Manners Street (A Local's Guide to Wellington)

Once upon a time, Manners Street was comprised of a normal road that flowed into a pedestrian street (similar to how Cuba Street and Cuba Mall is laid out now). When the pedestrian Manners Mall was converted into a bus route, stripping away the brick promenade, many protested including a crazy man with a sledgehammer. If I recall correctly, the new proposed bus route would cut a whole four minutes off trip duration. Once the work was complete, there were several accidents as people were unaccustomed to needing to look for vehicles stepped out into oncoming bus traffic. Fortunately none were fatal injuries. While I look back fondly on memories of Manners Mall, Manners Street is still a pretty cool place and here's why:

Crepes a Go Go

A tiny creperie wedged between two retail shops, Crepes a Go Go does one thing and it does it well. In summer, I like to get the chocolate and strawberry crepe; they only sell these when strawberries are in season as they are devoted to providing good fresh food. And year round, you can get a caramello - handmade caramel sauce with a choice of white, milk or dark chocolate. Often a bit of the sauce leaks out of the crepe and you're left scraping the bottom of the container for the molten melange of caramel and chocolate. My mouth is watering as I write this. 

The staff are French and friendly, often seen humming along to the French music that plays as they spread batter onto the billig (French hot plate). 

Crumpet

I'll admit it, I love a crumpet every now and then. It took me a while to get here, and once I did I wasn't too impressed. Perhaps my expectations were too high, but the crumpets were just ok. The crumpets themselves were nice, but the toppings seemed over-complicated and lacking. Pictured here is the brandied cherries with chocolate ganache crumpet, and the sake apricots with butterscotch sauce crumpet. Neither of them had much flavour as the majority of what you paid for was the crumpet and whipped cream. 

Despite my disappointment with the eponymous crumpets, the hot chocolates and milkshakes are good, and I hear that the cocktails are done well. 

Abrakebabra

I've heard so many jokes about kebabs being drunk food, but I like them all the time. Not only do I like kebabs, I also like the name of this kebab shop, as I am a begrudging fan of puns. I still roll my eyes when I hear them, but honestly puns are fun. 

Try the kebab burger, where you can choose your normal kebab filling but have it in a bun rather than a wrap. Genius! Just don't eat it in front of someone you want to impress, as lettuce and sauce will go everywhere. Worth it. 

Weird pigeon area on the corner of Manners and Vivian Street

I thought I would put this in, as it is a core part of Manners Street. While there's no grass, it does provide an injection of nature into the heart of the city, albeit a small one. As such, there are always pigeons that hang out there, and if you shoo them away you can get a perch on which to eat your crepe or kebab.