Wellington Restaurant Tips by wkcsmt

Mekong Café: Nice & Cheap Cambodian Food

Always popular with local asians. Yummy food @ a low cost, if you don't mind the the environment - not that flashy. Hey, you're here for the food. Click on the website below for the menu. I would recommend Bee Bung.

Favorite Dish: • Bee Bung (vermicelli, minted salad, grated carrot, pork balls, stir fried beef, spring rolls with peanut sauce)
• Spring rolls

Address: 138 Vivian Street, Wellington

Comparison: least expensive

Directions: Between Cuba & Marion streets.

Phone: (04) 801 8099

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Coyote Street Bar & Restaurant: Kiwi Cuisine with Sante Fe Twist

Coyote open 7 days a week, from 10am for lunch, dinner & weekend brunch. In the evenings, it transforms into a vibrant busy bar with DJs entertaining the crowds with the latest dance music well into the small hours.

I find that a little too noisy for dinner with the music and a little too many smokers...well, you could imagine what a bar is like... but I quite like the Santa Fe & adobe design style. Food wise, it's ok.

They have franchise in Chirstchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga & Hamilton.

Address: 63 Courtenay Place, Wellington

Comparison: about average

Directions: Courtenay Quarter, near Tory Street

Phone: (04) 385 6665

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Other

Theos Greek Taverna: Greek Experience

Theo's Greek Taverna offers a truly memorable Greek experience (I've never been to Greece to compare though)... good food, music & entertainment. By the way, live music is only available from Thursdays to Saturdays. The Mediterranean decor & trailing grapevines covered courtyard makes the place special & wonderful.

Theo’s opens 6 days for dinner, expect Mondays.

Address: 13 Pirie Street, Mt Victoria, Wellington

Comparison: about average

Directions: Off Kent Terrace (before KFC).

Phone: (04) 801 8806

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Other

Strawberry Fare Dessert Restaurant: Dessert Specialist Restaurant

It's desserts is best known around town, so we gave it a try... so can't make comment on the meals. Can you imagine dessert costing NZD$10-NZD$15?! Tiramisu, chocolate madness, devils dream cake... are among the desserts served. Nice desserts... once in a while you ought to give yourself a pamper!

Hours:
10am-2pm & 5pm till late Mondays - Fridays
9am till late Saturdays & Sundays

A little insight to this restaurant... it used to be a morgue ages ago (don't really know when)... there are rumours / jokes(?)... Have I scare you now? We often joke about this when any friends suggested to go there. Use your imagination....

Address: 25 Kent Terrace, Wellington

Comparison: more expensive than average

Directions: Not too far from Embassy theatre @ the end of Courtenay Place.

Phone: (04) 385 2551

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Dessert

Website: http://www.strawberryfare.co.nz

The Wellington (Wakefield) Market: Indoor Street Vendors

Here you'll find a mixture of food, from west Africa, Thai, Indian, Singapore, Chinese..etc. The setting here is akin to street vendor in Malaysia, but indoor. Most meals cost about NZD$7.50 and very satisfiying, especially if you go to one on my favourite list. Payment by CASH ONLY!!

Only open on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays & all public holidays from 10am to 5:30pm. Parking is a hassle here. So find somewhere else to park & walk. Closest car parking building is beside Duxton Hotel, across the street from Wakefield Market.

Favorite Dish: These are my favourite stalls / vendors (very authentic):
• Lion City (most dishes)
- Mee goreng (fried egg noodles)
- fried keuy teow (flat rice noodles)
- Sin Chow Mee (fried thin rice noddles)
- fried turnip cake

• Singapore
- BBQ pork rice
- Won ton noodles (dried or in soup)

• Bubble Tea (can't quite remember the name, beside Singapore)
- Jasmine bubble tea
- Yam bubble tea

• Indian stall (didn't pay attention to the name - located beside Lion City)
- roti with curry
- any other dishes would be good too

Address: Corner Taranaki & Wakefield / Cable Streets

Comparison: least expensive

Directions: Between Courtenay Quarter & the waterfront. Close to Te Papa Museum of New Zealand... opposite BP & Duxton Hotel.

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 5

Theme: Other

Fisherman's Table Restaurant: Seafood Haven Fishermans Table Review

Before they open up this restaurant in the city, we used to drive about an hour to Paekakariki just to dine there. Like their sister restaurant with magnificant views of the Tasman Sea & Kapiti Island, the city restaurant has a superb views of Wellington harbour & city while you enjoy your meal. On a good & warm day, you can have your meal on the deck.

