Midnight Espresso

Overview

This is an all-time favourite place on Cuba Street in most Wellingtonians' books for a number of reasons. Firstly, they serve Havana Coffee; strong and divine. Secondly, they're open till the wee hours (like, 3am). Thirdly, you'd be hard pushed to find a cafe making such an array of vegetarian goods that actually taste good.

Midnight Espresso has a definite hippy vibe. Located right in the midst of the Cuba Street action, its spray-painted walls, diner-style seating and friendly staff come together to form a pretty awesome atmosphere. Oh, and there's a pinball machine. Needless to say, we rate this.

While the service can be a little slow around lunch time, it's only because this place is so damn popular. And trust us, all is forgiven when your food is served up, because everything is a delicious.

If you grew up eating mousetraps, you'll be chuffed to see these as a staple of the menu. They're as simple and tasty as ever; you can't go past them. The vege hash stack is also a solid choice if you're on the hungry side of the fence. Sweet tooth? Go for the caramel slice. The ratio of caramel to biscuit base is way out, but we're not complaining. In fact, as far as we're concerned, butter is the secret to happiness and it looks like these guys agree. Nice one.