Lacto
Ovo
Western
Fast food
Gluten-free
Breakfast
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Est 1989, one of Wellington's longest standing cafes. Serves breakfast, sandwiches, cakes, nachos, soya cappucino. Counter service. Also has an a lar carte menu as well as cabinet food. Open until late. Open Mon-Fri 7:30am-1:00am, Sat-Sun 8:00am-1:00am.


Venue map for Midnight Espresso
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55 Reviews

First Review by rattdogg

Alexadhenn

Points +308

Vegan
15 Feb 2018

very good

They have like 3-4 vegan meals, I tried the vegan hash stack. It was big enough to split and very good. The only con was that they had vegan nachos on the menu but they did not have any :(

Biscuitmuffin

Points +50

Vegan
10 Jan 2018

Wellington classic

As a student across the road, Midnight Espresso has been a blessing for healthy meals or sweet treats at any hour of the night. The cake is always vegan and there is always other vegan baking in the cabinet too.
It's advertised on the board that nearly everything on the menu can be veganised.
Midnight is always busy and there is often a good few minutes wait before ordering, go with this in mind.

Recommend- Cake, Nachos, Snickers Milkshake, Vegan bread

Pros: Home style vegan food , Vegan cabinet food , Good Value

NFL

Points +45

Vegan
10 Jan 2018

Delicious, filling breakfast!

Another hostel guest recommended this place to me so I went to grab a quick breakfast, expecting to just get one of their scones. Instead, I ordered the avocado/tomato/basil toast with a side of hash browns, as well as the scone and a soy latte. The latte was perfect (and I'm a little picky as I used to be a barista) and the meal was sooo good and kept me full all morning. A bit pricey but I was really happy with my experience.

Pros: Yummy food, several vegan options, great coffee, c

Cons: A bit pricey

pigeonbox

Points +26

Vegan
04 Dec 2017

love this place

Great coffee, heaps of vegan options, including amazing french toast. cool atmosphere. reasonably priced.

GabrielEng

Points +641

Vegan
18 Nov 2017

Really good tofu scramble

This place is not vegan or vegetarian but they have plenty of vegan options and what isn't vegan can usually be made vegan. I went for the tofu scramble with rice and it was very good. It was a bit oily for my liking but the taste was great.

Pros: Very tasty

lisarene

Points +72

Vegan
13 Nov 2017

vegan heaven

This small coffee shop has a large variety of vegan options. We had the vegan hay stack, and cinnamon roll. Delicious.

Pros: lots of options

danielaj

Points +787

Vegan
01 Aug 2017

lots of options!!!

Clearly marked menu of what is vegan (includes nachos, French toast, breakfasts, toasts etc) and what can be made vegan. Always an abundance of cabinet foods which are labelled vegan such as baking, sandwiches etc. sometimes they have vegan donuts which are known to sell out fast! Always a top option when choosing a vegan cafe

CapybaRus

Points +308

Vegan
25 Jun 2017

Plenty to choose from

Lots of vegan options at this omni cafe, on the menu and less so on the counter. There is a very eclectic vibe and clientele here (which is awesome).

We did find the food underwhelming. We had a cookie from the counter, which was dry, and a chocolate tart which was nice but nothing special. It came with vegan cream which was good. The hash stack which was mostly toast unfortunately, whatever I had a main was not very memorable (I can't even remember what it was).

I'd give it another chance if I was in the area. There are some new vegan business popping up which I'll support first.

Pros: Big portions, Cool decor

Cons: A bit bland, Serves meat

african_daisy

Points +116

Vegan
22 Feb 2017

nice for a stop

we had the tacos which were ok but we hoped for something with more flavor and spice. it was kinda bland and not much sour cream which was probably the best thing about it next to the avocado.
we also tried the strawberry and the snickers shakes which were great and the slice of pineapple/coconut cake was delicious!

vegies28

Points +395

Vegan
29 Jan 2017

Best cafe in Wellington!

I came here a few years ago when I last came to Wellington and had to come again this time. There are tons of vegan options to choose from and almost everything can be veganized! I wish I could have tried everything but I ended up getting the vegan nachos. It was a huge serving and so, so delicious!!

Pros: So many vegan options, Open late, Great atmosphere

PJantbased

Points +104

Vegan
09 Jan 2017

yummy nachos

Briefly stopped by and my brother got some vegan nachos which were amazing! We all wanted to eat them haha :)

Pros: gluten free options

Cons: not many tables

Siup

Points +3213

Vegan
18 Dec 2016

Good vegan options, amazing vegan desserts

Funky, cozy, nice place located in the most exciting street in Wellington. I had scrambled tofu with vegetables in a sweet chili sauce, while my husband had the vegan burger. Everything was good. They should probably add some salt to the bread, and the burger is difficult to eat, but food was tasty and cruelty free. We also shared a TO DIE FOR orange chocolate cake, 100% vegan and delicious. I had vegan hot chocolate while my husband opted for a vegan soy milk cappuccino. Everything perfect. I would come back and I warmly recommend this place.

citizenInsane

Points +1407

Vegan
27 Nov 2016

My Wellington HQ

Second time around in Wellington, for a few days and 4 dinners @ Midnight Espresso! Such a great choice of options, really delicious, and inexpensive!

