Cafeography
Wellington

Bakery cafés in Wellington

Bakeries with coffee, from Abel Smith Street pastry to Lambton Quay's plant-based counter.

Photo: James Collington, Pexels License

Good Grief, at 90 Abel Smith Street, bakes laminated pastry and naturally leavened bread in view of its customers and serves Supreme coffee in blonde wooden booths.1 Owners Andrew Craig and Lisa Fierro's regulars include cardamom buns, cherry-vanilla clafoutis and spicy cheese twists, and egg sandwiches are a specialty.1

The CBD and the Cuba Street quarter share the lead for bakery cafés, with single addresses in Te Aro, Newtown and Kilbirnie. Several bakeries also supply the city's cafés: Arobake sends bread and cakes around the region, and Shelly Bay Baker ships bagels and baguettes from Miramar.1

Local tip: April Patisserie on Victoria Street often has a line outside, so go early; Good Grief on Abel Smith Street opens only Wednesday to Sunday, from 07:30.1

Where these cafés are: Lambton Quay & CBD (3), Cuba Street (3), Hataitai, Kilbirnie & Lyall Bay (1), Courtenay Place & Te Aro (1), Newtown & Mount Cook (1).

At a glance

9Cafés listed
4With opening hours
06:00Earliest opening
15:00Latest closing
  • Opens earliest: Creamy and Crunchy, from 06:00 (Mon–Fri 06:00–14:00 · Sat 06:00–12:00 · Sun Closed).
  • Closes latest: Belén Plant Bakery, until 15:00 (Mon–Fri 07:30–15:00).
  • Most listed streets: Lambton Quay (2).
  • Most common features: outdoor seating (33%), vegetarian options (33%), wi-fi (22%).

Nothing matches those filters here. See all cafés in Wellington.

Pastry in Te Aro

April Patisserie at 160 Victoria Street is run by Jocelyn and Eddy, both trained at Le Cordon Bleu. It makes petits gâteaux, macarons, madeleines and financiers, and salt buns, a Korean and Japanese bun with a base fried in butter; the shop is small and the line outside is often long.1

Shelly Bay Baker has baked in Miramar since 2017, with its own flour mill, and sends bread each morning to its café at 14 Leeds Street, known for salted caramel cookies and polenta cake.1 Le Ciel Bakery is at 100 Tory Street, and Creamy and Crunchy at 50 Webb Street bakes from 06:00 on weekdays.

Lambton Quay and the CBD

Belén Plant Bakery is named for a word that translates as Bethlehem, or "house of bread", and is also the middle name of its Argentinean-born owner and head pastry chef, Mica.1 Its counter at 104 Lambton Quay is fully plant-based. Dough Bakery is at 182 Lambton Quay, and Thunderbird at 154 Featherston Street combines baking with brunch and outdoor tables.

For the best-known scones in the CBD, Pravda Café and Grill at 107 Customhouse Quay serves its cheese scones toasted with butter, calls them world-famous in Wellington and advises arriving early.2

Scones, sourdough and toast

Swimsuit's cheese scone, on Dixon Street, is in the running for the city's best.3 Prefab, on Jessie Street, bakes in-house and works fresh bread through its menu, and at The Hangar on Dixon Street you can build a breakfast from local suppliers that include Wellington Sourdough.24

Best Ugly Bagels in Swan Lane opens at 07:00 at weekends, an hour earlier than on weekdays.

Bakeries beyond the center

Arobake at 83 Aro Street, an artisan bakery with Swiss roots, has baked since 1989 and makes an extensive range of bread on site, with hot pies, rhubarb and custard tart, sunflower sourdough, a vegan chocolate cake and outdoor seating.1 Volco Kelburn at 90 Upland Road is mostly takeaway, with a few window seats, and turns from flatbread pizzas by day to Napoli-style pizzas at night.1

Baker Gramercy at 465 Adelaide Road in Berhampore sells croissants and slow-fermented sourdough.1 Patisserie Delight is at 188 Riddiford Street in Newtown, and Cupcake Cafe & Bakery at 18 Rongotai Road in Kilbirnie.

Sources

  1. Wellington bakeries, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  2. Wellington city brunch, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  3. Wellington coffee, WellingtonNZ, accessed October 2026
  4. The Hangar, Broadsheet, accessed October 2026
Keep exploring

Other ways to browse Wellington

Outdoor seating

25 cafés

Vegetarian options

20 cafés

Specialty coffee

10 cafés

Wi-Fi

10 cafés

By area: Cuba Street Courtenay Place & Te Aro Lambton Quay & CBD Newtown & Mount Cook

FAQ

Bakery cafés in Wellington: questions

Where can you get fresh pastries with coffee in Wellington?

Good Grief at 90 Abel Smith Street bakes laminated pastry, cardamom buns and spicy cheese twists, serves Supreme coffee and opens Wednesday to Sunday. April Patisserie at 160 Victoria Street makes macarons, madeleines and salt buns, and Shelly Bay Baker on Leeds Street sells salted caramel cookies and polenta cake.

Which Wellington cafés are known for cheese scones?

Pravda Café and Grill at 107 Customhouse Quay serves its cheese scones toasted with butter, calls them world-famous in Wellington and advises arriving early. Swimsuit on Dixon Street makes a cheese scone that is in the running for the city's best, and Good Grief on Abel Smith Street bakes spicy cheese twists.

When did Arobake open in Aro Valley, Wellington?

Arobake, an artisan bakery with Swiss roots at 83 Aro Street, has baked since 1989. It makes bread on site, supplies cafés around the region, and sells hot pies, rhubarb and custard tart and a vegan chocolate cake, with outdoor seating.

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