Our main objective for our mini trip to Wellington was to see and experience as much as we possibly could. Luckily for my greedy self – Wellington has an excellent reputation for food venues, so part of my ‘seeing as much as possible’ definitely included binging on tasty treats every moment we could spare! Unluckily for my greedy self, we ate so much during our long weekend that I definitely gained about 15kg. Worth. Every. Bite! There’s something for everyone in Wellington – so check out our guide of must-visits!

 For Great Breakfasts: Fidels Café

Fidel’s Café is hard to miss! With its bright colours and cute Cuban styled courtyard, you automatically feel as though you’ve been transported all the way over to central America. The food was delicious and a great way to kick off your morning. I tucked into the baked Spanish eggs, while Kenny grabbed a Cuban burrito – both were $18 and were demolished in about 10minutes flat. Check them out and be sure to request the spicy chilli sauce with whatever you get – it was devine!

For the BEST Hot Chocolate: Scopa Caffé Cucina

Considering we visited Wellington on a rare super-sunny non-windy weekend, I didn’t think we’d get a chance to go sipping hot chocolates at Scopa Caffe Cucina, but we’d seen such rave reviews about their gusto cioccolato (aptly named the best hot chocolate in town on their menu) that we just couldn’t resist! After just a sip, we were wholeheartedly glad that we’d made time to pop in there as it was the best hot chocolate we’d ever experienced! It was thick and chocolatey and satisfied every single sweet tooth craving we’d ever had. The medium size in the photo was only $5 – but definitely upgrade and get a $7 large – or just keep ordering cup after cup, you won’t regret it!

For Delicious Pizza: Tommy Millions

Eating pizza with a New Yorker outside of New York is always entertaining as they start thinking they’re a guest judge on an episode of ‘Barstool Sports Pizza Reviews’. I’ve never heard crusts, cheeses and sauces analysed so much as I have since meeting Kenny – but thankfully the tasty slices at Tommy Millions passed the test with a very high grade! At only $5 a slice you really can’t go wrong, especially when the sauce is perfectly flavoured and the slice has a legit New York flop.

For Fried Chicken: Lucky

Similar to eating pizza with a New Yorker, as a London girl addicted to Morleys – eating fried chicken burgers out of the hometown is always tense. Nothing quite holds up against the cheap £3 chicken burgers that I lived off during college at home, but Lucky hit the spot and then some! Their special ingredient is adding a fried haloumi patty in with the burger, giving that delicious ooze of melted cheese and calories. Definitely priced a lot steeper than back home at $18, yet would go back in a heartbeat! The $5 gravy fries were also delicious so make it a meal and go home happy!

For Pickleholics: Pickle & Pie

I’m pretty sure every friendship group has that one friend who can’t stand pickles, and one pickle addict who grabs the unwanted pickles from everyone else – thankfully despite the name, Pickle & Pie caters to all! With an extensive menu (naturally with a high focus on pies & pickles) they truly do have something for everyone. We grabbed their HUGE reuben sandwich for $15 and their pie of the day – which was a delicious beef and onion, for just $16. Being super greedy we also grabbed some deli fries with pastrami, cheese and gravy for $13 – we could barely move after our meal!

For Quick & Easy: Sixes & Sevens

Every city has a great café – ready for those grab and go quick bites before a busy day! Sixes and Sevens was the perfect example of this – with a huge counter filled with sausage rolls, sandwiches, donuts and cakes – you’re spoilt for choice. I eased my sausage roll craving with a $8 pork and apple roll, with Kenny grabbing a Cajun Chicken sandwich for only $14. Ideal for a mini energy boost, but definitely regret not trying one of their tasty looking donuts!

For Tasty Burgers: Grill Meats Beer

I’m a self-proclaimed burger addict so I always make a point of checking out at least 1 recommended burger spot everytime I visit somewhere! This time, it was Grill Meats Beer and we wasn’t disappointed! The range of burgers on their menu was great – I went outside the box and picked up their Cubano pork fillet burger, which was $20 and tasted like Christmas in a bun, while Kenny got the Nashville style hot chicken, which was $22 and could have given Lucky a run for their money! Being that they also have an amazing Craft Beer selection – it’s the perfect spot for a beer and a burger!

For A Sweet Tooth: Kaffee Eis

Dessert fans rejoice because Kaffee Eis is ideal! Closing later than a lot of the bars in the area, it was a surprising late-night milkshake that we grabbed instead of the beer we were expecting to head home from! Definitely glad we got to pop in here as their pistachio milkshakes were insanely good and super cheap at only $6 per shake!

For Big Groups: Jack Hacketts

For picky groups; an Irish pub can rarely go wrong as they serve everything but the kitchen sink! Jack Hackett’s were no exception – with a huge selection you’d be hard-pressed not to find something you like. I went for the full Irish breakfast, steeply priced at $22, while Kenny grabbed the beef nachos – $10 and a cheeseburger – $14. In all honestly, the quality of the food wasn’t great and the service was super slow, but if you’re on a budget the lunch menu is super cheap and there’s a massive number of tables – so if you find yourself in a big group wanting to grab a cheap bite, it’s still a decent option while you’re down in the windy capital of New Zealand!

For Excellent Variety: Capital Market

They say save the best til last so prepare for an overload of food spam because at this fantastic hawker style market we literally did not stop eating! With a variety of outlets focused on Asian cuisine, we managed to eat our way around the globe – then leave the venue with globe shaped stomachs also. You honestly can’t go wrong here as the various menu items were light on the wallet, heavy on the portions and not one item wasn’t up to scratch – overall, an excellent experience!

Miss Kangsta – Korean

L: Hot brie fingers w/ maple & ginger sauce-  $8
R: Popcorn chicken w/ kangsta chilli $8.5

Quiquiriqui – Mexican Fusion

Chipotle chicken quesadilla – $13.50

Where’s Charlie – Vietnamese

L: Peppered beef summer rolls $7.50
R: Lemongrass beef banh mi – $7.50

Guangzhou cuisine – Chinese

Singapore fried rice – $11.90

Mackong – Macau and Hong Kong cuisine

King chocolate bubble waffle – 9.50

 

 

So, if ever you fancy multiple cheat meals or you’re down in Wellington feeling peckish, make sure you head out to any of the venues on this list – you’ll leave happy, satisfied and way too heavy to blow away in the famous Wellington wind!