If you're there for breakfast, try the big vegan fry up! For other meals, my fave is the pumpkin, tofu and spinach curry, followed by the garden salad with perfect crispy tofu. Iĺl need to come back to try things I didn't get to try!
Oh and they also have great vegan sides AND fabulous-looking desserts!

Updated from previous review on 2016-11-27

Pros: Many vegan options, really delicious, Central and with cool opening hours, Inexpensive

Matthews

Points +35

Raw
29 Sep 2016

Amazing vegan food options

Great Vegan Nachos and baked goods in the cabinet. Great atmosphere too. Always a place I go to when travelling to Wellington :)

Pros: hours are until late 3am all days, vegan options are unprecedented in wellington, great decor

Cons: serves meat

JuliaAdams

Points +97

Vegan
29 Jun 2016

Great hearty food

Midnight offers some of the best vegan junk food in Wellington. Highly recommend the chocolate cake and snickers milkshake with soy milk!

Elliemichaela

Points +40

Vegan
13 Jun 2016

Great selection

Midnight Espresso Bar had many vegan options that totally exceeded my expectations. The vegan lasagna was really good. I'm excited to try the cakes because they looked awesome. The atmosphere was very funky and I liked it.

@ndy

Points +1276

Vegan
07 May 2016

A long time between visits...

It's probably been 20 yrs since I last went here & my lifestyle was a lot different back then! Based on Happy Cow reviews we went back here for Dinner last night...I had no idea they catered to Vegans so well these days! (Thanks again Happy Cow!) We had a great meal....I had the scrambled tofu with seasonal vege & chilli sauce - very tasty & a good portion size. My wife had the vege Nachos & enjoyed those too. Good menu options that are either vegan already or can be made to be and the counter main & dessert choices were varied and interesting. I finished my meal with a slice of vegan chocolate & orange cake with coffee for dessert ~ Yum! We'll return here for sure, to work our way through the rest of the offerings on the menu and variety on the counter.....recommended!

Pros: Great prices - good portion sizes , Friendly service, Great vegan menu in lively Cuba St

EmmaBarr

Points +94

Vegan
04 Feb 2016

AMAZING vegan food

This was so good I visited 3x in 2 days! The vegan options are amazing. Almost everything on the menu can be made vegan if it isn't already and there are plenty delicious vegan dessert options. The chocolate cake was incredible. They do vegan French toast which was heaven on a plate! There are cookies, cakes, cupcakes, biscotti, pinwheels... Check it out.

Pros: great variety , delicious food

JenVeg14

Points +366

Vegan
04 Nov 2014

Awesome cafe downtown Wellington

This place was a lucky find after traveling for over a week in New Zealand without many vegan options. They have an awesome menu and are very accommodating to making veg options vegan. Incredible array of desserts. There were probably 12 choices, with at least 4 of them vegan. I got the carrot cake and chocolate cake which were both delicious. They had one remaining huge vegan cream donut the size of a softball, but it was gone by the time I ordered dessert. Fun atmosphere and open late, unlike many of the surrounding restaurants.

Pros: Good vegan options, Awesome vegan dessert choices, Friendly staff and atmosphere

Temi

Points +65

Vegan
21 Mar 2014

The best place for vegan cake

We go to Midnight regularly mainly because it seems to be the only place in wellington that serves decent vegan cake and usually there are several options. although I'm getting a little tired of the standard chocolate cake they always seem to have. if you get a chance try the raspberry chocolate tart
it is the most delicious desert ive ever had there but they rarely seem to have it even after asking for it and being told that a lot of people seem to ask for it.
the coffee is good but always too strong for my partner which is partially our fault for never asking to decrease the strength. lol.
the savory food is generally good but not really wow. we waited a long time to try the hash stack and ended up quite disappointed as it was quite bland. the vegan lasagna is always however good.
overall i would definitely recommend this place as i love the funky atmosphere the staff are generally quite entertaining although sometimes grumpy (but ive never walked in and its been quiet so who wouldn't get a little grumpy)

Pros: vegan cake, good service, awesome funky atmosphere

Cons: posters/leaflets always out of date, cakes never change

phraser

Points +84

Vegan
08 Sep 2013

Generally good, consistency could improve

When I lived in Wellington (for 5 years) I went here regularly. There are marked vegan menu items (such as the ever-popular vegan nachos, with an awesome vegan aioli), and usually a good vegan selection among the counter food (usually 1 cake, 1 cookie and a bake/lasagne type item). Plenty for vegetarians, if cheese doesn't bother you.
However, service can be slow (very slow - queue for 15 minutes at the counter to order, then wait 30 minutes for food), sometimes the music is loud and obnoxious, in winter it's cold if you sit near the door, and in summer if you sit near the front windows, smoke from cigarettes will waft in from the street. A few times I've ordered things and my order was incorrect (including one incredibly disappointing vegan big breakfast with burnt toast and NO AIOLI despite it being listed as an ingredient) - but these issues have always been cheerfully rectified by the staff when pointed out. I expect to continue to return here every time I'm in town.

