Wellington is known as the culinary capital of New Zealand, so we knew we wanted to experience more of what it had to offer our taste buds on this second visit to Wellywood (which also included another trip to the Weta Cave, where we were lucky enough to find someone willing to jump start our car in the middle of a hail storm. But that’s another story for another day!) While we didn’t make it to the critically acclaimed (i.e. more expensive) restaurants in the city, we found some amazing gems worthy of attention and easy on the budget!
Even with my best laid plans and intentions, we had to be flexible and change course during our self-dubbed Foodie Tour on a Budget. For example, we started our day at Ora Cafe inside Ora Gallery & Design Space on Allen Street, having read that they offer many gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free options. I was hoping for a rice milk latte and a yummy (semi-healthy) treat, but I was disappointed with their lack of selection and complete lack of rice milk. So we browsed the art gallery and moved on to the next stop in our tour.
Crepes a Go Go easily took a top spot in our day. Served out of a tiny stall amongst the shops on Manners Street, these crepes were the real deal! Since this was technically our lunch, we opted for savory flavors served on a buckwheat crepe. A very sweet French lady made our crepes right in front of us while we took pictures like good tourists. We shared The Rustic (smoked chicken, mushrooms, cheese, and basil) and the Norwegian Catch (smoked salmon, cream cheese, and lemon juice).
Crepes a Go Go
57 Manners St., Wellington
Price Range: $5-$12 per crepe
Supertramper Rating: 5 stars
Moving on from there, we found the City Gallery, but since the sun decided to grace us with its presence, we gladly took a walk along the water front to bask in its warmth. You can see pictures of the city on Facebook. Having snacked on an apple while we journaled and people-watched on a bench, we browsed through a few exhibits at the Te Papa National Museum. We quickly realized we needed an afternoon pick-me-up. Instead of paying $8 for one small slice of orange almond cake, we walked to Fresh at Moore Wilson’s.
This non-chain supermarket is highly regarded by culinary enthusiasts in New Zealand. Their shop is filled with fresh produce, meat, fish, and artisan breads & cheeses. After filling our water bottles with pure spring water sourced from under the harbor, we picked up some Sunflower Rye Sourdough bread and hummus.
Fresh at Moore Wilson’s
Cnr of Tory & College Streets, Wellington
Price Range: $2-$10 for artisan bread
Supertramper Rating: 4 stars
Dinner that evening was another big winner in our book. We both love Mexican food, and have missed it terribly since being in New Zealand. Indian & Thai are the standard ethnic choices here, but thank goodness for this Mexican restaurant owner opening Viva Mexicano in a small corner in the Left Bank of the Cuba Street Arcade. Hands down, this was the best enchilada I have ever eaten in my life!
Viva Mexicano
210B Left Bank Arcade of Cuba St., Wellington
Price Range: $8-$18 per entree
Supertramper Rating: 5 stars
After a great church service at Equipper’s Wellington on Sunday morning, we intended to try some Chicken & Apricot pies from Trisha’s Pies on Cambridge Tce. But as we drove by, we sadly realized Trisha didn’t serve pies on Sunday. Not having a plan B to fall back on, we continued on to Te Papa where we knew we could find a free 2 hour parking spot on the weekend. That turned out to be a very good decision! A market was in full swing in the parking lot next to the museum and the fragrance of the Lamb Roti Wraps from the Roti trailer were calling our names.
Roti Trailer
Wellington Sunday Market at Te Papa Museum
Price Range: $7 for a Roti wrap
Supertramper Rating: 5 stars
On what was supposed to be our last day in Wellington, we dropped into Kapai Salads in Lambton Square for lunch. I read about Kapai in a back issue of Good Magazine and made a note to visit. Their food is fresh and healthy, and they place a very high importance on sustainability issues. For instance, they offer biodegradable to-go containers and compost their kitchen scraps. We were able to create our own salad bowls with 6 toppings. I chose Honey Ginger Beef and Drew went with falafel.
Kapai Salads
180 Lambton Quay, Wellington
Price Range: $8-$15 per salad
Supertramper Rating: 4 stars
One last restaurant deserves an honorable mention. The first night we arrived in Wellington we met a friend at Heaven Pizza on Cuba Street (owned by our Cheviot host’s good friend Richard). While our smoked chicken wood-fired pizza was indeed delicious, we didn’t find it to be as filling as a meal with a $20 price tag should be. The thin crust was crisp to perfection, but the toppings sparse. No fancy photo collage here. (Plus, we left our camera in the car and neither of us wanted to make the trek in the rain to retrieve it). If you want to get the most bang for your buck, splurge on a dessert pizza. We loved the Banana Walnut Maple version.
Heaven Pizza
247 Cuba St., Wellington
Price Range: $8.50-$25 per pizza
Supertramper Rating: 3 stars
If you’re ever in Wellington, add these cafes & restaurants to your itinerary for sure. Then let us know how you liked them!
Which cafe/restaurant/stall/trailer would be your top pick based on our review & pictures? Post your response in the comments!
