colder months.
The food is pretty standard café fare — sandwiches, rolls, quiches and the like can all be found in the cabinets and are of a pretty good quality. I kind of see café food like this as a given — it’s pretty hard to mess up a sandwich or a savoury muffin. As long as café food is inoffensive, I’m happy, and that’s pretty much what The Box’s offerings are; inoffensive. Whelming food aside, this place is a great spot to meet before a show!

Anyone that’s read any of my other reviews on the Aotea Centre knows that I think it’s a pile of architectural garbage. It’s not a unique view to hold. However, the Council did manage to improve it back in 2010 when they re-​did the façade of the Aotea Centre as part of the Aotea Square upgrade. Box is what occupies the new space where they’ve placed the new bits of façade. It’s superbly located overlooking Aotea Square atop the stairs, and the coffee is absolutely top-​notch. A new favourite spot for a good mocha with workmates. As a nice bonus, you can get tickets to shows at any of ‘The Edge’ venues (Aotea, Civic, Town Hall) here if you’re too cool to do it online.

It all started in second year when I found myself in a 3 hour class that only allowed a 10 minute break. One day during those breaks a group of us decided to walk to the café we always saw when we where upstairs in class.
Upon our arrival we realised the café was called the box and they served pretty good goodies! After that day it became a ritual to always go there during our breaks. I would have an iced chocolate, my friend would have the English breakfast tea, another friend would have a flat white. All our drinks were made to perfection, I cannot doubt a place that looks like it belongs on a TV show. Yes decked out with a white counter top, white chairs and stainless steel items!
Plus the staff are always friendly, whenever I kindly request that my left over dinner be reheated they actually heat it up, bring a plate with a knife anf a fork.