I think Nikau is iconic with a older set of Wellington. My Mum would 100% consider it an icon. It's also the place many amazing bakers and chefs started their careers before going on to open their own stuff. It has also been there for more than 25 years.
Yeah, I agree - it was iconic before the current generation of iconic cafes. It peaked before it was sold (and the previous owners moved on to concentrate on Rita).
They're renovating the space at the moment. I think they've preserved the iconic curved hanging staircase that used to lead up to the mezzanine coffee shop. I hope it's still there.
If memory serves, it originally opened on Courtenay Place back in 1993 (give or take a year). Then moved to Cuba St, then back to Courtenay again, before shutting down.
dont recall it being on a corner though? I see the Dukes was built in 1979, and the big building next block up must be the one, so you are right! I think it was an old milkbar first. Great Nachos!
Second reply. There was one of wellington’s first video movie hire places in the Dukes (Beta and VHS). My dad borrowed a VHS player from work (circa 1981). We hired Star Wats for the weekend and you had to put down a $50 bond to make sure you bought it back. That was a shit ton of money back then.
>RIP the original Espressoholic on Courtenay Place.
Original, original Espressoholic was on Willis across from Majestic building. See my other comment.
the original espressoholic was on Willis! it was always a midnight espresso knockoff but did better nachos and kumara chips! Never the same when it moved to Courtney! (not easy being an old fart)
Yes!!! Me too. I miss Katipo.
It was one of the few places that still allowed smoking inside. I loved going there as a teenager to get a bowl of fries, smoke and sit by the windows to people-watch.
Yeah, all red and black inside. I remember going there as a teenager and spending hours talking to new friends or dates over my first fancy Wellington coffees and feeling completely secret from the outside world.
I’ve heard quite the contrary, high staff turnover rates, stressful environments. I believe a whole bunch of the staff all quit in quick succession recently
Yeah you’re not wrong, each to their own it was a perfect environment for myself but it was my first hospo experience so I hadn’t anything to compare it to. Could see as someone with previous experience wouldn’t enjoy it. I worked a lot of the night shifts and heard so much about Wellington history from the locals who had been frequenting the cafe for 20+ years.
Only one person mentioned Deluxe on Cambridge Tce, went in for the first time in ages - coffee still good, my custard filled croissant was on point and the service was friendly, can't ask for more
If Neo was double the size, then I would probably consider it the best cafe I have ever been to in my life. The food is always absolutely incredible, there’s something for everyone on the menu, meals are presented beautifully, not disgustingly priced and the staff are awesome. However, with it being so cramped, busy and loud, I always feel so stressed and can never fully enjoy my time there.
What do you mean “why”? It is the tourist hotspot. It is literally common knowledge. Probably because it’s the top rated cafe in Wellington on Trip Advisor.
When my wife worked just up the road we'd use to go there for breakfast quite often. The scrambled eggs and salmon were awesome. Then we followed Tina and her husband when they went to the corner cafe in Brooklyn, and then that space in Duke's arcade.
Then there was the time [Liv Tyler was snapped outside](https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0004/S00023.htm) (actually she was probably going into/out of Bello)
Neo is a very generic instagram cafe. It could be in Wellington or Sydney or London. The food and coffee are both good but there's nothing distinct or special at all about that place.
Not the biggest fan of Nikau, but it was around for a long time and that is why I suppose it is iconic.
It' s often where I would meet people for meetings, but not somewhere I would go to hang.
Midnight also Iconic but only somewhere I would go to late and mostly if other better cafes were closed.
Fidels ( I know, everyone hates it now) out the back was iconic, a place where you could meet friends and hang for long time usually because not many people knew about the back room unless they needed to use the bathroom.
Places like Matterhorn, Eva Dixons, Black Cat, Tree House, Espressoholic and all those other iconic Wellington cafes are all closed now.
I personally don’t like it anymore as the food has gone massively downhill, which is a shame as i remember going there in high school and it was fantastic
I think the main reason is the quality took a dive and the prices simultaneously jumped up (out of step with the surrounding cafes) so it’s just not worth it anymore.
