Cafe coffee shop in Wellington

“Espresso Rescue not only make the most delicious coffees, but they have a brilliant selection of teas too. There's even Trade Aid GF hot chocolates on offer. The coffee's even organic and fair trade! There's a selection of flavours shots too. If you've not been before you must!!! The team are delightfully friendly and they remember your coffee!”

“Always a good cuppa from Aloha. We usually like getting either a cappucino or hot choccy or both. This place consistently does a beautiful hot choccy - the best I’ve had in Porirua. Also recommend trying the salted caramel donut in their cabinet - its divine! They also allow you to byo cups and have their own mugs for you to use to help with waste. To top it off, the cafe doubles as a small gallery that sells beautiful jewellery snd homeware.”

“Hands down the best coffee I’ve had!”

“Mainly visit as my daughter is fond of bubble tea! But the place is generally very neat and it has a nice white relaxing decoration if you enjoy to sip your drink on site. The packaging of the drink is very attractive and it comes in a sealed disposable cup with a straw.”

“Locals suggested me to come here and oh boy - one of the best places in Wellington for sure! I can’t remember when I had a better toast than the one I got here. Lovely staff members, great food and wonderful coffee! Perfect atmosphere to come for a small bite or stay longer and chill ✨”

“The meals are delicious and the lasagna name is the best I've had ! Trust me, I'm a foodie. Gotta say, love the customer service and everything about the guys who run this place! "Wellingtons best kept secret"”

“Writing a review purely just to say thank you for the exceptional service! My partner and I got the bacon and cheese scone, the honey focaccia and the caramel and banana (?) scroll today. The scone is always amazing, the focaccia was insanelllyyyyy good (please get it) but the scroll was a bit dry and was missing all four elements of what it supposedly advertised to have. My partner and I left the scroll as we were quite full and it wasn’t what we were expecting anyway. When staff came to collect the plate full of scroll scraps she asked me if everything was ok with it and offered to bring us something different to make up for it. I declined and she came over to give us free coffee vouchers shortly after. The manager came over and apologised too and thanked us for the feedback. Im super thankful to the team for being so kind and acknowledging our experience in so many different ways. Its quite easy to let things slide when you’re a bit shy, especially if you don’t want to come off as rude, so that persistence and self-awareness from the cafe is really impressive and defs noticed. Ive always loved Sixes and Sevens and my opinion of them wasn’t going to change based on this one scroll, but I absolutely think the world of them now!”

“The pesto halloumi bagel was good. The service was also great.”

“Just want to write a review to shout out just how amazing the food and service was at Martha's Pantry! We were a party of 9, doing a surprise bridal shower high tea for a friend. Martha's Pantry happily and thoughtfully accommodated our little particular requests. One of our party was Diary-Free and Gluten-Free, but for particular flours. The chef reviewed the list of what flours she can and cannot have, and very kindly was able to adapt the high tea for her. The guest had a great time and was so stoked that she was able to enjoy a high tea experience as that doesn't happen very often. So thank you Martha's Pantry team for making it an awesome afternoon for us!”

“Absolutely love this place!! The staff are so lovely, coffee is a 10/10 and the food is delicious! Karen and Tegan are always super hospitable and you can really tell they care about their customers. Will definitely be back!”

“All round fantastic! Had a a great time at CouCou. They have a huge range of sweet and savoury cabinet foods. Had a vegetarian quiche and it was absolutely divine. So much cheese! And the pastry was just right. We also got a few sweet items to share for the table. Really loved the jelly tip donut, was filled to the brim with creamy chocolate mousse and then dusted with raspberry powder. Staff were very kind and went above and beyond e.g helping us rearrange our overloaded table! See that they do half price baked goods after 3:pm. Highly recommend CouCou 10/10”

“Best place by far to get your coffee fix in the morning! Highly recommend giving them a try if you haven't already.”

“Designed mainly as a takeaway or eat and go place. There are some tables to but not many as the place is quite small. Coffees are reasonably priced below average at $3.50 a cup (standard price is usually around the $5 mark) which attracts some regulars that work nearby. Scones and pastry looks delicious but sell out fast- didn’t have a chance to try by the time I reached the counter lol. Coffee is good quality. Service is brisk and friendly. Would definitely come back and I highly recommend checking it out :)”

“Great espresso, very acidic but just the way I like it.”

“Beautiful Flat White, Chocolate Almond Croissant and the owner that made my morning on a cold day before the ferry. Would def be back anytime I’m in Welly for the rest of the good-lookin’ pastries, sangas and coffee! Best regards from a Polish sweet tooth! x @elliessuperfoods”

“During my bicycle ride, I experienced a sense of adventure. I requested a surprise flavor selection from the staff, and their choice was exceptional; a delicious, earthy, and berry-flavored combination.”

“You can find different taste of ice-cream here, more than 20 flavor. I have mascapone and black doris plum (even it rain:) very yummy.”

“A superb park, well laid out with great planning. The planting attracts birds of all types including the rowdy Tui. Great water features. Plenty of spacious parking and electric car charging posts. Toilets suffer from vandals but usable”

“We were in search of some of Wellington’s best cheese scones! I think this is definitely up there. Soft cheesy goodness heated up in a sandwich press to ensure it doesn’t go soggy/rubbery. You can get a larger one, or smaller ones for slightly less. Absolutely delicious cheese scones, wish I could eat it all over again! Pravda has some serious competition! El porteno also make a delicious hot choco which is a great price!”

