Before heading to Wellington I had heard it was an excellent spot for food, coffee and beer and I was not disappointed. I’ve shared a couple of the places we ate at already, so today I thought I’d do a bumper post of other Wellington food & breweries we visited!
Little Beer Quarter
LBQ came up on my searches as an excellent spot for both vegetarian food and local beers, so we moseyed down on a Friday night to check it out. We were pretty lucky to nab a table straight away, and checked out the beer options. They rotate the taps regularly, with local beers featuring heavily, so it was a great place to try out some breweries that were new to me. Everything we tried was excellent, and the staff were really helpful in guiding through the options as well.
On the food front the menu is well matched for beer drinking with pizzas, burgers and snack food the key features. We went for burgers, and the black bean and beetroot vegan burger ($16) was an excellent choice. The hand cut fries were particularly delicious, as was the housemade patty and hummus. One to add to the list for sure.
Fidel’s Cafe
For brunch one day we headed to a Wellington institution, Fidel’s Cafe. We had to wait about 15 minutes for a table, but the service was great even though they were obviously packed. The menu is full of vegetarian and vegan options, and as the name suggests it leans towards Southern in flavours.
I knew we had a big day ahead of us, so opted for big vegan breakfast ($20) which lived up to its name! The potatoes and spicy black beans were my favourite parts, although the garlic mushrooms were pretty spot on as well.
The coffee was also excellent, which probably explained why they were doing such a roaring trade of takeaway coffees as well. It’s definitely not somewhere for a quiet, lingering breakfast, but it certainly was delicious!
The Back Bencher
We found ourselves up near Parliament house and in need of a quick feed, so my searching led us to the Back Bencher. We were expecting pretty traditional pub fare but were pleasantly surprised by the quality of what we were served – maybe we shouldn’t have been, it was just near Parliament after all!
I ordered the wild rice risotto ($23) and was super impressed with what arrived. I particularly loved the honey roast yams (yams always remind me of my Poppa) and the pea, mint and coriander puree on top. Such a nice alternative to the vegetarian risotto that is often found on pub menus!
Six Barrel Soda Co
After a long day walking around Wellington mum and I popped into Six Barrel Soda Co to try some of their syrups. We each did a tasting flight of three sodas ($5) and it was a refreshing, delicious pit stop that we both thoroughly enjoyed. Mum ordered the lemon, honey & ginger, celery tonic and sarsaparilla flavours, while I went with coffee, cherry & pomegranate and orange & dandelion. All of them were excellent choices, and it was a gorgeous spot to spend some time as well!
Black Dog Brew Co
We ducked out of the rain one afternoon to try a beer at a brewery based right in the heart of Wellington – Black Dog Brewery. Given the time of day we only tried one, and I went with their golden beer (named the Golden Lab!) which was delicious. The space itself was great as well, I’d definitely go back and spend some more time there next time!
Egmont Street Eatery
I don’t have any photos of this meal as we went with old family friends of my Dad, but it is worth a mention regardless! The food at Egmont Street is designed for sharing, and the menu changes regularly to match what is in season. Whilst there was only one of the larger dishes that was vegetarian there were plenty of sides and salads, so I had no chance of going hungry! It was all beautifully presented as well – but you’ll have to take my word on that! Or, even better, make a visit yourself if you can!
Garage Project Brewery
I had been introduced to Garage Project beers on a previous trip back to NZ by my cousins, and had sourced them here in Melbourne on occasion as well. One of my cousin’s headed into Wellington to have dinner with us on the Monday night, so we started the evening with a visit to the cellar door. We had tasters of pretty much everything they had on tap (I skipped the one made with oysters!) and there were some super interesting beers to try. It was great to be able to learn about each of the beers, what goes in them and how they are made. Definitely worth a visit!