Wellington's top five cafes

Floriditas

Wellington

There are few places that handle a roaring breakfast trade with such aplomb. Sure, they’re open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, but it’s brunch that sees the beautiful Art Deco room in the heart of Wellington really swing. Deep scarlet banquettes run along the walls, and the place is packed. Crowd in around the little walnut tables and order up the likes of porridge with fresh cream and brown sugar, or Greek yoghurt layered with honeyed figs and toasted almonds. Around the room most people are hoeing into eggs benedict or scrambled eggs with smoked salmon. A mix of original white tiling and polished concrete with a long wooden bar gives Floriditas a brasserie feel, but unlike in Paris, the coffee is always excellent. This is a feelgood café and restaurant where you can get a hot lemon drink with fresh grated ginger if you’re feeling under the weather, or a glass of Pinot if you’re not.

Caffe L’affare

Wellington

Part café, part roastery, this Wellington institution has been caffeinating the windy city since 1990. They also run regular barista classes and sell their beans wholesale. Sunday breakfast sees a room filled with families occupying big round tables while kids play underfoot. Waiters speed around the busy room delivering the likes of ricotta hotcakes with banana, bacon and local maple syrup, poached eggs and ham and a whole lot of coffee. Later in the day there’s potted mackerel with cucumber relish. Or maybe just hit a straight-up steak sandwich. Wellington’s café culture is strong. It’s almost impossible to walk down the street without passing at least one cute café roasting their own beans. But Caffe L’affare was the first. Pay your respects on College Street and drink it at the source.

Fidels

Wellington

You know, Cuba Street wasn’t named for the country: it was named for ship the SS Cuba. But that hasn’t stopped the good people of Wellington from taking the cigar and running with it. Up and down the street you’ll see venues with names like Havana, Floriditas, Fidels... you get the picture. And yet no one does a Cuban sandwich. Toasted pork and cheese sambos aside, Fidels is one of those cafés where you can always be guaranteed a good coffee, a decent brekky and a great time. There’s a courtyard out the back complete with camouflage netting overhead and a little ceramic water filter where customers are welcome to pour their own. Go for a breakfast burrito to keep you going all day, or maybe a date scone or a slice of rhubarb tart to get you through to lunch.

Memphis Belle

Te Aro

You could treat this sleek, dark Courtenay Place venue as either a restaurant or a bar. It’s both, really. The huge courtyard doubles as a smoketorium and cocktail bar while inside, you can preserve your lungs and treat yourself to a jasmine tea and a coconut, ginger and egg-white custard with candied pineapple. We like the thin egg noodles with Chinese pork sausage and spears of deep-fried eggplant in a sweet, astringent chilli sauce. It’s kind of an echo of that Sichuan dish of fish-fragrant and chilli-soaked eggplant, only here it doesn’t have quite the same searing burn. Cool off with a salad of cucumber, palm hearts and cloud ear fungus. As we said before, the courtyard – though very pretty – is filled with smokers, so if you’re a little sensitive you might want to dine (and wine) indoors.

Capitol Dining Room and Bar

Mt Victoria

There’s nothing more civilised than a croque madame and a shot of whiskey at 11am on a Saturday after a big night. At Duke’s, they are experts of turning a bad hangover into a delicious brunch. Turn that frown upside down with a golden toasted treat of béchamel sauce and mustard-cured leg ham topped with a perfect fried egg. Duke Carvell’s has pretty much perfected the café-that-is-also-a-bar, with the sort of joie de vivre you’d find in downtown New Orleans. Want a gin fizz and a sandwich? No big deal. A Bloody Mary and a breakfast burrito to nurse your sore-and-muddled head? Mai oui! It’s a handsome room with dark banquettes where you might settle in for an afternoon of serious liver violation, or just a civilised cocktail like the Independence Pie – spiced rum, spiced sugar syrup and steamed apple juice.