My top picks for hotspots in Wellington, New Zealand. The list includes options for brunch, dinner, quick eats, and dessert.
Maranui Café
Whenever we have access to a car we end up at Maranui. It’s got everything; quirky atmosphere, views of the beach, retro surf club interior (and exterior) and belly filling food.
Maranui pays homage to the days where the building was a surf life saving club. It’s kitted out as if father time lost his way here in the 60s, and things never quite progressed. On weekends it’s absolutely packed, and even on weekdays the wait for kitchen food is often half an hour. Michael often goes for the Big Bay Breakfast, whilst I go for the vegetarian victory breakfast (pictured here).Both are nicely varied and stuff us to the brim.
Between 11 AM and 3 PM they offer a special lunch menu, on which I can fully endorse the Fish tortilla! If you’re into sweet treats then their cabinet goodies won’t disappoint.
El Matador
Every person who has ever come to visit me in Wellington has been to El Matador. It’s also the place that pops to mind when I’m asked for a recommendation. This Argentinian gem opened in 2012 and has been an absolute staple during my four years in the city. The small restaurant has a really sweet outdoors area which looks like a living room, and the coveted window seats provide ample people watching. There’s something very authentic about the smell of a woodfire when seated in a romantically dilapidated interior.
This is by far my most frequented restaurant in Wellington and I can recommend anything on the tapas menu. This is the way to experience El Matador; sharing a few plates between friends. Some standouts include; the fugazza, patatas bravas, the grilled flank steak with chimichurri, the grilled mushrooms and the churros for desert.
Loretta
(Relatively) new kid on the block, Loretta, is the sister restaurant of brunch heaven Floriditas. The space can seat a large amount of people which means that it never seems to feel too crowded, even when it’s incredibly busy. The interior is a mix of modern and minimalist vibes, which makes for a calming experience. The menu is altered daily and focuses heavily on organic options, which cater well to vegetarians and the health food conscious.
There is enough olive oil on the pizzas to make you feel like you are eating true Italian pizza and the pea, parmesan, calamarata pasta is literally the best pasta I have ever had. The zucchini pizza is also spectacular and has completely revitalized peas for me. The menu is far more diverse than pizza and pasta, don’t worry, these two things just happen to have my full attention currently. There are also interesting salads which are worth sharing and options such as a whole woodfired chicken If you’re feeling particularly hungry.
Ekim Burgers
Ever since Ekim relocated to bustling Cuba Street from its Lyall Bay based caravan, it has made an impact on us city slickers. Not only do they have a diverse burger menu, but a slick urban parking lot site to enjoy them in; perfect Summer hangout. Ekim is dangerously close to our apartment and as a result, I set a personal record a few weeks ago when I visited three times in one week. It’s just too tempting to have such scrumptious home made burgers available when you’re walking home from a long day at work…or when you’re sitting at home and there’s nothing in the fridge for lunch. Who am I kidding, burgers are great for any occasion.
Midnight Espresso
This quirky café has been around since 1988, and is a cult hangout of equally quirky Wellingtonians. It has an incredibly colourful urban kit out, pinball machine included, and its limited seating tends to be taken up during most of their long opening hours.
There are a few things that make this one of my most frequented places in the city. The portion sizes of the cakes are ridiculous, and as a result they are incredibly well priced. It is also unique in the fact that it is open till 3 AM. This has allowed me to indulge in (literal) midnight snacks all the way through four years of uni. One of the fondest memories I have is celebrating with cake for dinner with my friend Emma, after 8 hours of vinyl cutting for our final exhibition.
They also do some fantastic nachos, and their caramel slice is really on another level.
Kaffee Eis
This Wellington based company makes award-winning gelato for cafes and restaurants throughout New Zealand. More interestingly, they have four Wellington based locations, two of which are open until 12 AM almost daily. They only seem to employ incredibly bubbly university students who are particularly good at recommending satisfying flavour combos.
One of these is chocolate + hazelnut = Ferero Rocher. They have an incredible selection (particular Courtenay Place), the highlights of which are biscotti, stracciatella, peanut butter and chocolate chip, and the Xmas pudding which comes out for the Holiday season. In my humble opinion, no other gelato/ice-cream around the world outdoes what these guys create.
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