Where To Eat In Wellington In 2024, From Cafes To Restaurants, Bakeries To Bars

The 10-plus unmissable places to book in for now.

While you can’t beat Wellington on a good day, you really can’t beat Wellington when it comes to a weekend based purely on eating and drinking. The capital has so many excellent restaurants within walking distance (as well as further afield with a solid collection of neighbourhood spots), that it makes food-hopping a joy. From Te Aro’s cafes and restaurants to Newtown’s wine bars and sandwich shops, Wellington punches way above its weight when it comes to dining out. We’ve rounded up some of the best spots depending on your mood, whether it’s cocktails and snacks or a buttery croissant and coffee.

For inventive cocktails and shared plates

Margot

Husband and wife duo Juno Miers and chef Tom Adam are the team behind Margot in Newtown, which serves a seasonal menu and inventive cocktails inspired by Juno’s love of a superlative pre-dinner drink. Margot has transformed the space that was once Bar Mason with fresh paint, low-hanging lightshades, graphic framed prints and plants. It’s a light, bright and cosy restaurant that radiates warmth and care. On the day Viva visits we sample the housemade bread with cultured butter and a tin of Ortiz anchovies, Tom’s “death row snack”, and can’t help but order Margot’s Martini with olive oil-washed gin, Ortiz anchovy oil, dry vermouth and olive brine creating a deeply savoury drink — a playful twist on a classic beverage you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere else. The wine list is also beautifully curated with natural and organic styles from New Zealand and further afield. 163 Riddiford St, Newtown

Also try: Ortega Fish Shack, which is a favourite with the hospitality crowd for its impeccable service and great vibe. 16 Majoribanks Street, Mount Victoria

For a spectacular sandwich

Previously a hole in the wall and now a permanent cafe in Newtown, Good Boy Sammies is the work of James Paul and Alexander Green, who offer a rotating, edited menu of sandwiches and coffee. With just three tables inside and three streetside, it’s a small but popular spot with locals, who love the weekly-changing menu and housemade focaccia (described by Al as “a gateway drug into bread making, in the works for some years now. The synthetic cannabis of breads”). Good Boy offers two breakfast options before 10.30am; when we visit it’s egg, Swiss cheese and chives on a potato roll and a bagel with cream cheese, pickled shallots and rocket — and switches to lunchtime sammies after that, with combos like cauliflower with fried onions, pecorino sauce and rocket, and sausage with peppers and provolone on the softest potato brioche roll. Viva’s photographer Babiche Martens is a fan of the chaotic Instagram page. Case in point: “After nearly 6 years of serving room temperature sandwiches from a meth residue stained fire exit glory hole we are MOVING.” Lol. 88B Riddiford St, Newtown

Also try: Fred’s Sandwiches for its fresh bread and fresh fillings with ridiculously yum rotating specials like the Cubano hotdog, prawn cocktail and mince ‘n’ cheese pie sammy. 149 Cuba St, Te Aro

For an evening drink and a snack

The Ram

The Ram on Cuba St, which opened in August 2023, fills a gap in Wellington for a chic drinking destination with a great food menu. Victoria McDowell and Harry McArthur (owners of Fred’s Sandwiches) were inspired by the pub culture in Melbourne for their new venture, where the food and vibe take precedence over what sport is playing on TV. They’ve transformed what was Plum Cafe into an elegant bar with soaring ceilings, low lighting, mirrored surfaces, booth seating and a charming collection of vintage crockery and glassware. The menu features pub classics like steak, chicken parmi and one of the best cheeseburgers we’ve had in ages, as well as more refined bistro fare like oysters and prawn linguine. The drinks are cool cocktails like marigold martinis and tap negronis and the wines by the glass are concise and interesting. The Ram doesn’t take bookings and appears to be a hit with locals, so get in early. 103 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington

Also try: Puffin inside The Intrepid hotel does a great negroni and has a rotating beer and wine list that favours low intervention styles. 60 Ghuznee St, Te Aro

For a neighbourhood wine bar

The butterfish crudo at Graze is a work of art, with delicate layers of radish and tomatillo concealing fresh slices of fish, served on a glass fish-shaped dish. The cornbread waffles are another showstopper, with a grid of blue cheese ricotta and plum jam scattered with delicate sprigs of fennel. It’s the fine work of chef Max Gordy, a Chicago native and ex speed skater who, with partner Stina Persen, has opened a laidback neighbourhood wine bar in Kelburn with a low-waste ethos and an ever-changing blackboard menu of share plates. Graze is their first venture as owner-operators, having both worked at Hillside Kitchen before launching Graze. Much of the decor is second-hand, from the glassware to the napkins and the reclaimed wood tabletops. The effect is a refreshing and unique interior that’s cosy and cool. To drink, there are exclusively New Zealand wines with interesting glass pours that change daily, and cocktails that reflect the seasons and favour New Zealand-made spirits. 95 Upland Rd, Kelburn

Also try: Another restaurant slightly outside of the city but well worth a trip is Oikos Hellenic Cuisine in Miramar, which serves rustic Greek favourites with a modern twist. 382 Broadway, Miramar

