Cafeography
Wellington

Vegetarian options cafés in Wellington

Cafés with vegan dishes, the biggest cluster of them around Cuba Street, plus a plant-based bakery on Lambton Quay.

Photo: Novkov Visuals, Pexels License

Meat-free eating has a long base on Cuba Street. Midnight Espresso, which opened in 1989 as an alcohol-free late-night venue, keeps a counter piled with vegetarian food, often vegan and gluten-free as well.12 Nearby, Aunty Mena's at 167 Cuba Street is a small Malaysian restaurant where everything is plant-based, and Nolita at 203 makes vegan pizza and pasta on 48-hour fermented sourdough with a house-made cashew mozzarella.3

Among cafés with vegan options, the Cuba Street quarter has the most, followed by Courtenay Place. Most keep short hours: about eight in ten close by 16:00 on weekdays.

Local tip: For a vegan breakfast before 07:00, Creamy and Crunchy on Webb Street opens at 06:00 on weekdays; after 22:00, Midnight Espresso's cabinet on Cuba Street is the option.

Where these cafés are: Cuba Street (7), Courtenay Place & Te Aro (4), Kelburn & Aro Valley (2), Newtown & Mount Cook (2), Hataitai, Kilbirnie & Lyall Bay (2), Lambton Quay & CBD (2), Brooklyn (1).

At a glance

20Cafés listed
16With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
23:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Creamy and Crunchy, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–14:00 · Sat 06:00–12:00 · Sun Closed).
  • Closes latest: Le Samourai, until 23:00 (Mon 07:00–16:00 · Tue–Thu 07:00–21:30 · Fri 07:00–23:00 · Sat 08:00–23:00 · Sun 08:00–16:00).
  • Most listed streets: Willis Street (2).
  • Most common features: card payment (45%), wheelchair access (40%), outdoor seating (30%).

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Plant-based baking

Belén Plant Bakery began in 2021 as a stall at Newtown Market and now sells doughnuts, brioche, "mince" pies and sandwiches with no animal products, on a menu that changes monthly.3 Besides the Lambton Quay shop at number 104, open 07:30–15:00 on weekdays, it has outlets on Manners Street and Courtenay Place.4

Arobake at 83 Aro Street counts a vegan chocolate cake among its regular bakes.4 In Te Aro, Best Ugly Bagels in Swan Lane and Creamy and Crunchy at 50 Webb Street both have vegan choices, and Dough Bakery at 182 Lambton Quay does too.

Cafés with vegan menus

On Willis Street, Cafe Neo at 132 and Evil Twins at 161B both offer vegan dishes. Evil Twins is known for jarred, chilled drinks in a sharing size, among them an oat milk triple-shot latte.5 Pickle and Pie at 2 Lombard Street opens seven days, and Half Baked Catering Co at 75 Abel Smith Street opens Wednesday to Saturday.

In Te Aro, Sketchbook in Lukes Lane and Caffe L'affare on College Street have vegan dishes, and Le Samourai at 45 Tory Street serves until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. Customs on Ghuznee Street offers the usual alternative milks for espresso or filter.5

Te Papa Cafe on the waterfront opens daily 09:00–17:00, and in Newtown, Black Coffee at 133 Riddiford Street and Rubia Express Café both have vegan options, the latter open Monday to Saturday. Outside the center, The Crazy Rabbit Cafe at 31 Waitoa Road in Hataitai opens every day, The Leafy Stop at 35 Onepu Road opens Tuesday to Saturday, and Penthouse Cafe is at 205 Ohiro Road in Brooklyn.

Vegetarian dinners after the cafés close

Once the cafés shut, dinner means a restaurant. September Vegan Food at 108 Manners Street cooks Malaysian, Chinese and Thai dishes, among them laksa, roti canai and Hainanese "chicken" rice.3 Hillside Kitchen at 241 Tinakori Road in Thorndon serves meat-free tasting menus of five or seven courses, with produce from its own garden and ingredients foraged around Wellington.3

The Botanist, at 219 Onepu Road in Lyall Bay, is plant-based too, with sea views and a sunny courtyard.3 For a later bite, Midnight Espresso's short-order menu is written on the wall and runs until 01:00.2

Sources

  1. Cuba Street, Wikipedia, accessed October 2026
  2. Capital classics: long-lasting restaurants, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  3. Vegetarian and vegan food, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  4. Wellington bakeries, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  5. Wellington coffee, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
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By area: Cuba Street Courtenay Place & Te Aro Lambton Quay & CBD Kelburn & Aro Valley Newtown & Mount Cook

FAQ

Vegetarian options in Wellington: questions

Where can you find vegan pastries in Wellington?

Belén Plant Bakery makes doughnuts, brioche, mince pies and sandwiches with no animal products, from shops on Lambton Quay, Manners Street and Courtenay Place; it began as a Newtown Market stall in 2021. Arobake on Aro Street bakes a vegan chocolate cake, and Best Ugly Bagels and Creamy and Crunchy in Te Aro have vegan choices.

Which Wellington café serves vegetarian food late at night?

Midnight Espresso at 178 Cuba Street, open since 1989, keeps a counter of vegetarian food, often vegan and gluten-free, and its short-order menu runs until 01:00. Le Samourai at 45 Tory Street, which has vegan options, stays open until 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Are there fully plant-based restaurants on Cuba Street in Wellington?

Yes. Aunty Mena's at 167 Cuba Street is a small Malaysian restaurant where everything is plant-based, and Nolita at 203 Cuba Street makes vegan pizza and pasta on 48-hour fermented sourdough with a house-made cashew mozzarella. September Vegan Food, on Manners Street, cooks Malaysian, Chinese and Thai dishes.

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