New and notable places in Wellington

Part bar, part café, and part community hub — this tavern with a secret garden is an oasis in the city. 

The Cuba Street Tavern is deliberately cosy. Full of secret nooks, palm trees, sail cloth, and colourful tiles, the fit out sweeps you away. Wellington beers flow on tap and cocktails showcase local spirits. A local theme continues in the menu. The food offering nods to classic tavern cuisine but with an elevated flair. For brunch, think dishes like cultured custard and cornbread, or roast potato and prosciutto. In the evenings, snack on sharing plates, hibachi (a traditional Japanese cooking style over a grill), or larger dishes.  

Since 2000 Hummingbird Eatery and Bar has provided an elegant oasis on Courtenay Place. Its restaurant specialises in modernist European cuisine. Diners can choose from a refined selection of small and large share plates. The separate lounge bar can be accessed through a hidden door or around the corner on Blair Street.

Both spaces have low lighting, dark green tiled bars, and plush velvet banquettes. This polished atmosphere is perfect for a chic night out for two or a group of friends. At the front of the restaurant there’s an outside seating area so you can enjoy the nightlife pass by.

In the heart of Cuba Street, this calm and stylish restaurant serves up modern Chinese. Head chef and founder Michael Chan uses quality local produce and doesn’t take shortcuts. You won’t find any sauces out of the bottle here. The menu includes familiar dishes like Peking duck, baos, tom yum, and Sichuan chicken. Each has a contemporary touch that brings a freshness to these old favourites.

Michael is an established part of Wellington’s hospitality community. He is the owner of popular KC Café on Courtenay Place. While Hei is a different experience, both restaurants share delicious flavours and excellent service.

Enjoy the coldest martini in town or a perfectly poured pint and watch Wellington from above. Regent is a bar that does it all. 

Described as a ‘cocktail pub’, it offers top-quality cocktails, pints, and snacks. Sit outside on the balcony under the sun (or stars), and watch bustling Cuba and Ghuznee Streets below. 

Regent is one of the few Wellington establishments with its own Guinness tap sitting pride of place on the bar.  There is also a considered cocktail list. A must-try is the freezer martini. Martinis are best served as cold as possible, and Regent’s comes at an impressive negative 15 degrees.

At the far end of Left Bank off Cuba Street, an oasis resides for sourdough lovers. Wellington Sourdough, a purpose-built bakery, produces artisan bread for a hungry local market. Hand-shaped, cool-fermented sourdough is its speciality. You’ll also find things like sultana loaf and potato, rosemary, and nigella loaf. Wellington Sourdough supplies restaurants and cafés and maintains a retail shop. Drop by for a coffee and one of the fantastic toasties in the cabinet. There are also Portuguese custard tarts and almond croissants to tempt you. A large wooden table and brushed concrete floor make for a stylish stop-off.

Tucked away on Bond Street you'll find a kosher delicatessen. The Bond Street Deli serves fresh Jewish food with an Antipodean twist. The humble bagel is possibly the most famous export from a Jewish kitchen. The team at The Bond Street Deli adds many more delicacies to the menu for you to try. Stop by and pick up some matzo ball soup, gefilte fish, or potato latkes. The shelves are heaving with fresh breads, bagels, and challahs. There are also specialist grocery items to take away.

Health begins with what you feed your body. That’s the mantra of Half Baked owners Zara and Shinée McIntyre. Everything you taste at the sister’s Te Aro café and catering business is natural. The menu is entirely vegan, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free. On top of the range of baked and raw cakes, they offer desserts, cookies, chocolates and some savouries. Once you get a look at Half Baked’s raspberry and chocolate mousse, snickers cake, and tiramisu you’ll know that healthy does not, by any means, equal boring. There’s a couch and a few seats in a sunny alcove so grab a coffee and settle in for a while. 

Intimate and relaxed, Supra is a no-frills restaurant that focuses on food over fanfare. Come for shared plates or a quick snack, with natural wine and hand-picked records. Owner and head chef Thom Millott is all about “just making things delicious.”

Head up a discreet laneway staircase to find the 18-seater space. With a front row seat to the busy city below and across the road from The Opera House, Supra is right in the thick of it. But, its unusual (for Wellington) placement on a first storey makes it feel like a well-kept secret.