Review Hummingbird Eatery & Bar - Wellington

Loved the cocktails, super tasty and great bar service. We stumbled on the discount cocktail night and the cocktails were superb. The range and attention to detail really made this a great night. The food options are equally excellent with something for all tastes. The pork was sublime and one of our favorites and the atmosphere was equally great. Recommend a stop here if you can get a table, it's super popular

Nice ambience, staff friendly and food was great. A bit pricey but overall a great experience for a special occasion .

I.LOVED.THIS.PLACE!!!! Ever since I went here for dinner while I was visiting New Zealand in September 2017, I have been CRAVING to come back here again. Not only was the service exceptionally welcoming and friendly, but the drinks (I had a "lowrider") and the meal (I had the lamb and it was truly one of the most decadently delicious dishes I have EVER eaten) are practically unparalleled, especially for the price :). (UPDATE: it's been about a year and a half since I visited this place and I am STILL salivating over the drinks and food I had while I was there...I'm seriously planning a future trip to New Zealand just so that I can eat here again!!!!). Anyway, the ambiance is cozy and the location is terrific -- an excellent place for a first date, date night, or a bite by yourself.

Great service and food, the shared lamb shoulder would serve 4 - lucky us, that means we have tomorrow's dinner sorted 😁

Came by here for an early dinner due to jetlag. They seemed concerned that I didn't have a booking, but I just sat at the bar to eat. They seemed to be more of a cocktail bar, so I ordered one. The cocktail was really weak (big glass, not much booze). I switched to wine. They had a great selection of wines by the glass. I enjoyed a couple throughout my visit. I opted to get the salmon special which was excellent. I also got the Brussels on the side, which were way to sweet with the Syrup on them. Great service and awesome staff, which brings this from a 3 to 4.

I think this is one of the best eatery's in Wellington, it has a great atmosphere, friendly staff. The bar looks impressive. The food here is always good, we often share a selection of the small plates and are always happy. If you like lamb I can recommend their Shoulder of lamb for two, its pretty good.

one of my favorite WOAP burgers. cannot go wrong with a cheese burger

Some of the best cocktails in Wellington. Very polite staff with great table service. It draws a really nice crowd. If you want a good cocktail you won't be disappointed if you visit here. Good prices for cocktails as well. It was a Saturday night and I was looking for a place with a good crowd aka no 18 year olds dancing on tables. This was perfect. Although the amazing DZ made me want to dance on tables. If you're visiting Wellington and have no idea where to start, start here.

A warm and welcoming fine dining experience, with great service, a comprehensive wine list and attractive and tasty meals. We had a great night out, and enjoyed a range of small plates, mains and sides. The pork belly was to die for, as was the ravioli. My beef cheeks were very tender, but lacked the flavour that I was expecting. Mains were mushroom risotto (tasty, although perhaps light on portion size for a main), snapper in tagliatelle and crayfish bisque (outstanding!), and confit of chicken with dumplings (incredible!). Our waitress was professional and friendly, and while many of the eating houses we passed by on the street were flat out and rowdy, thanks to capping week, The Hummingbird was a quiet refuge. Definitely worth a visit.

I was recommended this restaurant and it lived up to all the comments we were given. From the beautifully cooked steak,pasta and gnocchi to our die for chocolate fondant dessert,everything was cooked to perfection and tasted divine. The maitre d looked after us so well we never had to ask for anything.Thus was a special evening out for me and I loved everything about The Hummingbird Eatery. I can't wait to reccomend them to all my friends.

Service was prompt but too prompt.what I would like is a waiter with the ability to predict accurately when my personal conversation has come to a natural conclusion so that they can then approach the table at a reasonable time, so that I don't feel rushed into making a decision too soon. This was far too soon... we had been sat down for 30 seconds before our order was taken. However food was the best in Wellington I've had so far. 99 stars out of 100. -by Richard

Wow!! amazing food and as someone with a dairy allergy I was really impressed. There was only one dish that couldnt be modified. That hardly happens dining out! Food came out in 10 minutes for 4 of us sharing tapas and sharing plates. Super kind and lovely staff. Totally coming back here.

Creative and fresh food served by an even more phantastic and well-informed waiter. If I ever come back to Wellington, I'll definitely return to this restaurant again! We had beef and a snapper which both were served perfectly prepared and even more delicious! Best place for dinner in town!

Good atmosphere and great service. It’s not somewhere you go to save money, but the food is high quality and filling. A good selection of beer although probably about 400mls for $10. Pretty noisey sort of place too but you can’t blame a place for being popular. Just talk louder! Recommended!

