“Boîte” means “box” in French, but the word has been borrowed into English to apply to a small nightclub or restaurant. It came into English in the 1920s, when the nightclub scene was vibrant and new words were needed. It’s sometimes used in the full French phrase “boîte de nuit,” which specifies “nightclub.” But it could just as easily apply to a charming restaurant, as depicted in the 1943 book “Time To Be Born”: “‘Jean’s,’ the new little boîte … with red-checked tablecloths and a sixty-five cent dinner.”