Our capital boasts more cafes, restaurants and bars per capita than New York. A visit to the ‘coolest little capital in the world’ is not complete without sampling an array of hipster breweries, cosy cafes and long established institutions. (We didn’t visit for the weather)
While you’re pretty much guaranteed a good meal or coffee wherever your exploring takes you, the below selection offers some tried and true options sure to please your palate!
Maranui Cafe - The Royal’s Choice
If Harry and Meghan think it’s good enough for a visit on their recent trip, then it is certainly good enough for the rest of us! Sitting above the Maranui Life Saving Club and boasting great views of surf beach Lyall Bay, Maranui Cafe is the perfect stop on the way to or from Wellington Airport.
Check out the cabinet for fresh salads and tasty treats or choose from the breakfast inspired menu, served until 3:00 pm each day. This popular cafe can get busy, arrive by 11:00 am to beat the crowd!
Mr Go’s - Mouth Watering
It's named for Ah Go, a Chinese market gardener who tended his plot on Lower Tasman Street in Mt. Cook—just up the road from the restaurant today—back in Wellington's early days of 1882. The interior is a happy cross between a modern industrial joint, where'd you'd go to for a drink and some food before a gig.
The food itself is fresh, considered and leaves you utterly satisfied. Ordering a steamed Gua-Bao (available with Pork, Fish, Chicken, Pork Belly or Tofu) and accompanying it with some sides is the way to go—you'll get a taste of all the punchy flavour combinations.
Burger Liquor - Appropriately Named
The digs are pretty cool – you can't help but feel that you're sitting in the middle of Pinterest. Enjoy a game of Connect Four or Uno before tucking into your pillowy brioche buns, filled with medium-rare beef, local venison, market fish, free-range chicken or vegetarian patties. There’s an impressive selection of fries anyway you like ‘em. (including topped with butter chicken curry sauce)
As for the liquor. Well. local beers and an entire menu of rum and bourbon to wash it all down, but after a second read wished we'd tried the alcoholic milkshakes. Yeah, these guys know what's up. Alcoholic. Milkshakes. It’s a burger party.
Garage Project Brewery - Appropriately Named
What do you do with an empty petrol station? Turn it into a brewery of course! That’s exactly what three mates did and their self-proclaimed ‘nano-brewery’ was born. A few years have passed but they are still committed to their original ethos of taking risks, having fun and trying something new.
Pop into the Taproom across the road from the brewery, grab a tasting paddle and sample some truely unique beers, such as ‘Cereal Milk Stout’ or ‘Texas Tea’.