The best takeaway shops in Wellington are the ones cooking to order rather than holding food under a warmer, and the ones with enough range to feed a whole household from a single order. Takeaway shops in Wellington cover fish and chips, kebabs, wood fired pizza and gourmet burgers, spread from Mount Victoria and Te Aro out to Island Bay, and most take orders for pick up or delivery. The Chippery and Wellington Seamarket both build their menus around fish landed locally.
1The Chippery
The Chippery is a fish and chip shop on Majoribanks Street in Mount Victoria, frying fish in craft beer batter alongside agria chips that are cut by hand. Beef patties are made in house from grass fed brisket, and the pork shoulder for its pulled pork burgers is slow roasted for twelve hours. A dedicated gluten free fryer, gluten free batter and vegetarian and vegan options make it workable for a group ordering across different dietary needs.
Services
- Fish and chips with craft beer batter
- Hand cut agria chips
- Beef and pulled pork burgers
- Oysters and seafood sides
- Catering for groups of ten or more
Highlights
- Dedicated gluten free fryer, plus gluten free batter and seeded gluten free buns
- Oysters sourced from farms in Bluff and Marlborough
- Aioli and tartare sauces made in house using free range eggs
- Three catering formats, covering a shared buffet, rustic canapes and individually boxed meals, served with eco friendly plates and cutlery
Location & Contact
Name: The Chippery
Address: 5 Majoribanks Street, Mount Victoria, Wellington 6011
Phone: 04 382 8713
Website: thechippery.co.nz
2Wellington Seamarket
Wellington Seamarket runs a wet fish counter and a fish and chip shop side by side at 220 Cuba Street in Te Aro, with further stores on Lambton Quay and in Porirua. The Cuba Street shop has traded for over twenty years, with fish landing daily from local fishers and staff who will talk through species and cooking methods. Fish and chip orders are for pick up, while fresh seafood is delivered around the Wellington region in chilled vans.
Services
- Classic fish and chips
- Fish of the day and premium fillets
- Burgers and chips
- Lunch specials
- Fresh seafood counter, including whole fish, fillets, pāua, whitebait and scallops
Highlights
- Cuba Street flagship store trading for over twenty years
- Fish landing daily from local fishers
- Three stores across the Wellington region, on Cuba Street, Lambton Quay and in Porirua
- Seafood home delivery packed with ice and run in chilled vans
- Home delivery dispatched from an export grade processing facility
Location & Contact
Name: Wellington Seamarket
Address: 220 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011
Phone: 04 384 8461
Website: wellingtonseamarket.com
3Abrakebabra
Abrakebabra is a Turkish takeaway at 90 Manners Street in central Wellington, serving kebabs, shawarmas, shish kebabs, iskenders and Turkish pizza. Orders are pick up only from the shop, and any meal on the menu can be upgraded to a combo with two sides for seven dollars. The business also runs a food truck at events around the Wellington region.
Services
- Kebabs and shawarmas
- Shish kebabs and iskenders
- Turkish pizza
- Meat on chips
- Burgers
Highlights
- Capital Times Best Kebabs winner in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012
- NZ Kebab Shop of the Year at the myrewards.com.au awards every year from 2013 to 2022
- Kitchen open until 2:30am on Friday and Saturday nights
Location & Contact
Name: Abrakebabra
Address: 90 Manners Street, Wellington 6011
Phone: 04 473 3311
Website: kebabcentral.co.nz
4Pizza Pomodoro
Pizza Pomodoro is a family run pizzeria in the Hannah’s Warehouse building on Leeds Street in Te Aro, making Neapolitan style pizza certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana. Pizzas are baked in a wood fired oven for sixty to ninety seconds, which is what gives the base its soft, pliable centre and light cornicione. It has traded from the same central site since September 2000, and takes orders for pick up and for delivery.
Services
- Wood fired Neapolitan pizza
- Classic Italian pizzas and original house creations
- Desserts and beverages
- Pick up and delivery ordering
Highlights
- Certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana
- Family run pizzeria since September 2000
- Pizzas cooked in a wood fired oven for 60 to 90 seconds at 400 to 450 degrees
- A $17 Margherita lunch special, pick up only, every lunchtime between 12pm and 2pm and all day Wednesday
- Independent, with no affiliation to any other pizzeria in Wellington or New Zealand
Location & Contact
Name: Pizza Pomodoro
Address: Hannah’s Warehouse Building, 13 Leeds Street, Te Aro, Wellington
Phone: 04 381 2929
Website: pizzapomodoro.co.nz
5Burger Wisconsin Island Bay
Burger Wisconsin Island Bay is the Island Bay branch of the New Zealand gourmet burger franchise, at 65 The Parade. Burgers are built on 160 gram New Zealand beef patties, with the Great American, Kiwi Classic and Beef and Blue Cheese among the regular menu, and gluten free buns available on request. The kitchen opens from 4pm seven days for pick up and delivery, and takes larger group orders with prior notice.