It is also a very children friendly restaurant with meals @ NZD$6. For the rest of us, there's is bargain meal (13 different options to choose from) - a light meal (smaller portion of the mains) with unlimited salad from the salad bar for only NZD$13.95. Do help yourself @ the "salad boat" before your meal arrives, but don't over eat... else you won't be able to enjoy your main!

There are also vegetarian & non seafood dishes, eg. steaks, chicken & pork, available for non seafood lovers who are just happen to be here with friends / families.

Open daily from 11:30 am to last orders @ 9pm.

Address: 245 Oriental Parade, Oriental Bay, Wellington

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: In the Old Band Rotunda, a semi circular building on the edge of Oriental Parade 'overhanging' the harbour. If you're coming from the city, you'll need to get pass Chaffers Marina, Freyberg Pool & Tug Boat Restaurant.

Phone: (04) 801 7900

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Seafood

Website: http://www.fishermanstable.co.nz

Satay Kajang: A Taste of Malaysia

One of the Malaysian restaurants that is truely authentic (hearing from a Malaysian - me). Visited many times & no regrets... good food & good service @ reasonable price! Most mains are under NZD$9.

Satay Kajang, along with KK & Roti (all on my Restaurant tip) are places offer reasonable priced authentic Malaysian food. Cinta Malaysian Kitchen (not featured) - in Courtenay Place.. a bit pricy. Kopi (not featured), on Willis Street, is the most expensive & the servings aren't that big.

Favorite Dish: • Rojak style stir fried eggplant
• Deep fried tofu
• Beef rendang
• Roti with any curry
• Mee goreng (fried egg noodles)
• Wat Tan Hor (flat rice noodles)

Address: 39 Dixon Street, Wellington

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Between Cuba Mall & Courtenay Place - opposite Te Aro Park.

Phone: (04) 385 3916

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

Espressoholic: Good Hot Chocolate

Espressioholic is one of the long standing café & still one of the good late night coffee stops in town . Definitely one of my favourite hot chocolate & dessert hang out place. It can get a little too smoky in there, especially when it's packed with people in the weekends. Don't expect to talk much there @ nights, the music is so loud that you can only sit & stare at each other or shout.

There is a courtyard at the back provides a sunny sheltered spot to kick back in.

Went for brunch once... not that satisfied as the scramble egg is too salty.

Hours:
7:30am - 12am Sundays to Thursdays
7:30am - 3am Fridays & Saturdays

Address: 128-130 Courtenay Place, Wellington

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Courtenay Quarter, near Taranaki Street.

Phone: (04) 384 7790

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 4

Theme: Other

The Bach: Island Bay Seaside Café

It used to be where the The Brass Monkey (a café too) is. This is a nice place for brunch / lunch, especially on a good day where you can sit under the sun and enjoy the view of Cook Strait & south island. A favourite local seaside café - always see a lots of cars parked in front of it everytime I drove pass.

Anyway, I've only been here once for lunch. Food was OK, but had to rather long wait.

Address: 410 The Esplanade, Island Bay, Wellington

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: On the south coast, between Island Bay & Owhiro Bay.

Phone: (04) 383 5115

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

The Original Thai Restaurant: Fantastic Thai

This is a nice suburban restaurant.. just around the corner from my house. It is primarily visited by locals & others from the Eastern suburbs. Been here twice in the weekends, and it's always packed with food lovers, with more queuing up for takeaways. I would recommend reservation if you don't want to be disappointed. It's worth making the trip here & try it out for yourself. Of course, there are plenty good Thai restaurants in town, eg. Oriental Thai Restaurant (rather pricy), here you get authentic Thai food @ a reasonable price.

Open 6 days for dinner only (6pm-10:30pm). Close on Mondays. Not licensed restaurant.

They now have another shop in town, located on corner Tory & Vivian Streets. Parking could be a problem here. Phone: (04) 801 7771.

Address: 155 The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Island Bay - a southern suburb of Wellington by the coast. From the city, get down to Kent Terrace (where Embasst theartre is) & Head towards Basin Reserve. Get to the opposite side of Basin Reserve & follow Adelaide Road & it'll take to The Parade.

Phone: (04) 383 5596

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Other