Food, coffee & craft beer
Wellington eats and drinks like a city twice its size. It's New Zealand's coffee capital and its craft-beer capital, with more cafés, bars and restaurants per head than almost anywhere — clustered around bohemian Cuba Street, buzzing Courtenay Place and the harbourside. Add a calendar of food festivals and the Martinborough wine country nearby, and it's a genuine foodie destination. Here's how to taste it.
Roasters, breweries & bars
Coffee lovers are in heaven: Wellington's independent roasters and laneway cafés set the national standard for the flat white. Beer fans, too — as the self-styled craft beer capital, the city brims with breweries and taprooms like Garage Project, Fortune Favours and Parrotdog, plus specialist bars and the Beervana festival. A coffee crawl by day and a craft-beer trail by night is quintessential Wellington. See our Wellington tour.
Cuba Street, laneways & the harbour
Graze your way around Cuba Street and Courtenay Place for everything from dumplings to fine dining, dip into hidden Hannahs Laneway for chocolate, gin and artisan makers, and dine harbourside for seafood with a view. The scene leans local, creative and good value. Time a visit for Visa Wellington On a Plate in August — a month of Burger Wellington and special menus citywide. See our New Zealand food & wine guide.
Martinborough & the Wairarapa
Just over the Remutaka Hill (about 1–1.5 hours, or a scenic train ride) lies Martinborough, a charming wine village whose cellar doors — famous for Pinot Noir — cluster walkably around the town square. It makes a superb day trip from the capital, easily combined with the Wairarapa's villages and coast. See our dedicated Martinborough guide.
Wellington food, coffee & beer: your questions
Wellington is widely regarded as New Zealand's coffee capital, with a deep café culture and a high concentration of independent roasters and cafés per head. The city takes its flat whites seriously — expect expertly made coffee from long-standing roasteries and laneway spots across the centre, especially around Cuba Street. It's a genuine pleasure for coffee lovers. See our things to do guide.
Excellent — Wellington calls itself the craft beer capital of New Zealand, with a dense scene of breweries and specialist bars. Names like Garage Project, Fortune Favours and Parrotdog lead the way, many with taprooms you can visit, and the city hosts the annual Beervana festival. Craft-beer trails and tastings are easy to arrange. See our Wellington tour.
The best hunting grounds are Cuba Street and Courtenay Place for cafés, restaurants and bars, the harbourside for seafood and views, and hidden laneways like Hannahs Laneway for chocolate, gin and artisan makers. Wellington has more eateries per capita than almost anywhere, spanning cheap-and-cheerful to fine dining, with a strong emphasis on local produce. See our New Zealand food & wine guide.
The big one is Visa Wellington On a Plate each August — a month-long celebration featuring the hugely popular Burger Wellington and Cocktail Wellington, when hundreds of venues create special dishes and drinks. There's also Beervana (craft beer) and the vibrant CubaDupa street festival. They make winter and shoulder seasons a great time to eat your way around town. See our best time to visit guide.
Yes — the Martinborough and wider Wairarapa wine region, famous for Pinot Noir, is about 1 to 1.5 hours away over the Remutaka Hill (or by train). It's an easy and popular day trip, with cellar doors clustered walkably around Martinborough's village square. See our dedicated Martinborough & the Wairarapa guide.