Wellington Street Food - Part 1

Wellington Street Food - Part 1


Wellington Street Food is largely influenced by the cuisine of England, British English cuisine. Another large influence on cuisine is Australia. As a large portion of New Zealand is agricultural, a heavy emphasis on food in Wellington is placed on sustainably sourced, fresh ingredients from local farms. Increasingly, Southeast Asian and Asian cuisines are also becoming more popular, with more options for Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, and Japanese cuisine.

Lamb Shank

Food in Wellington can be found along the streets in kiosks or small cafes, in mid-range restaurants and fine-dining establishments. Traditional Maori cuisine in Wellington is still considered rather exotic, and is not commonly served. Common ingredients used in many Wellington dishes include potatoes, beef, chicken, bread (white, brown, rye), lamb, olives, fish (whiptail, cod, gurnard, tarakihi, snapper), onions, lettuce, tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, grapes, sugar, milk and more.

Despite the diversity of dishes, Wellington and New Zealand at large have very few iconic home-grown dishes. There isn't a particular dish that is truely representative of the country, besides basic ingredients like the Kiwi Fruit. Increasingly, there are several alternative food movements / lifestyle choices that are becoming more popular in New Zealand. These include vegetarian, nut free, lactose free, gluten free, and the latest raw food movement. Wellington is one of the few cities in the world where such lifestyle choices can easily be supported and sustained.


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A popular breakfast item in New Zealand, the Bacon Butty Sandwich is similiar to that of British English cuisine, featuring a soft bread roll spread with butter, rashers of savoury salty bacon, a sour sharp HP brown sauce, and tomato ketchup. Usually served warm.

Bacon Butty Sandwich

Sourced from local cattle, the Beef Steak Ribeye in Wellington is thick, meaty, juicy, with a bold savoury beefy flavour. Usually served in a 200g or 300g cut, the ribeye features an intense marbling that lends solid flavour, and is best when grilled to a medium rare. Served with a red wine and beef au jus sauce on the side.

Beef Steak Ribeye

Beef Steak Ribeye

Beef Steak Ribeye

Home brewed by local craft beer brand The Garage Project, their Beer Aro Noir is a pitch black stout, inspired by the darkness of winter. With a blend of 4 malts, roasted barley, Columbus hops, and Summit hops, it has a citric bitterness, and a toasty roasted malt character.

Beer Aro Noir

Beer Aro Noir

Home brewed by local craft beer brand The Garage Project, their Beer Beer is a pale lager, a clean, minimalist beverage. With a blend of pilsner malt, Saaz hops, and Czech yeast, it has a bready sweetness, and a wheat grain character.

Beer Beer

Beer Beer

Home brewed by local craft beer brand The Garage Project, their Beer Los Lobos is an Indian pale ale, inspired by wolves in a forest. With a blend of a holy trinity of Simcoe hops, Amarillo hops, and Citra hops, it has a lush bitter sweet aroma, and a balanced character.

Beer Los Lobos

Beer Los Lobos

Home brewed by local craft beer brand The Garage Project, their Beer Pernicious Weed is an Indian pale ale, inspired by the moral panic of the 1500s. With a blend of local hop varieties Nelson Sauvin hops, and Rakau hops, it has a huge grapefruit sweetness, and a smooth, drinkable character.

Beer Pernicious Weed

Beer Pernicious Weed

The Black Pudding is a type of blood sausage, made with pork or beef fat, blood, and oatmeal. The version here is very clean, with a light mineral taste, slightly grainy texture, and a savoury salty earthy flavour.

Black Pudding

The Cinnamon Roll is a common breakfast pastry / confectionery, a sweet bread roll made with all-purpose flour, sugar, butter, and cinnamon. Normally moulded into a round / snail shape, and eaten with cream cheese.

Cinnamon Roll

The Crumbed Fish And Chips are adapted from British English cuisine, but instead of a flour batter, it features a crunchy, crisp biscuit crumb batter instead. Served with large, thick cut English chips / steak chips, the fish used are often firm, white flesh varieties that are locally sourced and fresh, such as moki. Garnished with a slice of lemon, and served with tartar sauce.

Crumbed Fish And Chips

Crumbed Fish And Chips

Crumbed Fish And Chips

The Georgie Pie is a type of pie unique to New Zealand, and commonly served in Wellington fast food outlets. Its distinctive feature is being a solid square shape, free of flakes, and wrapped in a paper sleeve, which makes eating it easy, and more importantly, mess-free. There are a variety of flavours, including minced beef and cheese, egg and bacon, chicken and vegetables, or beef steak and kidney.

Georgie Pie

Georgie Pie - Minced Beef And Cheese

Georgie Pie - Egg And Bacon

The Oat Porridge is a common breakfast item throughout Wellington and New Zealand. Also known as simply Porridge, the most basic version of this dish features warm rolled oats, drizzled with maple syrup, and sprinkled with brown sugar. Other, more fancy versions exist, which include fruits, milk, or spreads.

Oat Porridge

Oat Porridge

A vibrant British English soup / broth, the Pea And Ham Soup is made with green split peas, water, carrots, celery, onions, salt, pork / ham hock, garlic, and pepper. This warming, comforting dish is savoury salty sweet, and great on cold days. Usually served with a slice of crisp bread.

Pea And Ham Soup

Pea And Ham Soup

The Raised Pork And Egg Pie is a classic British English dish that has also taken root in New Zealand and Wellington dining tables. A crisp, flaky pastry shell of all-purpose flour, butter, salt, and egg yolk; envelops a savoury salty eggy filling of minced pork, ham hock, hard boiled eggs, salt, parsley, shallots, and pepper. This snack can be eaten throughout the day.

Raised Pork And Egg Pie

Raised Pork And Egg Pie

Rather uncommon here, the Venison Sausage is made with deer / venison meat, and is rather lean and meaty compared to other sausages. Usually served as part of a meal.

Venison Sausage

Sourced from local sheep, the Lamb Shank is thick, meaty, juicy, with a pleasant savoury flavour. Here, the shank can be served in a variety of ways, such as with creamy polenta, crispy fried parsnip nest, fragrant wild garlic, sweet apple jus, and thyme. I like that the meat isn't too gamey.

Lamb Shank

Lamb Shank

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