Wellington's Courtenay Place

Courtenay Quarter more than lives up to its reputation as Wellington's entertainment zone. Renowned as the country's only true restaurant precinct, Courtenay Quarter has also gained a reputation for retail therapy courtesy of the numerous boutiques in Blair Street, College Street, Majoribanks Street, Oriental Parade and Vivian Street.

Shopping
Scotties (4 Blair St) is the exclusive Wellington stockist of designer labels Issey Miyake, Comme des Garcons, Junya Watanabe and Marilyn Sainty while Heather Seabright (72 Taranaki Street) creates her own designs. Gifts, from New Zealand made souvenirs to imported products, can be found at Bennetts Giftworld (27 Courtenay Place) while Arty Bees Books (17 Courtenay Place) offers quality pre-loved books and music and Kay & Tucker (19 Tory Street) supply bed linen and tableware, sleepware and accessories.

Nightlife
Nightlife comes in many flavours - The Dubliner Bar and Restaurant (cnr Tarnaki & Courtenay Place) boasts a Whiskey Bar, Molly Malones Irish Bar (corner Taranaki Street and Courtenay Place) has live music nightly, and McLauchlans (33 Vivian Street) offers a range of 70 whiskies and Scottish beers. The Circa Cafe & Bar (Cable St) is a pre-show haunt for theatre patrons, while One Red Dog (9-11 Blair Street), Q Bar (26c Courtenay Place), The Big Easy (74 Courtenay Place) and The Valve Bar (154 Vivian Street) provide other options.

Cafés
A plethora of cafes operate in and around Courtenay Place, or further afield try Zing Café (Blair Street) and Caffe L'Affare (College Street), one of Wellington's top coffee roasters.

Restaurants
Ethnic restaurants include Big Thumb Restaurant (9 Allen Street), providing original Sichuan, Cantonese and Yum Char, and the Hong Kong-style New Dynasty Restaurant (25 Tory Street). Traditional Indian cuisine can be enjoyed at Cafe India (18 Allen Street) and Little India Bistro & Tandoor (18 Blair St). The Thai Panom Restaurant (35-38 Cambridge Terrace) and The Oriental Thai (corner Cambridge Terrace and Vivian Street) offer Thai cuisine, or sample Malaysian flavours at The Malacca Restaurant & Bar (corner Tory and Vivian Streets). 

Lovers of Italian food can choose between Zico (8 Courtenay Place) cucina and bar and Fratelli's welcoming dining room with a fresh and fantastic flair to traditional Italian food (15 Blair Street). There is Greek food and entertainment at Theo's Greek Taverna (13 Pirie Street). For international fare, The Icon Restaurant at (Te Papa, Cable Street) sums up its meals as 'art on a plate', while Faces Restaurant (Cable Street) can be found within the Museum Hotel.

Or, visit Courtney Place's top quirky eatery - at 5 Courtney Place you can enjoy a bowl of curly fries with a peanut butter milkshake. Sweet Mother’s Kitchen draws on influences from New Orleans with Cajun and Creole dishes plus Mexican snack food.

Treat yourself to seafood fare from a top chef; Martin Bosley’s Yacht Club Restaurant (103 Oriental Parade) has a fabulous waterfront location, offering panoramic views of Wellington and the Harbour.

Order your free Jasons 'Wellington What's On' guide (published quarterly).