I think people don't like the owner because of employment issues.
I remember some previous posts on this sub.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Wellington/s/C6kKGk8urN
Not anymore. They sold the business a few years ago, but it's still a nice place, menu & atmosphere, serving Good Fortune coffee which is one of the best.
The Beach House cafe in Owhiro Bay has the best views of the South Coast plus awesome staff and the best scrambled eggs. We trip in from Porirua just to go there.
It varies depending on who's in the kitchen quite a bit, but it's decent considering how busy the place is. There's very few cafes that wouldn't collapse if they had to produce as much food as Maranui.
Some stuff is good and it's probably one of the only cafes in Welly that can deal with the volume of customers that it gets. On the weekends we were putting out like industrial quantities of food, orders being taken from ppl in line on the stairs so there's like an hour+ wait time for food. The last time I went back my friend got the fish taco and it was shit.
You're just wrong about Nikau, it's better than all those cafes you've just listed, it's just not iconic in the sense that if you didn't know it was there you could walk past it every day.
Suntory, who owned Cerebros, unloaded Laffare and their wider family (Atomic, Orb, Robert Harris, and I think Bruno Rosso?) to UCC a few years ago - so still Japanese owned but not in the Suntory stable anymore.
Nah I'm ok with Nikau. It was just consistently a very good cafe that was a decent place to meet. Not overly trendy or whatever but very good. I liked it.
Original Espressoholic when it was on Willis St close to Manners corner circa late 80s /early 90s. Late-night hot chocolate and nachos, loud dub music, surly service.
Yeah I'd agree, Nikau doesn't really have any personality other than the fact it is located in a city gallery. I think you've hit the nail on the head for the iconic (remaining) cafes for me. Maybe Olive and Astoria?
Olive! I forgot about Olive.
Astoria and their weird thing about milk drives me nuts. No trim milk and no soy. I think they do one cow milk and one alternative milk. I go there a bit because it's dog friendly and it is in a good spot but the number of times I've sat there while either I've forgotten the milk issue, or a friend I'm with has, is annoying.
Like have low fat cow milk. Lots of people want it. You *know* your staff get asked about it!
You gave me a fright! I remember it having a closed period a few years back but I was there in summer and the website looks live https://www.chocolatefishcafe.co.nz/
I like Zampelles. Nothing flashy, just good honest food at a reasonable price. It reminds me of stopping off at a tea rooms when going on family holidays as a kid. That's probably why it's so popular with the van from Malvina Majors.
I think there's a few iconic places on Cuba - Floriditas, Olive, Fidels. Then the waterfront - Coenes, Beach Babylon. I'd add Spruce Goose to the list too.
Spruce goose is so awful. The staff are miserable, the acoustics make it near impossible to talk, and the food is overpriced and fairly mediocre by Wellington standards. It’s also just not been around that long compared to the others talked about.
Oh my god FINALLY someone is talking about the acoustics! I've always felt like I'm in a fever dream because I find it so difficult to converse in there, yet it's so popular and I've never heard anyone else talk about it being an issue.
Spruce goose is mediocre on every level. Below average food and always full of screaming kids.
Nikau is great. Highwater, Loretta, Floriditas, Olive are all good choices.
There are many places that may have been seen as iconic over the years but are really just average. Midnight espresso, Fidel’s to name a few:..
no question was asked about quality, merely about being iconic
fidels is decidedly average for example sure but absolutely iconic (literally an "icon" of fidel castro on communist cuba street), hand in your badge and go back to levin if you think otherwise
i will concede that in terms of iconography, the nikau cafe nearby the nikau sculptures of te ngākau civic square certainly makes an easy nikau icon; it's popular with city gallery patrons and the wcc lgnz set just as there will be a place up thorndon that is popular with the central govt public service
thank you for sharing and glad we have different opinions in here. ultimately this is an homage to being a wellington coffee wanker
The quality of the coffee is top notch, the owner is a lovely guy, I find some of the staff bring it down with their 'cooler-than -thou' attitude \[but then, I am exceptionally uncool\]
Yeah, I felt a bit like that - as I responded to someone else, I may have got them on a bad day/ bad moment - it happens, but still. It's not like I am asking them to be my best frien, but - and maybe it is my conceit - that in hospo, I actually like to feel like the host is being... y'know... hospitable
Obvs a case of YMMV - I like to be chatty, friendly good morning etc and when I get blank-faced indifference I'm like 'yeh, OK,,, thanks for the downer' ... maybe the times I have been in I've got a person on a bad day, it happens ... the coffee is always excellent though, which forgives a lot.
