Places to Eat in Wellington

I love Wellington. I love its contours, its colours, the varied corners and cultures. I also love the explosion of vegan-friendly eateries. You can almost always get soy milk for an added charge (usually around 50c) at any place that sells barista coffee, i.e. most cafes and many restaurants in Wellington. Here follows a list of places I've had choice food.

Aunty Mena's

Has to top any list. Last time I asked they told me the whole menu was vegan. I'm busily trying to eat my way through it. Nasi lemak, wonton noodle soup, dumplings, roti chanai, have all been a hit.

Midnight Espresso

Good range of vegan food on the menu - the nachos are nice, as is the vegan big breakfast. Also often have a good range of counter-food, like rice bakes, sandwiches, cakes, and biscuits. But it's variable, and sometimes I've gone in feeling like something exciting and found the range somewhat depleted.

Tulsi

Says in their menu that many of the mains and sides can be veganised on request. We tried a couple of the vegetarian curries with naan, and everything was absolutely delicious - even without cream.

Maranui

This is one of my favourite cafes in Wellington. It's in Lyall Bay, right on the beach, and has a reasonable range of vegan breakfasts, mains, salads, and delectable vegan cupcakes.

Pranah

This probably IS my favourite cafe in Wellington. In Newtown, only a 15 minute walk from where I live, I would give them all my money if I could. It's real handy for the Newtown vege market on weekends, so we often reward ourselves for getting up early with a coffee and a bite to eat there. They are all-vegetarian (I think?), and a significant proportion of their stuff is vegan (often around 50%). And it's all really good and reasonably priced. I love them. Their baking in particular is amazing.

Burger Fuel

Went to these guys in Taupo, but their menu is the same at all the outlets. They have one burger specifically labelled vegan, which has a gluten free bun (I think?), made on an all-vegan production line. They also have another vegetarian burger suitable for vegans if you just ask them to leave out the aioli, and I don't think it suffers for that. When I asked about the difference between the vegan and the vegetarian burgers, the senior staff member present told me that the bun was made under strictly vegan conditions, whereas the other vege-burgers had buns that were produced on equipment that also handled dairy products. Nice to know that they are so dedicated in thinking about these things. And the burgers are yum.

Fidels
Often a bit disappointing on the vegan front, but they ususally have really scrummy vegan muffins with berries and big chunks of chocolate in them.