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Nicolini’s Menu

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Pumpkin ravioli with butter and herbs at Nicolini’s in Wellington.
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Nicolini's carries a long Wellington story into its Blair Street dining room. Naples-trained founder Raffaele Abbate opened the restaurant in 1997, and after twenty-five years on Courtenay Place the family moved to a larger site in late 2022. The new home provides three dining areas, a full bar and a baby grand piano, with live playing on Thursday and Friday evenings. Those additions give the restaurant more range without obscuring the central idea: generous, tradition-led Italian food in a relaxed family setting.

The kitchen balances fresh New Zealand produce with imported Italian specialties chosen to preserve the character of family recipes. House-baked focaccia appears as garlic bread made to a decades-old formula and beneath tomato, basil and extra-virgin olive oil in the bruschetta. Green-lip mussels, calamari, garlic mushrooms and king prawns widen the opening choices beyond bread and antipasto. The result is a first course that can be kept simple or assembled into a shared spread before pasta and meat dishes arrive.

Several main courses foreground time and continuity. Chicken My Way uses a brandy-and-cream recipe developed forty-two years ago, lamb shanks are cooked slowly for five to six hours, and pork scallopine combines Madeira, cream and mushrooms. The changing specials add another layer: seafood spaghetti Pescatora, handmade lamb cappelletti, smoked-salmon risotto, venison rigatoni and meatballs bathed in six-hour pomodoro. These are robust plates, but the mix of pasta, risotto and carefully prepared meat keeps the menu from relying on a single signature.

Dessert remains firmly within the family's repertoire. Gelato is made in house to a family recipe, and the tiramisu follows another version passed down through generations. Daily cheesecake, chocolate torte and profiteroles filled with crema pasticciera offer richer alternatives. Italian bottles anchor the wine list, joined by wines from New Zealand and Australia, so dinner can move naturally from antipasto to pasta or slow-cooked meat, then finish with dessert and the sound of the piano on music nights.

Address: Ground Floor, 9 Blair Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand

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Nicolini's Menu

Daily Specials

‘some old favourites and some new’ — subject to availability. Please advise staff of any intolerances or allergies.

Pescatora
$39.20

This is a large dish! La Molisana spaghetti in a traditional Salsa Napoletana (pomodoro) with seafood still in their shells – mussels, prawns, queen scallops and calamari. Made the traditional way. Delizioso!

Lamb Cappelletti
$35.40

In-house hand-made parcels of pasta filled with NZ lamb and cooked in a Salsa Napoletana sauce with Italian salame and NZ feta cheese.

Smoked Salmon Risotto
$37.50

NZ smoked salmon, Arborio rice, in a rich cream sauce with pine-nuts, fresh spinach and a touch of Kapiti blue cheese.

Rib Eye Steak FROM 500g
from $59.80

Premium Rib Eye (on the bone, please ask for today’s size), dry-aged for a min. 3 days, then marinated min. two days in olive oil, garlic and herbs, masterfully grilled, topped with sauteed mushrooms and served with vegies.

Apple Pork
$44.20

Tenderised pork cut in-house from NZ pork fillets, pan fried in an Apple Sourz liquor sauce with slices of fresh apple, dried apricots and pistacchio nuts with a dash of cream.

Rigatoni Venison
$36.80

Large tube shaped La Molisana pasta with sauteed NZ venison sausages in a Roma Pomodoro sauce with roasted capsicum, shallots, mixed herbs, fresh basil and a dash of red/white wine

Rigatoni Roma
$36.80

Large tube shaped La Molisana pasta with pulled lamb from our popular NZ lamb shanks, slow baked in our secret sauce, we then add pomodoro & fresh basil…Buonissimo!

Spaghetti Meatballs
$38.80

La Molisana spaghetti with NZ Premium Beef meatballs, bathed in our succulent 6-hour reduced salsa di pomodoro, Nonna’s best!

Breads and Entrees

Garlic Bread
$14.90

Served on homebaked focaccia with our decades old recipe (v)

Bruschetta
$15.50

4 days in the making – Homebaked focaccia with fresh tomato, basil, garlic & extra virgin olive oil (v)

Olive Focaccia
$14.10

Homebaked focaccia, Kalamata olives, balsamic vinegar & extra virgin olive oil (v)

Antipasto
$32.80

For Two – An Italian classic! N/A for Takeaway

Soup of the Day
$19.80

Please ask your server for today’s exquisite flavour. N/A for Takeaway (Available winter only)

Fresh Mussels
$19.90

White wine, garlic and fresh parsley

Calamari
$27.80

Hand-cut fried calamari dusted with our own special seasoning. N/A for Takeaway

Garlic Mushrooms
$24.90

Our decades old recipe, a favourite with ‘almost’ everyone!

Garlic Prawns Raffaele
$29.60

King Tiger prawns in half shell, olive oil, garlic and more

Pasta

Spaghetti al Ragu' Bolognese.
Entree $32.80 / Main $35.90

La Molisana spaghetti with our six hours in-house made Bolognese.