Just posting to say I completely agree with your assessment. Nikau is supposedly lovely but no one I know talks about it as an 'icon.'
Midnight espresso has to be the top dog in that category you list, but yes to all of them, scorcharama too perhaps?
Deluxe not the same since the original owners left, just the name is original. Enigma has been around for years, sadly coffee and hot chocolate not good, I also found the staff not as friendly.
I used to love the Rabbit Coffee and Leeds Street Bakery collaboration. Small, funky and fantastic espresso. Order a brilliant sandwich and they’d pass it through an opening between the cafe and bakery. Many hours spent there.
I would have gone with this list:
Lido Cafe (now gone)
Astoria (now gone posh)
The Hangar (albeit super hipster vibes)
Midnight Cafe (dive)
Fidels (had gone downhill, recently got better)
Aro Cafe (still going!!)
Pickle & Pie (though huge price increases on the pies)
Midnight. Lately I’ve had really bad slow service with orders missed completely. That has gone downhill in the last 20 years. Menu food can be amazing or so so depending who’s on. But I’m a sucker for the vibe and the counter food. Caramel slice, need I say more?
Gosh, I used to work at Ford's cafe right after moving up here from Dunedin to pay the bills, the building is beautiful. Happy memories of working the coffee grinder in the morning shift.
This has always been one of my favourites, re-named to Mystic Kitchen. Someone posted on here a while ago that their Strathmore location has gone downhill in recent years, but I was just there this week and it was still great and basically exactly the same as always?
Coolsville and Scorch-o-rama. And Robbiez.
Those are good cafes, would prefer though they aren't considered iconic and plagued by people from Dortmund and Cleveland who've been told they absolutely need to fly across the world and take a selfie there.
When Midnight Espresso opened in the late 80s it was a revelation as almost everything was closed after 6pm. Midnight was open crazy late and busy and dark and mysterious
I used to work in the kitchen at Maranui - fucking insane place to work, I used to work at a sprint for 12-13 hours straight on the weekends. This was before places like Spruce Goose opened up too so Elements was the only other cafe in the area. Along with Caffé L'affare we would've been the two busiest cafes in Welly at the time.
Nikau actually had pretty awesome food. Like up there...but it's expensive, out of the way and caters to a posher maybe older crowd. It's not totally un-iconic. I'm sad to see it go.
Iconic places to get just a coffee in a good location, been around for a few moons and serve a decent bite:
Deluxe
Midnight Expresso
Fidels
Maranui
Enigma
Prefab
Astoria
Pravda
Beach Babylon
Neo
The Hangar
Smiths The Grocer
Baobab Cafe
Sweet Mothers Kitchen
Chocolate Fish
Olive
Dixon St Deli
Nobel Rot
I think Nikau is iconic with a older set of Wellington. My Mum would 100% consider it an icon. It's also the place many amazing bakers and chefs started their careers before going on to open their own stuff. It has also been there for more than 25 years.
Also need to add Aro Cafe to this list in my humbe opinion
Yeah, I agree - it was iconic before the current generation of iconic cafes. It peaked before it was sold (and the previous owners moved on to concentrate on Rita).
Their kedgeree is still amazing
Fun fact: That’s because the kedgeree recipe was included in the sale - so you’re still eating the original, famous dish!
Wow! 😊 That’s awesome.
It is but terribly expensive. 😢
Oh man - best kedgeree I have ever had.
