Guidebook for Wellington

Tamsyn
Guidebook for Wellington

Food Scene

Favourite quick-food & takeaway spot in Wellington - & it's 2 blocks from us! Somalian kebabs, best falafel in the city, & amazing plate meals with chicken & lamb. Cheap & delicious.
Caltex
Favourite quick-food & takeaway spot in Wellington - & it's 2 blocks from us! Somalian kebabs, best falafel in the city, & amazing plate meals with chicken & lamb. Cheap & delicious.
Great $10 lunch special M-F, & great Indian food all the time. Tasty mango lassis.
9 locals recommend
Planet Spice
128 Riddiford St
9 locals recommend
Great $10 lunch special M-F, & great Indian food all the time. Tasty mango lassis.
A great local cafe with a relaxed vibe & great food. Lots of veggie & gluten-free options, good coffee, Friday night music & tapas, & an AMAZING courtyard out the back.
27 locals recommend
Baobab Cafe
152 Riddiford St
27 locals recommend
A great local cafe with a relaxed vibe & great food. Lots of veggie & gluten-free options, good coffee, Friday night music & tapas, & an AMAZING courtyard out the back.
One of Wellington's coffee hotspots, a must for the coffee tourist! Generally serve quite strong brews so popular with Wellington's African community,
Peoples Coffee Roastery
275 Newtown Ave
One of Wellington's coffee hotspots, a must for the coffee tourist! Generally serve quite strong brews so popular with Wellington's African community,
Very very hip, but a must for a Wellington coffee tour - and right opposite Leeds St which is a fast-growing gourmet hub.
18 locals recommend
Customs by Coffee Supreme
39 Ghuznee St
18 locals recommend
Very very hip, but a must for a Wellington coffee tour - and right opposite Leeds St which is a fast-growing gourmet hub.
Heading out to the Weta Cave? Make sure you stop here for lunch or dinner (open Wed-Sun). Great ambience, staff, food & drink. A few doors down from the charming Roxy cinema.
36 locals recommend
La Boca Loca
23 Kent Terrace
36 locals recommend
Heading out to the Weta Cave? Make sure you stop here for lunch or dinner (open Wed-Sun). Great ambience, staff, food & drink. A few doors down from the charming Roxy cinema.
Wellington's first and only Ethiopian restaurant. Great vegan options & all-round tasty food. Something different for the city.
Harvey Norman Tory Street (Computers & Electrical Only)
87 Tory St
Wellington's first and only Ethiopian restaurant. Great vegan options & all-round tasty food. Something different for the city.
Really nice vegetarian cafe with sugar free options, gluten free, wholefoods etc.
8 locals recommend
Pranah Cafe
120 Riddiford St
8 locals recommend
Really nice vegetarian cafe with sugar free options, gluten free, wholefoods etc.
Wellington favourite, 2-4-1 food on Mon, 2-4-1 cocktails & mocktails on Wed & Sat.
39 locals recommend
Chow Tory
45 Tory St
39 locals recommend
Wellington favourite, 2-4-1 food on Mon, 2-4-1 cocktails & mocktails on Wed & Sat.
A classic establishment open to all hours. Great coffee & snacks/cafe food (nachos, wedges, cakes, pies, sandwiches etc). Lots of vegan options.
31 locals recommend
Midnight Espresso
178 Cuba St
31 locals recommend
A classic establishment open to all hours. Great coffee & snacks/cafe food (nachos, wedges, cakes, pies, sandwiches etc). Lots of vegan options.
One of Wellington's top restaurants with inventive food and seafood as a specialty.
57 locals recommend
Ortega
16 Majoribanks St
57 locals recommend
One of Wellington's top restaurants with inventive food and seafood as a specialty.
A nice civilised top restaurant in the inner city.
34 locals recommend
Capitol Restaurant
10 Kent Terrace
34 locals recommend
A nice civilised top restaurant in the inner city.
Stellar gourmet fish'n'chips. Get them to take away and walk up to the Mt Vic park or down to the sea side.
34 locals recommend
Mt Vic Chippery
5 Majoribanks St
34 locals recommend
Stellar gourmet fish'n'chips. Get them to take away and walk up to the Mt Vic park or down to the sea side.
Another classic Wellington establishment for serious coffee!
18 locals recommend
The Hangar
119 Dixon St
18 locals recommend
Another classic Wellington establishment for serious coffee!
Tapas restaurant with interesting, sophisticated plates, great wines, and good atmosphere.
30 locals recommend
Ombra
199 Cuba St
30 locals recommend
Tapas restaurant with interesting, sophisticated plates, great wines, and good atmosphere.
A must to soak up the Wellington vibe. Great coffee from one of the city's main roasteries (Havana), & fun cosmopolitan atmosphere with good cafe food.
73 locals recommend
Fidel's Cafe
234 Cuba St
73 locals recommend
A must to soak up the Wellington vibe. Great coffee from one of the city's main roasteries (Havana), & fun cosmopolitan atmosphere with good cafe food.
Great breakfast/brunch spot. Has a magical courtyard, grills on certain nights, and a really nice romantic nighttime vibe too.
38 locals recommend
Olive Restaurant
170-172 Cuba St
38 locals recommend
Great breakfast/brunch spot. Has a magical courtyard, grills on certain nights, and a really nice romantic nighttime vibe too.
Fabulous artisan bakery a short walk from our house.
16 locals recommend
Baker Gramercy
465 Adelaide Rd
16 locals recommend
Fabulous artisan bakery a short walk from our house.
A foodie haven a short walk from us.
Goose Shack HQ
461 Adelaide Rd
A foodie haven a short walk from us.

