The Best Cheap Eats In Wellington, New Zealand

Last Updated on 15th April 2024

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When it comes to finding where to eat in Wellington, you’re absolutely spoiled for choice and certainly won’t face any issues with finding something you like.

I recently Tweeted about Prague being my favourite place I’ve visited in terms of the foodie scene but I think I might have to retract that statement and say that Wellington offered some of the best, and vastly different cuisines, I’ve ever had!

If you’ve got a trip planned to New Zealand’s capital city and you’re looking for the best cheap breakfast, lunch and dinner options while you’re there, here’s my ultimate guide to the best cheap restaurants in Wellington!

Where to eat in Wellington on a budget

This guide of the best cheap restaurants in Wellington includes a vast range of meals for every time of day; so whether you want to tuck into a hearty bacon sandwich, or you’re looking to sate your spicy needs with a curry, I’ve got you covered!

While Matt and I were in Wellington, we actually ate eight different cuisines including Indonesian, Indian, Greek and Korean, plus much more! Take a look at all the incredible places we ate at in Wellington!

1. Press Hall – cheap eats in Wellington

Press Hall food market, cheap eats in Wellington

On our first full day in Wellington, we knew we wanted to pay a visit to one of Wellington’s famous street food markets. We were in luck when we discovered the Press Hall not far from our hostel.

After eating just an apple for breakfast and wandering around Te Papa Museum for a couple of hours, it’s safe to say that we were pretty ravenous by the time lunch rolled around! We made our way to the Press Hall and certainly weren’t disappointed by what was on offer!

There are 11 different eateries to choose from at the Press Hall and we managed to divulge three of them (we shared them all, of course! 😉 ).

2. Bao Boy

While at the Press Hall, we decided that we’d each choose one meal/cuisine/dish that we wanted and then share them; Matt’s first choice was a delicious bao bun from Bao Boy.

He went for the Incredibao (an excellent pun if you ask me) which consisted of a steamed bun complete with free-range pork belly, Asian slaw, Korean black mustard seeds, oyster sauce and sesame seeds. While this definitely wasn’t my favourite thing we ate in Wellington, it certainly was tasty and very different from what I’d usually go for.

Incredibao: $7.50NZD (£3.95)

Where: Bao Boy, 80 Willis St, Wellington 6011

3. Souvlaki at Acropolis – cheap eats in Wellington

Souvlaki at Acropolis - best cheap eats in Wellington

My choice of meal at the Press Hall was a delicious chicken pita souvlaki with chips from Souvlaki at Acropolis. It was heavenly!

I only got the snack version instead of the ‘meal’ and I can safely say that it was more than enough; even with sharing it with Matt!

When Matt and I were in Corfu for 48 hours last year, I was so excited to eat all the Greek food but I got “sick” (read: drank too much on the boat party and was severely hungover the next day!) and I didn’t eat much at all.

Since then, however, I’ve had a particular penchant for Greek cuisine and this chicken and chip-stuffed Souvlaki lived up to my expectations!

Snack pita Souvlaki: $9NZD (£4.74)

Where: Souvlaki at Acropolis, 80 Willis St, Wellington 6011

4. Mad Mex

I didn’t actually manage to snap a picture of our burrito from Mad Mex before Matt wolfed it down so you’ll have to make do with this Indonesian food truck instead!

This was actually a surprise dish on my behalf as Matt wandered off for a ‘walk’ while at the Press Hall and came back equipped with a beef burrito! I’m not complaining however as it was really yummy and I’m not usually one to enjoy burritos but this one from Mad Mex was particularly tasty!

Burrito: $13.40 (£7.05)

Where: Mad Mex, 80 Willis St, Wellington 6011

5. Bohemein – cheap eats in Wellington

Bohemein hot chocolate, cheap eats in Wellington

I’m pretty sure that whenever I visit somewhere new, I always claim to have found the ‘best hot chocolate ever’. When I was in Paris , Oslo and Prague, I always made the claim that I’d had one of the best hot chocolates ever; however, I really do mean it this time! 😉

Bohemein Fresh Chocolates was just mere metres away from our hostel and we just happened to stumble across it on Saturday afternoon as we were walking back to freshen up.

It’s a gorgeous chocolate shop selling all sorts of chocolatey goodies including hot drinks, truffles, chocolate lollies, plus much more.

We were in the mood for an indulgent hot chocolate and Bohemein certainly sated our sweet-tooth needs in the form of their luxury orange hot chocolate.

Orange chocolate is by far my favourite and when melted into a hot drink; I’m practically in heaven. The Bohemein orange hot chocolate exceeded my expectations by a mile and I’m already salivating at the thought of it!

Hot chocolate: $6.50NZD (£3.42)

Where: 109 Featherston Street, Wellington CBD, Wellington 6011

6. Cuba Street Night Food Market – cheap eats in Wellington

Fritz's Weiners, Cuba Street Night Food Market

I mentioned Cuba Street Night Market in my last blog post about the best free or cheap things to do in Wellington but I’m going to cover what we ate there in much more detail in this post!

