Arcimboldi

There’s no better home for an Italian-inspired restaurant in Wellington than Seatoun. The charming seaside suburb on the Miramar peninsula feels like a village a world away and yet is still close to the city. Arcimboldi is the dream of owners Alice Hill and Leith Wix. Long before the doors opened in 2018, they wanted to combine their love of food, art, and nature. 

Alice describes the Arcimboldi experience as “casual and friendly, but a little bit heightened.” The menu offers classics like rigatoni and house-made pizza through venison neck and crumbed fish of the day. What ties it all together is a passion for premium food at a great price point. 

Paintings by Italian artist Giuseppe Arcimboldi (pronounced ‘Arch-im-boldi’) hang in the back room of the old villa. Alice says these abstract fruit and vegetable portraits inspired the restaurant’s theme. “The restaurant is rustic and simple, but still special.” An eclectic mix of salt and pepper shakers adorn the tables including novelty pineapples and seashells. You’re welcome to peruse the bookshelf by the bar — it showcases novels by a local Seatoun author. 

Leith worked under an Italian chef, and now he injects all that experience into his own culinary creations. The menu is Italian and Kiwi at its core, but as Alice puts it, “We’ve got to keep the favourites. People would riot otherwise.” Regulars bring friends in to try the schnitzel, banana bread, and muffins. Alice laughs at how first-timers say, “I don’t like muffins,” and then confess it was the best muffin they’ve ever had. Pop-up events, including the Wednesday roast night, have become very popular. 

Arcimboldi hits all the right notes for an inviting community hub, with service and quality to match. Free from the hustle and bustle, tūī chirp in the trees above the back patio. Alice reflects, “If I’m sitting out in the courtyard on a sunny day, people stop and say, ‘It’s so nice out here.’”