For the love of vegetables

It’s the first plant-based pizza and pastaria in New Zealand. Wellington’s buzzing Cuba Street is home to Nolita. The chefs at this cosy restaurant do things a little differently. There’s 48-hour fermented sourdough that’s hand-stretched to enhance flavour and digestibility. They also produce house-made vegan cheese, pasta, and bread. The cashew mozzarella is delicately fermented using dairy-free culture. With this attention to detail, you know your pizza, pasta, or burger experience will be full of flavour.

Hillside Kitchen is an award-winning fine-dining restaurant with a twist – it’s completely meat-free. Instead of animal products, the restaurant focuses on sustainable, locally-grown produce. It uses ingredients foraged from Wellington’s green areas and grown in its own garden, taking the concept of farm-to-table to another level.

Seasonality is key, which means the Hillside menu is constantly changing. Diners can choose between a five and seven-course tasting menu when they book. But the components of each course are a surprise until they’re seated at their table.

At Belén Bakery, vegans never have to miss out on the magic of a fresh-baked croissant or a light, fluffy doughnut. Since starting out as a stall at Newtown Market in 2021, Belén has grown to include two central-city locations. Its Lambton Quay and Courtenay Place stores sell everything from doughnuts and brioche to “mince” pies and sandwiches. All are without any animal products. The menu changes monthly and always includes delicious sweets and savoury treats.

The Botanist brings the best in innovative plant-based cuisine to the south coast of Wellington. Sitting on Lyall Bay, The Botanist serves views of the sea with its vegan and vegetarian-friendly menu. A sunny courtyard on the other side of the building allows for a meal sheltered from the sea breeze. You’ll find innovative dishes on the menu like eggplant steak, battered banana blossom ‘fish’, and marinated Thai ‘beef’ salad.  There’s also a selection of six rotating craft beer taps, botanical cocktails, and organic wines.

It’s a café where ingredients and recipes are carefully screened for your benefit. If you are dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, or strictly vegan, and want something sweet, you are in luck. The bakers at Sweet Release make most of the treats from scratch. The food on offer is allergy-friendly comfort food. It’s not all sweet either — the menu offers plenty of savoury options including toasties, loaded fries, and mac and cheese. The Sweet Release team also offer a monthly night market called The Vegan Vault, and the vegan meat subscription service Not a Butcher.

As the name would suggest, Aunty Mena’s has the warm familiarity of a close relative’s home cooking. The little restaurant is a mecca for Wellington’s vegetarians and vegans. The flavour combinations and hearty portions are some of the best ways to convince the fervent carnivore in your life to ‘go vege’.  The curries, laksas, dumpling soups, and stir-fried noodles all have legions of fans. The vegetarian nuggets are world famous in Wellington, too, with many fooled into thinking there is a secret supply of chicken in the kitchen. There’s not – everything is proudly plant-based.