Cafeography
Wellington · Cuba Street

Cafés in Cuba Street

Cuba Mall, upper Willis Street and Dixon Street: late espresso, brew bars and roasters.

Photo: Tom McCarten, Pexels License

Cuba Street was named by the first Surveyor General, William Mein Smith, after the Cuba, a New Zealand Company ship that reached Wellington Harbour on 3 January 1840, not after the country.1 It runs 925 meters, sloping gently uphill from the business district, and its middle section became a pedestrian mall on 14 October 1969, when the Bucket Fountain was installed.1

It is the street most tied to Wellington coffee. Faggs Coffee at 56–60 Cuba Street sold freshly roasted beans from 1926 into the 1970s.1 Today the blocks around it, from upper Willis Street to Abel Smith Street, hold roasters' own counters, a brew bar without an espresso machine and the city's second-largest group of cafés after the CBD.

Local tip: From Sunday to Thursday, Midnight Espresso at 178 Cuba Street is the only café nearby still serving after 21:30; it closes at 01:00.

At a glance

38Cafés listed
20With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Creamy and Crunchy, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–14:00 · Sat 06:00–12:00 · Sun Closed).
  • Closes latest: Midnight Espresso, until 01:00 (Mon–Fri 07:30–01:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–01:00).
  • Most listed streets: Cuba Street (5), Willis Street (4), Cuba St (3).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (21%), vegetarian options (18%), wheelchair access (18%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Wellington.

Coffee chains in Cuba Street

Getting to Cuba Street

The stretch from Dixon Street to Manners Street has been closed to traffic since 1979, and trams ran up the street from 1878 until 1964.1 Since 1995 Cuba Street has been a registered historic area, with more than 40 buildings of historical significance.1

CubaDupa, a free two-day arts and music festival with more than 140 acts, takes over the street and its neighbors in March; the next is in March 2027.2 It revived the old Cuba Street Carnival in 2015 and draws up to 100,000 people.1

Midnight Espresso and the late cafés

Midnight Espresso opened at 178 Cuba Street in 1989 as an alcohol-free place for late nights, and Havana Coffee Works was set up there the same year.1 Its counter is piled with vegetarian food, much of it vegan or gluten-free, the short-order menu is written on the wall, and the espresso is still Havana's.3 It opens at 07:30 on weekdays and 08:00 at weekends and closes at 01:00.

Fidel's opened at 234 Cuba Street in 1997 and was still trading in 2025, when it moved temporarily for earthquake strengthening.1 Superfina at 232 Cuba Street opens until 21:00 every day. Elsewhere the day ends early: more than half the cafés around Cuba Street close by 15:00.

Roasters and brew bars

Customs, the café of Coffee Supreme at 39 Ghuznee Street, opened in January 2010 as a brew bar, with a Slayer espresso machine beside a Chemex and a Clover.4 Supreme, roasting since 1993, still owns it, and the short menu is espresso or filter, hot or cold.56 Pour & Twist at 13 Garrett Street goes further, as a fully manual brew bar with no espresso machine.6

Flight Coffee roasts at The Hangar, 119 Dixon Street, in a former car park; its tasting flight sets three Flight blends side by side.6 Swimsuit at 38 Dixon Street, run by barista Tait Burge, has outdoor tables in a morning sun trap.6 Raglan Roast has two counters, at 40 Abel Smith Street from 06:00 on weekdays and at 156 Willis Street.

Upper Willis Street and the side streets

Evil Twins at 161B Willis Street is a small family café known for large jars of chilled drinks, among them an oat milk triple-shot latte.6 Neo, at 132 Willis Street, pours Supreme coffee in a Scandinavian-style room with oak tables and large windows.7 Amuse Snack Bar at 178 Willis Street stays open until 20:00 from Wednesday to Friday.

For an early start, Creamy and Crunchy at 50 Webb Street opens at 06:00 on weekdays and Saturdays. Good Grief, a bakery at 90 Abel Smith Street, makes laminated pastry and naturally leavened bread and opens Wednesday to Sunday.8

Sources

  1. Cuba Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. CubaDupa, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  3. Capital classics: long-lasting restaurants, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  4. Getting slayed at the Customs Brew Bar, The Wellingtonista (January 21, 2010), accessed October 2026
  5. About, Coffee Supreme, accessed October 2026
  6. Wellington coffee, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  7. Wellington city brunch, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  8. Wellington bakeries, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
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In Cuba Street, also browse: Outdoor seating Vegetarian options Specialty coffee Wi-Fi Bakery cafés

FAQ

Cuba Street cafés: questions

Which cafés on Cuba Street in Wellington are open late?

Midnight Espresso at 178 Cuba Street, open since 1989, serves until 01:00 every night and opens at 07:30 on weekdays. Superfina at 232 Cuba Street stays open until 21:00 daily, and Amuse Snack Bar on Willis Street until 20:00 from Wednesday to Friday. More than half the other cafés in the area close by 15:00.

Why is Cuba Street in Wellington called Cuba Street?

Cuba Street is named after the Cuba, a New Zealand Company settler ship that arrived in Wellington Harbour on 3 January 1840, not after the country. Surveyor General William Mein Smith chose the name. The street runs 925 meters, and its middle section became the pedestrian Cuba Mall in October 1969.

Where is Customs by Coffee Supreme in Wellington?

Customs is at 39 Ghuznee Street, in the Cuba Street quarter. Coffee Supreme, which has roasted since 1993, opened it in January 2010 as a brew bar with a Slayer espresso machine, a Chemex and a Clover. It now serves espresso or filter coffee, hot or cold, made with Supreme beans.

For café owners

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