WellingtonEat & Drink
Three types of coffee, in different vessels, sit on the counter in Black Coffee in Newtown. Framed pictures are blurred on the walls in the background.

Your essential guide to coffee in Wellington

Close up shot of a coffee at Customs cafe, with foam art depicting a heart flower.
Two people sit at a table by a white wall covered in graffiti chatting over coffee inside Evil Twins  Coffee, a café in Te Aro Wellington.
A bird's eye view of a foamy cappuccino in a white coffee cup on a white saucer sitting on a light beige table top at Swimsuit Cafe located on Dixon Street in Wellington.
The front facade of Caffe L'Affare located at  27 College Street in Te Aro, Wellington. It's a dark grey cement building with a few people sitting at the small tables outside.
A flight of three artisanal coffees and a glass of water arranged neatly in a row placed on a wooden board on a table at The Hangar, a cafe in Te Aro Wellington.
The interior of Peoples Coffee Constable  Street cafe located in Newtown, Wellington. There are three customers in the cafe, the walls are white and there is wood furniture and four green potted house plants.
A customer and staff member laughing with eachother while the customer holds a bag of coffee beans from Havana Coffee.
Barista at pour and twist creating their custom coffee on the counter.
Close up shot of a coffee at Customs cafe, with foam art depicting a heart flower.

Customs Brew Bar

39 Ghuznee Street, Te Aro, Wellington

Wellington is spoilt for choice when it comes to excellent coffee options. One of the best spots in town for a quality brew is Customs.

Proving that simple is often best, the coffee menu is short. Choose between espresso or filter, and hot or cold. They’ve got the usual suspects of alt milks, and the beans are from Coffee Supreme, who own the café.

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Two people sit at a table by a white wall covered in graffiti chatting over coffee inside Evil Twins  Coffee, a café in Te Aro Wellington.

Evil Twins

161B Willis Street, Te Aro, Wellington

In a city big on caffeine, there’s a small café on Willis Street bursting with personality. Evil Twins exudes cool. The family-run business is all about community, connection, and creativity. And, of course, really good coffee.

For a small café, Evil Twins punches well above its weight. As well as the usual black or white coffees, they make wildly popular jarred drinks. In a bigger size than your usual takeaway, they’re perfect for sharing with a friend. Served chilled, choose from an oat milk triple shot latte, iced chocolate, or peach tea. The fan favourite is the matcha love. Made with 100% ceremonial pure matcha, it’s a jar of green goodness.

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A bird's eye view of a foamy cappuccino in a white coffee cup on a white saucer sitting on a light beige table top at Swimsuit Cafe located on Dixon Street in Wellington.

Swimsuit Coffee, Dixon Street

38 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington

Owned and run by an award-winning barista, Swimsuit is an excellent example of a Wellington café. Tait Burge is the man behind the Swimsuit movement. He has three cafés in the Swimsuit family, each with its own dedicated community of locals. Dixon Street is a morning sun trap, with outdoor seating and plenty of people watching.

Swimsuit is dedicated to quality coffee. Serving brews from local roastery, Peoples, every drink is top-notch. Tait is a perfectionist when it comes to coffee, and ensures his team are the same. Swimsuit is also in the running for Wellington’s best cheese scone. Hot and buttery, they’re a delicious side to your coffee of choice.

Swimsuit — Instagram
The front facade of Caffe L'Affare located at  27 College Street in Te Aro, Wellington. It's a dark grey cement building with a few people sitting at the small tables outside.

Caffe L’affare

27 College Street, Te Aro, Wellington

Visit the café and coffee roastery that was a pioneer of Wellington’s celebrated and world-famous coffee culture.

With its pared-back industrial look, L’affare is one of those cafés that appeals to everyone. Sprawling and spacious, it’s a buzzing spot seven days a week. Its all-day menu features classic café favourites and the kitchen can make your eggs any way you like them.

And the coffee, of course, is always fresh, expertly made and delicious. Choose from espresso or filter, with house-roasted beans. The ‘beanstore’ within the café has all your coffee machinery needs covered, from cups to plungers to manual makers.

L’affare
A flight of three artisanal coffees and a glass of water arranged neatly in a row placed on a wooden board on a table at The Hangar, a cafe in Te Aro Wellington.

The Hangar

119 Dixon Street, Te Aro, Wellington

What was once a car park on Dixon Street is now a bustling brunch spot. The Hangar is a busy café and coffee spot, and home to one of Wellington’s favourite coffee roasters, Flight Coffee.

Serving up freshly-roasted coffee in whatever format you prefer, from espresso to pour-over, filter, and iced. Alongside excellent coffee, you’ll find a seasonal brunch menu.

Real coffee enthusiasts won’t want to miss the tasting flight of coffee. It’s made up of three different styles of Flight Coffee blends, so you can walk out knowing what brew you like best.

The Hangar
The interior of Peoples Coffee Constable  Street cafe located in Newtown, Wellington. There are three customers in the cafe, the walls are white and there is wood furniture and four green potted house plants.

Peoples Coffee, Newtown

12 Constable Street, Newtown, Wellington

Peoples Coffee is proof that simple is often best. Its Newtown café offers coffee made really, really well, and a simple selection of pastries and toast. Friendly and efficient staff, and a pared-back, casual fit-out complete the Peoples experience.

A steady stream of locals keeps the small café buzzing. It also could be the Fairtrade and organic Peoples coffee beans, roasted just up the road in Newtown.

Its toast menu features one sweet toast, one savoury toast and one special toast for good measure. You can also find a small selection of locally made goods like chocolate and hot sauce.

Peoples Coffee
A customer and staff member laughing with eachother while the customer holds a bag of coffee beans from Havana Coffee.

Havana Coffee Works

163 Tory Street, Te Aro, Wellington

Housed in a 1959 Art Deco building on upper Tory Street, Havana Coffee Works exudes old-world mystique. Its avocado green exterior and Cuban-inspired décor contain the headquarters for Havana’s roastery, and a retro coffee shop. With the roastery in the same building visitors to the café can watch and smell the beans getting processed while enjoying a fresh brew. Plush leather couches and winged armchairs complete the Caribbean atmosphere. Havana has always had an open-door policy for roasting in public so people are welcome to walk through from the café. Touch the coffee, smell the coffee, and then nip back next door to drink it in a warm and inviting environment. 

Havana
Barista at pour and twist creating their custom coffee on the counter.

Pour & Twist

13 Garrett Street, Te Aro, Wellington

At Aotearoa’s first fully manual coffee brew bar there’s no espresso machine in sight. Rejecting the typically fast pace of your morning coffee run, Pour & Twist invites its customers to slow down and consider their drink. It’s about tasting the coffee as well as appreciating the art of how it was made. Reminiscent of the small, caffeinated hideaways of Tokyo and Singapore, Pour & Twist is a narrow, minimalist space that buzzes with warmth and camaraderie. A long bench invites customers to connect with others if they’re in the mood, with coffee being the main (but not only) conversation point. 

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