Because we are so almighty powerful and capacious, we’re frequently opening up branch outposts of the Wellingtonista Towers. Previously we’ve asked you what we should be eating for lunch in Molesworth, Mid Lambton and Mercer Street. Now we want to know what to eat in Lower Lambton. So far we’ve discovered good coffee and crazy-tall scones at Trade Kitchen, but mostly it seems like Wishbone is getting most of our money. Where can we pop out to in order to grab a quick sandwich? What hidden gems are in the area? Where should we avoid? Have at it in the comments.
What’s for lunch, Lower Lambton?
Joanna McLeod
Previous post: Stars in our eyes
Next post: From the Terrace to Pompeii and back
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Marion?best go before 11.or the sushi gets a bit old and hard.
Wholly Whell, I forgot one!
Wholly Bagels do a cracker roast beef, with everything, on a plain bagel, toasted, cut in half. A good square (round?) meal, and they provide newspapers to keep you “in-house” if you are flying solo. Don’t be frightened-off by the cashier service that makes you feel as if you’re at a large supermarket. The food is worth it and, once you get by the Arkwrights and their snapping mechanical responses, the staff are pretty good.
But do bring along a good set of teeth to enjoy chewing the lip-smacking toasted bagel, it’s worth it. Flavoursome.
I agree with Jimmy, Marion in Woodward Street has irresistibly divine sushi, buy before 1130 for the best selection.
The Marion sandwiches are huge, need their clingwrap corsets just to contain the fillings..
I also like the coffee – it’s not for asskick strength afficionados, but just right for me
There is a Kapai in Lambton Square which is always reliable for healthy stuff, and if you want to sit down with good pies, fish & chips and a milkshake there’s John’s Kitchen opposite Capital Office Supplies.
Jude’s Cafe down by the High Court opp. Parliament does the best bacon and egg sammie in the capital – the egg yolk is so mobile that it is still clucking – which can be a danger for messy eaters. But you need to get there before midday as they lose interest in customers about this time. Bizarre. Perhaps they just cater to insomniac judges overnight while we are sleeping?
Concorde Patisserie on Lambton Quay is always appreciative of custom as you pay – a nice touch lost in most of our eateries now. [A hello and smile is their trademark even for us infrequent visitors.] The beef and potato roll (wrapped in a segment of baguette) is very tasty but manage the mayonnaise as you munch. Mince savouries are good too. Try the vegetarian croissant which has a generous slice of avocado.
Roy Parsons coffee shop is a haven in hell. The nice music floats up onto the mezzanine floor and you can still smell the books while you meet or gossip. They even serve filter coffee for those of us who don’t need a “fix” at every turn. Their secret weapon is the fact that you can actually hear what your fellow guests are saying at the table and don’t leave feeling like you’ve been trying to have a conversation in a toilet bowl.
Kapai on ground floor of Lambton Square have very tasty, healthy food but the staff can be detached. Takeaway recommended as this is another venue where you feel like you’ve had lunch in a concrete water tank, and your vocal chords think they’ve just been through “question and answer time.”
Where is Marion on Woodward? I have gone up and down the street a few times and still couldn’t find it? Can only see Sushi Bi and Miso.
I’ve been this end of town for just over a year and have slowly, but surely, found a handful of places that I can actually eat relatively good food for $10 and under…
Satay Me on Woodward St: a small handful of satays, a square or two of roti bread, a mound of rice and a serve of salad – $10
Las Margaritas (either in Lambton Square or down near Mojo on the waterfront): $10 will get you a quessadilla, a burrito or a taco. The hot sauce alone is to die for!
And, although it’s probably not considered ‘lower lamb’, Cupz on the Terrace does reasonably priced sandwiches and I can recommend their nachos – very good value…possibly even shareable!
Next places I want to try are the $10 lunch special at Gather Cafe & Bar..have been there plenty times for a beer and gazed at the menu with intrigue…and the new place opened up beside Satay Me…
Oh yeah – if you just fancy a dodgy old kebab, you can’t go past the place on Waring Taylor St…
Aporo all the way, love their burgers. Good wholesome food & Great coffee !!!
