When Wellington has a good day, there’s nothing better than making the most of it and having a drink in the sun. Wellington on a bad day? Retreat indoors—luckily, the capital’s got more cool and cosy bars than you can shake a cocktail shaker at.
Whatever your tipple of choice—we’ve got you. Here are the best bars in Wellington.
Ascot
55 Ghuznee Street, Te Aro
Wine on tap, records and carrot dog hotdogs is the Ascot trifecta. Find this hidden gem by entering through the side of Ghuznee Street (next to 1154 Pastaria) and head to the top floor. The sunset orange courtyard is the perfect place to catch those Wellington golden hours with a drink in hand—plus great banter with the crew behind the bar. Check out their newly opened bar downstairs, Regent, to kick back and chill.
Puffin Wine Bar & Shop
60 Ghuznee Street, Te Aro
Carry on across the road to Puffin (spot the bright orange door). Step into an inner-city oasis with lush forest-green velvet banquette seats and the golden glow of their peacock chandelier. Showcasing independent winemakers, beer makers and cider makers from across Aotearoa and overseas, keep an eye out for their epic vintage release parties and Super Wild, a festival celebrating all the local drops with guest chefs and local DJs. We’re all about a natty number from Hawkes Bay's Three Fates on a warm summer night, or the deep red kiss of a French Mosse Bisou on the colder days—have a chat to the knowledgeable staff who will pour you a drop of the best. Don’t forget their amaretto sour, it’s a Puffin go-to cocktail.
Dee’s Place
Basement level/126 Cuba Street, Te Aro
Image credit: Dee's Place | Instagram
If you know about the whisky and apple cocktail (made with freshly squeezed Granny Smith apples), then you won’t surprised to hear that this underground gem has the finest whisky selection in town. With big sellers like Dee’s Cantuckee Coffee made with local Wellington Supreme coffee’s cold brew, Michters American Whisky and a corn-dusted cream float, you know you won’t be in for any ordinary nightcap. Gin lovers can opt for coconut-washed gin with tangy coconut water and coffee oil. For something lighter, try their latest liquid refreshment—a Hard Sweet Tea with a shot of bourbon and served from a cooler behind the bar.
The Ram
103 Cuba Street, Te Aro
Three words: negroni on tap. The ideal place to unwind with a cocktail in the sun. They also have local Pet Nat Cider from Wellington’s own Fruit Cru, and our favourite chilled red from local winemaker Ashleigh Barrowman. Don’t forget to time your after work drink with a deep fried salt ‘n’ vinegar oyster mushroom, or happy hour oysters with a Bloody Mary vinaigrette.
Dirty Little Secret
54 Taranaki Street, Te Aro
Get the best view in the house with Wellington rooftop bars like Dirty Little Secret. They’ve just released their tropical summer cocktails menu, so you can sip on a strawberry-coconut daiquiri slushy while soaking up the best rooftop views of Pōneke. They also have Drag Quiz Night every Wednesday and Drag Bingo on Thursdays—hosted by the most fabulous drag queens. Book in advance as tables fill up quickly.
Hawthorn Lounge
82 Tory Street, Te Aro
Image credit: Hawthorn Lounge | Instagram
We love the speakeasy vibes at Hawthorn—complete with a fireplace (a.k.a prefect mood lighting aesthetic), comfy leather couches, vintage lamps and dapper-dressed bartenders. Tucked upstairs on Tory Street, pop-in for elevated cocktail classics. Sit by the bar and enjoy a negroni or old-fashioned done well. Stir it up with their take on the classics, like their latest drop of elevated old-fashioned cocktails, with a cherry-rhubarb twist or peach and rosemary stirred through. Just ask the bartenders to fix you up with a custom creation.
Crumpet
109 Manners Street, Te Aro
Pop in (after a show at the Opera House next door) for a late night sip at Crumpet, one of Wellington’s long-standing cocktail institutions. Once upon a time serving dessert crumpets and cocktail concoctions, they are now combining the former dessert offerings into their cocktails. Known for outrageous, eccentric and most importantly of all, delicious layers of flavour, check out their latest menu inspired by fave bikkies of all time. We’re only indulging in Jaffa Cakes and Scotch Fingers in liquid-form from now on.
Rogue and Vagabond
18 Garrett Street, Te Aro
Sunny days in the capital and warm summer nights calls for a drink and snack al fresco. Pull up a coffee sack bean bag outside Rogue and Vagabond and grab a pint of your favourite local craft beer with their huge selection of craft brews on tap (don’t forget the curly fries too). For those that aren’t into the hoppy kind of drink, they have a range of other beverages including a very sessionable (alcoholic) ginger-mandarin beer from Hawkes Bay Brewing Co. Stay for the live band and a boogie to some of Pōneke’s most talented musicians (RIP, Dr Rodger Fox). We also love that this spot is doggo-friendly—we’ll be here for pooches and pints this summer.
Hanging Ditch
14 Leeds Street, Te Aro
Image credit: Hanging Ditch | Website
Have you ever been to a bar where the drinks are tied up by bungee-like cords? Enter Hanging Ditch, where the bartenders are literally slinging the drinks (the bottles hang from the ceiling). Another O.G bar in the capital, it’s a tick on the must-drink list whenever we’re in town. Their menu includes a range of non-alcoholic cocktails—a.k.a the best non-alc piña colada you’ll ever have.
