Cafeography
Wellington

Outdoor seating cafés in Wellington

Tables outside, the largest share of them around Cuba Mall, in a city where gale-force gusts blow on most days.

Photo: 飞 谢, Pexels License

Wellington is windy enough that a sheltered table matters more than a view. At the Kelburn weather station, gusts passed gale force, 61 km/h, on 181 days in 2012, and no year from 1967 to 2012 had fewer than 173 such days.1 The average wind speed is 27 km/h.2

The Cuba Street quarter has the most cafés with outdoor seating, ahead of the CBD and Courtenay Place, with the Kelburn hilltop next. Several sit on Cuba Street itself or on side streets such as Garrett and Lombard streets, and more than half of them stop serving by 16:00.

Local tip: Go early for a table outside: Swimsuit's Dixon Street seats catch the morning sun, and more than half the cafés with outdoor seating have closed by 16:00.

Where these cafés are: Cuba Street (8), Lambton Quay & CBD (5), Courtenay Place & Te Aro (5), Kelburn & Aro Valley (3), Newtown & Mount Cook (2), Mount Victoria & Oriental Bay (1), Hataitai, Kilbirnie & Lyall Bay (1).

At a glance

25Cafés listed
16With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
21:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Creamy and Crunchy, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–14:00 · Sat 06:00–12:00 · Sun Closed).
  • Closes latest: Mingle Cafe & Eatery, until 21:00 (Mon–Tue 08:00–16:00 · Wed 07:00–17:00 · Thu 08:00–17:00 · Fri 08:00–21:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–16:00).
  • Most listed streets: Cuba Street (2).
  • Most common features: indoor seating (52%), wi-fi (24%), vegetarian options (24%).
Newtown & Mount Cook

Mingle Cafe & Eatery

  • 469 Adelaide Road
  • Mon–Tue 08:00–16:00 · Wed 07:00–17:00 · Thu 08:00–17:00 · Fri 08:00–21:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–16:00
  • +64211821500
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Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Wellington.

Sun, wind and the seasons

The city averages about 2,055 hours of sunshine a year. At Kelburn, the mean daily maximum is 20.3 °C in January and 11.7 °C in July, and June and July are the wettest months of a year that brings about 1,250 mm of rain.2

Temperatures rarely pass 27 °C or fall below 4 °C, so a summer terrace is mild rather than hot, and the deciding factor is the wind.2 The windiest years in the Kelburn record were far worse than the calmest: 1975 had 253 days of gale-force gusts.1

Cuba Mall, Dixon Street and the side streets

Cuba Mall has been free of cars since 14 October 1969, and the section from Dixon Street to Manners Street since 1979.3 Stories Espresso Bar at 40a Cuba Street has tables outside from Monday to Thursday, 08:00–13:00, and Superfina at 232 Cuba Street has outdoor seating and opens until 21:00 daily.

On Dixon Street, the outdoor seating at Swimsuit, number 38, is billed as a morning sun trap.4 Pickle and Pie at 2 Lombard Street and Pour and Twist at 13 Garrett Street put tables on their side streets, and Creamy and Crunchy at 50 Webb Street has outdoor seats from 06:00 on weekdays.

The waterfront, Te Aro and the CBD

By the harbor, Te Papa Cafe has tables inside and out, open daily 09:00–17:00, and Karaka Cafe at 2 Taranaki Street has outdoor seating. Havana's café at 163 Tory Street has outdoor tables on weekdays, and Zephyr is at 217 Wakefield Street.

In the CBD, Belén Plant Bakery at 104 Lambton Quay, Cuckoo at 57 Customhouse Quay and Thunderbird at 154 Featherston Street have seats outside. A plan to close the Golden Mile, Lambton Quay included, to cars was confirmed in February 2025, though no work had started by June 2026.5

Hilltops and the bays

Cable Top Eatery, next to the Kelburn terminal, has outdoor tables, and the viewing platform just outside is one of Wellington's most photographed spots; the Cable Car Museum beside it is free.6 Kind Wish at 86a Upland Road and Aro Cafe at 90 Aro Street also have outdoor tables, and Arobake on Aro Street has outdoor seating.7

Lola Stays at 104 Oriental Parade opens daily 07:00–15:30 with tables outside. Further out, Skipping Stone at 53 Bay Road in Kilbirnie opens at 06:30 on weekdays, and Newday Newtown at 12 Constable Street opens 07:30–17:00 every day.

Sources

  1. Days with wind gusts greater than gale force at Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand, Figure.NZ, from Ministry for the Environment data, accessed October 2026
  2. Wellington, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  3. Cuba Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  4. Wellington coffee, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  5. Lambton Quay, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  6. Things to do, Wellington Cable Car, accessed October 2026
  7. Wellington bakeries, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Wellington

Vegetarian options

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Bakery cafés

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By area: Cuba Street Courtenay Place & Te Aro Lambton Quay & CBD Kelburn & Aro Valley Newtown & Mount Cook

FAQ

Outdoor seating in Wellington: questions

How windy is Wellington for sitting outside at a café?

Very windy. At Kelburn, gusts above gale force (61 km/h) were recorded on 181 days in 2012, and on at least 173 days in every year from 1967 to 2012. The average wind speed is 27 km/h. Summers are mild, with a January mean maximum of 20.3 °C, so the wind matters more than the heat when choosing a table.

Where are the outdoor cafés in Wellington's Cuba Street area?

The Cuba Street quarter has the most cafés with outdoor seating in Wellington. Stories Espresso Bar at 40a Cuba Street and Superfina at 232 sit on the street, Swimsuit at 38 Dixon Street has seating in a morning sun trap, and Pickle and Pie on Lombard Street and Pour and Twist on Garrett Street have tables outside too.

Is there a café with outdoor seating at the top of the Wellington Cable Car?

Cable Top Eatery, next to the Kelburn terminal at the top of the Wellington Cable Car, has indoor and outdoor tables. The viewing platform just outside is one of the city's most photographed spots, and the free Cable Car Museum is beside the terminal.

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