Essentials

Great supermarket two blocks from our house, including beer and wine sales.
22 locals recommend
New World Newtown
195 Riddiford St
22 locals recommend
Great supermarket two blocks from our house, including beer and wine sales.
The Saturday Market at Newtown Primary School is a community staple. Get the freshest produce, check out the locals, & find rare & interesting food.
Riddiford Street at Hall Street station
The Saturday Market at Newtown Primary School is a community staple. Get the freshest produce, check out the locals, & find rare & interesting food.
Great place for organic and allergy-aware groceries, plus tasty lunches during the week. They have the BEST afghan cookies, which are a must for Kiwi experience.
20 locals recommend
Commonsense Wellington City
147 Tory St
20 locals recommend
Great place for organic and allergy-aware groceries, plus tasty lunches during the week. They have the BEST afghan cookies, which are a must for Kiwi experience.
A new very large supermarket near our house.
45 locals recommend
Countdown Newtown
3 John St
45 locals recommend
A new very large supermarket near our house.
Have a very large range of gourmet Italian groceries including wine, plus a popular eat-in (or take-out) area with gelato, pizza, pasta and salads. Plus some fine Italian espresso coffee!
22 locals recommend
Mediterranean Foods Trattoria and Deli
42 Constable St
22 locals recommend
Have a very large range of gourmet Italian groceries including wine, plus a popular eat-in (or take-out) area with gelato, pizza, pasta and salads. Plus some fine Italian espresso coffee!

Shopping

One of those great book stores where the owner brings in his dog and books are piled to the ceiling.
Rainbow Books
242 Riddiford St
One of those great book stores where the owner brings in his dog and books are piled to the ceiling.
Another great local book store.
Book Haven
160 Riddiford St
Another great local book store.
Walk into town from our house or catch a bus, and explore Cuba St! Full of cafes, clothes stores, music stores and more. You can spend the better part of a day wandering & people watching.
170 locals recommend
Cuba Street
151 Cuba St
170 locals recommend
Walk into town from our house or catch a bus, and explore Cuba St! Full of cafes, clothes stores, music stores and more. You can spend the better part of a day wandering & people watching.

Entertainment & Activities

A lovely cosy spot with a good range of books and magazines. Stop off to use the wifi, rest your feet, or escape from the rain.
Newtown Public Library
13 Constable St
A lovely cosy spot with a good range of books and magazines. Stop off to use the wifi, rest your feet, or escape from the rain.
Te Papa is an amazing museum & one of the best free, indoor, kid-friendly things to do. You can easily spend two days going through here.
38 locals recommend
Te Papa Museum station
38 locals recommend
Te Papa is an amazing museum & one of the best free, indoor, kid-friendly things to do. You can easily spend two days going through here.
Two blocks up from our house is the awesome Wellington Zoo. It's the first carbon-zero zoo in the world, & they're always working to improve the homes and environments for their animals.
115 locals recommend
Wellington Zoo
200 Daniell St
115 locals recommend
Two blocks up from our house is the awesome Wellington Zoo. It's the first carbon-zero zoo in the world, & they're always working to improve the homes and environments for their animals.
Lovely suburb with a lovely piece of coastline and a fabulous big playground right by the sea. A great spot for families.
21 locals recommend
Island Bay
21 locals recommend
Lovely suburb with a lovely piece of coastline and a fabulous big playground right by the sea. A great spot for families.

Arts & Culture

A 30s cinema still going, mostly showing art films and approachable foreign films. They have a lovely cafe to relax in with nice food & amazing coffee.
40 locals recommend
Penthouse Cinema & Cafe
205 Ohiro Rd
40 locals recommend
A 30s cinema still going, mostly showing art films and approachable foreign films. They have a lovely cafe to relax in with nice food & amazing coffee.
A fun & historic cinema in the filmmaking district of Wellington. Features a great cafe too.
84 locals recommend
The Roxy Cinema
5 Park Rd
84 locals recommend
A fun & historic cinema in the filmmaking district of Wellington. Features a great cafe too.
A must see, completely remodelled by Peter Jackson for premieres of the Lord of the Rings films. The best sound system in town!
79 locals recommend
BATS Theatre
1 Kent Terrace
79 locals recommend
A must see, completely remodelled by Peter Jackson for premieres of the Lord of the Rings films. The best sound system in town!

Everything Else

Leeds St is the hottest new gourmet area: Leeds St Bakery; Wellington Chocolate Factory (Google for tours); Goldings Free Dive Bar (craft beer); Pizza Pomodoro; Six Barrel Soda (funky gourmet sodas).
Leeds St
Leeds St is the hottest new gourmet area: Leeds St Bakery; Wellington Chocolate Factory (Google for tours); Goldings Free Dive Bar (craft beer); Pizza Pomodoro; Six Barrel Soda (funky gourmet sodas).

Drinks & Nightlife

Gorgeous interiors & fine drinks & eats.
13 locals recommend
Foxglove Bar & Kitchen
33 Queens Wharf
13 locals recommend
Gorgeous interiors & fine drinks & eats.
A great local hang out famous for burgers, gourmet sodas and drinks. They host the occasional gig too.
12 locals recommend
Monterey
4 Rintoul St
12 locals recommend
A great local hang out famous for burgers, gourmet sodas and drinks. They host the occasional gig too.
A funky restaurant/bar with South American food & a range of tasty drinks.
19 locals recommend
Bebemos
88 Riddiford St
19 locals recommend
A funky restaurant/bar with South American food & a range of tasty drinks.
A charming small-town style pub with tasty food and home-brewed beers. Right by the botanic gardens in historic Tinakori village.
21 locals recommend
Sprig & Fern Tavern - Tinakori Rd
342 Tinakori Rd
21 locals recommend
A charming small-town style pub with tasty food and home-brewed beers. Right by the botanic gardens in historic Tinakori village.