Matchbox Espresso House is Point Chevalier's small but mighty coffee stop, sitting right on the main road at 198 Point Chevalier Road. Compact in size and big on character, it has become a go-to for locals and commuters after a quick, quality caffeine fix — known especially for its takeaway coffees and its beans.
The coffee comes from Anastasis Coffee Roasters, the Auckland roastery behind five cafes across the city. The name means 'resurrection' in Greek, reflecting founder Hernan Barrionuevo's belief that every batch should be as vibrant and full of life as the last. Hernan's love of coffee took root in Argentina's espresso culture and grew — via a coffee machine-for-croissants trade with a local bakery — into a beloved roastery with four blends: Rapture, Road Runner, Organic and House.
Matchbox keeps things simple and friendly: early weekday openings, a fun atmosphere to start the day, and a couple of benches outside for anyone who would rather sit and relax than rush off.
Point Chevalier's main road moves quickly, and Matchbox Espresso House was built for exactly that rhythm. Small in floor space but far from small in reputation, this compact cafe serves up some of the best coffee in town from premises that couldn't be easier to find at 198 Point Chevalier Road. Commuters, parents on the school run and local regulars all swing by for a cup that never asks them to slow their morning down.
Every cup at Matchbox starts with beans from Anastasis Coffee Roasters, the Auckland roastery whose story is as warm as its coffee. The name Anastasis means 'resurrection' in Greek, a nod to the founder's belief that every batch roasted will be just as vibrant and full of life as the last.
Founder Hernan Barrionuevo discovered coffee about a decade ago while studying in Argentina, falling hard for the country's strong espresso culture — the ritual of socialising with friends and family over freshly roasted coffee. His first move in the trade was delightfully modest: he offered to buy a coffee machine for a local bakery in exchange for free croissants every morning. That clever little trade grew into Anastasis Coffee Roasters, now a beloved roastery and a fixture of its community.
The original cafe itself began almost by chance in Te Atatu South, when Hernan — then driving all over West Auckland for work and frustrated by the lack of quality coffee in the area — spoke to a landlord and had the keys within fifteen minutes on a verbal agreement. He set up shop, quit his old job to chase the dream, and the business has been growing ever since. Today there are five Anastasis stores across Auckland, with Matchbox flying the flag in Point Chevalier.
Anastasis keeps its range tightly focused on four blends: Rapture, Road Runner, Organic and House. Matchbox is the place in Point Chevalier to work your way through them, whether that's in a takeaway cup for the road or a slower coffee on a bench outside.
Two things in particular have made the cafe's name: its takeaway coffees, turned around quickly for people on the move, and its beans, sold by the bag for home brewers who want the same standard in their own kitchen. It's a simple formula, executed with an obsession for quality that runs through everything the roastery does.
Step up to the counter and you'll find a fun, friendly atmosphere that makes Matchbox an easy place to start the day. There are a couple of benches outside for anyone who wants to sit down and relax with their cup, but most of the action is at the counter, where regulars are welcomed and newcomers quickly work out why this tiny cafe has such a loyal following. It's a commuter cafe at heart: quick, consistent and genuinely good.
Timing matters here. Matchbox opens at 6.30am on weekdays and 7am on weekends, closing at 2pm each day — a rhythm shaped around the morning rush rather than the afternoon linger. If you're planning an afternoon visit, make it earlier; this is a morning ritual kind of place.
Part of Matchbox's charm is that it doesn't try to be everything at once. It's a neighbourhood espresso bar that does its job superbly: quality coffee from a roastery with a genuine story, served quickly by people who enjoy what they do. Whether you're a Point Chevalier local, a daily commuter or just passing through with a coffee-shaped gap in your morning, Matchbox is an easy stop to recommend.
Grab a cup for the road, take a bag of Rapture, Road Runner, Organic or House home with you, and see why this small cafe has earned its mighty reputation.