Cafeography
Wellington · Courtenay Place & Te Aro

Cafés in Courtenay Place & Te Aro

Roasteries on Tory and College streets, Courtenay Place nights and Te Papa on the waterfront.

Photo: Donovan Kelly, Pexels License

Te Aro takes its name from Te Aro Pā, settled by a Te Āti Awa-led party in the 1820s; an 1850 survey counted 186 people there, and by the 1880s almost all had left.1 The 1855 earthquake raised and drained the swampy ground around today's Courtenay Place, and the Te Aro Reclamation Act of 1879 added 40 acres of foreshore, out to what is now Cable Street.21

Courtenay Place is New Zealand's largest entertainment district, and on Saturdays most bars and clubs stay open until at least 03:00.1 By day, the streets behind it are where Wellington roasts: Havana on Tory Street, L'affare on College Street and two Raglan Roast counters on Holland and Herd streets.

Local tip: Havana's Tory Street café opens only on weekdays, 07:30–16:00; at weekends, go to L'affare on College Street, open from 08:00 on Saturdays and 09:00 on Sundays.

At a glance

29Cafés listed
12With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
00:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: August Eatery, from 07:00 (Tue–Fri 07:00–15:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–15:00).
  • Closes latest: Lovy's Eatery, until 00:00 (Tue–Thu 09:00–21:00 · Fri–Sat 09:00–00:00 · Sun 09:00–19:00).
  • Most listed streets: Taranaki Street (3), Tory Street (2), Jessie Street (2).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (17%), card payment (17%), vegetarian options (14%).

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Coffee chains in Courtenay Place & Te Aro

Courtenay Place and its theaters

The street is named after Viscount Courtenay, a director of the New Zealand Company, and runs about 450 meters to Kent and Cambridge terraces at the end of the Golden Mile.2 The St James Theatre opened at 77–87 Courtenay Place in 1912, and the Embassy, built in 1924 as the De Luxe, faces the street from Kent Terrace; The Return of the King had its world premiere there.2

Deluxe, a café, is at 10 Kent Terrace. For later hours, Le Samourai at 45 Tory Street serves until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and Lovy's Eatery at 43 Vivian Street until midnight on the same nights.

Roasteries on Tory and College streets

Havana Coffee Works roasts at 163 Tory Street, in an avocado-green 1959 Art Deco building, where you can watch the roasting from its retro coffee shop.3 Caffe L'affare at 27 College Street, one of the pioneers of the city's coffee culture, roasts its own beans and sells cups, plungers and manual brewers in its beanstore.3

L'affare opens daily, from 07:00 on weekdays and until 15:30 at weekends, while Havana's café is a weekday stop, 07:30–16:00. Raglan Roast pours at 12 Holland Street and 16A Herd Street, and West Two Espresso at 136A Jessie Street opens all week, from 08:00 at weekends.

Brunch streets south of Courtenay Place

August Eatery fills the front of a heritage-listed Methodist church at 75 Taranaki Street and serves tsoureki, a Greek Easter brioche, in place of French toast.4 The Wesley church on that site opened in 1880.1 Volco is down a lane at 11 Egmont Street, and Prefab at 14 Jessie Street bakes its own bread for long communal tables that are usually full.4

Shelly Bay Baker runs its inner-city café at 14 Leeds Street, with bread delivered each morning from its Miramar bakery, which mills its own flour.5 Sixes & Sevens in Market Lane opens daily at 07:00, and Sketchbook in Lukes Lane opens at 07:00 from Tuesday to Friday.

Te Papa and the waterfront

Te Papa, the national museum, opened on Cable Street on 14 February 1998, on reclaimed land that once belonged to the harbor board.6 Entry is free for New Zealanders; international visitors have paid NZ$35 since September 2024, and some temporary exhibitions are ticketed.6 Te Papa Cafe opens daily 09:00–17:00 with tables inside and out, and Karaka Cafe at 2 Taranaki Street has outdoor seating and Wi-Fi.

Sources

  1. Te Aro, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Courtenay Place, Wellington, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Wellington coffee, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  4. Wellington city brunch, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  5. Wellington bakeries, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  6. Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
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In Courtenay Place & Te Aro, also browse: Outdoor seating Vegetarian options Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Bakery cafés

FAQ

Courtenay Place & Te Aro cafés: questions

Where are the coffee roasteries in Te Aro, Wellington?

Havana Coffee Works roasts in public at 163 Tory Street, in a 1959 Art Deco building with a retro coffee shop open 07:30–16:00 on weekdays. Caffe L'affare roasts its own beans at 27 College Street and opens every day. Raglan Roast pours its coffee at 12 Holland Street and 16A Herd Street.

Which cafés are open late around Courtenay Place in Wellington?

Le Samourai at 45 Tory Street serves until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and Lovy's Eatery at 43 Vivian Street stays open until midnight on the same nights. Courtenay Place is New Zealand's largest entertainment district, and on Saturdays most of its bars and clubs stay open until at least 03:00.

Is Te Papa in Wellington free to enter?

Te Papa, the national museum on Cable Street, is free for New Zealanders. International visitors have paid a NZ$35 entrance fee since September 2024, and some temporary exhibitions are ticketed. Te Papa Cafe opens daily 09:00–17:00, with tables indoors and outside.

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