New and notable places in Wellington

Looking for a bar that creates a sense of community? 187 on the corner of Vivian and Victoria Streets is a place for you, your family, and your dog. The bar’s logo is based on the family crest of owner Hadleigh Petherick. His mission is to make 187 a bar for all. There are two huge TV screens for watching sport, board games to play, an arcade machine, and a toy corner for the kids. As an independent bar it has a great craft beer selection plus a Guinness Harp Tap pouring silky pints. Pizza, toasties, and platters fill out a hearty menu.

Same delicious gelato, new beautiful space. Your favourite Left Bank dessert spot has rolled on up to a new location in Cuba Street. You’ll still find delicious gelato, ice cream, and sorbet using only premium ingredients. The team at Zelati pasteurises, ages, infuses, and churns each batch of its gelato from scratch. Premium fresh ingredients like milk, cream, and fresh fruit are always featured. 

As well as ice cream and sorbet by the scoop, Zelati offers a menu of fun desserts. Get your flavours of choice in a sundae or cookie ice cream sandwich. There are also brownies and waffles, all as fun to look at as they are to eat.

The humble pie gets a glow up at this inner-city bakery. Salut Pies is known for its experimental fillings. The crispiness of the pastry is never compromised no matter what the ingredients. Salut is hidden down a short alleyway off Victoria Street. Just look for the line of people out the door. Bakers Joe and Carey Player change the pie depending on what is available. Hand-shaped and baked in small batches, you’ll find gourmet flavours like Caribbean chicken roti, harissa roast lamb and pistachio, or pork nacho. Large colourful wall art and a few tables and stools are dotted around to make your quick bite even more enjoyable.   

The sunny side of Constable Street in Newtown offers a haven for local coffee lovers. Large windows let all-day sun into welcoming café, Newday. Inside, a large communal table caters for big groups (or friendly strangers), while several smaller tables fit two or three caffeine addicts. Newday’s simple menu covers the basics perfectly. There are cookies and pastries to give you a sugar boost, as well as generously filled sandwiches for when something more substantial is needed. A wall of shelves stocks People’s Coffee beans and other local food products. Outside, there are several wooden picnic benches and a wide verandah that keeps you safe in all weather. 

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.