Unbelievably, sometimes in Wellington I get stuck for lunch ideas and need to remember where's the absolute JAM. To help YOU out of such a conundrum, I made a list of the best food of the laneways & around Cuba Street, Wellington.

It is easy to forget the places which I know so well that are tucked away. Wellington is the cafe capital of New Zealand (despite being the obviously actual capital). I wanted to share with you some of my favourite places to eat, drink and be merry, mostly focused around the laneways near Cuba Street.

Do bare in mind this is not a comprehensive guide. It is a mix of the places which are either dear to my heart, I have a history with, I really enjoy, bring back good memories or I feel an emotional connection to. I don't have the bandwidth to go into every story, but for example, even though it isn't so upmarket, Hotel Bristol reminds me of the exciting times when I had just turned 18 and would pop down the pub with new friends for fries and crazy times. It continues to remain a legacy on Cuba Street and while it may not serve goats cheese croquettes, its a place I still love a little bit. There are many other great places, not included on this list, which are also awesome and YOU might have included. If so, let me know in the comments below what your pick would be! I've limited the list to Lower Cuba St but really it is sort of mid-lower. There are other places around the total end of Cuba St but I just zoned in on the area around the laneways for simplicity.

Hopefully, this list inspires you to get out and try some new and older places. There may even be a few surprises. Enjoy (ps I included links - originally I didn't because the list got a bit out of control so I thought you might just have to Google these places yourself - but I love you guys so much and thought you'd find it useful so I did anyway!).

Name: Egmont Street Eatery
Address: 11 Egmont Street
Style of Dining: Smart/Casual
What to expect: Exciting seasonal New Zealand cuisine mashed up with international traditional foodie practices and flavours.
Price rating: $$$
Most Loved By: People who like to push the boundaries at breakfast, lunch and dinner. A foodies eatery. Feels quite Melbourney.

Name: Wellington Chocolate Factory (take a look at this full overview here)
Address: 5 Eva Street, Te Aro (down Leeds Street)
Style of Dining: Hit of chocolate and run
What to expect: A bean to bar chocolate emporium. Come in to taste or have a coffee. Not a place to come for a proper feed but more an exciting cocoa experience.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Chocolate enthusiasts. Anyone who loves dark chocolate (there’s less milky commercial chocolate here so leave the Snickers at home).

Name: Hanging Ditch
Address:14 Leeds St
Style of Dining: Elegant cocktails that will knock your socks off. Relaxed atmosphere. Great service.
What to expect: Bottles hanging from the roof. The best gin and tonic in town.
Price rating: $$
Most Loved By: Prohibition old time boozers looking for a fresh place to jive.

Name: Shepherd Restaurant (read full review here)
Address: 1/5 Eva Street
Style of Dining: Minimalist delicious sit-down dining in a relaxed atmosphere.
What to expect: …to try something new. Chef Shepherd Elliot is an innovator in the kitchen. Unexpected flavours WILL be brought together. The best formal(ish) dining in Wellington. Book well in advance.
Price rating: $$$$
Most Loved By: Cool kids, die hard foodies and everyone worth knowing.

Name: Pizza Pomodoro
Address: 13 Leeds Street
Style of Dining: Pizza and deserts to take away.
What to expect: True Italian Pizza - thin crust, all the trimmings. Can sometimes take a while to order.
Price rating: $$
Most Loved By: Hungry workers on their way home after a hard day (they also deliver) & the pub goers at Goldings Freedive

Name: Goldings Freedive
Address: 14 Leeds Street
Style of Dining: Seattle style dive bar with the best selection of craft beer in the city.
What to expect: Fully relaxed, can be hard to get a table, any night of the week, delicious snacks and lots of hops. No smoking permitted at all. Dog-friendly.
Price rating: $$
Most Loved By: Men & women dropping in after work, looking for a catch-up spot to unwind.

Name: Leeds Street Bakery
Address: 14 Leeds Street
Style of Dining: Cafe casual with kick ass cakes, sandwiches and coffee.
What to expect: A cosy nook to catch up or write down notes in your notebook and daydream over a flat white.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Carb and caffeine addicts.

Name: Customs By Coffee Supreme
Address: 39 Ghuznee Street Te Aro
Style of Dining: A place to perch and sip your long black.
What to expect: High-quality coffee from one of the best brewers in town. Fresh, light meals. Great scones.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Popular with artistic types and students.

Name: Milk Crate
Address: 35 Ghuznee Street
Style of Dining: Cool cafe.
What to expect: Hot to trot baking, juices, coffee and sandwiches. A place to chill for hours without being harrassed.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: The person who likes to linger over their latte.

Name: Noble Rot Wine Bar (read more here)
Address: Swan Lane
Style of Dining: Elegant enoteca.
What to expect: The best oysters, the best wine, the finest sharing plates and a strong whiff of European civility.
Price rating: $$$
Most Loved By: Established couples looking for a special night together.

Name: Best Ugly Bagel
Address: Swan Lane
Style of Dining: Casual, and greedy.
What to expect: Bagels, bagels, everywhere - and crazy combinations of seasonal products and produce.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: People in the know.

Name: Floriditas
Address: 161 Cuba Street
Style of Dining: European setting, casual yet swishy.
What to expect: Very seasonal food, from farm to plate. Chic.
Price rating: $$$
Most Loved By: My mum. She comes here every single week for about 10 years on a Wednesday with her friends.

Name: Rogue and Vagabond
Address: Glover Park
Style of Dining: Pub with a park-life style twist.
What to expect: Dirty and delicious pub grub, dogs galore and great ale.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Wellingtonians on a Summer’s day. You might have to fight to get a bean-bag.

Name: Husk
Address: 62 Ghuznee Street
Style of Dining: Trattoria feels
What to expect: Home made crumpets, bourbon butter and house made preserves. Buttermilk fried chicken.
Price rating: $$
Most Loved By: People who like to hide away.

Name: Satay Village
Address: Ghuznee Street
Style of Dining: Fun Friday with flatmates.
What to expect: Spicy and greasy, perfect with a glass or 5 of Sav.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Friends ready to hit the weekend on a full belly.

Name: KK Malaysia
Address: Ghuznee Street
Style of Dining: Relaxed BYO.
What to expect: Amazing curries and roti, great choice and perfect for a quick lunch.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Students and busy office workers.

Name: Scopa
Address: Cuba Street
Style of Dining: Italian
What to expect: Pizza, Pasta and Hot Chocolate at a medium price.
Price rating: $$
Most Loved By: If you want delicious Italian and a chic interior.

Name: Eleven Fifty Four
Address: Cuba Street
Style of Dining: Italian (pasta)
What to expect: A fast, fresh organic pasta restaurant made before you!
Price rating: $$
Most Loved By: Pasta addicts.

Name: Hotel Bristol
Address: Cuba Street
Style of Dining: Pub
What to expect: Traditional dirty pub food and no frills chill time. Sports on TV screens. Pool.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Students, grads, and workers.

Name: JJ Murphy’s
Address: Cuba Street
Style of Dining: Irish Pub
What to expect: Pints of Guinness, Live music, Pool and satisfying, filling food. A good night on the town.
Price rating: $
Most Loved By: Those in favour of the luck of the Irish.