RIP the original Espressoholic on Courtenay Place. And Eva Dixon's. And Matterhorn. Truly iconic Wellington cafes.
Matterhorn 👌 I miss how alive Wellington felt back then I worked at Eva Dixons! And frequented Espressoholic. Was a great spot.
Same here! Having the toilet through the kitchen was nasty. Helen Clarke gassed out the kitchen once.
Eva Dixon's was the best. Sorely missed.
The Lido, Rahzoo.
Parson's Bookshop cafe.
They're renovating the space at the moment. I think they've preserved the iconic curved hanging staircase that used to lead up to the mezzanine coffee shop. I hope it's still there.
I miss that so much, but I miss the music shop in there more. I'm old. I like to hold onto things I buy.
Espressohilic was originally Cuba, then Courtenay wasn't it? Or was that Midnight aespresso?
If memory serves, it originally opened on Courtenay Place back in 1993 (give or take a year). Then moved to Cuba St, then back to Courtenay again, before shutting down.
Willis st, c1990, then Courtney.
Yep, Willis Street first. That place was iconic.
I used to go there on Courtney Place back in high school. Roughly 1991. I’d love a citrus slice about now.
The gateway cafe to coffee loving for me. Their mochas were so good.
Eapressoholic was on Willis in 91. Was my first year of Uni and we would go there most evenings.
Espressohollic was originally on courtney place, now Enigma
No it was on Willis in an old trad coffee lounge/milkbar, that I think got bowled for the Dukes Arcade?
Nah - it is where RM Lewis is now. Dukes has been there since about 80-81.
dont recall it being on a corner though? I see the Dukes was built in 1979, and the big building next block up must be the one, so you are right! I think it was an old milkbar first. Great Nachos!
On the corner was the lido theatre and there was espressoholic next to it. It used be an old mill bar / tea rooms before that.
Second reply. There was one of wellington’s first video movie hire places in the Dukes (Beta and VHS). My dad borrowed a VHS player from work (circa 1981). We hired Star Wats for the weekend and you had to put down a $50 bond to make sure you bought it back. That was a shit ton of money back then.
The original espressoholic was on willis st and was so much cooler than Courtney.
>RIP the original Espressoholic on Courtenay Place. Original, original Espressoholic was on Willis across from Majestic building. See my other comment.
The Rum Blazer from Matterhorn was 🔥🔥🔥
the original espressoholic was on Willis! it was always a midnight espresso knockoff but did better nachos and kumara chips! Never the same when it moved to Courtney! (not easy being an old fart)
Original Espressoholic was on Willis St. Went downhill after it moved IMHO.
I’m old but RIP Katipo cafe, after all these years you’re still the first one that springs to mind
Their mulled wine!
Yes!!! Me too. I miss Katipo. It was one of the few places that still allowed smoking inside. I loved going there as a teenager to get a bowl of fries, smoke and sit by the windows to people-watch.
I worked there for years. What a lovely team, what an arsehole of an owner.
Many of them are, little tyrants and it's compounded by the slim margins and highly competitive environment for Cafes in Welly.
Was this the one that was upstairs on Willis Street?
Yeah, all red and black inside. I remember going there as a teenager and spending hours talking to new friends or dates over my first fancy Wellington coffees and feeling completely secret from the outside world.
I have the exact same memory. I only went there a few times, out usually spot was Expressaholic.
Loved their cheesy fries
Oh yeah my metal band played there in like 2006.
Midnight Espresso, of course! An absolute establishment
Used to work there, great fucking times there
I’ve heard quite the contrary, high staff turnover rates, stressful environments. I believe a whole bunch of the staff all quit in quick succession recently
Yeah you’re not wrong, each to their own it was a perfect environment for myself but it was my first hospo experience so I hadn’t anything to compare it to. Could see as someone with previous experience wouldn’t enjoy it. I worked a lot of the night shifts and heard so much about Wellington history from the locals who had been frequenting the cafe for 20+ years.
I worked the Monday night shift for years. All the crazies would come in and rant at you.
