Columns

Rating: 3/5

The University Plaza Café is located just inside the entrance to Unipol, which is attached to the Forsyth Barr Stadium. M and G enjoy the fact that all new buildings commissioned by the University tend to come complete with in-built café.

One Saturday morning M and G donned their sneakers and headed to Unipol to work up a sweat before trying out the Plaza. This café is definitely of the same ilk as the rest of those owned by the University, but its weekend hours, brunch menu and toys for the kiddies make it slightly more public-friendly. Unfortunately, M and G missed the brunch and so had to settle for some of the cabinet food instead.

M loves the fact that there are so many sneaky seats at the Plaza Café. M has had a few solo coffees there before class, hiding behind the plant partitions, and recommends this as a pre-lecture spot for those around College Tower or Teachers’ College who need some breathing space. If you’re anything like M, having people too close to you before your first coffee of the day is about as appealing as a foot-flavoured ice cream.

The lattés that M has ordered here have always been a bit sub-par; weak as piss with disappointing milk work. However the staff here are so lovely and helpful, and the food so well presented, that it’s easy for this to go unnoticed.

Overall M and G enjoyed their Plaza Café experience. They recommend sticking to the smaller sizes, though, to avoid the too-milky-for-how-weak-it-is coffee situation. If you want to escape the hustle and bustle of uni life for a second, this is definitely a great place to sink into a corn fritter bap and enjoy a cup of joe before hitting class or the Robertson Library.