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In Wellington, restaurants, cafés, and sports bars spring up overnight like mushrooms. Although you'll never be without the classic meal of steak, fries, and ale, city eateries have also embraced more adventurous fare. Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Malaysian, Mexican, and Italian cuisines are increasingly common. Indigenous food, too, is appearing in restaurants around the city—native plants might be paired with traditional seafood or made into sauces to accompany meat or sweet-potato dishes.
In rural areas outside Wellington, the wine industry has revolutionized local tables, with excellent dining and wine-tasting spots. In the Wairarapa, restaurants are winning a reputation for creative cuisine.
Generally, lunch runs from noon until 2, and most restaurants close for a few hours before opening for dinner around 6. On Monday, many restaurants are shuttered. Dress codes are still really relaxed; jeans would be frowned on only in the top restaurants.
This tiny Tinakori icon offers award-winning farm-to-table fine dining, without the fancy fuss or animal products. Even with a meat-free menu, you won't feel like you're missing out on flavor or putting up with tiny portions. The chef creates a new menu every day, depending on what's growing in the garden or what the team has foraged locally. Local and traveling foodies love Hillside, so reservations are essential.
A gastronomic gem in Cuba Street's crown, Kisa fires up New Zealand's only Josper Mangal (charcoal barbecue) daily to create tasty Middle Eastern fare. The menu features dips (perfect with pita), a wide range of meze (sharing) plates with a kiwi influence on the ingredients, and a few larger dishes. Bookings are highly recommended, but don't be discouraged if you don't see an ideal date as they hold half their tables for walk-ins.
Nestled inside a working vineyard, the Runholder is a meeting place for Martinborough's famous trifecta of wine, food, and gin. The venue is open, modern, and loftlike, but the menu is all about warmth and comfort, featuring featuring different-size plates, meat dishes, and wood-fired pizza using local produce. The restaurant's cellar door showcases the local Lighthouse Gin and rare and exclusive wines by Te Kairanga and Martinborough Vineyard. There are 30-minute guided tastings on demand, with no more than 12 guests per session. Bookings are essential.
Famous for its "2-4-1" Thursday burger night and Sunday dessert night, this casual place is often packed to its brightly painted rafters from brunch until dinner. Upstairs, the restaurant offers a great selection of hearty meals, small plates, and quick cabinet food (sandwiches, scones, and cakes) for all dietary needs, along with tasty cocktails and coffee. Downstairs, the cabaret kiosk sells gelato, coffee, and doughnuts for those on the go.
Part café, part cakery, Tomboy is a great spot to grab a sandwich, scone, or pastry, or some delicious breakfast fare. For refreshment, try one of the freshly made juices, coffees, or the famous beetroot-based latte.
Though right at home among the seaside cottages of Lyall Bay, this plant-based haven is anything but traditional. The Botanist offers tasty and innovative takes on traditionally meat-centered meals in a seasonally evolving menu, and it's open for brunch and then runs to late-night cocktail hours (well, 10 pm) every day. The menu is also complemented with appropriately botanical teas, kombuchas, and cocktails.
A well-respected institution on the Wellington dining scene, this old colonial-style house conveys tradition and class. The delightful bistro menu features long-standing dishes like the aged beef fillet with béarnaise sauce. The crème brûlée with poached seasonal fruit is a classic dessert that will satisfy the most discerning palate.
A wood-beam roof and oiled floorboards enhance the nautical vibe at this former warehouse on the wharf, and you can get close to the water on the large harborfront deck. Inside or out, it's a lively spot, particularly on Friday night, and as expected, the menu features a broad range of fresh seafood, though there are ample meat- and plant-based options.
Duck's pink and yellow pastels feel like a warm, cheeky smile between its "cool" Cuba Street counterparts. With 40 ice creams on rotation and 24 on show, you'll struggle to pick between your nostalgic favorites and their experimental flavors. A must-try is Duck's twist on the Australasian party staple, fairy bread (white bread with butter, topped with sprinkles). There's another location on Willis Lane.