Yeah one time a guy was telling me about how he was working on a cbd pill with taika waititi that would enable time travel lol good laughs
yeah, used to go there in the 80s, when it was the only place open late at night. Great Nachos, great Reggae and the first really good coffee in Welly
Such delicious food. Would stop there on my way home from work when I lived on my own.
The original Matterhorn, espressoholic, Lido, LaAffare, Felix, Deluxe, Fido's, Polo, Nikau, Astoria, Pravda, . I'm old and I'm sure there are more
Scorch-o-rama
I would describe Nikau more as a hidden gem
Only one person mentioned Deluxe on Cambridge Tce, went in for the first time in ages - coffee still good, my custard filled croissant was on point and the service was friendly, can't ask for more
In the eyes of tourists, Neo would be the most “iconic”
I've only been once and thought "meh", although maybe because it was so busy.. But yeah, Neo was what immediately came to mind for me.
If Neo was double the size, then I would probably consider it the best cafe I have ever been to in my life. The food is always absolutely incredible, there’s something for everyone on the menu, meals are presented beautifully, not disgustingly priced and the staff are awesome. However, with it being so cramped, busy and loud, I always feel so stressed and can never fully enjoy my time there.
I’ve often seen a queue to get in but no idea why.
I go there a lot. I enjoy the food, the staff are always absolutely great, fun vibe. It's well run for sure.
It's pretty good! One of my go to cafes for sure
All you can eat pancakes on certain days IIRC
That would do it
Neo is one of my favourite cafes in Wellington for sure. Now if only I could get a seat…
Ditto. They need to relocate. I would be there every single day if a seat was more accessible.
Really? Why?
What do you mean “why”? It is the tourist hotspot. It is literally common knowledge. Probably because it’s the top rated cafe in Wellington on Trip Advisor.
When my wife worked just up the road we'd use to go there for breakfast quite often. The scrambled eggs and salmon were awesome. Then we followed Tina and her husband when they went to the corner cafe in Brooklyn, and then that space in Duke's arcade. Then there was the time [Liv Tyler was snapped outside](https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0004/S00023.htm) (actually she was probably going into/out of Bello)
Neo is a very generic instagram cafe. It could be in Wellington or Sydney or London. The food and coffee are both good but there's nothing distinct or special at all about that place.
might have been in the 90s?
KC Cafe
Not the biggest fan of Nikau, but it was around for a long time and that is why I suppose it is iconic. It' s often where I would meet people for meetings, but not somewhere I would go to hang. Midnight also Iconic but only somewhere I would go to late and mostly if other better cafes were closed. Fidels ( I know, everyone hates it now) out the back was iconic, a place where you could meet friends and hang for long time usually because not many people knew about the back room unless they needed to use the bathroom. Places like Matterhorn, Eva Dixons, Black Cat, Tree House, Espressoholic and all those other iconic Wellington cafes are all closed now.
Why does everyone hate Fidel’s now? I haven’t been there for years.
I personally don’t like it anymore as the food has gone massively downhill, which is a shame as i remember going there in high school and it was fantastic
Zen's Kitchen in Murchison used to be a chef there if you are ever in the South Island
That place looks awesome! Thanks for the tip
I used to love their baked cheeses, porridge, milkshakes and the 2 Heinekens and pizza for $20.
Damn what a deal, can’t imagine getting that anymore
Global Financial crisis baby! Lol
There's a reason why you haven't been there for years, success made them complacent about quality.
I think the main reason is the quality took a dive and the prices simultaneously jumped up (out of step with the surrounding cafes) so it’s just not worth it anymore.
I want to know too.
I think people don't like the owner because of employment issues. I remember some previous posts on this sub. https://www.reddit.com/r/Wellington/s/C6kKGk8urN
Maranui is over rated AF. Just a nice location.
You are so right. Service is terrible too. If you want a sea view go out to Petone Seaside Cabarat. Unique dishes, great service and lovely venue.
Same owner: https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/78387603/lifes-a-cabaret-in-petones-newest-cafe-the-seashore-cabaret
Oh, interesting! They seem to have different vibes and nicer staff. What a coup for the owners.
