The Green Parrot Cafe reached its centenary in 2026, a rare milestone for a Wellington dining room. Founder Richard Alfred Leckner named it after green parrot lampshades he had bought at Macy's before returning from San Francisco, and the restaurant still presents that story as part of its identity. The Taranaki Street room is not a recreation of a fashionable bistro; it is an enduring, fully licensed steakhouse whose appeal lies in generous meals, familiar service and the continuity of a local institution.
A grill installed in 1932, made from melted gun barrels, remains central to the restaurant's story and to a menu built around hearty cooked-to-order plates. Fillet and sirloin steaks sit beside lamb chops, pork chops, souvlaki and Wiener schnitzel. A mixed grill gathers several of those old-school pleasures on one plate, while pork sausages with bacon and a separate serving of chicken livers preserve choices that have become unusual elsewhere. Most main plates follow the house tradition of arriving with fries and salad.
Seafood broadens the menu without changing its straightforward character. Groper and fish of the day are regular possibilities, with flounder, scallops, calamari, oysters and whitebait appearing where availability or season allows. Eggs and omelettes offer a simpler direction, useful for a diner who does not want one of the large grills. That range explains why the Green Parrot is more than a steak specialist: it is a traditional city restaurant where meat, fish and unfussy sides share the same long-established language.
Dessert stays faithful to the same nostalgic style. Apple pie, hot chocolate fudge cake and a chocolate sundae finish a meal without the menu suddenly becoming ornate. Evening service runs from Wednesday to Saturday, and the restaurant can arrange private lunches and functions outside that pattern, giving groups access to a room with genuine Wellington history. The Green Parrot suits diners who value continuity and generous portions, but its century-old story is best appreciated alongside the food rather than as a museum piece.
Address: 16 Taranaki Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
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