Delicious and excellent service. All the dishes were amazing however the mushroom gnocchi had little gnocchi and was hard. But the flavours were all there!! Highly recommend.

What’s to say, great food every time, good wine selection and a very attentive waiter <br/>I had the lamb with beetroot roasted and a bottle of Pinot Noir <br/> Sublime combination <br/><br/>Tres bon <br/><br/>

Food was impressive. Nice blend of Kiwi and international flavors. Good selection of cocktails and wines. Service was professional and friendly. Ambience was good. Love the fireplace.

Went to Hummingbird with my clearly 37 week pregnant wife, waiter decided he didn't need to write anything down, pointed at and asked for the alcohol free lindeuar on the menu but they instead gave my pregnant wife an alcoholic beverage, will not be going back and suggest anyone who has diet restrictions doesn't go their either as clearly they aren't concerned!!!

Really tasty food, great drinks and attentive service. The mains were perhaps a bit on the small size especially the roast chicken, which was more of an entree portion. However our group had also ordered the lamb shoulder for two which was tender, flavourful and bountiful so that more than filled any lacking gaps. Highly recommended.

Pre theatre dining menu two courses and wine for $40 excellent value. Fish was beautifully cooked and presented(we both had this), lemon posset delicious and chocolate tart divine. Very busy restaurant even at 5.45pm, best to book although we were lucky. Helpful staff and meals came very quickly. Highly reccommended

A warm and welcoming fine dining experience, with great service, a comprehensive wine list and attractive and tasty meals. We had a great night out, and enjoyed a range of small plates, mains and sides. The pork belly was to die for, as was the ravioli. My beef cheeks were very tender, but lacked the flavour that I was expecting. Mains were mushroom risotto (tasty, although perhaps light on portion size for a main), snapper in tagliatelle and crayfish bisque (outstanding!), and confit of chicken with dumplings (incredible!). Our waitress was professional and friendly, and while many of the eating houses we passed by on the street were flat out and rowdy, thanks to capping week, The Hummingbird was a quiet refuge. Definitely worth a visit.

Possibly the best meal I've ever had, it's encouraging to know you're paying for the quality of the food and the service from the staff. Will never stop coming back.

Best chickens wings during the midnight time...!!<br/>Amazing music..amazing booze..amazing crowd...u gotta go here once. The staff is also very nice. And there's tap beer, what else do we need. Just go for it..!!

Sometimes in life you just have to treat yourself to great food and Hummingbird is the perfect place to do this.<br/>Right from the start when you enter the restaurant you are met with delightfully friendly staff. They are extremely attentive throughout the whole meal and will do what ever they can to meet your every request.<br/>All the food we had was exquisite. The chicken was so tender, the steak was cooked to perfection but the star of the night had to be the pork belly. This has to honestly be the best Pork Belly I have ever had from any restaurant I have ever been to.<br/>Yes Humming Bird is an expensive high end restaurant but I do urge you to give it a go for a special occasion. You won't be disappointed.

We went here for my birthday with friends. In total our meals and drinks came to about $400 and what we had is pictured. Aspects of our meals were great, but some components were somewhat underwhelming - I think, for me anyway, it was because they didn't really seem to go together quite so well. The general consensus (except for the rare beef) was that the proteins were overcooked and the vegetables too aldente. The chocolate desserts were incredibly rich. All good if you like things that way. The decor, ambiance and waiting staff were excellent and, on the whole, we had a nice night and pleasant dining experience.

This place may seem naff but there's a reason why it's still around and a total Wellington icon. Food delicious, cocktails delicious and overall not badly priced. Clientele ranges but mostly your older crowd drawn in by the fact that it's the only place on Courtenay place they recognise. Beef Wellington was perfect, pork was great, the little donuts are excellent value too!

Went there for a girls 'night out, we ordered two entrees to share. Both dishes were below average & lack of flavour. Lamb rack and beef were ordered as main plates. Firstly the waitress even didn't ask how well we would like it to be cooked for the beef particularly. Although the beef was cooked well to medium rare as my friend requested, Both meals were really salty this time. When my lamb rack came through, I noticed there was a little bug in the plate... Called the waitress over and explained, she apologised for this instantly and offered me another dish to replace. Service was good, however would not recommend to any friend.

Music so loud you can't hold a conversation. Food below average. Disappointed with the meals they were uninspiring. Pork crackle horrid. Fish batter so oily and thick.

This place is my new favourite! Great location in the heart of Wellington, excellent service and beautiful food all make for a memorable meal. We went in a party of 11 for my graduation and never felt like an inconvenience as our orders streamed out like a well oiled machine. The baked salmon for 2 was a highlight, I'll be looking out for that next time!