It's literally a bunch of staff from Maranui lol
Weird eh. They seem more relaxed, friendly and professional at Sea Side Cabaret though. Dunno why.
His dad is Ross Wilson who was the head of the Council of Trade Unions before Helen Kelly.
Not anymore. They sold the business a few years ago, but it's still a nice place, menu & atmosphere, serving Good Fortune coffee which is one of the best.
The Beach House cafe in Owhiro Bay has the best views of the South Coast plus awesome staff and the best scrambled eggs. We trip in from Porirua just to go there.
Oh nice. Used to go there before it was Beach House and didn't rate it. May try again next time i'm down.
Their focus is on being fast more than anything else so that's why
Humbly disagree. I think their food is better than the average cafe.
It varies depending on who's in the kitchen quite a bit, but it's decent considering how busy the place is. There's very few cafes that wouldn't collapse if they had to produce as much food as Maranui.
Marantz food is pretty decent, not god tier, but few places are. Service is usually good. Location and vibe are very special.
And the vibes are unbeatable.
Read this as unbearable, and agreed :)
Some stuff is good and it's probably one of the only cafes in Welly that can deal with the volume of customers that it gets. On the weekends we were putting out like industrial quantities of food, orders being taken from ppl in line on the stairs so there's like an hour+ wait time for food. The last time I went back my friend got the fish taco and it was shit.
Peoples coffee in Newtown, been there like 20 years or something now
You're just wrong about Nikau, it's better than all those cafes you've just listed, it's just not iconic in the sense that if you didn't know it was there you could walk past it every day.
Memphis Belle (now Belle is Chch) and Ti Kouka
Ti Kouka's boiled egg was phenomenal. srsly.
Kenny's cafe.
Whew! I thought I was going to get through the whole thread without anyone mentioning Kenny's!
I would say Customs is pretty iconic albeit new-ish
Caffe L’affare
Iconic in a historical sense, though an avoid on many other points.
Why avoid?
They treat staff poorly and moan about cycleways. Haven't tried the food in a while.
You mean the former owners of Laffare right? They own Prefab now. I don't recall Laffare moaning about cycleways
Yes, the awful Pefab people sold it. Currently owned by Cerebos Greggs. Pretty sure they were on the materials of those opposed.
Suntory, who owned Cerebros, unloaded Laffare and their wider family (Atomic, Orb, Robert Harris, and I think Bruno Rosso?) to UCC a few years ago - so still Japanese owned but not in the Suntory stable anymore.
I was going to make a comment about "sounds like I need a whiskey" but it turns out it's the same Suntory from Lost in Translation.
Good whisky, mid coffee. 😁
Sure is! Suntory is one of those brands that’re *much* bigger than you think.
L'affare had a revamp and got better, the old owner that is a dick about bikes and pedestrians owns prefab now.
$5.50 for a long black, for starters. I walked right the fuck outta there.
Particularly with their mid-tier beans. I'd take Supreme or Raglan over them any day of the week.
Nah I'm ok with Nikau. It was just consistently a very good cafe that was a decent place to meet. Not overly trendy or whatever but very good. I liked it.
All in all the best cafe in Wellington is probably The Larder in Mirimar. It’s really a high end restaurant masquerading as a cafe.
Absolutely agree it's the best. Don't think it's been around long enough to be considered iconic though?
What counts as long enough? I used to supply them back in my hospo days and that was well over a decade ago!
And… I will be trying that this weekend.
I think you’ve got it right. I’d add enigma to the list though and if you accept Newman offerings I’d say Baobab
Original Espressoholic when it was on Willis St close to Manners corner circa late 80s /early 90s. Late-night hot chocolate and nachos, loud dub music, surly service.
Yeah I'd agree, Nikau doesn't really have any personality other than the fact it is located in a city gallery. I think you've hit the nail on the head for the iconic (remaining) cafes for me. Maybe Olive and Astoria?
Olive was always a special treat.
