Wellington restaurants have it all. Our favourites are comfortable, somewhat casual, and always serving great food. The city offers traditional, international, and eclectic options. Wellington may be a city known for its coffee but take a look at some of the food we tried at several Wellington restaurants and see if you agree it is also a city for eating.
Our recent trip to New Zealand’s capital city allowed enough time to visit a few old favourites and discover a few new Wellington restaurants too.
Viva Mexico
I have been talking about this Mexican taco shop since we discovered it over a year ago. I had eaten here on a mummy/daughter trip with each of my girls. Finally, hubby got to discover what we have been raving about all this time. Authentic flavours, plates full of food, and a friendly atmosphere, no wonder Viva Mexico is my favourite of the Wellington restaurants. It’s located down an alley off Cuba Street. I apologise to the people of Wellington if I am sharing a local’s secret with the world.
Enchiladas with mole sauce. Yummy! This is my favourite dish from Viva Mexico.
Inside Viva Mexico, my favourite of the Wellington restaurants, and my first eatery stop on every visit.
Karaka Cafe
An iconic waterfront location, huge bean bags, and table seating both indoors and out make Karaka Cafe a great place to relax. It features New Zealand flavours surrounded by traditional Maori decor.
OMG – this is quite the salad. Everything at Karaka Cafe is delicious. We tend to order from the display cabinet rather than the menu.
Egmont Street Eatery
Another alleyway eatery, this restaurant is located in a former car park – although you would never know it when you were there. Modern and delicious, the portions are made for sharing, and we just kept on ordering. It wasn’t all salads; we had a bit of everything.
Egmont Street Eatery is a new spot for us, which quickly made it to our favourite Wellington restaurants list.
Picnic Cafe in the Botanic Gardens
We were not planning on eating here, but rather just to enjoy the colourful Wellington Botanic Gardens. Then I saw this salmon salad served to someone else. I was hooked.
Can you believe I got a salad this great at the Botanic Garden Cafe? Everything that came out of the kitchen looked this good, and the sunlight, big shade umbrellas, and nearby rose garden made this fabulous meal. (Officially it is called Picnic Cafe.)
Kaffee Eis
What could be better than a place specialising in boutique coffee and gourmet gelato? We sat at the counter. Hubby had the best of all worlds – an affogato (coffee and gelato in one cup).
Ask my teens and Kaffee Eis will always be on their list. Best ice cream in Wellington – and they make a great cup of coffee so I could stick to my food plan. Our former favourite dessert place that has since closed was Strawberry Fare.
Thistle Inn
The Thistle Inn is New Zealand’s oldest surviving tavern and restaurant operating from its original site, holding the country’s second oldest liquor license.
Coffee Houses
It is a city known for coffee, and to date, we have not had a bad cup anywhere. Our favourite coffee spots are:
- Plum Cafe – located in the pedestrian-only portion of Cuba Street, I prefer their outdoor seating.
- Mojo – while the coolest Mojo is probably the one located in the old St. James Theatre, we also enjoy sitting outside at the one across from Shed 13 on Customhouse Quay. We even enjoyed a self-guided tour and watched Mojo roasting coffee.
- Photo Espresso – delicious coffee and an enclosed counter filled with old cameras. Although, we were a bit surprised to see the camera model I recently passed down to Sarah in the case.
- Arabica – friendly staff and a great cup of coffee. Popular with locals, so you know it’s great.
One way to see what Wellington cuisine has to offer is by going on a food tour. Either of these two sound like good options.
→ Check price and availability of a small-group Wellington food tour
or
→ Check price and availability of the Wellington walking gourmet food tour
If you are headed to Wellington or anywhere in New Zealand, don’t forget to pick up a copy of Lonely Planet’s New Zealand Travel Guide or enjoy a tour of Wellington from Viator.
Did we visit your favourite Wellington restaurants?
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Rhonda, These all look superb! I’ll hopefully get to try them out sometime.
I know you travel for food 🙂
Yummy, all this food look so delicious!
I hope you are well Rhonda
xxx
http://www.travelera.es
All good here. Thanks.
Yum, I want all of it.
I did it, so can you.
Ohh, looks like another great food city to add to my list. That salmon salad looks (I love salmon). I would like to see how the Mexican food tastes there.
This is the best Mexican food we have found in New Zealand – so far. We frequently choose Mexican if it is available.
Perhaps I should have come by after breakfast tomorrow morning, Rhonda. It is half past midnight and your post made me hungry 🙁 Just coming over from Sarah’s post and between the two of you….my heart is full. (my tummy isn’t!)
Hugs! Love the photos. First thing I’d do in Wellington is visit those coffee places! ♥
LOL – come by after dinner for my food posts.
These dishes certainly look so delicious that they make your mouth water. No wander it’s your favorite restaurant. You take so great food picture that the restaurant should definitely hire you for advertising.
LOL – While I think I have figured out how to take a food photo, I am no where near the professional status – but thanks for the compliment 🙂