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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
