I. Really. Liked. Te. Aro.
I. Really. Dislike. Strollers.
These two things seem to go hand in hand.
The good:
- The roast their own beans (but they aren't good beans)
- They have the same pastries and muffins as dark horse (but a bit less expensive)
- There are some good baristas here (scratch that, Emma quit.)
- There is a big patio out front
- The decor inside is lovely - I am especially enamored with the solid wood communal table - it has beautiful butterfly joints
- They usually play good music... Te Aro single handedly rekindled my love of Wild World performed by Cat Stevens
The bad:
- there are some bad baristas here/new baristas (new to the trade itself)
- the lids for the take out cups are like sippy cup lids - it's just weird and I don't like it
- sandwiches are expensive (but they have sandwiches! kind of makes it a neutral)
- It's always full of people with babies. I like babies better than children, but I hate strollers. Te Aro caters to the stroller crowd.
- Their wifi requires a randomish 16 bit hex key that they keep in a cup under the counter and always kicks me off. Thankfully, someone close to them has an open network (that is much more reliable).
- There are no bike racks and they don't plan to get bike racks. The closest city bike posts are outside of view so I never really ride my bike here because I am pretty confident it will be stolen.
I have recently downgraded this review to a 2 star rating. I don't really even go here anymore. I don't like their coffee and I don't like the other people who have discovered that this exists.