“Visiting the city and found an excellent spot for exceptional coffee. On a sunny day, the best place to enjoy it is the outdoor terrace upstairs - quieter, more spacious, and refreshingly open, perfect for a leisurely breakfast and long conversations. The service is warm, welcoming, almost joyous, with staff who appear genuinely enthusiastic, accommodating, and efficient. Though the space is compact, the atmosphere is full of heart. Had a very lovely experience here. Thanks Frank’s and Wellington!”

“The thw scrambled eggs with salmon roe were delightful. The chives, salty pops of the roe paired perfectly with the koulouri (similar to a Greek bagel). This atmosphere was homey yet sophisticated.”

“I had the tonkatsu special, and was really impressed by the pork. It was sliced around 2cm thick, so retained a lot of juices and allowed you to really taste the pork. The coating was thin and crispy, fried perfectly. Partner enjoyed the salmon gnocchi, and was very impressed by the dessert special - a sake panna cotta. If we lived closer we would definitely come more often!”

“This is such a charming little café. The service was fantastic and the food was delicious. We went to try their WOAP burger which was by far the best we had during the event. We'll definitely be going back.”

“Just popped in here for a late breakfast. Who knew oatmeal could be such a work of art! Delicious and a pleasure to the senses on multiple levels. My wife had the smashed avocado with feta and humus on sourdough toast which she also loved.”

“Just stopped in to try coffee and check out food - so good! Great service and quick wait. Coffee amazing! Good selection of food and prices. Love the seating and old school stools.”

“My parents are moving to the area soon (from out of town). They've been to this cafe a couple of times while finding a house, doing inspections, etc. The staff remembered their faces and to my Mum in particular that meant the world. Thank-you!!”

“Makara Beach Cafe (Wharekai) is a special place. It’s in one of the wildest parts of New Zealand. The cafe is open Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays (subject to management’s discretion) from 11am till 5pm (again… it can change!!). It’s actually a really hard place to run a cafe because of its location. You either drive through Takarau Gorge (a narrow, winding road through an active fault from Johnsonville), or Makara Road via Karori (more friendly for inexperienced drivers). While only 15-20 minutes from the city, it is considered remote. There is very little infrastructure out there. No town water services exist, there is a public toilet block with 2 loos and a change room. They are connected to a septic system and there is no drinkable public water supply (byo or buy one at the cafe). Everyone working here is a local resident. The current proprietors have dedicated their lives to serving their community. They are the local posties, working 7 days a week…. Ronnie and Mark decided to take up the lease of the cafe post-covid. There is nothing else anywhere nearby. The nearby Makara Beach walkway is the busiest public recreational walking track in the whole Wellington Region! Ronnie, once the catering manager with Cook Strait ferries, brings her epic culinary skills to creating and cooking everything on the menu personally, in a very small kitchen. She batters the fish as ordered, making some of the freshest and most delicious fish and chips you will ever have. Her Lasagne is legendary, Toasties are a very popular mainstay (if you are Coeliac, you can even have a Gluten Free toastie!!!). The Big Beefy Burger is always a winner after doing an epic walk to the gun emplacements. I personally can’t get enough of the Bacon and Egg Butties! Ronnie has an extensive menu, catering for all tastes and levels of hunger, including those of our most precious Tamariki (children). The cafe’s busy-ness is directly linked to weather conditions and time of the year. On a sunny day with little wind, you can guarantee the Makara Beach area will be very busy. It is advisable to take this into consideration when trying to park, use the bathrooms and the cafe. Obviously, you may need to wait for services.. including the toilets!!! Perhaps consider whether you should visit the area on such days if you are likely to be frustrated by waiting in queues. The services here are provided by Wellington Council. It is almost impossible to consistently predict the numbers of visitors to the area and visitors need to plan accordingly. This can result in the cafe being closed with little warning if the weather is terrible. There is very little shelter outside the cafe. During summer’s hot days please ensure you have sufficient water, sun cream, hats and shelters. Also respect the residents and the animals (including the recently released Kiwi) who reside there. Park in allocated spaces along Makara Road or in the carpark behind the toilets. Don’t block driveways or the boat ramp access or park on septic tanks and planted areas. Don’t use people’s homes as a urinal and please dispose of your rubbish in the bins provided. Ronnie, Mark and staff do everything they can to make the best food and drinks, and provide the best experience possible for visitors. Their hearts are in everything they do, stop by for a chat and say hi!”

“This is an interesting place to others an amazing vibe, it has the choices I am generally interested in and of course it has a hint of southern African quinine, whether you come for a coffee, or a breakfast with boerewors or you lunch with a bunny chow can you really go wrong in a place like this, I think not! It is definitely a great place to eat and you should give it a go!”

“Great coffee, service and pre made food. The chicken cranberry Panini is excellent”

“Probably the friendliest staff of any cafe in the country. They're always bubbly and ready for a good yarn. The monthly changing scones and overnight oats are , 11 times out of 12, excellent , the olive lover(s) might say 12 out of 12. Good banter, excellent coffee and not a bad location either.”