The Best Cafes in Wellington, New Zealand

View of Wellington City.

Wellington City in New Zealand is full of eccentric cafes and has a thriving coffee culture. This means you have plenty of the best cafes in Wellington to choose from, for your coffee fix. But you can’t spend all your money on flat whites! Save your budget for the beans by checking out my list of 50 things to do in Wellington for free.

Fun fact, there are more than 300 cafes in Wellington, more per capita than New York City!

If you’re visiting Wellington, you’ll find excellent cafes scattered all over the city, including the CBD. However, the largest concentration of cafes in Wellington is found in and around the funky, bohemian hub of Cuba Street.

I’m a passionate coffee addict who loves seeking out unique cafes when I travel – in fact, I see them as a compulsory part of my travel experience. You can capture the vibe of a place by exploring its cafes.

I’ve lived in Wellington several times and I was always on the hunt for the best coffee in Wellington. 

So after lots of trendy cafe searching, I’m happy to share with you my personal favourites of where to find the best coffee in Wellington and the best cafes in Wellington.

Yes – that is indeed me drinking a BOWL of coffee, and proud of it. Indulging in the best cafes in Wellington.

Best Cafes in Wellington: Fidels Cafe

Fidel’s is my favourite of the cafes in Wellington—maybe my favourite cafe in the whole of New Zealand—to go to for awesome coffee and food. And is (I think), the best cafe in Wellington.

An iconic Welly brunch spot, at Fidel’s the food is delicious, the coffee is rich and Cuban and the vibe is hip and relaxed.

Two covered outdoor areas mean you can enjoy Fidel’s on any windy Welly day. Fidel’s uses the delectable Havana coffee beans, so it’s not surprising they create the best coffee in Wellington.

All of the menu looks drool-worthy but my favourite is the Halloumi on Toast with avo & chilli jam.

Their counter food is home-style cooked with plenty of gluten-free and vegan options. The Cuba Libre rum cocktail is pretty good too. Wander on to their sister bar Havana to have a few more.

Brunch at Fidel’s – *Drool* You’ll find some of the best coffee in Wellington here at Fidel’s.

Fidels Cafe on Cuba Street, Wellington. One of the best cafes in Wellington.

Best Cafes in Wellington: Sweet Mothers Kitchen

Sweet Mothers Kitchen draws on New Orleans influences with Creole, Cajun & Mexican-inspired cuisine (think cornbread, Gumbo, Po Boys & sticky ribs). Southern soul & comfort food at its best.

All-day breakfast on the weekend makes it perfect for brunch anytime. SMK is fully licensed so stay for the evening and try the Mexican or New Zealand craft beer collection.

SMK don’t take evening or weekend bookings, running a ‘first come first served’ waiting list. It’s considered one of the best cafes in Wellington, making it super popular so waiting for a table is the norm here.

Retro decor at Sweet Mothers Kitchen. One of the more unique best cafes in Wellington.

Best Cafes in Wellington: Espressoholic

Espressoholic on Cuba St is on my list of best cafes in Wellington for two reasons – it has excellent coffee and I love the breakfasts here. And the secret third reason is that it reminds me of a giant chessboard inside.

Espressoholic never disappoints with its amazing coffee, their philosophy is ‘98% Caffeine, 2% Human’. I totally relate to this statement. Although, if you find yourself too jittery after all that caffeine, you might find my 10 tips for managing anxiety with traveling helpful!

Image courtesy of Espressoholic.

Best Cafes in Wellington: Home Cafe

Home Cafe is a surprisingly stylish and ultra-modern addition to the New Zealand National Library.  Tucked away on the ground floor, you might miss it. But if you’re a coffee lover like me, you’ll follow the smell of Havana coffee beans.

One of the more contemporary cafes in Wellington, I’m biased as I used to work at the National Library, but with Havana coffee, free WiFi and yummy counter food, you can understand why. It’s the perfect spot to download the 10 best travel apps before you head out to explore again.

Let’s go Home for coffee. Best Cafes in Wellington.

Best Cafes in Wellington: Thunderbird Cafe

Thunderbird Cafe is one of the quirkier cafes in Wellington. It offers a ‘Southern American blend with a little Kiwi’ style of menu and a splash of eccentricity, within the landscape of contemporary-looking CBD cafes in Wellington. Speaking of which, do you know your ‘Sweet as’ from your ‘Yeah, nah’? Check out these 15 New Zealand slang words and Kiwi expressions while you wait for your order.

Fried chicken, burritos, alcoholic milkshakes, you’ll find something truly alternative here. Plus casual live music on Thursday & Friday evenings.

I love grabbing a flat white, sitting by the window and watching other people get blown over by the wind, for a change.

Image courtesy of Thunderbird Cafe.

Best Cafes in Wellington: Midnight Espresso

Midnight Espresso is Welly’s most established all-day & late-night cafe. Serving Havana coffee, vegetarian-friendly counter food and open until late-late.

It’s great for anyone who wants to sip coffee, sit on the window seats and watch the vibrant Cuba Street roll by.

Image courtesy of Midnight Espresso

Best Cafes in Wellington: Scorch-O-Rama

A beachy spot with a retro vibe, Scorch-O-Rama at Scorching Bay serves excellent coffee and yummy milkshakes, featuring an entire wall wallpapered with comic books. The setting makes for some cool photos. If you snap a shot of your latte against the comic book wall, here are 150 inspirational travel captions for Instagram to help you post it.

And in their words, their cafe is “littered with nostalgia and nerdery”.

Located in Karaka Bays, there are even quirky murals and outdoor seating across the road, so you’re virtually having coffee on the beach.

Where most of the cafes in Wellington are in the buzz of the city, this cafe makes you feel like you’re at a coastal retreat, whilst still serving some of the best coffee in Wellington. 

Scorch-O-Rama at Scorching Bay, Karaka Bays, one of the best cafes in Wellington for location.

Best Cafes in Wellington: Kaffee Eis

Kaffee Eis is a gelato parlour but the coffee here is dreamy and the gelato is creamy. I’m a poet and I didn’t know it, ha!

Specialising in gourmet gelato, vegan and gluten-free sorbetto and boutique coffee, it’s worth going here just to have a flat white and a few sample tastings.

Kaffee Eis has several cafes in Wellington, including Courtenay Place, Frank Kitts Park and Cuba St and they win awards for the best gelato nearly every year. 

That’s just showing off.

Award winning gelato, yes – but also some of the best coffee in Wellington.

That’s a wrap for this post on the best cafes in Wellington, showcasing some of the best coffee in Wellington. 

I hope you found it helpful on your quest for the perfect coffee in Wellington or your search for the most unique cafe in Wellington. 

Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any of these or if you have any more cafes in Wellington recommendations I should add to my list.

🚀 Where to Next?

Finished with the coffee scene and ready to explore more of Aotearoa?

• Staying on the North Island? Leave the windy capital behind! Head north to the sunny Mount Maunganui and Tauranga and check out my complete destination guide.

• Heading to the South Island? If you’re catching the Interislander ferry, your ultimate destination might be Fiordland. Don’t miss my essential guide to visiting Te Anau and Milford Sound next.

Happy & Safe Travels 🙂

Alial 

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