Ti Kouka Cafe

Definitely disappointing. Upon reading the positive reviews and hearing the good music from the street, my partner and I decided to give this place a try. We ordered two coffees, two breakfast specials of poached eggs, bacon, spinach and a potato rosti — simple, right?
To put it bluntly, we waited a for nearly an hour for our food, were served lukewarm coffees, and the food was just off — the textures, flavour combinations, the temperature.
Despite use of quality ingredients, the meal was just frankly terrible — rubbery, 90% fat bacon, filmy spinach and the rosti had a weird aftertaste. I ate it, focusing on the poached eggs’ beautiful dark orange yolks, mainly out of principle after waiting all that time. My partner had three bites and just couldn’t do it. We left paying $ 53, and the only thing we enjoyed about the entire experience was the art on the walls.
There are just so many better places in Wellington for weekend brunch.

Went here for lunch with some colleagues today. Service was very good and the food was great. They mix things up here with the off and flavours. Didn’t have time for coffee but lots people were lining up for their fix. Highly recommended

AVOCADO TOAST ($ 15) — creamy feta, avocado, rocket, with balsamic vinegar and some kind of bbq jam… On your choice of toast. Super yummy and filling.
The grilled broccoli, feta, almond, and lemon salad was also delicious. Their breakfast menu supposedly stops at 11:30, so there is an odd gap between their lunch service that starts at 12, but they’ll probably let you order breakfast all the way up until 12. Don’t quote me on that.
The ambiance is cute, but what café in Wellington isn’t? There’s an adequate amount of seating. I noticed there were a lot of business lunch meetings taking place here too. Let me in on that!
I swear, I thought I was going to turn into an avocado when I was in Wellington. Something about their avocados is just soooooo good.
Overall, this is a good café, but amidst the rest of cafés in Wellington, there are others out there. However, don’t miss this place! Only a flight of stairs off Willis st. Look for the sign.

Ti Kouka has quickly become my favorite lunch restaurant in Wellington and one of my favorites anywhere. Come up the narrow flight of stairs and leave the shopping street behind. It has a fun Bohemian atmosphere with an amazingly friendly staff. The food is fresh, local and beautifully prepared. Interesting combinations impressed me.
Today, I had a fantastic smoked fish sandwich, with a fresh slaw. My wife’s salad was great. And, the side salad of broccoli, almond and feta was perfectly cooked and prepared. My wife often says that the sign of a good restaurant is how well it does vegetables. These were perfect.
Try the kombucha to drink. It is a delicious and fruity fermented iced tea. It is homemade here and I am told that it takes days to brew. It is wonderful.
So come up the stairs and relax. It is well worth it.

Committed to locally sourced, organic, seasonal, and completely delicious. Gnocchi were some of the best I’ve ever had, with a really delicious sauce complementing. Side broccoli salad had so much flavor and we both gobbled it up. Would have loved to have tried other inventive items on the menu.

I came here for a burger because read some reviews before. The burger did not impress me but their coffee did. This is the first cup of Joe I had in Wellington, and it is good. However, I was disappointed by the service, because they didn’t ask me about which sauce I like during ordering. I asked for it after my burger was ready, So that means they will give u nothing unless u ask. Besides, they also had no idea about the today’s special, even the waitresses pretended to be friendly. Two stars only for their coffee and breakfast.

This café is on of my favourite places to go for coffee — you can always guarantee that it will be great and I have never had a bad coffee from here. The food is always delicious and they use only local ingredients. They also do fantastic scones if you are wanting something from the counter. The salted caramel cookies are a must too!

This place is tucked away upstairs, and at first sight doesn’t seem very special. But the menu is inventive and the food is excellent. The pancakes are to die for, the coffee is excellent and the the quality of food is high.
In terms of ambiance this place probably deserved 4 stars but the food makes up for it.

Every time I eat at this establishment, I always wonder why I don’t come more often.
Their menu is very Wellington-​centric, with a good breakfast selection and lunch options. They have a seasonal salad that is to die for, with the most recent one being shaved root vegetables, nuts, figs, prosciutto, beet root and a whole host of other goodies piled high on top of the plate.
Their sandwiches are also incomparably savory good. The pulled pork and braised beef are good options for those with an appetite.
Also, there was homemade kombucha on our last visit. If you’ve never tried the fermented iced tea drink, this one is excellent.
Friendly and fast service, and some of the best steak cut fries in town served with three dipping sauces. Our favorite was definitely the tomato-​y, chimmichurri-​like sauce. I could have poured a bottle of it down my gullet, it was that good.
Only open for breakfast and lunch. Mains from high teens to mid twenties.

The culinary scene in NZ continues to impress. Really liked the bohemian feel to this café. It’s on the second floor of a building overlooking Wellington’s suit race. The organic scrambled eggs with thyme, black olives, and goat curd over sourdough bread were soft and fresh. The Bircher muesli was delicious and the toasted brioche with honey, marscopone cheese, and strawberry (best if applied to the brioche in this specific order) resulted in ideal amplitude.

What set Ti Kouka Café apart from the good was the excellent service which I’ll describe throughout the review. The food was delicious as well.
I went to Ti Kouka because of a recommendation from a friend who has eaten there often.
After being seated and served water immediately, I ordered the braised beef brisket burger. Any one who’s been to Australia or New Zealand knows a burger is pretty much any food served on a bun. I added an order of thick potato wedges and unprompted the waitress asked whether I might like a half order instead of a whole order as I was by myself and the portions were large. This was one example of waitstaff working to serve the customer well, rather than just earn a buck.
The brisket was thick cut, incredibly juicy and tender and delicious. It was served on a large fresh bun with poppy seeds. Also included in the burger was red cabbage, beet root and a light barbecue sauce — mostly the juices and sauce in which the brisket was braised.
The half order of potato wedges were indeed plenty! They were served with three house-​made sauces on the side — aioli, tomato sauce (ketchup) and another herb infused sauce I couldn’t quite place. The wedges were double fried and crisp with tender potato centers.
Along with lunch, I had a Pan Head Pale Ale. It was tasty from the bottle, but I would have liked a draft — the café doesn’t have any draft beers.
I had quick attentive service throughout the meal. The food was served piping hot. As with many good restaurants, a different waitstaff brought the food as the «next available» person brings the food whenever it is ready to be served. I was checked on several times without being hovered over. Excellent especially for a small café serving brunch.

Wonderful halloumi & beetroot burger & chunky fries. The best afghans in Wellington & excellent flat whites. All this and brilliant service!

Ti Kouka is packed with suits of weekdays for lunch. The coffee is alright, but it’s the incredible fresh food that makes it worthwhile. The café prides itself on using wholesome ingredients and focuses on simple flavors — so I wasn’t expecting the creative (potentially risky) accompaniments to my smoked fish. The huge dollop of rich home made tartar sauce was one thing, but the egg custard with bacon baked in raised the bar. It worked perfectly.
In the two times I’ve been the service has been a bit slow, but they’re all chatty and polite. They’re run off their feet in that dining room at lunch time. The sandwiches are a let down compared to their more elaborate dishes — don’t get sucked in by the alluring ingredients (say, duck + bacon).

Avocado-​go, go, go!
Avocado on Toast w/​creamy feta, rocket, lemon olive oil & balsamic reduction. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds and then even better.
Five stars. Done and done.