Cafeography
Wellington

Specialty coffee cafés in Wellington

Roasters' cafés and brew bars, most of them in the Cuba Street quarter and Te Aro.

Photo: Vldsx ., Pexels License

Several of Wellington's roasters pour their coffee in cafés of their own. Havana Coffee Works began at Midnight Espresso on Cuba Street in 1989, and Coffee Supreme has roasted since 1993, starting with Reds Cafe.12 Flight Coffee was founded in 2009 by Richard Corney, Matt Graylee and Nick Clark, with the stated aim of improving how coffee is roasted and sourced in New Zealand.3

The Cuba Street quarter has the most specialty cafés, ahead of Courtenay Place and Newtown: Midnight Espresso on Cuba Street, The Hangar on Dixon Street and Coffee Supreme at 35 Hopper Street.

Local tip: To compare beans, order the tasting flight at The Hangar on Dixon Street: three coffees from different Flight beans or blends, served as flat whites, filters or espressos.3

Where these cafés are: Cuba Street (5), Courtenay Place & Te Aro (2), Newtown & Mount Cook (2), Lambton Quay & CBD (1).

At a glance

10Cafés listed
5With opening hours
07:00Earliest opening
01:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Caffe L’affare, from 07:00 (Mon–Fri 07:00–15:00 · Sat 08:00–15:30 · Sun 09:00–15:30).
  • Closes latest: Midnight Espresso, until 01:00 (Mon–Fri 07:30–01:00 · Sat–Sun 08:00–01:00).
  • Most common features: vegetarian options (20%), outdoor seating (20%), card payment (20%).

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

Roasteries with a café

Havana's roastery on upper Tory Street, at number 163, shares a 1959 Art Deco building with a retro coffee shop, and it roasts in public.4 Caffe L'affare, at 27 College Street, roasts on site and serves its beans as espresso or filter alongside an all-day menu.4

Flight's flagship, The Hangar at 119 Dixon Street, fills a high-ceilinged industrial space with booths and banquettes. Its flights put three coffees side by side, as flat whites, filters or espressos, each from different beans or blends.3

Brew bars and filter coffee

Customs opened on Ghuznee Street in January 2010 with two brewers beside its espresso machine: a Chemex, a paper-filter glass brewer dating from the 1930s, and a Clover, which steeps the grounds and then filters them.5 Baristas on its Slayer espresso machine could adjust the steam pressure as they worked.5

Pour & Twist, at 13 Garrett Street, is described as New Zealand's first fully manual brew bar: there is no espresso machine, just a narrow, minimal room with a long communal bench.4 It opens from 08:00 most days but closes on Tuesdays.

What specialty coffee costs

Stats NZ's average for a takeaway coffee of any kind reached NZ$5.23 in June 2026.6 RNZ's check in August 2024 found most cafés charging about NZ$5 for a flat white, and NZ$6.30 at Swimsuit for a trim flat white with an extra shot.7

Flight's Richard Corney argued then that NZ$7 should be the price of a cup, if cafés could charge it without losing customers.7

Espresso bars by hour

For the earliest specialty coffee, Caffe L'affare on College Street and The Hangar on Dixon Street both open at 07:00, and Havana's café on Tory Street at 07:30. The Hangar keeps the same hours every day and closes at 14:00, while Havana's café opens on weekdays only, until 16:00. Pour and Twist on Garrett Street starts later, at 09:00, and also closes at 14:00.

On Saturdays L'affare opens 08:00–15:30, and on Sundays from 09:00. South of the center, Rich Coffee Roasters is at 369 Adelaide Road in Newtown, and L'affare has a second café at 43 King Street. For the latest cup, Midnight Espresso on Cuba Street pours Havana coffee until 01:00 every night, opening at 07:30 on weekdays and 08:00 at weekends.

Sources

  1. Cuba Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. About, Coffee Supreme, accessed October 2026
  3. The Hangar, Broadsheet, accessed October 2026
  4. Wellington coffee, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  5. Getting slayed at the Customs Brew Bar, The Wellingtonista (January 21, 2010), accessed October 2026
  6. Retail price of coffee in New Zealand (takeaway, weighted average), Figure.NZ, from Stats NZ Food Price Index data, accessed October 2026
  7. Should coffee cost $7?, RNZ (August 9, 2024), accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Wellington

Outdoor seating

25 cafés

Vegetarian options

20 cafés

Wi-Fi

10 cafés

Bakery cafés

9 cafés

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

FAQ

Specialty coffee in Wellington: questions

Which coffee roasters have cafés in Wellington?

Havana Coffee Works roasts in public at 163 Tory Street, Caffe L'affare roasts on site at 27 College Street, and Flight Coffee runs The Hangar at 119 Dixon Street. Coffee Supreme, roasting since 1993, opened Customs on Ghuznee Street in 2010.

Where can you get filter or pour-over coffee in Wellington?

Customs on Ghuznee Street opened in 2010 with a Chemex and a Clover beside its Slayer espresso machine and still serves filter coffee. Pour & Twist at 13 Garrett Street is a fully manual brew bar with no espresso machine, and Caffe L'affare on College Street serves its own beans as espresso or filter.

How much does a specialty flat white cost in Wellington?

In August 2024, a trim flat white with an extra shot cost NZ$6.30 at Swimsuit in Wellington, while most New Zealand cafés charged about NZ$5 for a flat white. Flight Coffee's Richard Corney argued that NZ$7 should be the price. By June 2026, the national average price of a takeaway coffee had reached NZ$5.23, according to Stats NZ.

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