Guidebook for Brooklyn and Wellington
Essentials
Grocery stores in Brooklyn and Wellington
http://moorewilsons.co.nz/departments/fresh - This is where we shop for meat and vege and most other items. Free parking - great coffee and pastries, cheeses and bread.
102 locals recommend
Moore Wilson's
College Streethttp://moorewilsons.co.nz/departments/fresh - This is where we shop for meat and vege and most other items. Free parking - great coffee and pastries, cheeses and bread.
Major supermarket we use for some cheaper basics. Virtually 4mins drive from the house. Free parking underneath the supermarket.
45 locals recommend
Countdown Newtown
3 John StMajor supermarket we use for some cheaper basics. Virtually 4mins drive from the house. Free parking underneath the supermarket.
Our local grocer in Brooklyn never fails us, has pretty much everything you need - postal service and dry-cleaning service and great wines
9 locals recommend
Wing On Chang Food Market
29 Cleveland StOur local grocer in Brooklyn never fails us, has pretty much everything you need - postal service and dry-cleaning service and great wines
If you like craft beers this is the supermarket for you - best selection of local and international craft beers.
51 locals recommend
New World Thorndon
150 Molesworth StIf you like craft beers this is the supermarket for you - best selection of local and international craft beers.
This market is on every Sunday morning. We often take the kids down for cheap eats and vege shopping, then walk along the waterfront.
33 locals recommend
Harbourside Market Wellington
Cable StreetThis market is on every Sunday morning. We often take the kids down for cheap eats and vege shopping, then walk along the waterfront.
All organic products, including veges, meats and baking goods. At the top of Tory Street not far from Moore Wilsons.
20 locals recommend
Commonsense Wellington City
147 Tory StAll organic products, including veges, meats and baking goods. At the top of Tory Street not far from Moore Wilsons.
New World Wellington City
279 Wakefield StThe largest of the grocery chain stores in Wellington.
Arts & Culture
San Fran Bathhouse on Cuba is a night time venue - featuring bands, performers of the minute this is where the Flight of the Conchords always played and has good cheapish eats.
20 locals recommend
San Fran
171 Cuba StSan Fran Bathhouse on Cuba is a night time venue - featuring bands, performers of the minute this is where the Flight of the Conchords always played and has good cheapish eats.
A short stroll from ours the Penthouse Cinema opened in Brooklyn in 1939 - a great cafe serving lunch and dinner and you can take you coffee and wine into the theatre. Cheap night on Tuesdays!
40 locals recommend
Penthouse Cinema & Cafe
205 Ohiro RdA short stroll from ours the Penthouse Cinema opened in Brooklyn in 1939 - a great cafe serving lunch and dinner and you can take you coffee and wine into the theatre. Cheap night on Tuesdays!
Worth a trip to Mirimar just to see, this art deco cinema has been restored to its former glory and then some. Near the Weta Studios with a lovely restaurant and bar for lunch or pre-movie dinner.
84 locals recommend
The Roxy Cinema
5 Park RdWorth a trip to Mirimar just to see, this art deco cinema has been restored to its former glory and then some. Near the Weta Studios with a lovely restaurant and bar for lunch or pre-movie dinner.
Great local theatre - worth checking to see what's on while you're in town.
79 locals recommend
BATS Theatre
1 Kent TerraceGreat local theatre - worth checking to see what's on while you're in town.
A new wee boutique theatre and in a perfect location to combine dinner first at Havana.
52 locals recommend
Light House Cuba
29 Wigan StA new wee boutique theatre and in a perfect location to combine dinner first at Havana.
Peter Jackson's theatre where LOTR premieres were held. Beautifully restored with state of the art cinema technology and sound.
Embassy Theatre
Peter Jackson's theatre where LOTR premieres were held. Beautifully restored with state of the art cinema technology and sound.
Wellington is the capital city and home to its Parliament and the iconic Beehive. You can tour the buildings and sit in on parliamentary debates if you visit on a day the House is sitting. It's free and bookings are not required.
24 locals recommend
New Zealand Parliament Buildings
1 Museum StWellington is the capital city and home to its Parliament and the iconic Beehive. You can tour the buildings and sit in on parliamentary debates if you visit on a day the House is sitting. It's free and bookings are not required.
Food Scene
All day coffee and cafe food - great big breakfast and best brioche ever! Eclectic and gritty, but still accessible for families.
73 locals recommend
Fidel's Cafe
234 Cuba StAll day coffee and cafe food - great big breakfast and best brioche ever! Eclectic and gritty, but still accessible for families.
