Bebemos holds the corner of Riddiford and Hall Streets in Newtown, Wellington, and likes to call itself the suburb’s relaxation headquarters. It is a bar first, built around craft beer and Latin cocktails, but the kitchen turns out a full menu of South American influenced food that makes it just as much a place to eat. On colder nights there is a fire inside to settle in beside. Out the back, the Cabana is a heated beer garden with a tropical feel, sheltered from the Wellington weather and a pleasant vantage point for watching Newtown go about its day.
The food plays with Latin flavours. Small plates include pão de queijo, little balls of cheese bread served with chilli mayo, along with pan fried prawns dressed in chimichurri, garlic oil and mango jalapeño jam, cauliflower bites coated in spicy Nashville seasoning, and jalapeño poppers stuffed with three cheeses. Tacos arrive three to a serve on open corn tortillas, filled with shredded beef in a smoky birria gravy, sweet and sticky chicken, fried hoki with guacamole, or battered cauliflower with chimichurri. For nachos and quesadillas, the fillings are shredded beef, shredded chicken, or chilli beans with corn, so there is plenty to share across the table.
Bebemos takes its burgers seriously, running from the smashed beef O.G. and the double patty Gaucho to birria versions topped with pulled chipotle beef or shredded sticky chicken, and the Frango, a fried chicken burger with mango jalapeño jam. Halloumi and battered hoki burgers widen the choice, and sweet options have included a chocolate fudge brownie with gelato and a mango cheesecake on a cookie crumb crust. Dietary needs are handled with care, with symbols on the menu that guide vegans, vegetarians and anyone who must skip dairy or gluten, a fryer kept gluten free, and no nuts used anywhere in the kitchen. Weekend brunch brings more burgers and quesadillas, and children have a short list of their own, from fried chicken to a plain quesadilla.
On the bar, a rotating tap list is backed by a fridge of cans from local brewers such as Garage Project, Parrotdog and Kererū, including alcohol free and gluten free beers, and tasting boards let you try four beers side by side. The cocktail list runs through Latin classics like caipirinhas, daiquiris and pisco sours to margaritas, palomas, a negroni made with kawakawa gin and an espresso martini, while sangria comes by the jug in red, white or rosé, and brunch calls for mimosas, mango bellinis and spritzes. Organic and vegan wines feature on the list, mocktails include a warm apple drink with gingerbread syrup, and quiz nights, jazz jams and tap takeovers keep the calendar lively.
Address: 88 Riddiford Street (corner of Hall Street), Newtown, Wellington 6021
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