Courtenay Place: Part One (A Local's Guide to Wellington)

Swarming with commuters seeking coffee during the day and swarming with club-goers at night, Courtenay Place plays host to a range of places that offer food and beverages.

Kapai

"The kumara does not speak of how sweet it is."

A great place to grab lunch, Kapai offers a DIY service for salads, puku (toasted flat bread), Long Johns (wraps) and even jacket potatoes. They also provide options such as Ceasar salad and the Kev Long John (cajun chicken and grilled bacon). 

It's one of my favourite places for lunch, as you can choose exactly what you want and they have a great selection of fresh ingredients such as roast kumara, pumpkin, sunflower seeds, sour cream, roast capsicum, and parmesan cheese. I never go to Subway anymore simply because I can't go back there after having this.

Unfortunately the flagship Kapai on Courtenay Place is now permanently closed, and I'm not sure why. But never fear, for they have stores in many locations. 

Kaffee Eis

A tiny gelato shop, Kaffee Eis has some of the best gelato in Wellington. I'm not exaggerating, ask anyone. You need to try the following flavours: strawberry, coconut, maple walnut (!), cinnamon, white chocolate, passionfruit, and banana which is actually made with real bananas and not just artificial flavours (I don't like banana flavoured things, but this banana gelato is properly bananaey).
They also have several locations, so check them out.

Nicolini's

If you want hearty Italian food and wine, visit Nicolini's. I could eat the bruscetta all day long, and the tortellini amatriciana is hard to get over - bacon, chilli, tomato. The atmosphere is like a romantic and dimly-lit trattoria you may find in Italy somewhere, complete with mini Formula One car. 

Enigma

This cafe does pretty good coffee and pretty good food to order. The cabinet food, on the other hand, is on another level. They have a huge assortment, to the point where even the most decisive people can take a while to decide. They also have a liquor license and are open very late many nights, which is good even if you just want a late night coffee or cake and everywhere else is closed. 

Courtenay Place may be rowdy on a Friday and Saturday night, but I often brave it just to get to the great gems. More parts to come. Many more.