Kaffee Eis sells the best gelato this side of Italy. few dotted around Welly, including the waterfront bunker, Courtney Place and Cuba. love for gelato - just as good as Italy! We combine with bike rides and strolls around Oriental Bay beach. Great coffee too!
18 locals recommend
Kaffee Eis
236 Oriental ParadeKaffee Eis sells the best gelato this side of Italy. few dotted around Welly, including the waterfront bunker, Courtney Place and Cuba. love for gelato - just as good as Italy! We combine with bike rides and strolls around Oriental Bay beach. Great coffee too!
Another great Wellington restaurant if you are looking for a lovely night out. Have to book.
41 locals recommend
Logan Brown Restaurant
192 Cuba StAnother great Wellington restaurant if you are looking for a lovely night out. Have to book.
Lovely italian (would you believe) tapas! So good. Great little desserts - really affordable, casual walk-in, but lovely place.
30 locals recommend
Ombra
199 Cuba StLovely italian (would you believe) tapas! So good. Great little desserts - really affordable, casual walk-in, but lovely place.
Mt Vic Chippery battered fish & handcut chips are without doubt the best in Wellington. Always busy (they have their own boats) service is quick. Order online & pickup http://www.mtvicchippery.co.nz
34 locals recommend
Mt Vic Chippery
5 Majoribanks StMt Vic Chippery battered fish & handcut chips are without doubt the best in Wellington. Always busy (they have their own boats) service is quick. Order online & pickup http://www.mtvicchippery.co.nz
Looks flash but actually just an all day casual cafe with great food, and nice treats to have with coffee.
42 locals recommend
Floriditas
161 Cuba StLooks flash but actually just an all day casual cafe with great food, and nice treats to have with coffee.
Great place for wood fired pizza and the best hot chocolate! No need to book, take causal walk ins.
28 locals recommend
Scopa
141 Cuba StreetGreat place for wood fired pizza and the best hot chocolate! No need to book, take causal walk ins.
Iconic Wellington cafe at the beach - great food and coffee and nice for a walk on the beach afterwards.
129 locals recommend
Maranui Cafe
7A Lyall ParadeIconic Wellington cafe at the beach - great food and coffee and nice for a walk on the beach afterwards.
Great to grab a coffee here in Brooklyn before heading to Wellington on the bus!
14 locals recommend
Caribe Coffee - Caribbean Coffee Roasters Limited
54 Cleveland StGreat to grab a coffee here in Brooklyn before heading to Wellington on the bus!
We take the kids here for Yum Char on Sundays sometimes. Busy but its always been good.
Grand Century
84 Tory StWe take the kids here for Yum Char on Sundays sometimes. Busy but its always been good.
Also called The Hanger, it has great food and excellent coffee!
http://flightcoffee.co.nz/pages/about-us
18 locals recommend
The Hangar
119 Dixon StAlso called The Hanger, it has great food and excellent coffee!
http://flightcoffee.co.nz/pages/about-us
There are over 5 Mojos around Wellington now but this is probably the closest to the University. Great coffee and lunchtime food.
Mojo Terrace
113-119 The TerraceThere are over 5 Mojos around Wellington now but this is probably the closest to the University. Great coffee and lunchtime food.
Havana Bar
34 Wigan StThe restaurant and bar owned by Havana coffee roasters - lovely tapas
If you are heading to the Embassy Theatre (home to LOTR premieres) and want a really nice meal before you go, Capitol don't take bookings but worth a short wait in their bar. Fine dining, semicasual.
34 locals recommend
Capitol Restaurant
10 Kent TerraceIf you are heading to the Embassy Theatre (home to LOTR premieres) and want a really nice meal before you go, Capitol don't take bookings but worth a short wait in their bar. Fine dining, semicasual.
Opposite Moore Wilsons so a favourite stop before or after shopping. Major NZ coffee roaster, buy all things coffee.
22 locals recommend
Caffe L'affare
27 College StOpposite Moore Wilsons so a favourite stop before or after shopping. Major NZ coffee roaster, buy all things coffee.
Ex-L'affare people run this new bakery/eatery that has queues out the door on weekends. Just excellent bread, coffee and all-day brunch style menu. A real favourite. It's near Moore Wilsons and a fast-growing shopping precinct on College Street nearby and a funky little bookstore next door.
