Capitol Restaurant

Free Entry

Bar Douro

Portugal, a powerhouse during the Age of Discovery, has a thousand miles of coastline and a culinary tradition that embraces travel to Africa, Brazil and the Spice Route. Experience Bar Douro as it takes over the Capitol menu, offering foodie greats such as bacalhau (salt cod), polvo a lagareiro (octopus with potato & EVO), aroz de pato (duck rice with chouriço), sardinhas assadas (grilled sardines), and of course pastel del nata (custard tarts).All sumptuously accompanied by port flights and a wine list full of Portuguese wines by the glass.

Noble Rot Wine Bar

$279

Capturing The Sparkle

“Remember, gentlemen, it’s not just France we are fighting for, it’s Champagne!” – Winston Churchill This event is sure to sparkle! Sparkling wine is used to celebrate every kind of occasion and we want you to celebrate with us. From champagne to prosecco, from cava to cap classique, specialist sparkling winemaker Melinda Skinner of Esses Wines will take your taste buds on an effervescent exploration of marvellous méthodes and fantastic fizz from all corners of the globe. A special five-course degustation will take you beyond oysters and canapés, showcasing how different styles of bubbles can be paired with every dish on the menu. Tickets include amuse bouche, five-course meal, and nine wines across the evening.

Karla Marie Ceramics

$224

Clay With Your Food

Ceramics meets culinary innovation! This two-part workshop blends the art of clay and fermentation, offering a sustainable approach to food preservation. Please note $224 covers the cost of both workshops Part One: Craft Your Masterpiece - Friday August 2nd Step into KMC studio with Wellington's renowned ceramics educator, Karla Marie, for an engaging session on hand-crafting your bespoke bench-top fermenting pot. Select from the finest quality, locally sourced, clays to shape a fermenting crock that's not only functional but your very own piece of art. After part one, Karla will take your creation through the vital stages of bisque firing and glazing, preparing it for its culinary destiny. Part Two: The Art of Fermentation - Friday August 16th Return the following week to join Chef Ben Mac, a connoisseur of fermentation, who will guide you through the fascinating process of creating your own kimchi and pickles. This workshop is more than a simple cooking class, it's an immersive exploration into sustainable food preservation methods. You'll leave with your handcrafted fermenting pot brimming with delicious kimchi or pickle-style ferment, ready to continue the fermentation journey at home. You'll come away with your handmade pot, fermented delicacies, and invaluable skills that will have you filling your special fermentation crock over and over again.

Chaat Street By Vaibhav Vishen

Free Entry

Dastarkhān

Lucknow, the city of Nawabs, has long been hailed as the epicentre of culinary excellence. The origins of Lucknawi cuisine can be traced back to the royal kitchens of the Awadh region, where Nawabs and chefs competed to create the most exquisite dishes fit for royalty. Lucknawi cuisine is all about flavours, with influences from Persian, Mughal, and regional Indian cuisines. Lucknawi cuisine reached its zenith during the era of Awadh, when Lucknow became the cultural and culinary capital of the region. The Awadhi Nawabs, known for their refined taste and patronage of the arts, transformed Lucknawi cuisine into a celebration of flavours. The royal kitchens were abuzz with culinary innovation, resulting in the creation of iconic dishes that continue to enchant palates today. From kebabs fit for royalty to biryani and beyond.

Kaibosh - Wellington City

Free Entry

Disco Soup

Calling our Pōneke food community! Together, let’s get our groove on and cook for the community! Join us for a daytime disco at Kaibosh to peel, chop, season and simmer big pots of delicious, nutritious soup. Led by chef Tom Adam of Margot, MC’d by the Queen Bee of Kaibosh and with tunes from DJ Danger and friends, this event will bring joy to your Sunday. After our mahi – creating 100s of meals for local people in need – we’ll sit together to enjoy a taste of what we’ve created, paired with some tasty nibbles. Suggested koha of $10-$50 to food rescue charity, Kaibosh. BYO apron and comfy shoes!

Dragons Chinese Restaurant

$88

Dragons Is My Uso

In this celebratory event, the chefs at Dragons will be joined by author and Te Papa's Senior Curator of Pacific Cultures, Sean Mallon and Samoan home chefs, who together will serve up a menu inspired by the century long fusion of Chinese and Samoan cuisine. From a menu including Pasifika staples such as taro, chicken, and pork you’ll learn about the influence Chinese herbs, spices, and flavours have had on Samoan culinary culture. Expect delicious tastes, both familiar and new. This event cannot cater to dietary requirements

Rex Tremendous

$220

Enrichment - Another Beast of a Feast

Join the Rex Tremendous team at Wellington Zoo for a night of human enrichment. How social is your species? Are you predator or prey? What senses do you use to find your food? What body parts do you use to extract your dinner? You’ll enjoy an enrichment-focused keeper tour of the zoo, canapés, and five playful and interactive courses with matched drinks. Expect the unexpected. This event cannot cater to dietary requirements

Floriditas

$185

FloriDivas

Experience a drag dining spectacle as you step into a world of glamour, glitz and gastronomy, for a cabaret of feasting and fun! Award-winning drag king Hugo Grrl leads a cast of fierce performers in this dinner extravaganza at the iconic Floriditas. Expect decadence, fun, and a little innuendo – as well as an elegant four-course feast showcasing the best of New Zealand’s seasonal produce.