I used to think think of lower lambton as anything before lambton square
anything like that i could grab lunch and be back in the office within 5 minutes.
Do that amazing greek family still have that little cafe opposite capital office supplies? Used to be home to the best Spanakopita in wellington
Yeah that’s how I’m defining Lower Lambton too, especially since the Wellingtonista Towers isn’t even on Lambton Quay so there’s a couple of blocks to go first before I get there anyway. So there isn’t really a five minute destination, except for Esquires. Ew.
Is Sushi Bi is what I called the Sushi Den? On Woodward?
If it is I humbly request that you bypass the lines & get the sushi made at Marion instead. Its really fricking tasty.
Lambton is a short street so what is the difference which end your on? You can walk the whole road in 4-5 minutes.
Sushi Bi is awesome. worth waiting in line for. If you wish to avoid the lines adjust your timing so you get there before or after the rush. A Buritto or Nachos from The Centro Mexico < Not sure if that is proper name or not, in the food court at BNZ Building. Also quite good and @ a fair price. There are alot of good food choices in that area from Willis Street all the way down to the Courthouse.
What? No mention of the fabulous (and fabulously cheap) french stick rolls at The Concorde Cafe? The fruit tarts are lovely too. For some reason their french bread is crunchy and fluffy like french bread used to be, not the doughy chewy stuff it is today.
Eating one right now, and the bread is so good! Thanks for reminding me.
For the cheapest hot fill-up Jennifer is right – the Concorde do a soup and roll for next to naught.
Also the sausage rolls at the cafe on the Terrace at the top of Mason’s Lane (Settlers?Colonial? something like that) are mighty good, or doesn’t the Terrace count?
Spud Deli next to Wagamama is not open (yet?). Spud Deli in Lambton Square is tasty but generic. I am reminded a little of English workplace cafeterias – though there’s more in the way of salad here.
The design-your-own sandwiches at Sir Breadwin’s are pretty good. If you don’t mind crossing six lanes of traffic, there’s Wagamama’s (tasty but expensive for what it is), Mojo (good coffee, reasonable cafe snacks and pizza) and Portofino (untested but $$$) over on the waterfront. I saw a new ‘Spud Deli’ there the other day too – I’ll try that for lunch today and report back.
Thanks for the Rah Zoo tip, I got a salad from there today, and it was awesome.
Not sure what qualifies as Lower Lambton, but I work on Brandon Street…so…
Sushi at Midland Sushi, bagel sandwiches at Wholly bagels, the new baked potato place isn’t bad (Spud Deli) – and they have lots of Kapiti ice cream flavours!
Espresso Republic always has something good in the case, but the best kept secret is Barista on Panama St.
There’s also good pizza at Mojo on the waterfront, and awesome salads at Razoo on Waring Taylor.
I haven’t partaken, but several of my workmates swear by the wraps at Daniel’s at the Reserve Bank end of the Terrace..
Also, I am partial to a good old lamington from Sir Breadwins.
And, on a Friday, fish and chips from the fish and chip shop right next to Sir Breadwins ftw
im confused by what lower lambton is too, but sushi from Marion on Woodward is excellent and has no lines like Midland & Sushi Den. Kita-Q has excellent & cheap japanese too.
When I worked in the area I used to enjoy the cafe upstairs at Parsons Books & Music, 126 Lambton Quay. Fairly traditional food, but very good quality.
There’s definitely a retro feel to the place. It was one of the first coffee shops in Wellington, and last time I was there the decor didn’t seem to have changed much!
Ah, so the area roughly between Midland Park and the railway station? These are some of your options:
Your opinion of Esquires is similar to mine, but those who crave bland international chains will be glad to know that Pita Pit will be coming to Waring Taylor St soon, and a McDonalds is rumoured to be opening under the new IRD building opposite the station.