The coffee shop that launched a hundred copies in New Zealand, Midnight Espresso was the beginning…read moreof the "coffee revolution" by the Kiwis. It opened in 1988 and while the neighborhood has changed (and calmed down a bit) and the patrons have changed (and are a bit more mainstream), it's a lively little spot with a fun vibe. Food is served around the clock starting with pastries and pancakes in the morning and moving to burgers and nachos later in the day. What's awesome about Midnight Espresso is that they are open late. Way late. 7:30 am weekdays and 8:00 on weekends, closing at 1:00 am. There's music, there's a fun vibe, there's some history. Five stars. This was the best flat white I had all week across five cities of New Zealand. [Review 468 of 2024 - 119 in New Zealand - round number 21500 overall]

Only place open at like 7:30am on a weekday. I was walking around Cuba street searching for food…read moreand found this place open with a friend. This place was cozy and eclectic with a chalkboard menu, displays of food and pastries, and people coming in and out for breakfast. My friend and I were impressed with the selection of food, lots of vegetarian and vegan options. My Midnight Big Brekky was really good and perfect for the day. Note: they don't have almond milk, but they do have oat and soy milk options.

"Would you like that toasted?", Served cold hard haloumi in stale sandwich ($15), and a clearly…read moremicrowaved mushy croissant with leaky scrambled eggs ($15), literally I still have a gross taste in my mouth an hour later. Food remained 75% un-eaten. Yes, the staff are chilled and friendly, yes the venue is in a great location, but the food hygiene and quality are lousy and they're going to make someone very sick one day. Oops too late https://www.facebook.com/share/p/D26PC5ro217JdUM2/ Baobab has fallen off. If you are staff reading this and want to know what your food is like for customers, go eat at Enigma. You are Enigma cafe in 2024 (or the late Espressoholic). It's not distinctly Baobab's fault; this is a general trend in quality across the city. It has to be hard to find inspiration working in a cafe and renting in Wellington... but don't take it out on me!! All I want is something passably edible?! I paid you $54.33 for two bread things and two coffees! A pie from Mr Bun would have been preferable. The upside of being served such sad, very sad, woeful food is that over time I'm getting a lot better at cooking at home. Baobab's website is down and the socials are years out of date, you know where you are heading. I give cafe's 3 changes, you are now on my blacklist.

Baobab is a good place for breakfast to ease yourself into the weekend with its chilled vibe and…read morefriendly staff. Food orders are taken at the counter which is fine. The menu allows for you to change things up which is nice eg rosti or gf bread instead of bread with eggs etc. Although it will cost extra. I had the meaty breakfast which was quite large. My rosti was a bit underwhelming but nothing a bit of egg yolk couldn't fix! Flat white was on point and came out quick so I had something to sip on while I waited for my kai! Big courtyard out the back is a great setting to have a drink.

I came here once when it was Espressoholic but it was a cold dark pit of a place. Since the…read morerebranding the name is now Samick cafe and bar. It is light but moody, really spacious as you know from previous reviews I hate bumping elbows with strangers while I'm eating my food. Eggs Benedict 10/10 yum! They buttered the muffins underneath which was a nice touch. And generous on the bacon which is a really nice change for Wellington. $18 Coffee great 8/10 personally was way to hot for me at the start and took ages to drink. $5.50 Sooo many options for food and drinks I wonder what they do with all the leftovers the cabinet food looks really yum and good pricing too. They have a liquor license too so you can have a cheeky drink. Service was great the wait staff were very pleasant, friendly and looked really happy to be there. Overall I'm really impressed. I'll be honest I was on my way to a different cafe that I love when I saw this place didn't have a lot of people in it. If you're reading this go support them they're doing great.

You cannot simply walk by Espressoholic and it not catch your attention. The cafe is split half…read morewith a dark side and light side for seating. The tiled floor makes this cafe loud and catchy. They have breakfast served all day with changing daily specials. The prices aren't too shabby either. Where they need improvement here is service. I ordered the Mexican bean slice from the pre-made window and it came out straight out from the oven. Soon after, the gingerbread latte came out (Very good -better than what Starbucks tries to sell.) In fact, I was able to finish my meal while we were still waiting for the corn fritters. So we sat and waited. It took forever. What finally came out was a big portion. The corn fritters are like savory pancakes. Served with four corn fritters and a side salad, it's a filling choice. The side order of fries/chips were enough to fill four people, it's a huge bowl. So make your choice. Eat something average from the window. Or wait forever for a big portion.