For a coffee

Swimsuit

It’s not hard to see why locals love Swimsuit coffee, which has three locations (on Lombard Lane and Dixon St in Te Aro and another in Miramar) and plans for more. It’s all about community, great coffee and good music, says co-owner Tait Burge on a busy Wednesday morning at the Dixon St cafe, where the streetside tables are full of happy customers. Locals come for the excellent Supreme coffee and cabinet food (try the cheese scone), but also the experimental playlist, which changes every month. There’s an energy to Swimsuit, or maybe it’s from Tait himself, who has plans to turn Swimsuit into a roastery, as well as expanding the food offering to breakfast and lunch, and eventually selling merch and lifestyle products. The name, like the blue-painted exterior, is inspired by Tait’s love of the beach, and inside it’s all about approachability with plenty of seating, splashes of colour and an eclectic mix of decor. “The big thing is if you can give someone an experience they won’t forget, then they’ll keep coming back. That’s what we try to do for every person that comes in. And obviously, we play music loud, it’s a big part of what we do,” says Tait. 38 Dixon St, 5 Lombard St, 91B Park Rd

Also try: The Hangar, which is Flight Coffee’s flagship cafe, open seven days for coffee and brunch fare. 19 Dixon St, Te Aro

For a seaside beer

Parrotdog

There’s really nothing better than drinking a brew straight from the source and at Parrotdog in Lyall Bay, you’ll find all your favourites like Yellowhammer and Birdsye on tap as well as special limited releases like fresh-hop beers or archival drops. To eat, there are “things that go well with beer”, like burgers and fried chicken, but also salads and cheese plates. Decked out like your cool grandma’s living room, with textured floral wallpaper, quirky lamps and the odd piece of taxidermy, Parrotdog is a comfortable respite from the wind and a short stroll from the surf break at Lyall Bay. It’s also conveniently located next to the airport, making it the ideal stop-off point before a flight, with more than enough space to accommodate your luggage, and seemingly, half of Wellington’s children — but don’t let that put you off. 60/66 Kingsford Smith St, Lyall Bay

Also try: Duncan’s Brewery, a Kāpiti Coast micro brewery from George Duncan and Wai Familton, with taps inspired by the pair’s beer-laden American road trip. 4B Sheffield St, Paraparaumu

For sourdough and croissants

Baker Gramercy

There are queues out the door and along the street at Baker Gramercy in Berhampore, but don’t worry, they move quickly. Wellingtonians come from all over town to purchase Gramercy’s freshly baked sourdough, croissants and other cabinet goodies which are handcrafted daily using quality ingredients like New Zealand butter and milk, and New Zealand and Australian-grown wheat. Baker Gramercy recently relocated into a custom-built, light-filled space across the road from the original bakery, with its A-frame ceiling, white walls and a long counter behind which customers can see all the action, from the baking table to the ovens and the bakers themselves. This sense of openness and transparency was inspired by owner James Whyte’s time in New York (the name is a nod to NYC’s Gramercy) where the buzz of the kitchen isn’t hidden from view. Also within eyeshot: the temperature-controlled croissant room, which keeps the laminated doughs cool and ensures the quality is top-notch. What’s the team’s winning formula? “A focus on quality and keeping it simple. Our product range is refined, but we continue to refine the products. Decency and respect to our customers and people is also paramount,” says James. 465 Adelaide Rd, Berhampore

Also try: Shelley Bay Baker for organic sourdough made with fresh stoneground flour, as well as lots of cabinet treats. Leeds St in Te Aro and 133A Park Rd in Miramar

For an express steak and a glass of red

Boulcott Street Bistro

The martini menu scrawled in chalk is the first giveaway this is the ideal place for a corporate power lunch or an extravagant date, the second and third are the gold-plated Krug champagne sign and the crisp white tablecloths. Boulcott Street Bistro is a Wellington institution, having opened in 1991. It’s popular with the 9-5 crowd and those frequenting nearby Parliament. On the day we visit the Victorian cottage-turned-restaurant on the slopes of the Wellington central, a large, suited crowd has gathered in the bar for pre-lunch beers before they ascend to their private upstairs table, and it’s not even 12.30pm on a Wednesday. To eat, there’s Boulcott’s famous French onion soup, housemade Kielbasa pork sausage with Paris mash, and “BSB’s Famous Lunch T Bone” with red wine jus and your choice of sauce for $25. The wine list is extensive with an eye-watering cellar selection of local and international bottles. 99 Boulcott St, Wellington Central

Also try: Jano Bistro, for progressive fine dining with a set menu in a two-storey cottage. 270 Willis St, Te Aro

For Indian street food and cold beer

Chaat Street

Indian street food favourite Chaat Street is now open for breakfast from Wednesday to Saturday, extending its menu of tapas to brunch fare with an Indian twist like Idyl eggs benedict with curry leaf-infused hollandaise sauce, crushed mustard potatoes and chilli oil, and the Salli Boti, which is lamb mince, crispy potato straws, fried eggs and masala toast. If you’re dining later in the day, the small and large plates designed by chef/owner Vaibhav Vishen as a love letter to his childhood are still deliciously reliable, from the dahi puri to the aloo tikki chaat. We also love the unapologetically colourful interior of this Willis St restaurant, with bright blue and red accents, and the inventive drinks list with spiced mango mimosas (yum!), tamarind, chilli and ginger margaritas, and cold beers from Wellington favourites Garage Project and Parrotdog. 171 Willis St, Te Aro

Also try: Loosie’s Superette is a newish all-day eatery slinging American-style plates like chicken and waffles, mac and cheese and pecan pie. 135 Cuba St, Wellington

The Viva team travelled to Wellington courtesy of Wellington NZ.

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