A Wellington Weekend

A few gems to visit whether you're making a brief trip to the capital or are lucky enough to call this sweet city home.

Field & Green
A relaxed eatery with a mission to serve European "soul food", Field & Green's inspired menu boasts a series of seasonal, delicious breakfast and lunch options – they also serve dinner on Fridays and Saturdays. Their offerings change weekly depending on the produce available – this week's breakfasts include a chorizo tortilla served with tomato and red pepper sauce and cucumber mint yoghurt as well as marinated sardines on chargrilled sourdough. If you're visiting for lunch, it would be hard to go past their entree of slow-roasted pork belly with sweetcorn puree, watercress, sage butter and chilli oil. I'm considering a trip back just to try their goat cheese, sweet red onion and mushroom lasagne with tomato and merlot sauce. Their desserts are equally as tempting and their service is relaxed and incredibly friendly... It's hard to find fault with this spot really.
262 Wakefield Street, Te Aro
www.fieldandgreen.co.nz

Customs Brew Bar
If you're visiting the city for its coffee, you can't go past Coffee Supreme's Wellington flagship Customs Brew Bar. Serving nine varieties of coffee with a host of blending options available, you're bound to leave knowing a little more about coffee than you did before. On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays you can have your brew alongside one of Little Dough Co's gorgeous doughnuts – there's also a short and sweet breakfast menu available throughout the week. 
39 Ghuznee St, Te Aro
www.coffeesupreme.com

Fix & Fogg
Tucked away on – or rather below – Eva Street is a tiny peanut butter factory filled with friendly faces. If you tap on their window you can try their creations – Dark Chocolate and Smoke and Fire are our favourites (we even created a recipe with the latter) – but be warned it'll be near impossible not to take a jar home with you. Named after the detectives in Around the World in Eighty Days, you can spot Fix & Fogg by the "Peanut Butter" flag the owner, Roman Jewell, assures me he stitched himself.
5 Eva Street, Te Aro
www.fixandfogg.co.nz

Cicio Cacio Osteria
Serving authentic, flavoursome Roman and Southern Italian dishes, Giulio Ricatti's Cicio Cacio may be tucked out of sight but is well worth seeking out. From freshly handmade pasta and sausage to delicious options such as their Grigliata di Pesce (mixed grilled fish), which features on their current menu, there are sure to be more than enough options to tempt you whenever you visit. We visited as a big group, which meant we were in for a rather giant Italian feast as we attempted to sample as much of the menu as possible. Although, offers like their $10 lunch special mean you're likely to return more than once.
167 Riddiford St, Newtown
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Leed Street Bakery & Red Rabbit Coffee Co.
An expansion of Shepherd Elliot's popular Ti Kouka Café, Leed St Bakery opened at the end of 2013 and uses organic flours, with wholemeal, spelt and rye sourced from Canterbury. With a focus on quality, the small bakery does everything by hand and provides some of the softest, freshest bread you're likely to find in the city. They share a home with Red Rabbit Coffee, a local roastery passionate about spreading the good word about coffee's complexity – they're more than happy to explain the list of coffees they have on offer. Fresh bread and coffee is a winning combination in this lovely laneway café.
14 Leeds Street, Te Aro
www.leedsstbakery.co.nz
redrabbitcoffee.co.nz

Six Barrel Soda
Unmissable thanks to the new bright yellow stripes that adorn its exterior, up some stairs marked by shelves of flowering plants is Six Barrel Soda's flagship store. Alongside a long list of signature and limited-edition sodas, Six Barrel also serve milkshakes, coffee, tea and fries, as well as bottles of soda and other goodies to take home. With a soda in hand and a view of the street below, Six Barrel is the perfect spot to spend some of the last days of summer.
1 Eva St, Te Aro
www.sixbarrelsoda.co.nz