50 locals recommend
Prefab
14 Jessie StEx-L'affare people run this new bakery/eatery that has queues out the door on weekends. Just excellent bread, coffee and all-day brunch style menu. A real favourite. It's near Moore Wilsons and a fast-growing shopping precinct on College Street nearby and a funky little bookstore next door.
Chow Tory
45 Tory StA great pan-asian style eats - fresh, tasty - that's alway open late.
Another waterfront eatery - Shed 5 is for fine well-dressed dining but the companion Crab Shack next door does relatively inexpensive seafood et al.
7 locals recommend
Shed 5
Queens WharfAnother waterfront eatery - Shed 5 is for fine well-dressed dining but the companion Crab Shack next door does relatively inexpensive seafood et al.
Myrtle
Great sourdough and incredible pastry and coffee.
Little Penang
179 Victoria StVery good malaysian food and close to Brooklyn!
A walk-in pastaria with pasta made fresh each day and great salads. Casual dine-in - great for families
1154 Pastaria
132 Cuba StreetA walk-in pastaria with pasta made fresh each day and great salads. Casual dine-in - great for families
This is one of the best new restaurants in town right now serving middle eastern food. Make a reservation or try your luck getting a seat at the bar. Its worth the wait.
Kisa
This is one of the best new restaurants in town right now serving middle eastern food. Make a reservation or try your luck getting a seat at the bar. Its worth the wait.
This is the local cafe for all the weta folk working around the corner in Mirimar. Great food and coffee and I have driven here just for their chilli cheese pretzels.
37 locals recommend
Cafe Polo
84 Rotherham TerraceThis is the local cafe for all the weta folk working around the corner in Mirimar. Great food and coffee and I have driven here just for their chilli cheese pretzels.
These guys do coffee, fancy toast and doughnuts very very well. A small but perfectly formed Welly coffee house.
18 locals recommend
Customs by Coffee Supreme
39 Ghuznee StThese guys do coffee, fancy toast and doughnuts very very well. A small but perfectly formed Welly coffee house.
This place on the Petone foreshore looks like nothing on the outside, giving off an abandoned surf club vibe. But like many places in Wellington when you get inside a surprise awaits. Fitted with booths and pinball machines it has a real Coney Island feel, great food and coffee and views back across the harbour to Wellington. Could combine it with a visit to Jackson Street Petone or a car ride around to Days Bay or Eastbourne, one of the first landing spots when early European settlers arrived in Wellington.
32 locals recommend
Seashore Cabaret
160 The EsplanadeThis place on the Petone foreshore looks like nothing on the outside, giving off an abandoned surf club vibe. But like many places in Wellington when you get inside a surprise awaits. Fitted with booths and pinball machines it has a real Coney Island feel, great food and coffee and views back across the harbour to Wellington. Could combine it with a visit to Jackson Street Petone or a car ride around to Days Bay or Eastbourne, one of the first landing spots when early European settlers arrived in Wellington.
Sightseeing
Need some time to see it all, but you can't come to Wellington without seeing our National Museum
142 locals recommend
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
55 Cable StNeed some time to see it all, but you can't come to Wellington without seeing our National Museum
Another good local museum - focusses on History of Wellington - Don't miss the short film about the Wahine Disaster or hologram on the third floor - one of our favourite things to see there!
70 locals recommend
Wellington Museum
3 Jervois QuayAnother good local museum - focusses on History of Wellington - Don't miss the short film about the Wahine Disaster or hologram on the third floor - one of our favourite things to see there!
A wee bit expensive but worth a visit - large indoor exhibit about the sanctuary and environmental issues, produced with help from Weta (LOTR), or you can walk around the sanctuary up to the dam.
255 locals recommend
ZEALANDIA Ecosanctuary
53 Waiapu RoadA wee bit expensive but worth a visit - large indoor exhibit about the sanctuary and environmental issues, produced with help from Weta (LOTR), or you can walk around the sanctuary up to the dam.
You can't come to Welly and not see this, even if you're not a LOTR fan. Small but worth it to see movie-making in Mirimar - easy to combine with a visit to the Roxy. My bro worked here for years!
174 locals recommend
The Weta Cave
1 Weka StYou can't come to Welly and not see this, even if you're not a LOTR fan. Small but worth it to see movie-making in Mirimar - easy to combine with a visit to the Roxy. My bro worked here for years!
Depending on transport options this is a great day trip - just loads of things to do up Kapiti way, google kapiti and it will spout forth. We love to go up even to just walk along Waikanae Beach.