The Wellington Night Market was originally only hosted on a Friday night but after popular demand insisted, the market is now hosted on a Saturday night as well.

After eating at the Press Hall earlier in the day, we didn’t actually originally intend to eat at another food market in the evening but after reading rave reviews about the Lower Cuba Street Night Market, we just couldn’t resist!

7. Garuda Truck

Garuda, Indonesian food market, cheap eats in Wellington

Indonesian food has never really been something that’s been on my food radar but after wandering down Cuba Street and eyeing up potential food vendors to indulge in, I was instantly smitten with the idea of the Mie Goreng, beef rendang fried noodles from Garuda Food Truck.

They were cooked right in front of me using superbly fresh ingredients in just a matter of minutes and when the chef served them up, I was utterly shocked at how big the portion was!

My hearty dish of Mie Goreng and beef rendang, served with fresh noodles, vegetables, sweet soy sauce and crunchy shallots was absolutely exquisite and something that I cannot wait to eat more of when we’re in Bali!

For such a huge portion, I couldn’t believe how affordable (and incredibly scrumptious) it was and it was 110% one of my favourite things that we ate in Wellington!

Beef rendang: $12NZD (£6.32)

Where: Garuda Food Truck, Cuba and Manners Street, Wellington

8. Indian food stall

Unfortunately, Matt and I can’t remember the actual name of this Indian food truck for the life of us but you’ll definitely know it when you see it!

I never used to be the biggest fan of Indian cuisine but over the last two years or so, I’ve discovered a newfound love for curries.

When Matt had his wander up and down Cuba Street looking for his perfect dish from the perfect vendor, he had his eyes on the chicken tandoori almost immediately!

This portion of curry was also insanely huge and while I don’t think it was nearly as good as my noodle dish (although I might be biased!), it was still pretty divine.

The chicken tandoori was served with lashings of rice and vegetables and was the perfect choice for curry lovers!

Chicken Tandoori: $10NZD (£5.26)

Where: Cuba and Manners Street, Wellington

9. Harbourside Market – best cheap eats in Wellington

Harbourside food market, cheap eats in Wellington

My love for Wellington’s harbour and Oriental Bay was very obvious in my previous Wellington blog post but my adoration of this quintessentially seaside area was made even more profound due to its Sunday Harbourside Market.

10. Food for the People

Food for the people, cheap eats in Wellington

Being a typical Brit, the first thing on my mind on a Sunday morning was a hearty bacon sandwich and the Food for the People food truck at the Harbourside Market fulfilled my needs.

I opted for the bacon and egg butty which was served on a mammoth bread bun/bap/bread cake/delete as appropriate for what you call them, with lashings of brown sauce (in true Northerner style!).

For less than £5, I tucked into an ample bacon and egg sandwich that provided me with plenty of energy to hike up Mount Victoria (you definitely need your energy if you’re attempting the ascend!).

Bacon & egg sandwich: $9NZD (£4.74)

Where: Food for the People, Corner Barnett and Cable Streets

11. Espresso Rescue

Espresso Rescue coffee and hot chocolate, cheap eats in Wellington

One thing that Wellington (and New Zealand as a whole) is a huge fan of is coffee. You’ll find a plethora of coffee shops, cafes and bars all serving a vast range of artisan coffee all over Wellington but the one that took our fancy at Harbourside Market was Espresso Rescue.

While my hot chocolate wasn’t quite as good as my one from Bohemein, it still served its purpose just fine and gave me plenty of sugar and energy (along with my bacon sandwich!) to be able to hike up Mount Victoria!

Coffee: $3.50NZD (£1.90)

Medium hot chocolate: $5NZD (£2.58)

Where: Espresso Rescue, Corner Barnett and Cable Streets

12. Fritz’s Weiners

As I previously mentioned, one of the best places I’ve ever been in terms of the food scene in Prague and one of the things I remember eating there was a hot dog from a street vendor.

Since then, I’ve developed quite the penchant for hot dogs and weiners (lol) and as Matt has plenty of experience with travelling to and eating in Germany, he’s also quite the fan.

The spicy bratwurst sausage from Fritz’s Weiners was huge and incredibly tasty and certainly subdued our appetites on a Sunday morning!

Spicy bratwurst: $9NZD (£4.74)

Where: Fritz’s Weiners, Corner Barnett and Cable Streets

13. Sal’s Pizza – cheap eats in Wellington

In my opinion, regardless of where you are in the world, you can never go wrong with a slice of pizza!

While it wasn’t necessarily the most ground-breaking pizza I’d ever eaten, our two slices from Sal’s Pizza were the perfect afternoon snack and for around £3 each, we really couldn’t complain!

Pepperoni slice: $5.50NZD (£2.90)

Brooklyn slice: $6.50NZD (£3.36)

Where: 109 Cuba St, Te Aro, Wellington 6011

I’m so impressed with all the places that we ate at in Wellington and I can’t believe we managed to tick off so many different cuisines! If you’re visiting Wellington soon, I’m thoroughly jealous that you’ll get the chance to explore all these wonderful eateries; I wish I could go back and eat everything all over again!

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