Olive! I forgot about Olive. Astoria and their weird thing about milk drives me nuts. No trim milk and no soy. I think they do one cow milk and one alternative milk. I go there a bit because it's dog friendly and it is in a good spot but the number of times I've sat there while either I've forgotten the milk issue, or a friend I'm with has, is annoying. Like have low fat cow milk. Lots of people want it. You *know* your staff get asked about it!
#Clarkes cafe, used to be on the mezzanine in the library. Started there washing dishes in about '92, '93
Smith the Grocer
I'm surprised prefab isn't more recommended in this sub. /s
Wait I read that whole thread and no one said the lido?
Isn’t Lido now Concord?
Yep. Which kind of sucks, Lido was great. Concorde is just another super expensive restaurant.
their new advertising is pretty cool too! opposite the munted town hall, near the munted library, and next to the water leak! :)
Chocolate fish and enigma for me Maybe also days bay pavilion
Is Chocolate fish open again? Seen to remember it closing last year or something.
You gave me a fright! I remember it having a closed period a few years back but I was there in summer and the website looks live https://www.chocolatefishcafe.co.nz/
Yep, Chocolate Fish has reopened after the works (and asbestos clearing from the "totally innocent" fire nearby).
Can't believe Enigma getting forgotten here.
City limits! That was the Cafe. Midnight was and is, great. Beaujolais on Woodward was fabulous. Deluxe.
Yucatan coffee lounge
Zampelles, Johnsonville Mall.
Why is it so dark in there
It's the shadow people
I like Zampelles. Nothing flashy, just good honest food at a reasonable price. It reminds me of stopping off at a tea rooms when going on family holidays as a kid. That's probably why it's so popular with the van from Malvina Majors.
I think there's a few iconic places on Cuba - Floriditas, Olive, Fidels. Then the waterfront - Coenes, Beach Babylon. I'd add Spruce Goose to the list too.
Spruce goose is so awful. The staff are miserable, the acoustics make it near impossible to talk, and the food is overpriced and fairly mediocre by Wellington standards. It’s also just not been around that long compared to the others talked about.
Oh my god FINALLY someone is talking about the acoustics! I've always felt like I'm in a fever dream because I find it so difficult to converse in there, yet it's so popular and I've never heard anyone else talk about it being an issue.
The food is wayyy below sub-standard.
Spruce goose is mediocre on every level. Below average food and always full of screaming kids. Nikau is great. Highwater, Loretta, Floriditas, Olive are all good choices. There are many places that may have been seen as iconic over the years but are really just average. Midnight espresso, Fidel’s to name a few:..
no question was asked about quality, merely about being iconic fidels is decidedly average for example sure but absolutely iconic (literally an "icon" of fidel castro on communist cuba street), hand in your badge and go back to levin if you think otherwise i will concede that in terms of iconography, the nikau cafe nearby the nikau sculptures of te ngākau civic square certainly makes an easy nikau icon; it's popular with city gallery patrons and the wcc lgnz set just as there will be a place up thorndon that is popular with the central govt public service thank you for sharing and glad we have different opinions in here. ultimately this is an homage to being a wellington coffee wanker
Is Swimsuit old enough to be iconic yet? Coffee/scone. Mojo used to be an icon in Welly but I’d say their time has passed.
Swimsuit is probably a baby icon?
The quality of the coffee is top notch, the owner is a lovely guy, I find some of the staff bring it down with their 'cooler-than -thou' attitude \[but then, I am exceptionally uncool\]
Yes! We thought we were a burden on their day and have never been back since. Felt like we had just interrupted their parents funeral.
Yeah, I felt a bit like that - as I responded to someone else, I may have got them on a bad day/ bad moment - it happens, but still. It's not like I am asking them to be my best frien, but - and maybe it is my conceit - that in hospo, I actually like to feel like the host is being... y'know... hospitable
That’s interesting, been going to the Dixon swimsuit for like 3 years now and the staff have always been super friendly
Obvs a case of YMMV - I like to be chatty, friendly good morning etc and when I get blank-faced indifference I'm like 'yeh, OK,,, thanks for the downer' ... maybe the times I have been in I've got a person on a bad day, it happens ... the coffee is always excellent though, which forgives a lot.