Pros: Good vegan range, Has a good vibe, Not too pricy

Cons: Slow service, Loud, loud music sometimes, problems with wrong orders sometimes

DiaShel

Points +48

Vegan
08 Sep 2011

My go to place

I love this place. I'm fortunate to live just around the corner. The vegan nachos are to die for. It's the vegan mayo that makes them (which they use on a lot of other things too). The tofu gangster burger is the other thing I get from the kitchen. Ordering from the kitchen can take some time, but the portions are huge. The small nachos is plenty for two people and the large about 4. The food that's ready is really great too. The Vegan Turkish Sammie is delicious, as are tofu bunz. They usually have a good selection of deserts include vegan chocolate cake. Great selection of drinks from smoothies, to juices, to shakes and of course coffee.
If can be quite loud and difficult to have a conversation and some of the seats are awkward (people standing over you waiting online or very narrow booth seats) but the food more then makes up for it.

Pros: Great food, Good location, Good service

Cons: Noisy, Selection not always great

Mellifluoust

Points +807

Vegan
25 Jan 2011

Wellington vegan-friendly insitution

I've been going to Midnight for about 5 years now for the atmosphere and the veg*an-friendly food. They make awesome vegan nachos with homemade beans, hummus, mayo/sour cream - but it takes at least 2 people to finish even the small size! The vegan chocolate cake is always huge and delicious (again, big enough for 2) and I just noticed vegan milkshakes on the menu - however, the two times I've ordered one, I've agonized over whether they remembered to use soy as it tastes so dairy-like! Only menu item I haven't enjoyed: the chunky vege chips, which were oily and undercooked when I ordered them. Also, I wish they would veganise their pancakes - look so good, and such an easy item to veg up!

Pros: Great grungey atmosphere, Big range of vegan eats, Fun staff

Cons: Potential food hygiene issues

gr8vegan

Points +2369

Vegan
16 Nov 2009

Super cool place, don't miss the vegan hot coco

We were a bit hesitant at first, but the tofu burger is of legend so we asked if we could get a low fat version w/o the oils/vegan mayos, etc. They said "we've got a whole kitchen full of food we'll make you what ever you like" and we did! High marks too for the vegan soy hot chocolate!

Pros: accommodating, hot coco

Jessqi

Points +246

Vegan
14 Jun 2009

Great Place

This has long been a Wellington institution and I admit it is one of my favourite places to go for breakfast, lunch, morning and afternoon tea and late night out munchies.

The atmosphere is interesting but relaxed, the staff are really friendly and there is usually a great selection of vegan food on the counter and on the menu.

The food can range from delicious to plain depending on when you go and what's on offer. Vegan nachos can be exciting and bursting with ingredients one day and plain old beans with a bit of hummus the next. It seems to depend on who's cooking and what ingredients are around. It is also the same with the counter food. There may be three choices of vegan cake and a couple of vegan biscuit options (cookies) or there may be just vegan chocolate cake. I generally prefer the other cakes to the chocolate and find the biscuits (cookies) a little dry. But I have high standards for my baking. I would always recommend the tofu burger (vegan pesto and aioli) and the vegan hash stack. And the nachos and scrambled tofu on a good day.

This is my favourite Wellington cafe. And it's right opposite Slowboat Records. Handy! :-)

Pros: Great selection of vegan food, Really friendly helpful staff, Great atmosphere

Cons: Can be variable, The music can sometimes be too loud

Jeff Sanders

Points +81

Vegan
13 Feb 2009

Midnight

It was getting close to midnight when I arrived in Wellington, luckily Midnight Espresso was open. I had a slice of vegan pizza then some cake and a coffee to top it off. Quite a happening little spot that caters nicely for vegans in the late hours. Although the kitchen doesn't stay open as long as the cafe, you can still get a coffee and slice of cake to burn the midnight oil with. Ok enough of the 'midnight' stuff.

Pros: Open late, vegan pizza

Cons: not 100% veg

Petesternz

Points +1447

Vegan
06 Jan 2008

Good, solid, affordable food

I liked this place. Nothing spectacular, but some nice offerings, and a good selection. Cake was good, and prices are fair. I would actually rate this a 3.5, but will give it a 4 instead of a 3 to be charitable.

Pros: Prices, value, cakes




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