The menu at stylish, minimalist, subterranean Egmont is all about celebrating seasonal flavors and New Zealand's unique produce in creative ways, so menus change regularly. Bookings are recommended for weekday dinners, but brunch and weekends are walk-in only.
At The Farriers, you can watch the chefs in the open kitchen while waiting for your order to arrive. Much of the large menu is devoted to pub fare and wood-fired pizzas, all made from scratch, but some interesting main courses including lamb shanks and meat pies tempt those with more ambitious appetites.
Salty, spicy, sour, and sweet tastes are equally celebrated on Koji's menu, no matter which delicious combination of Asian-influenced sharing plates you pick. The ultimate mixture of all four flavors comes together in the must-try curry beef doughnut and the restaurant's signature "strange flavor sauce," served with chicken and prawn dumplings. Koji is nestled underneath Wellington's famous Embassy Theatre, making it perfect for a dinner-and-a-movie evening.
On the otherwise sleepy Petone Wharf is a vibrant Italian trattoria, where prestigious awards, relics of family history, and shelves of the finest Italian ingredients cover the walls. This spot with a welcoming family atmosphere was awarded the prestigious Ospitalità Italiana quality-approved seal and is recognized as one of the top 70 Restaurants with Pizzeria in the World by Ristorazione Italiana.
The imposing exterior and classical interior of this former bank building showcase the fact that this Wellington stalwart delivers exceptional dining; still, it's unpretentious. New Zealand's produce and exemplary wines are highlighted on the sophisticated fixed-price menu, and the friendly staff talk you through each dish. There’s an early bistro menu or a longer degustation menu if you want to make a night of it.
Adorned with earthy-chic accents and wide wooden tables, Loretta makes a daily but effortless transformation from a relaxed brunch spot to a bustling candle-lit restaurant. Menus follow a seasonal theme with salads, wood-fired pizzas, savory pies, and hearty servings of seasoned meats to share. With a famously evolving menu, brunches typically begin with smoothies and spritzers, waffles, and crumpets, each served with seasonal fruits.
Tucked away in a nook of suburban Newtown, the deceptive frontage suggests Margot offers little else beyond a trendy wine bar. However, once you look beyond the local and organic wine and beer lists, you'll also find a celebration of New Zealand produce-centered cuisine on a succinct menu of small plates and indulgent desserts. There's also a generous rotation of specials and side plates, all likely to be reordered immediately after you finish the first plate.
In this city of coffee fanatics, Peoples is one of the most beloved coffee brands. Its trademark organic and fair-trade beans are found across the city in a number of outposts, and this bright, airy café on Luke's Lane is one of the best for sampling the range of brews and pairing them with fresh cabinet food (sandwiches, scones, cakes) from local bakeries.
Experience delicious and unique takes on kaimoana (seafood) in this pale blue monument to the sea. The restaurant specializes in home-style cooking and features locally sourced ingredients from the Wairarapa pastures to the coast of Palliser Bay. The paua (abalone) dumplings and kohe kohe oysters are not to be missed. Reservations are essential for dinner.
The dark-tile floor and white tablecloths put this classy dining area way above the usual winery restaurant, and a wrought-iron door, black leather chairs, and polished-brass ceiling fan add to the aura. It's a prix-fixe dinner menu, and usually a lamb and a beef dish are among their offerings. It all comes with impeccable and friendly service.
Located and independently operated within the historic Martinborough Hotel, the decor here is understated yet comfortable. The classic bistro menu offers updated versions of European favorites for lunch and dinner, and creative brunch options are avaiable daily; there's a nice menu for kids, too.
Gathering locals from far and wide, this spot surprisingly is more "glitz" than "gumboot." A big open fireplace, light modern furniture, and glittering chandeliers create a warm, welcoming dining room where service is impeccable, and the seasonal menu incorporates locally sourced meat and vegetables.