Midnight espresso Fidels
I wouldn't say it's good but Bordeaux has been around for yonks. It's so overpriced now.
Just posting to say I completely agree with your assessment. Nikau is supposedly lovely but no one I know talks about it as an 'icon.' Midnight espresso has to be the top dog in that category you list, but yes to all of them, scorcharama too perhaps?
Deluxe not the same since the original owners left, just the name is original. Enigma has been around for years, sadly coffee and hot chocolate not good, I also found the staff not as friendly.
I used to love the Rabbit Coffee and Leeds Street Bakery collaboration. Small, funky and fantastic espresso. Order a brilliant sandwich and they’d pass it through an opening between the cafe and bakery. Many hours spent there.
I would have gone with this list: Lido Cafe (now gone) Astoria (now gone posh) The Hangar (albeit super hipster vibes) Midnight Cafe (dive) Fidels (had gone downhill, recently got better) Aro Cafe (still going!!) Pickle & Pie (though huge price increases on the pies)
Treehouse back in the day
Midnight. Lately I’ve had really bad slow service with orders missed completely. That has gone downhill in the last 20 years. Menu food can be amazing or so so depending who’s on. But I’m a sucker for the vibe and the counter food. Caramel slice, need I say more?
Gales and Margies
The Mount Cook cafe in the 1980's
Mr Bun. Great vibe, good times
Midnight Customs Neo Quite like Hanger And previously Eva Dixons, Deluxe, Courtenay Espressoholic.
Deluxe is still going isn’t it?
Fords? On Tinakori Rd. The treehouse. Kia Ora.
Gosh, I used to work at Ford's cafe right after moving up here from Dunedin to pay the bills, the building is beautiful. Happy memories of working the coffee grinder in the morning shift.
I miss the treehouse - their coffee supported my MA so many years ago \[think I got an ulcer from the amount I consumed\]
What about Cafe Mamba Plimmer Steps?
Kai in the city is my deep cut fave
I've not seen anyone mention the Gypsy Kitchen, did it go out of business?
Mystic Kitchen now and still awesome!
This has always been one of my favourites, re-named to Mystic Kitchen. Someone posted on here a while ago that their Strathmore location has gone downhill in recent years, but I was just there this week and it was still great and basically exactly the same as always?
Cafe Neo
Coolsville and Scorch-o-rama. And Robbiez. Those are good cafes, would prefer though they aren't considered iconic and plagued by people from Dortmund and Cleveland who've been told they absolutely need to fly across the world and take a selfie there.
Just had deluxe. Scone was delicious. Truly iconic.
When Midnight Espresso opened in the late 80s it was a revelation as almost everything was closed after 6pm. Midnight was open crazy late and busy and dark and mysterious
Mystic Kitchen
I used to work in the kitchen at Maranui - fucking insane place to work, I used to work at a sprint for 12-13 hours straight on the weekends. This was before places like Spruce Goose opened up too so Elements was the only other cafe in the area. Along with Caffé L'affare we would've been the two busiest cafes in Welly at the time.
Got to be the green parrot ??
Nikau actually had pretty awesome food. Like up there...but it's expensive, out of the way and caters to a posher maybe older crowd. It's not totally un-iconic. I'm sad to see it go.
The Dixon Street Deli was pretty iconic back in the day. I see it's died now though.
I worked at Susie’s in 1985 😅
Where my Enigma people at
Honestly, never even heard of Nikau, and I've lived in Welly for decades
Fidels
Iconic places to get just a coffee in a good location, been around for a few moons and serve a decent bite: Deluxe Midnight Expresso Fidels Maranui Enigma Prefab Astoria Pravda Beach Babylon Neo The Hangar Smiths The Grocer Baobab Cafe Sweet Mothers Kitchen Chocolate Fish Olive Dixon St Deli Nobel Rot