Sub Rosa

I walk past Sub Rosa on my way to work every morning and its hard not to stop in to get a coffee and something delicious from their cabinet. Great reading whilst you wait for your order too! It is more of a corporate environment/​client meeting spot as it is in the PwC building and next to the AMP building but I really enjoy the atmosphere here. Excellent service and staff are super friendly — as soon as I walk in the door I am welcomed with a smile and get asked how I am today. Really like the coffee here — option to buy a ‘$ 35 for 10 coffees’ card which can save you some money too. Definitely recommend.

Great service and great coffee. The best coffee within walking distance of PWC Tower. Very hard to find table service coffee with great staff these days and Sub Rosa is one of the few that nail this.

Sub Rosa is legit for meetings with corporate folk. It’s centrally located, there’s plenty of space between tables (*key* for avoiding accidental eavesdropping) and the service is fast, efficient and hands off.
Buuuut for off duty coffee dates or more casual meetings it’s definitely not cup of tea. It’s too sterile. Uninspired even, lacking in personality or character. What’s more their coffee is hit and miss — sometimes over extracted, sometimes under — which is suprising given they use Atomic beans, which are one of my faves.
My recommendation? Keep this place in mind for suit ‘n tie meetings otherwise don’t bother.

Ok, now look, I have been living out of New Zealand for a while now, I will be the first to admit, but upon return, and entering into Sub Rosa in hope of espresso relief, I can tell you, I was confused as all hell and confronted with a staff with real attitude and sub-​standard coffee.
We went to order a coffee at the counter, and told us they wouldn’t serve us at the counter if we wanted to sit. Ok. Lets sit then. Lets wait. And wait some more. Ok a short black please and a latte. We waited 15 minutes, at 10am.
Ok, I went there for the espresso, not to be gushed over by staff. So, the espresso when it was made, sat for at least 5 minutes before it was delivered. It was cold with over-​extracted bitterness, ashy flavor like the porta-​filter had not been cleaned well.
A café should make good coffee. Would not go back. Oh, and smile, I know it’s central Auckland and all, but hell I live in downtown New York and you can work a smile, life ain’t that bad.

This café up on the second level of the PWC building serves up some amazing coffee. I have a friend who works down in the Viaduct and after trialing other cafes in the area, this has become our favourite coffee meeting place. It doesn’t matter who makes the coffee here, everyone knows how to work that machine! The beans are atomic and each espresso I have had has been strong and rich in flavour, with the right amount of crema, never bitter and hot. Fantastic coffee! If you are pedantic about your coffee, this is a place to hunt down. You can access Sub Rosa from Quay Street without having to go through the PWC building too. The interiors are very nice and there are always plenty of Heralds available.