Services
- Gourmet beef burgers, including the Great American, Kiwi Classic and Beef and Blue Cheese
- Fries and sides
- Large group orders arranged with prior notice
- Pick up and delivery ordering
Highlights
- Burgers built on 160 gram patties of 100 percent New Zealand beef
- Gluten free buns available, with burgers customised for dietary needs
- Open seven days a week from 4pm to 9pm
- Loyalty app for repeat orders
Location & Contact
Name: Burger Wisconsin Island Bay
Address: 65 The Parade, Island Bay, Wellington 6023
Phone: 04 383 6644
Website: burgerwisconsin.co.nz/best-burgers-in-island-bay
Takeaway Shops in Wellington at a Glance
| Business | Based in | Highlight |
|---|---|---|
| The Chippery | Mount Victoria | Dedicated gluten free fryer |
| Wellington Seamarket | Te Aro | Cuba Street flagship store trading for over twenty years |
| Abrakebabra | Wellington | Capital Times Best Kebabs winner in 2006 |
| Pizza Pomodoro | Te Aro | Certified by the Associazione Vera Pizza Napoletana |
| Burger Wisconsin Island Bay | Island Bay | Burgers built on 160 gram patties of 100 percent New Zealand beef |
How to Choose the Right Takeaway Shop in Wellington
- Check whether the shop cooks to order or holds food under a warmer. Batter and chips lose their texture within minutes, so a few extra minutes of waiting usually pays off.
- Ask how the fish is supplied. A shop working off daily landings can tell you the species on the day, rather than selling an unnamed fish of the day.
- Confirm how dietary needs are handled before you order. A dedicated gluten free fryer is a different thing from gluten free batter cooked in shared oil, and the distinction matters for coeliac customers.
- Match the ordering method to your evening. Some shops are pick up only, some run their own delivery, and some sit on the third party apps, where the fee and the wait can differ a lot.
- Check closing times against when you actually want to eat. Central city shops often trade well past midnight at the weekend, while suburban shops can shut by 8pm or 9pm.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wellington Takeaway Shops
How much does a takeaway meal cost in Wellington?
It depends entirely on the shop and on what you order, and prices move often enough that a printed figure ages quickly. The most reliable approach is to open the shop’s own online ordering page, where the current menu and prices are listed, rather than relying on a third party app that may add its own service fee on top.
Where can I find a takeaway shop near me in Wellington?
The central city is the densest area, with Manners Street, Cuba Street and Leeds Street all within a short walk of one another in and around Te Aro. Just east of the centre, Mount Victoria has a fish and chip shop on Majoribanks Street, and Lambton Quay covers the northern end of the CBD. Heading south, Island Bay sits at the end of The Parade, and the southern and eastern suburbs are generally served by delivery from the closest shop rather than by a counter on every street.
Do takeaways in Wellington deliver, or is it pick up only?
Both models are common. Some Wellington shops are strictly pick up, some run their own delivery drivers, and many also list on Uber Eats, Delivereasy or DoorDash. It is worth checking the shop’s own site first, because ordering direct is often cheaper than ordering the same food through an app, and a shop that handles its own delivery can usually give you a more accurate wait time.
Which takeaway shops cater for gluten free or vegetarian diets?
More do than used to, but the standard varies. The key question for anyone avoiding gluten is whether the shop has a dedicated fryer, since gluten free batter cooked in oil shared with regular batter is not safe for coeliac customers. Vegetarian and vegan options are now fairly standard across fish and chip shops, burger shops and pizzerias alike, though the range is usually wider at the pizza and burger end.
How do I check a takeaway shop’s food safety record in Wellington?
Every business selling food in New Zealand has to be registered and independently verified, and the Ministry for Primary Industries publishes the food safety registers and lists that let you confirm a business is registered. Wellington City Council carries out verification for most food premises in the city and sets out the process on its food safety pages. The council awards an Excellent grade to businesses scoring 80 or higher at verification, so a certificate on the wall is worth a glance.
Can a Wellington takeaway shop handle catering or a large group order?
Many can, but almost all of them want notice. Catering is often a separate part of the business with its own minimum group size and its own menu formats, covering things like a shared buffet, finger food or individually boxed meals. If you are ordering for a work function or a party, phone the shop directly rather than putting a large order through an app.
How late do takeaway shops stay open in Wellington?
Closing times split fairly sharply between the central city and the suburbs. Shops on and around Manners Street and Courtenay Place tend to trade latest, in some cases well past midnight on Friday and Saturday, because they are serving people leaving bars and venues. Suburban shops are more likely to close at 8pm or 9pm, and a number are closed one day a week, usually Monday.
How We Chose the Best Takeaway Shops in Wellington
Every business in this guide was found by searching for takeaway shops in Wellington, then checked against its own website. Names, addresses and phone numbers are taken from the business’s own site rather than a directory feed, so what you see here is what they publish themselves. We also check that each one is actually based in or genuinely serving Wellington, rather than a national operator running a local landing page. A business with no website of its own is not listed, because there is no primary source to verify it against.