Havana Bar
32a/34 Wigan Street, Te Aro
Cosy historic cottages turned colourful tapas bar and restaurant, Havana Bar is our go-to hidden gem for cocktails. They serve their classics, like a tangy caipirinha, smokey Mezcal sour, and jugs of summertime sangria. They also have the Cuban classics—refreshing mojitos, or for those who love something with a bit of oomph, an Old Cuban with dark rum and champagne together will do the trick. Their seasonal cocktails include a mango margarita with a kick of chilli. You’ll find us sitting out in the courtyard, double-parked with a cocktail in each hand.
Golding’s Free Dive
Te Aro
Look for the lit OPEN sign in Hannah’s Laneway and you’ll walk into the coolest dive bar in town. Filled with retro and funky artwork, a giant neon BEER sign, Star Wars references and a rotation of craft beers, this is an essential stop for Wellington’s beer crawl scene. Grab a beer from their local beer menu (being Free Drive essentially means they aren’t tied to any brewery contracts), so there’s always something interesting on pour. You can also order pizza from dough-legends Pizza Pomodoro across the laneway to have at the bar too.
Bar Next Door
163 Riddiford Street (entrance, via Wilson Street), Newtown
Image credit: Bar Next Door | Instagram
The coolest kid in Newtown is Bar Next Door. Literally, it’s the bar next door to Margot (the restaurant part)—an ex-phone shop turned neighbourhood bar. They’ve got limited edition keg only beers from local brewers Parrot Dog and cocktails with refreshing citrus-forward flavours (Smoky Paloma with mezcal and grapefruit, anyone?). Pop in for a drink and a snack—or both with the chocolate and Pedro Ximénez ice cream.
Graze Wine Bar
95 Upland Road, Kelburn
Head on up the hill to Kelburn and grab a seat by the chef’s table at award-winning Graze Wine Bar. Their no-waste ethos champions the best of local produce, closing the loop on food waste by using parts of produce we wouldn’t normally consider using. Cue: Graze’s seasonal drinks menu, designed in collaboration with the food menu. Their current drink creation, an Apple Pie Old Fashioned, is made with Elsewhen’s Applejack (the latest project from Rough Hands Distillery) and then mixed with tangelo liqueur and roasted banana skin from NZ-grown bananas—leftover from banana waffles from the menu, which only means you need to stay for the food as well.
Rosella Wine Bar
18 Majoribanks Street, Mount Victoria
From the owners of Koji down the road, is Mount Vic’s neighbourhood restaurant and bar, Rosella. Inspired from flavours of the Mediterranean, North Africa and Middle East, the cocktails are as punch in flavour as the food offerings. Their latest signature drink for summer is the Black Lime White Lady—combining Papaiti Whanganui gin with bergamot liqueur, and house-made black lime syrup with sugar and pink pepper. The perfect drink with their blistered potato flatbread and black garlic lamb skewers.
Special mention: Fruit Cru
10 Holland Street, Te Aro
Image credit: Fruit Cru | Instagram
Local fruit crushers Fruit Cru are making the crispiest organic ciders and Pét Nat (a.k.a adult fizzies) in the capital. Starting off in a storage shed in Newtown, the crew now have a cellar door on Holland Street in the city. We love that these guys are making tasty drops in a sustainable and meaningful way—by choosing (and collecting) local produce such as heritage apples from Barbara at Te Horo Harvest, and taking any fruit fibre leftover from juice-making to local goat farm Brooklyn Creamery as well. Check out their range at various bars across town, or at the source itself: on the first Friday of every month, the roller doors come up and a rotation of guest chefs and local DJs such as Mazdef and friends. This little laneway pops off. Keep an eye on the next cellar door session on their socials.
Special mention: Southward Distilling Co.
35/70 Kingsford Smith Street, Rongotai
Be your own bartender for the day and blend your own botanical gin with local gin makers Southward Distilling Co. Having recently moved back to the South Coast of Wellington, their new spot in Lyall Bay is now complete with a tasting room surf-side. Watch the waves and sip on their Wave gin inspired by the rugged Wellington South Coast. With added saltiness from the addition of seaweed, it’ll transport you right by the sea no matter where in Wellington you are.
Special mention: Arcimboldi
24 Dundas Street, Seatoun
Technically not just a bar but the seasonal and foraged schnapps on rotation at cafe and restaurant Arcimboldi is too good not to miss. Chef-owner Leith has been creating foraged wildflower schnapps in time for summer (and the odd eggnog creation for the silly season). They’re waiting on the summer fruits to come to their peak for a pōhutukawa and raspberry schnapps, as well as juicy, bright orange taupata berries from along the Seatoun coast for the next Taupata Gin Sour.
Special mention: CGR Merchant & Co.
44 Courtenay Place, Te Aro
Image credit: CGR Merchant & Co. | Instagram
Tucked away upstairs on Courtney Place is CGR Merchant & Co., which stands for coffee, gin and rum. At the time of writing, they’ve told us this year will be their last. After almost 17 years, they’re closing their doors before Christmas. Look for the blue door and head upstairs where bottles of custom, house-made gin and rum infusions line the bar walls for your last gin tasting paddle or favourite rum cocktail. With infusions like passionfruit ice-cream, pineapple and jalapeño, and pomegranate-sichuan to name a few, get ready to take your tastebuds on one last flavour adventure.
Worked up an appetite? Read on:
- Grab a bangin' food deal in Pōneke
- Our picks for the best breakfasts in Wellington
- Coffee that slaps in the capital
Main Image Credit: Dirty Little Secret Rooftop Bar | Instagram