Loretta

Free Entry

Hija De Sanchez Taquería with Rosio Sanchez

Forget everything you thought you knew about Mexican food, the Taco Queen of Copenhagen is coming to Cuba St to kick off this year’s Festival, giving New Zealanders a delicious education in tacos in the process. This Singapore Airlines International Chef Collaboration is not to be missed as ex-Noma chef Rosio Sanchez takes over Loretta with a pop-up of her world-famous Hija de Sanchez Taquería for two nights only. Rosio’s taco philosophy is focused on using Mexican ingredients while finding inspiration and embracing exceptional products from the country she's in. This pop-up will be no different as she serves up her truly world-class Mexican fare using authentic nixtamal tortillas from Hawke’s Bay’s very own Hands Down. This incredible event is made possible by the support of Singapore Airlines, QT Hotel Wellington, Hands Down and the Embassy of Mexico. Originally from La Villita in Chicago, Rosio began cooking professionally at 19 and cut her teeth working for some of the best-known chefs in the USA, including Wylie Dufresne at New York’s wd-50. She continued her career in Copenhagen where she was head pastry chef for René Redzepi at the world-famous Noma and was hugely influential in the restaurant’s 2017 Mexico pop-up. Rosio’s been serving the Mexican food of her childhood to the Danes for more than a decade, first at her taquería Hija de Sanchez and then at contemporary Mexican restaurant Sanchez, which opened in 2017. Her commitment to using high quality ingredients and authentic techniques has made her hugely successful, earning her the reputation of Denmark's Queen of Mexican Food. She’s been featured in a number of well-known food series including ‘Chef’s Table’, ‘Ugly Delicious’ and ‘Somebody Feed Phil’. No Reservations | Walk-ins only

Pātaka Art + Museum

$65

Imagine + Taste + Connect

Enjoy an evening filled with inspiring food, drink, and art. Numerous talented chefs from across Porirua come together for one night to serve up imaginative dishes inspired by their heritage, culture, and community. Set against the backdrop of multiple engaging art exhibitions at Pātaka Art + Museum, this evening promises to ignite the imagination through delectable bites and community connections.

QT Wellington

$150

Le Moulin Rose

Hippopotamus is leaning into its fancy Frenchy roots and transforms into Le Moulin Rose for an adults-only twilight high tea, complete with roving cabaret performance by Studio L’amour and a roving cheese trolley by Le Marché Français. Feast on three tiers of delicate French bites and sip violet-scented cocktails from floral teapots in this evening of Belle Époque debauchery. Tail feathers will be shaken (not stirred) and plucked straight from that famous rouge Parisian club for la vie en rose. This is one substantial dinnertime high tea, heavy on the French influence - from escargot, quiche au chevre, raclette rosti and French onion soup tartines; to Bastille-painted macarons, mille feuille, flan Parisien and of course, the famous opera slice. There'll be endless frites and even a trolley of fancy fromage, ripe for indulging.

Government House

Free Entry

Hākari Fusion

Tihei mauri ora! You are invited to a truly special experience hosted by The Rt Hon Dame Cindy Kiro, GNZM, QSO, Governor-General of New Zealand at Government House. Watch Hāngi Master Rewi Spraggon pull up a hāngi that's been laid at Government House, before enjoying drinks and canapés. You'll then enjoy dinner prepared by Rewi and the chefs at Government House. This is a free event with a very limited number of places available. Tickets were drawn by ballot on 12th June.

Boulcott Street Bistro

$225

Mi Sherry

Join the BSB team for a leisurely lunch as they celebrate the delicious delicacies of Spain and dive headfirst into the diversity of sherry. Head Chef John Allred knows a thing or two about Spanish cuisine after competing at the World Paella Championships. He’ll showcase this iconic dish, prepared in front of you, and serve it alongside other Spanish culinary specialties. The sherry on top? You’ll indulge in Spain’s finest sherry, wine, and liqueurs all expertly matched to this multi course event. This event cannot cater to dietary requirements

The Development Kitchen

$250

Food of the Future

Join Shepherd Elliott (formerly of Shepherd Restaurant) and Dale Bowie (formerly at The Fat Duck development kitchen) for an intimate dinner that will take you behind the scenes of The Development Kitchen: a purpose built test kitchen where Shep and Dale use cutting-edge science and cookery to explore the future of food and cooking. Experience the science behind TDK’s ground breaking work. Enjoy an eight-course meal consisting of innovative dishes paired with interesting and experimental beverages and experience the science behind TDK’s ground breaking work. Food of the Future is a partnership with The Gas Hub.