The Ten Best Lunches In and Near Britomart

There are days when you deserve better than eating a soggy tuna and tomato sandwich in your cubicle; than a trek to the supermarket to eat 'gourmet section' cabinet food which somehow simultaneously tastes like everything else in the cabinet and a cardboard derivative. You owe it to yourself to not have to apologise to your stomach for the things it has to digest during that precious daily half hour lunch break.

So, for those working in the Britomart section of town, we've taken upon ourselves the hard task of whittling down the area's restaurant lunches to the ten best. Because let's face it, the area's ridiculously high restaurant density is almost overwhelming enough to make you want to turn back and eat that moisture-infused sandwich sitting in the office fridge instead; and nobody wants that.

1. Ortolana

The price bracket is one precise tier higher than what you would usually expect to pay for lunch ($20-27), but the conservatory restaurant with its spiderweb of bubble lighting and gentle oak furnishing justifies every dollar's difference with its highly ethical produce and innovative, flavour-packed offerings.

31 Tyler Street, Britomart

2. Ostro

Views: Ostro has them; great glorious views of the harbour. What they also have is a Josh Emmett-engineered menu, and a beautiful metamodernistic combination of  “upscale yet unpretentious” dining. The all-day menu is also a fantastic aspect of the place, meaning you can have even stroll over to have a late lunch after all those stressful deadlines and paperwork have been dealt with.

Level 2, 52 Tyler Street, Britomart

3. Ebisu

When Drake visited Auckland recently, he was spotted in a few different Auckland establishments, including the notable Ebisu - leading to a flurry of new patrons visiting the Japanese eatery. As if Ebisu even needed the approval from a notable Coachella-headlining rapper. A great go-to for days when the freshness of edamame and salmon sashimi are calling.

116 Quay Street, Britomart

4. The Store

You are not an official resident office slave of Britomart unless you have ambled your way into The Store. Great coffee, great juices, great food, great humans working there (have we used the adjective great enough?). For those doing takeaway, the cheese toasty is everything you need when you're crumbling under the stresses of catering to your passive-aggressive boss. For those dining in, the beetroot salad on the cafe end is a staple, and great for those aiming for the 'healthy, but filling' lunch ideal. They also do boiled eggs on the go for those who just got back from crafting the guns at Les Mills and need a quick protein shot. How thoughtful.

5B Gore Street, Britomart

5. Lucky Buddha

New opening Lucky Buddha is best shared with coworkers, or a place for a business lunch. Grab a seat at the restaurant-long banquet table and enjoy shared Asian fusion meals like the raw tuna, with some homemade soda. A drinks menu is available should you need something stronger to accompany your meal.

48 Fort Street, Auckland CBD

6. White Rabbit

White Rabbit is better laid out than your regular furniture store. Bottles of preserved (presumably edible) unknowables line the racks, human-high Swedish-style lamps peer over diners and a clean white, black, walnut, maple colour scheme pervade the cafe-restaurant. The food is also beautiful, obviously. With free wifi and super genuine staff waiting on your every need, you may as well pack up your desk and move it down there.

69 Customs Street East, Auckland CBD

7. Better Burger

Toeing into the more affordable cuisine of Britomart, we present you with Better Burger, a burger bar which delivers burgers made from fresh, local ingredients. The menu's clean and concise: your choices limited to burgers, fries, sodas and milkshakes. When the US-style joint first opened up we ordered the vege burger (made with a mushroom patty) and never looked back.

31 Galway Street, Britomart

8. Britomart Country Club

According to reliable sources one can play petanque and mini golf at the Country Club, however in none of our visits have we ever had the joy of observing this fact. Regardless, the BCC do great lunches, and if you head in Monday through Wednesday you can make the most of their $10 specials - burgers on Mondays, steak sandwiches on Tuesdays and ribs on Wednesday.

32 Galway Street, Britomart

9. Mexico

The day burritos and tacos were forged was the day that every other type of food should have just called it a day and gone home. Mexico does a great variety of the latter, now even serving deep fried tacos for those interested in being a little adventurous.

23 Britomart Place, Britomart

10. Tyler Street Garage

Head straight upstairs to the rooftop courtyard and grab yourself a pizza. Then, a wine or a beer. Maybe another. At this point it may be a good idea to call off the rest of the working day.

120 Quay Street, Britomart