Wellington-born Juno Miers waited tables in cafés when she was a teenager and liked the work so much she turned it into her career. In 2015 at the now-closed restaurant The Bresolin, she met her chef husband, Tom Adam. Even before romance bloomed, they dreamed of one day having a little neighbourhood bistro of their own.

That became a reality in 2022 when Margot and the adjacent bar, Next Door, opened in the culturally diverse, inner-city area of Newtown. A cosy, Euro-vibed 25-seater, Margot matches their early imaginings, offering a menu of rustic, vegetable-oriented dishes determined by whatever local growers are harvesting. These are some of Miers’s favourite Wellington spots.

Image credit: Customs / Coffee Supreme

Customs café for filter coffee

1/7

“While they make beautiful espresso at this modern Mid-Century-style café, I love the filter coffee. They use organic, fair-trade and single-origin beans, and do great avo toast if avocados are in season. Sandwiches, like the grilled cheddar toastie, are also excellent.”

Image credit: Jimmy Yang

Cuba Street for bar hopping

2/7

“It’s a very Wellington thing to do a Cuba Street bar hop. I like to start at Regent, which has a balcony overlooking Ghuznee and Cuba streets. It has the vibe of a modern English pub, with Guinness on tap. Then pop into Puffin (pictured), which has a huge wine list focused on organic and biodynamic wines. Finish at Dee’s Place, a subterranean American whiskey bar. I love the refreshing whiskey and apple cocktail made with fresh juice.”

Image credit: @freds.sandos / Instagram

Fred’s for a great sandwich

3/7

“Victoria and Harry run this lunch spot and make an ever-changing roster of delicious and sometimes eccentric sandwiches, such as a massaman beef toastie with mozzarella and coriander yoghurt. When it’s on the menu, I love their take on a katsu sando – it will transport you to Japan. They also do good coffee and you can get the famous fresh orange juice from local supermarket Moore Wilson’s by the glass.”

Image credit: Jimmy Yang

Rita for exciting seasonal flavours

4/7

“This intimate restaurant in an old worker’s cottage serves exciting three-course set menus. Depending on the season, you might find a tonnato-style veal dish with buttermilk dressing or grilled tuna with miso butter cabbage. The desserts are gorgeous, too.”

Image credit: Tommy Tomato

Tommy Tomato for pizza

5/7

“One of the tastiest things you can eat in Wellington at the moment is a pizza from Tommy Tomato. Tommy used to have a pizza restaurant called Tommy Millions but now on Friday nights you can pre-order a pizza and pick it up from the LTD. event space in Dixon Street. He also does pop-ups most weekends at Parrotdog brewery in Lyall Bay. I love anything margherita-adjacent but my last Tommy’s pizza had a white base with tomato, caponata and basil.”

Image credit: Ortega Fish Shack

Ortega Fish Shack for steak and chips

6/7

“This bistro is an institution, with great service, beautiful food and an eclectic design. I like to start with a glass of bubbles and oysters, maybe Te Kouma Bay or Te Matuku Pacifics, and the yellowtail kingfish ceviche is great. Even though it’s a fish restaurant, I always order their ironically most iconic dish – beautiful eye fillet with café de Paris butter and chips – perfect and delicious.”

Image credit: Amber-Jayne Bain