![Laksa bowl with [?] at Aunty Mena's in Wellington](https://images.happycow.net/venues/1024/35/40/hcmp3540_88177.jpeg)
Vegan
Asian
Malaysian
Vegan restaurant serving veggie Asian food. Open Mon-Sat 12:00pm-8:00pm.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
-
167 Cuba St, Wellington, New Zealand
-
Loading...
-
-
Last update on 15 Oct 2024 by geometric-noise
Update business info
-
-
154 Reviews
First Review by ampallang
VeJo
Points +213
An oasis in a vegan desert - Edit
Aunty Mena's is billed as a "vegetarian and vegan" restaurant, but apparently all the food is vegan. It's a large menu, which is good because we had to make several visits while in Wellington, owing to the dearth of vegan food in the area. Aunty Mena was really friendly, and let us know about her son's veg restaurant for the next time we're in Brisbane. The staff in general are nice. The food is pretty good, on par with most Asian vegan restaurants of its kind (with mock meats). I think Wellington, being such a large city and with a bit of an alt edge, should have more veg*n restaurants, but if Aunty Mena's is going to be pretty much the only one in town, it's not a tragedy.
Read morePros: Good food, Very nice staff, Central location
Cons: A little pricey
Guest
schumacher62
Points +478
friendly and easy - Edit
simple to find, right in cuba street with all the other eateries. our food was quickly served, not oily or salty, and priced right. we had satay, curry steam buns, nasi goreng and a coconut type soup, maybe a tom yum of sorts.
Read moreone man and woman running the show, and business picked up quickly right at the noon hour. hip healthy patrons, everyone seemed to be delighted with what they were eating. several to-go customers came and got food as well.
one woman went to ask "what are the vegan menu items?" and was told "we are all vegan now," by the woman serving and cooking. right on!! will definitely return, if i definitely return to wellington...
Pros: priced right, fast service, not noisy, no music and quiet talk.
Cons: busy street with no parking
Guest
Dmitry
Points +201
Awesome spot to get full to the brim - Edit
It is open till 9pm & until the last customer (me this time) finishes and you are spoiled for choice. I had: fried dumplings (8 with veg meat mince & dipping sauce), delicious Tom Yum ("small" portion which turned out to be 3 times bigger than tiny bowls I got at some other non-veg places) hot & spicy, but not to burn off your palet - just right, then Singaporean fried noodles with BBQ gluten I believe (I love gluten BTW, but if you don't I am sure you'll find something because the menu is huge), which I liberarily sprinkled with soy sauce from a help-yourself bottle, Chinese tea (no skimping here - a big pot) & a "sago" for desert, kind of like sweet rice (I was told it was something like tapioca) with lychee fruits all around - quite interesting. All this, while watching an interesting crowd of seemingly non-conformist Wellingtoneans (in this Land of Meat & Dairy one has to be a bit) which seemed to go quite well with the simple decor of the place. Paid about NZ $40 for all the above, but it was worth it for me. It's on Cuba Street, which is pedestrians-only shopping etc hot spot of Wellington.
Read morePros: Lots of choices. All seems vegan.
Cons: I'd chill free water a bit, OK for some.
Guest
kim2121
Points +449
Great Choice - Edit
I really loved the food here, and the service was friendly too. I ate here on a rainy day so I was particularly thrilled to find warm, filling vegan food in Wellington. They don't accept credit cards so make sure to bring cash or a debit card.
Read morePros: Excellent Food, Friendly Service
Guest
Temi
Points +65
Not completely wowed - Edit
Aunty Mena's was a good change from our usual vegan spots but after reading the fantastic reviews and walking past it hundreds of times we finally decided to give it a go when our local was closed for holiday. I'm not entirely sold and not certain what all the fuss was about the food was ok but not fantastic and the service was confusing (we were seated but waited to be served for a long time before deciding to go to the till ourselves) we had the sweet and sour "Not meat" and kung pow chicken (or something along those lines) with two entrees. i have worked in the food industry and cannot understand how their service system works. an entree is a pre dinner snack but we seemed to get them whenever they were done cooking so basically we got one entree then 5-10 minutes later the next then dinner straight after. it was just lucky we were sharing.
Read moreoverall we did enjoy our meals but it could have been better
Pros: everything on menu was vegan
Cons: weird service, average food
Guest
Lea
Points +415
Humble veggie haven in sordid surroundings - Edit
As we walked down the gauntlet of bars and sleazy sex joints of Cuba Street for the first time we were not filled with confidence about dining in the area. On reaching Aunty Mena's it looked basic and not very inspiring. Likewise, much of the food served looked humble and unsophisticated. But this is one place where the proof is in the eating.
Read moreWe started off with soy nuggets and spring rolls, which were probably purchased frozen and only cooked on-site, but were yummy nonetheless. Then we had coconut rice, which came with some cashews and wafer things similar to papadums but not as salty. It also came with some veggie tofu curry that was mild flavoured but addictively delicious. I did not like the look of the not chicken dish, as the sauce looked really dark and salty. But to my surprise it was deliciously caramelly and slightly sweet / savoury.
There were only two desserts on the menu so we got one of each and shared. The soy ice cream was very nice. The sago was unflavoured in itself, but drenched in creamy coconut cream and a scrumptious burnt sugar tasting caramel sauce. Heaven!
Don't be deterred by the look of the restaurant or food, it is well worth trying.
Pros: Delicious food, Dessert sauce is amazing, Humble ambience
Guest
vaieen
Points +83
Great food, kind staffs - Edit
I was ravenous when I visited here. I devoured whatever was in front of me, they were all great and delicious. I went back for the second time on the next night before my next depart to a different town. Yum!
