If the name hasn’t already given the game away, this eatery—co-located with bespoke cocktail bar Bitters & Love—is real cozy, seating only 30 diners, mainly along canteen-style communal tables. Those who don’t work around the CBD and can never make it down for their lunch service will be happy to note that they’ve recently started serving dinner, too.
The compact, rotating menu features hearty standards such as their signature homemade beef burger ($19), which—though still relatively juicy—is a touch overdone and overwhelmed by a too-heavy egg bun. You’d do better to order the Weihenstephaner beer-battered snapper and chips ($18), which is technically faultless with a light crisp shell encasing some incredibly tender fish.
We also like their more sophisticated off-the-menu specials, like the crisp-skinned duck confit ($24), which goes great with homey sides (from $5) including a bread basket and mash potatoes.
With so many other dinner options in the area, it’s easy to pass on Shoebox Canteen’s prettied-up fast food items in favor of something more exotic (think Latin grub at SUR or Japanese robatayaki at Tamashii Robataya). But if you’ve got a hankering for a simple comforting lunch or crave a bite with your drinks (Bitters and Love’s bar snacks are quite insubstantial, even if delicious), this is just the ticket.
