Kanteen Cafe occupies the open ground-floor hub of NZ Post House on Waterloo Quay, bringing a full weekday cafe into a busy office setting. Its bright room works for breakfast, coffee meetings and a proper lunch rather than only grab-and-go service. The kitchen starts early, baking for the cabinet and preparing salads and daily specials, while a commitment to seasonal local ingredients and compostable packaging gives the operation a clear sustainable direction.
Breakfast is available throughout the cafe day and ranges from quick choices to substantial plates. A bacon-and-egg butty handles the simplest stop, while smashed avocado comes with spicy pumpkin hummus, greens, pomegranate dressing and tamari seeds. Eggs Benedict, sweet waffles and the big cooked breakfast cover familiar brunch territory. Beef mince with poached eggs and hot-smoked Akaroa salmon with scrambled eggs, avocado and spinach offer more distinctive savoury alternatives.
Lunch keeps the selection broad without becoming unwieldy. A chicken BLT with Swiss cheese is served with fries, and the pulled-pork burrito bowl layers brown rice, chilli beans, avocado, salsa and crisp tortilla. The vegan CBQ salad combines cauliflower, quinoa, roasted pumpkin, chickpeas and cashew dressing, while Korean fried chicken sits over spicy greens and pickles. Toasties, changing blackboard specials and a full cabinet of baking, sandwiches and salads support different appetites and schedules.
Ripe coffee anchors the drinks service, joined by tea, fruit smoothies, juice and kombucha. On Friday the cafe stays open into the evening, adding New Zealand wine, craft beer, cocktails and snacks such as Korean fried chicken, crisp squid and pesto pizza bread. Kanteen also turns into a private function venue after the daytime trade, with savoury platters, cheeseboards, sushi, breads and dips, and miniature sweets designed for larger groups.
Address: NZ Post House, 7 Waterloo Quay, Pipitea, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
Moved or closed? Tell us: Moved·Temporarily closed·Permanently closed
Kanteen Cafe Menu
All Day Breakfast
Bacon Egg Butty
Smashed Avocado
w. spicy pumpkin hummus, fresh greens, pomogranate dressing, tamari seeds, grain toast
Free Range Eggs Your Way
w. Homemade relish & Grain Toast
Eggs Benedict
w. thick-cut ham, hash browns, hollandaise (GF)
Sweet Waffles
w. banana, crispy bacon, real maple syrup, berry sauce
Big Brekkie
w. 2 eggs, bacon, Harrington’s kransky, hash brown, mushroom, tomato, Turkish toast
Beef Mince
w. poached eggs, rocket, parmesan
Akaroa Hot Smoked Salmon
w. scrambled eggs, avocado, wilted spinach, hash brown, pickle (GF)
Sides
Streaky bacon, Halloumi, Grilled chicken
Avocado, Mushroom, Toast
Shoestring Fries w. Aioli / Relish
Egg, Hash brown, Tomato
Lunch
Chicken BLT & Swiss cheese, Fries
Pulled Pork Burrito Bowl
w. brown rice, chilli beans, avocado, cheese, salsa, sourcream, crispy tortillas (GF)
Grilled Triple Cheese Toastie
CBQ Salad
w. cauliflower, brown rice, quinoa, avocado, pickled red cabbage, miso roasted pumpkin, crispy chickpeas, creamy cashew dressing (Vegan & GF)
Korean Fried Chicken Salad
w. spicy greens, pickled red cabbage, carrot, radish, soya sauce egg
Daily Blackboard Specials
Snacks
From 3PM on Friday
Korean Fried Chicken w. sweet spicy sauce
Crispy Squid w. rocket, aioli
Pizza bread w. garlic, pesto, parmesan
Shoestring Fries w. aioli, relish
Coffee
Short Black · Long Black
White
Short macchiato · Long macchiato
Flat white · Latte
Tea
English breakfast · Earl grey
Sencha
Kawakawa
Chamomile · Peppermint
Smoothies
Banana, yoghurt, milk & honey
Mango & yoghurt
Blueberry, banana, avocado, apple juice, coconut milk & hemp
Cold Drinks
Homegrown orange juice
Apple, orange & mango · Apple & guava
Sparkling blackcurrant · Apple & feijoa
Kombucha
Wine
Mission Fete Brut Cuvee
Ngatarawa Stable Sauvignon Blanc
Matahiwi Chardonnay
The Ned Rose
Beer
Tap Beer _355ML Asahi Lager 5.2% / DVB brew
Panhead Supercharger APA 5.7%
Parrotdog Birdseye hazy IPA 5.8%
Panhead Blacktop Oat Stout 5.5%
Spirits
Tanqueray Gin
Jim Beam Bourbon
Smirnoff Vodka
Jose Cuervo Tequila
Classic Cocktails
Dark & Stormy
dark rum, ginger beer, lime, bitters
Negroni
dry gin, campari, sweet vermouth
Maple Manhattan
bourbon, red vermouth, maple, bitters
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+ Log your visitHow prices compare
Against typical prices in Wellington
- Eggs benedict Typical in Wellington: $24.75 $22.00
- Smashed avocado Typical in Wellington: $24.00 $17.00
- Big breakfast Typical in Wellington: $28.00 $28.00
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