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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.
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.
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.
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.