Tortellini Ham
$36.70

Home-made Tortellini filled with NZ ricotta and fresh spinach, cooked with shoulder ham, in a cream and fresh mushrooms sauce

Ravioli
$35.80

Home-made Ravioli, filled with NZ ricotta and pesto, cooked in a Kikorangi blue cheese and cream sauce and topped with freshly grated walnuts (v)

Fettucine Shrimps
Entree $32.80 / Main $35.90

La Molisana fettuccine, shrimps, garlic, spinach and more, in extra virgin olive oil

Penne Chicken
$35.90

La Molisana penne, NZ organic chicken, fresh mushrooms, marinated red capsicum in a cream sauce

Spaghetti Mussels
$35.90

La Molisana spaghetti and fresh NZ green-lip mussels in a spicy white wine and tomato sauce. N/A For Takeaway. N / A

Tortellini Amatriciana
$36.70

Home-made Tortellini filled with NZ ricotta and fresh spinach, cooked with NZ bacon, chilli and pomodoro sauce

Lasagna al ragu Bolognese
$37.20

Made in a traditional Napolitan style with our home-made Bolognese. Almost six hours in the making!

Cannelloni
$34.80

Sheets of pasta, rolled and filled with NZ ricotta cheese and fresh spinach, cooked in a Napoli sauce. (v)

Fettuccine Puttanesca
$33.80

La Molisana fettuccine, capers, mixed olives, oregano, chilli and tomato sauce (v)

Spaghetti Prawns
Entree $34.80 / Main $39.30

La Molisana spaghetti, Tiger prawns in half shell, capers, garlic, chilli and olives in olive oil

Risotto Funghi
$36.20

Fresh mushrooms and rice, spring onion, fresh parsley and white wine, cooked to perfection. (v)

Spaghetti Carbonara
$34.90

La Molisana spaghetti, NZ bacon and Free Range egg. The only way to make it! A little slice of Rome.

Carne & Pesce

All fish/meat dishes served with a selection of seasonal, oven baked vegetables. NOT AVAILABLE For Takeaway

Fish of the day Primavera salsa

A rustic Italian sauce with tomatoes, garlic & wine Price: Market Price

White Veal Cutlet
$59.80

Prepared in-house from a milk-fed Veal fillet. Marsala wine and cream sauce. NOT AVAILABLE. N / A

Chicken My Way
$44.50

Chicken breast in Brandy and cream sauce (42 year old recipe)

Lamb Shanks
One $30.80 / Two $48.80 / Three $60.50

One or Two or Three oven baked shanks slowly cooked for 5-6 hours. Please allow a 30 minute wait time.

Pork Scallopine
$45.60

In-house prepared from a Pork fillet. Madeira port, cream and mushroom sauce

Pollo al Marsala
$44.50

Chicken breast in a Marsala wine and cream sauce

Sides

Small Salad
$6.80
Large Salad
$16.90
Seasonal Vegetables
Small $6.80 / Large $19.90

Oven baked in small or large sizes

Agria Patatine Fritte
$9.80
Warmed Olives
$7.90
Plain Focaccia
$3.70
Gluten Free Pasta
$4.20

Dolci

Double Chocolate Torte
$16.90

Beautiful chocolate torte, a layer of melted chocolate and dripping with our home made chocolate ganache. Topped off with vanilla ice cream and fresh whipped cream

Baked Cheesecake of the Day
$16.90

Freshly baked each day, ask your server about today’s creation

Profiteroles
$16.90

A cream puff pastry, filled with our special crema pasticiera and smothered with genache

Gelato Italiano
$16.90

Freshly made in-house to our family recipe. A truly traditional Napolitan gelato. Ask your server about today’s flavour. N/A for Takeaway

Tiramisu
$16.90

Tiramisu or ‘pick me up’, is our way of ending the perfect meal. We only use our family recipe that has not changed for generations

Daily Special
$16.90

Please ask your server what our Chef has created today!

Caffe: The Usual Suspects

At Nicolini’s our coffee menu contains a selection of traditional coffees and special coffees and the option of a single or double shot.

Caffe Latte
Single $6 / Double $7.50
Cappuccino
Single $6 / Double $7.50
Caffe Nero
Single $5 / Double $6.50
Flat White
Single $6 / Double $7.50
Espresso
Single $5 / Double $6.50
Ristretto
Single $5 / Double $6.50
Macchiato
Single $6 / Large $7.90
Hot Chocolate
Large $7.90
Tea
$5

English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Peppermint, Chamomile, Green

Something Special

Affogato
single $9 / double $10.80

vanilla ice cream drowned in espresso OR hot chocolate

Mochaccino
reg $6 / large $7.90

Something Wicked: A Coffee With A Twist

Nicolinis
single $15.20 / double $16.90

(a surprise!)

Romano
single $15.20 / double $16.90

with Galliano

Irish
single $15.20 / double $16.90

with Tullamore Dew whisky

Mexican..ish
single $15.20 / double $16.90

with Borghetti Italian coffee liquore

Corretto
single $13.90 / double $15.50

with Sambuca Bianca/Nera

Drunken Affogato
single $15.20 / double $16.90

with Amaretto, or…..

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