Cosy restaurants for winter dining

Tucked away in Aro Valley, Rita is an unassuming restaurant that is anything but ordinary. The 30-seater dining area is in a compact, 100-year-old worker’s cottage, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in quality. With two seating times a night, the set menu is a mystery until you sit down. The chefs at Rita revel in the challenge to create a new three-course meal every night. This is always based on what is seasonal, freshest, and local. Whatever is served you can be assured it will be delicious. If you warn the team beforehand, the kitchen will do its best to accommodate dietary needs.

A local favourite since 2002, Capitol is a vibrant, family-run restaurant. Its bistro-style menu takes full advantage of seasonal local produce. Consistently ranked as one of Wellington’s top restaurants, Capitol has operated from its busy corner next to Embassy Theatre for more than 20 years. Chef Tom Hutchison has a particular strength in cooking seafood. The menu usually has several featured fish dishes. Capitol’s most popular dishes are parmesan crumbed lambs’ liver, fried squid, and chocolate pudding. They are now so beloved by locals that they are available year-round. Removing them would probably cause a riot.

Located down an unassuming alley in suburban Newtown is the rustically magical osteria, Cicio Cacio.

The cosy restaurant serves up deeply authentic and regional Italian food. Cicio Cacio’s menu is in Italian but the staff are happy to take you through the items (and patiently field questions when you immediately forget what everything was).

With a homely wooden interior and brown paper-covered tables, this is a place to relax and order up an Italian feast. Make sure you save room for the panna cotta.

At 1154, the concept is simple: fresh handmade pasta topped with classic Italian sauces to order. There are gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian options. It’s fast, fresh, fun, and incredibly popular.

Located on the corner of Cuba and Ghuznee, the restaurant has a relaxed and comforting feel, with a long central table for communal dining. The menu is small and selective, offering Italian pasta classics done well, and a few sides to keep it interesting (and add some greens).

Floor-to-ceiling windows offer a front-row seat to bustling Cuba Street and make for some of the best people-watching in town.

Intimate and relaxed, Supra is a no-frills restaurant that focuses on food over fanfare. Come for shared plates or a quick snack, with natural wine and hand-picked records. Owner and head chef Thom Millott is all about “just making things delicious.”

Head up a discreet laneway staircase to find the 18-seater space. With a front row seat to the busy city below and across the road from The Opera House, Supra is right in the thick of it. But, its unusual (for Wellington) placement on a first storey makes it feel like a well-kept secret. 

Opened in 1991, Boulcott Street Bistro is widely regarded as one of Wellington’s finest restaurants.

The restaurant is in Plimmer House, a charming 1870s Victorian cottage. Surrounded by high-rises, it’s a time capsule in the middle of the city.

Boulcott Street Bistro serves classic bistro dishes with modern twists. The ‘BSB Classic’ has been consistently popular since day one. Comprised of an aged fillet of beef with Béarnaise sauce, red wine jus and hand-cut, double-cooked fries, it’s an example of simple done well.

This smart-casual steakhouse showcases wood-fired cooking, local ingredients and a multi-award-winning drinks list. Charley Noble’s Zesti wood-fired chargrill and rotisserie is the beating heart of the restaurant. As well as lending incredible flavour to the food, it fills the grand space with enticing savoury aromas. A large, European-inspired menu allows you to sample and savour small plates and starters. Inevitably, though, you will likely arrive at the woodfired mains. Beef is the star of the show, and all cuts are aged for a minimum of 21 days. 

A haven for fine food lovers, Charley Noble is as impressive as the building it resides in.

You’ll feel right at home at this cosy Newtown spot that’s part restaurant, part wine bar. 

Down a side street in Newtown, you’ll find Margot. With a striking red awning, big open windows, and a warm atmosphere Margot is like a welcoming aunt. Behind a bright red front door, the friendly and intimate space is configured to seat up to 26. The chefs focus on seasonal produce, so the menus change regularly. Flavour combinations are inspired by rustic European cuisine but there’s usually an exotic twist. Cashew cream, roast cabbage, chopped raw beef, and celeriac ‘steak’ have made menu appearances in the past.