Discover the most recommended restaurants in Wellington
Browse trusted recommendations from locals, city experts and tastemakers across the city.
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The Most Recommended Cafes in Wellington
Find the cafes locals, city experts and tastemakers recommend most.
The Most Recommended Bars in Wellington
Browse the bars mates and locals keep recommending.
Restaurant leaderboards —
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Explore the most loved venues in Wellington.
No.VenueAboutAddressPhone
01.Flight Coffee Hangar Cafecafe, brunchIn Te Aro, Flight Coffee Hangar Cafe treats morning coffee like a cellar tasting. Welly regulars order comparative flights—a pour-over beside an espresso, complete with origin cards and sparkling water to reset the palate. The kitchen keeps pace. Diners steer tables toward the braised lamb shoulder benedict with runny poached eggs, crisp bacon butties, and loaded avocado toast. Shaken concoctions like the seasonal Tiramisu Cloud finish the order, turning cold brew into a breakfast-friendly mocktail.119 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand+64 27 535 0884
02.Jano BistroModern European, French, RestaurantSet inside a century-old cottage in Te Aro, Jano Bistro serves an unhurried, chef-led degustation with zero fine-dining pretension. Diners head upstairs into quiet, intimate rooms while the kitchen runs a tasting menu that spans close to three hours. The chefs deliver each plate directly to the table—breaking down regional ingredients like strait-speared fish, backyard herbs, and local lamb alongside tailored wine matches. Diners often start early downstairs with a Forbidden Apple cocktail or house-baked sourdough before settling into an evening that lets New Zealand produce take centre stage.270 Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand+64 4 382 9892
03.Ascotbar, cocktailsHead up the kitschy Ghuznee Street stairs to hit Ascot—an open-air rooftop roost built around chilled pours, spinning vinyl, and street snacks. Regulars skip the guesswork and order straight from the cellar list, pairing glou-glou reds or cold Guinness with serious hot dogs. The kitchen bypasses predictable cheese boards for warm, soft buns loaded with snappy sausages or roasted whole carrots and dialed-in toppings. Out on the balcony, bartenders talk through each bottle without pretension while DJs spin records in the sun.level 1/55 Ghuznee Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
04.Fred's SandwichescafeA cafe serving great food.10a Cambridge Terrace, Mount Victoria, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
05.K C Cafe & TakeawayChinese, RestaurantCourtenay Place runs on K C Cafe & Takeaway—a bustling dining room serving fast, authentic Cantonese comfort late into the night. Expect classic cha chaan teng energy. You order at the counter, claim a laminate table, and watch steaming plates land within minutes while the woks blaze in back. Regulars bypass the 100-plus item roster straight for the hanging siu mei, especially the roast duck and barbecue pork with rice. Portions run huge and reward sharing. Tables fill quickly with dry-fried beef hor fun, spicy mapo tofu, and heaps of crunchy salt-and-pepper squid.39A Courtenay Place, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand+64 4 385 8980