My husband and I went here on a Saturday without a reservation. It is not a large space and the…read morewait was going to be about 30-40 min, but 2 seats opened up and the server said we can have the seats! The service was really good - attentive, efficient, and explained each coffee selections, etc. It was very busy inside, and the noise level was loud, but manageable. This was my first time doing coffee tasting and it was really enjoyable. I highly recommend it. We also got there waffles which was very delicious! We loved one variety of coffee a lot so we purchased a bag. Would love to come back here again.

The Hangar was a nice surprise. It actually wasn't on my original list of places to try, but with…read moreeverything practically closed for the New Year's holiday, my husband stumbled upon it so we gave it a shot and we're both pleasantly surprised. As far as food is concerned, we both ordered the burritos and loved it especially with the barbecue hot sauce that they provided upon request and the aioli that was served to compliment it. The service was great. We didn't have a long wait to get seated and our waitress was very polite. My husband ordered the coffee flight and we both enjoyed the variety presented. We also enjoyed the ambiance. It was cute with a lot of nice eye candy and artwork to keep customers amused. Good job Hangar!

Floriditas was a place I found on google reviews when traveling to New Zealand. It looked delicious…read morefor brunch so we arrived on a weekday morning and were seated properly. When checking out the menu I ordered the green smoothie and the French toast. When our food arrived, they actually brought out a different dish however I told them I ordered the French toast they were extremely apologetic. It seemed to be a little of language barrier with accents. The French toast was delicious- it was warm and comforting, the topping was crunchy but strawberry mousse was smooth. We went up the pay and the man apologized again and removed my Smoothie from the bill. Highly recommend! Sweet people and friendly atmosphere.

Great brunch stop on Cuba Street with coffees, scrambled eggs on toast and smoked fish hash with…read morelime crema. Visiting from the US and we really enjoyed this stop while shopping and walking the area.

Haven't been to Arabica for a while. I remember it as a hip cafe with emphasis on the business…read morecrowd. The owners have changed since last time and not for the better. Had to repeat my basis 2 coffees and a muffin order 3 times and still wrong. Can't imagine how it would be if they were busy. Very average coffee and over microwaved bland muffin - blah!

Great coffee and food opposite The Intercontinental- great breakfast option for travellers, and a…read moreton cheaper than in house at the hotel. Warm ambience and accommodating staff make this a favourite that I visit every time I visit Welly. Recommend the avo and tomato on toast!! Awesome!

Good cafe just too darkly de orated for me. Had and excellent eggs florentine. My hubby opted for…read morethe French toast. No coffee today but the other reviews look favorable.

Don't let the dark moody look of this cafe put you off - during the day things look dim, but you…read morewill get nice food here. I dropped in for lunch and enjoyed a surprisingly good Beetroot and Falafel Salad. It was served nicely and came quickly. I added mushrooms too, which were good. It was enjoyable and I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Gotham - thank you.

This cafe is a real Wellington institution. They roast their own coffee and it is excellent. In…read morefact many other cafes around the country use L'Affarie coffee. Always a buzzy vibrant hip atmosphere. Great generous portions of food and efficient friendly staff. There are many reasons why this place remains constantly a favourite.

Having had the L'Affare coffee in our hotel and loving it we made a special the trip to the Caffe…read more It was 2:45 and they were closing at 3pm- they had put away the menus, the coffee fixings, they were vacuuming and the employees were all focused on cleaning up and seemed annoyed we were ordering. They had us move out of the way so they could stack the signs at the counter where we were waiting for our coffees (at 2:50) Our coffees were fine, nothing special, as were our pastries. But the whole experience was not worth the trip. Maybe close at 2:30 and clean until 3pm? Or clean after you close? Probably nice if you come earlier...