Kapiti Coast District
Depending on transport options this is a great day trip - just loads of things to do up Kapiti way, google kapiti and it will spout forth. We love to go up even to just walk along Waikanae Beach.
Another day trip/night over, a windy road over to the Wairarapa region but worth it when you get there. Wineries in and around Martinborough and a poke around shops in Greytown.
36 locals recommend
Martinborough
Another day trip/night over, a windy road over to the Wairarapa region but worth it when you get there. Wineries in and around Martinborough and a poke around shops in Greytown.
This is something that most tourists do when they come to Wellington. You hop on just at the ticket office in Cable Car Lane on Lambton so its handy thing to do if you are in town shopping already. It stops next to the Carter Observatory which is another great family activity.
142 locals recommend
Wellington Cable Car
280 Lambton QuayThis is something that most tourists do when they come to Wellington. You hop on just at the ticket office in Cable Car Lane on Lambton so its handy thing to do if you are in town shopping already. It stops next to the Carter Observatory which is another great family activity.
The botanic gardens are a great thing to combine with a trip up the Cable Car to the lookout, which connects to the entrance to the gardens. Wander down through to the rose garden and Picnic Cafe.
203 locals recommend
Wellington Botanic Garden
101 Glenmore StThe botanic gardens are a great thing to combine with a trip up the Cable Car to the lookout, which connects to the entrance to the gardens. Wander down through to the rose garden and Picnic Cafe.
Our kids loved the Space Place at Carter Observatory. You can get up to it from Lambton Quay on the cable car. It has an interesting exhibit and an interactive presentation that's quite good. It's a good rainy day option for families, but if the weather is nice you can combine with a walk down through the botanic gardens.
23 locals recommend
Space Place at Carter Observatory
40 Salamanca RdOur kids loved the Space Place at Carter Observatory. You can get up to it from Lambton Quay on the cable car. It has an interesting exhibit and an interactive presentation that's quite good. It's a good rainy day option for families, but if the weather is nice you can combine with a walk down through the botanic gardens.
Drinks & Nightlife
One of the many craft bars starting up in Wellington, Glynn won a city-wide home brew competition - the prize - his recipe was brewed and sold locally - look out for it on display - ByeByeBlanketMan
30 locals recommend
Little Beer Quarter
6 Edward StOne of the many craft bars starting up in Wellington, Glynn won a city-wide home brew competition - the prize - his recipe was brewed and sold locally - look out for it on display - ByeByeBlanketMan
A chilled after movie drink and/or dessert, comfy seats in amongst a library of old books - connected to Chow on the first floor
83 locals recommend
The Library
53 Courtenay PlA chilled after movie drink and/or dessert, comfy seats in amongst a library of old books - connected to Chow on the first floor
If you feel like expensive cocktails visit Motel - the door sometime hidden behind a curtain at Chow, or accessible at street level up an alleyway.
12 locals recommend
Motel Bar
Forresters LaneIf you feel like expensive cocktails visit Motel - the door sometime hidden behind a curtain at Chow, or accessible at street level up an alleyway.
If bar hopping along the waterfront its worth a look, a large drinking establishment, a cheeky wardrobe upstairs with furs to mimic CS Lewis's famous book takes you through for a quiet drink
13 locals recommend
Foxglove Bar & Kitchen
33 Queens WharfIf bar hopping along the waterfront its worth a look, a large drinking establishment, a cheeky wardrobe upstairs with furs to mimic CS Lewis's famous book takes you through for a quiet drink
The craft beer bar that started it all. A good selection of beers and wine, great for a pre-dinner drink or as a meeting point
14 locals recommend
The Malthouse
76 Courtenay PlThe craft beer bar that started it all. A good selection of beers and wine, great for a pre-dinner drink or as a meeting point
Down a flight of stairs off an alleyway, another hidden gem that helps the local craft breweries to flourish. Worth a look and strangely they do great pies!
19 locals recommend
Hashigo Zake
25 Taranaki StDown a flight of stairs off an alleyway, another hidden gem that helps the local craft breweries to flourish. Worth a look and strangely they do great pies!
Cosy and quiet this is a great bar for a whisky after dinner somewhere in town.
53 locals recommend
Hawthorn Lounge
82 Tory StCosy and quiet this is a great bar for a whisky after dinner somewhere in town.
These guys really know their wines so if you are looking for a proper wine bar in Wellington this would be it.
12 locals recommend
Noble Rot Wine Bar
6 Swan LnThese guys really know their wines so if you are looking for a proper wine bar in Wellington this would be it.