New and notable places in Wellington

A Middle Eastern-inspired eatery brings a generous dose of flavour and personality to Wellington’s south coast. Parla in Island Bay offers meals throughout the day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner come with tastes from Turkey and surrounding countries. Here you’ll find labneh, tahini, zhug (a spicy green hot sauce from Yemen), and sucuk sausage. Parla’s warm wood floors and terracotta walls are offset by grey check upholstery on the seats and booths. The effect is warm and refined. Parla loosely translates as ‘sunny’ or ‘bright’ in Turkish. It certainly provides a sunny place to enjoy great food.

This hole-in-the-wall on Willis Street is the perfect grab-and-go lunch spot or late-night food fix. Flutter serves up creative spins on Indian classics, with a casual approach. Think butter chicken on rice, curry leaf fried chicken with chips. Branch out with a rogan dog, or losar pork phaley (a kind of north-east Indian bao bun). It’s by the people behind the hat-winning Chaat Street restaurant. Flutter brings the same incredible flavours at a very palatable price.

Enter a nondescript door on Abel Smith Street and you’ll be met with the tempting aroma of fresh bread and pastry. You’ve just walked into the aptly named bakery and café, Good Grief. Owned by Andrew Craig and Lisa Fierro, the couple focus their operations on laminated pastry and naturally leavened bread. You can walk through the bakery and watch as the delicious treats are prepared. Cardamom buns, cherry-vanilla clafoutis, and spicy cheese twists might be laid out on brown paper in the cabinet. Fresh egg sandwiches are a speciality. Sit in the blonde wooden booths and enjoy one with a Supreme coffee.

Feeling snackish? Amuse is a restaurant-quality snack bar on Willis Street. It aims to provide excellent light meals from early until late. The great food is accompanied by espresso in the morning, and by the time late afternoon rolls around, drinks and small plates are on offer. Owner Dori Raphael wanted to blend European aperitivo tradition with New Zealand coffee culture. The menu is divided into four sections to service different times of the day. The seasonal menu might offer focaccia sandwiches at lunchtime and mackerel pâté or garlic and herb cheese roulade at night. Dropping by is like visiting a relative — the door is always open, and the smell of baking greets you.

Found down a quiet lane between Ghuznee and Dixon Streets, Volco blends the best in baked goods with a full café experience. The packed pastry cabinet is a testament to its strong bakery roots. It’s crammed with buttery croissants, sweet and savoury danishes and Volco’s famous cinnamon scrolls. Volco also specialises in brunch. Chef Kirran Buckland likes to adapt restaurant dishes to fit into pastries of larger brunch options. This means that alongside classic café offerings like eggs on toast, you can find some adventurous culinary menu items. Take a seat inside, outside in the laneway, or grab something on the run.

Looking for a friendly neighbourhood café to draw you inside? Specialist coffee bar Sketchbook is looking to do just that. The staff believe coffee is an art form that everyone can be involved in. Sitting on the corner of Taranaki Street and Luke’s Lane this stylish café is well situated for the lunchtime rush or a casual drop in. Don’t let the dark concrete exterior fool you — the inside is bright and inviting. Sandwiches and pastries line up on the counter waiting to be selected. Several staff members have competed and placed in World Barista Championships so you are in very safe hands.   

It’s a café, florist, barber, gift shop, and shared workspace all rolled into one. Eva’s Garage on Eva Street is a unique space to visit. A bright red convertible Chevrolet Deluxe from the 1950s greats you when you walk in the door. The Chevrolet called ‘Eva’ has a table in the back with seating for four. You can sip on your Supreme coffee there or from one of the more conventional tables nearby. Beyond, you can shop for flowers, gifts, or get a sharp haircut. Upstairs, there are hot desks and private offices for hire. This hybrid space, just like its car namesake, is built to stand out.

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.