Read moreGuest
Larawr
Points +70
a regular for me - Edit
I go here often. The place doesn't look flash, but the service is friendly and the food is great. Curry noodle and roti chanai are my favourites. Portions are good sizes.
Read moreGreat for going out with a group of friends, just not top choice if you're looking for a fancy place.
Pros: great food, good service, easy location
Guest
peas-full
Points +3518
Definitely worth going! - Edit
Amazing food with lots of mock meat.
Read moreFriendly staff: helpful and happy to arrange special requests (I asked them to add some BBQ pork in my noodles).
Quick service, huge portions and fair prices.
Good location.
Highly recommended!
Pros: amazing food, friendly staff, good location and prices
Guest
phraser
Points +84
Nice food, good price - Edit
I had a great vegan Char Kway Teoh and vegan roti here. Ok, the decor is not very exciting, but if that bothers you get takeaway and go sit on the waterfront. The food is great. I don't find it bland at all. The value for money is also good, we can generally share a dish between two people. A major bonus is that they have vegan Roti and ice cream! All the food and desserts are vegan.
Read morePros: Vegan Roti!, Large selection, Fresh
Cons: Cafe decor
Guest
DiaShel
Points +48
Great selection - Edit
I love how vegan friendly this place is. They have so much to choose from which I love, but I've never been really wowed by the food. I'd like a bit for flavor. I'm not much for things that are deep fried as well so I don't go too often. I think the prices are a little bit steeper then they need to be. Some times I really get a craving for this place though.
Read morePros: Selection
Cons: Ambiance , not too healthy
Guest
Mellifluoust
Points +807
Vegan asian cornucopia - Edit
It took me a while to warm up to Aunty Mena's - I love ambient cafes and this, unfortunately, is not one of those. However, if you can get past the shabby interior, the MSG, the deep frying and all the mock meats, Mena's can be a lot of fun. Where else in Wellington can you order a feast of lamb curry and roast duck and harm no animals in the process? :)
Read morePros: So many choices!, Crazy fake meats
Cons: Shabby, Not-so-healthy
Guest
msvegan
Points +377
Average but only Pure Veg. in Wellington - Edit
Ive eaten there several times over the years. Its average and to me the prices seem high for what it is. But, it is the only pure veg place in wellington. Many of the dishes have really been altered for western taste so they can be a bit bland. Lots of oil and mock veggie meats.
Read moreI prefer the Veg place out in Lower Hutt better prices and the food's a little bit more traditional.
Pros: Pure veg, Central location
Cons: No atmosphere, pricey for quality of food
Guest
mkpurvis
Points +66
My favourite restaurant in Wellington - Edit
The food here is outstanding, and they have a good range of offerings. All the things I have tried here I like.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Sunday March 20, 2011
Updated from previous review on Sunday March 20, 2011
Pros: good range, large servings, downtown location
Cons: lunch counter decor
Guest
philjdomm
Points +945
Not 2 Mocky, Not 2 original or mundane - Edit
typical malaysian.
Read moreall prices to me are expensive but that goes with economy and the min wages.
Guest
Miggi
Points +2689
Vegan roti, curry and noodles - great! - Edit
OK, the decor is pretty uninspiring and run-down but the food was great.
Read moreWe tried a curry with roti - they make their own vegan roti which you should definately try! Mock chicken satay sticks, noodles with veg and mock meat, and a soup. All the food was cooked fresh (by a rather tired looking man) and they asked how spicy we wanted everything.
The portions are really big - only order a large portion if you are really hungry as you definately get what you ask for!
It wasn't at all busy when we went so we really noticed how run-down the place looked. A couple of the staff were sitting just behind us preparing veg and watching TV, which made us feel like we'd arrived when they were hoping to get some time to themselves - not very welcoming. I think they could improve the environment with relatively little effort - would be fantastic if it was as good as their food.
Pros: vegan roti!, big portions, reasonable price
Cons: Decor
Guest
maynard7
Points +5212
Just average - Edit
I guess I was expecting more after reading the rave reviews on here. I ordered the Gado Gado and didn't like it that much. The menu said it came with a peanut sauce, but the sauce was really mashed sweet potatoes with some crushed peanuts mixed in. An odd combination of ingredients, and it was way too sweet. It seemed expensive for what it was. Not willing to give it another try.
Read morePros: Location, Fresh ingredients
Cons: Not that tasty, Relatively expensive
Guest
veganlocoengineer
Points +31
Thanks Mena! - Edit
Having been a loyal customer of Mena's going on 3 yrs now I have to say I have always been well impressed with the food and the service. The laksa is divine and sates a raging hunger. The soya and potato roti chanai is perfect on a cold night. There's a meal here for everyone for every occasion. Also if you like your food spicy, let them know and they can make it accordingly.
Read morePros: wide menu, cheap, relaxed atmosphere
Cons: sometimes v.busy
Guest
ampallang
Points +365
Interesting place - Edit
It was very busy when i went there. I didnt' realise you paid before you ate. But I had a great meal. I had Godu godu... though it was most of a sweet type of sauce with peanuts in it. Lovely Roti bread, probably the best i've had in a while. Nice drinks but staff were very busy.
Read morePros: Great roti, good prices
Cons: busy staff, small resturant
Guest
For Members
Why was my review removed? Guidelines for writing a review View our privacy policyFor Business Owners
Claim this business
See inaccurate information? Submit an update here Link to this page from your site See an unfair review? View full terms & conditionsThis page has been viewed 41607 times.