Attended a graduation dinner here a few weeks ago. I remember the days when this place was so popular it was a challenge to get a booking! It's been on my list of places to come for a long time. <br/><br/>It didn't disappoint, the food was beautiful, I had the pork main which I couldn't fault (which is rare in restaurants, usually too dry or chewy). Apple pie for dessert which was lovely. If I went back again I'd get a main, and order some sides of vegetables. <br/><br/>The wine selection was great, and the service was good, even though it was quite slow but we weren't in a rush so it didn't matter. It was relatively busy on a Wednesday night. <br/><br/>Something important to me was that all 8 meals came out at the same time, and hot! I also loved how we were offered some additional sauces after our meals came out, just to experiment with the lovely flavours!

Hummingbird is one of my favourite restaurants in Wellington - I have been here three times, and two out of those three visits were pleasant and enjoyable. I first came here with my partner to celebrate our anniversary. We began with cocktails, which turned out to be much needed as the food took 45 minutes to arrive, which felt like forever. My favourite was the Chanel No.5 cocktail; it was very unique with a somewhat sweet, sour but bitter taste.. Hard to describe, but amazing and very sophisticated.<br/><br/>We began with the soft spiced beef tacos entree, followed by blackened chicken and roast lamb. They were all absolutely delicious and we couldn't have enjoyed them more! Medium rare was what I asked for and medium rare was what I got - excellently cooked, too.<br/><br/>I have returned to Hummingbird twice since that first visit, and on my visit during the WoW Bistro Menu my experience was terrible. I chose two courses for $35. The portion sizes were tiny for their price and it also took 45 minutes this visit. Won't say much about this second visit because it was unpleasant.<br/><br/>On my third visit I returned with a group of friends, tried a new elderflower cocktail and got a lovely fish dish and the apple dessert. This time Hummingbird surprised me with an improvement on the waiting time - it only took 30 minutes this time for our mains to arrive, and sharing them around, everything was delicious and well cooked. They also walk around offering a variety of condiments, such as horseradish, rosemary and fennel, which is always a nice addition to our mains. <br/><br/>The service is always friendly, polite, and professional, and I absolutely love the atmosphere in Hummingbird. It is definitely one of the best bars and restaurants in Wellington! However, I cannot emphasise enough that you must be prepared to wait 30-45 minutes for your mains, which is longer than I've ever waited anywhere for my food. I really dislike this, but am forgiving of this fact due to the excellent food and service. Enjoying the cocktail menu pre-mains always helps pass the time, so this is a great place to catch up with close friends!

I took my husband for our anniversary. We booked our seat and got the seats by the fireplace and it was nice setting. However the space between the fireplace and our table was the passage where Waiters/waitresses go through to the other tables. It was not very comfortable they were walking next to us all the time. Staff were professional but not so friendly and seemed like they were not keen to have chat with customers. <br/>Dinner was tasty but in all it was really average. I was expecting something more special and fancy for our anniversary.

Went in on Good Friday while on holiday in Wellington. Partner had been there once for drinks and said meals looked good. The food was lovely. The mushroom tea infuser was a great touch of theatre for the table. Very happy. One thing I did note and did not like was I assume the owner sitting outside chain smoking. One he took up a table and two the smoke was drifting inside. I did notice that most bars in Wellington have smoking in their outside areas.

As a Wellington based couple, dinning in all other restaurants with in the Capital. We found the Hummingbird to be excellent. Food was of a very good standard / Cocktails great / excellent choice. Good location

One of my favourite eateries in Wellington in the past and has now seemed to re-capture it's previous glory. Service excellent; food very tasty - loved the groper in chilli and lime taco wrap; very good wine list - good choices available by the glass also. In windowseat as requested, returned later for dessert - wicked! Overall a very good experience, thanks.

The food and service could not be faulted. Not sure about the new decor but that is just my taste. Music could have been a little softer, but it was Saturday night. Will definitely return next time I am in Wellington. Great value, good drink selection and wow those desserts.

I'd been looking forward to dining at the re-launched Hummingbird for a while now and took friends from out of town along to share the experience.<br/><br/>Unfortunately I picked the night when the B team was on the front of house....the staff wavered from surly and indifferent to almost offensively pushy, and that doesn't cut it even on a Sunday.<br/><br/>As for the food, while the starters/small plates are excellent, and the mains are average, great food doesn't over come crap service.<br/><br/>Won't go back in a hurry (certainly not with visitors), won't recommend it. Wellington has much better choices. Spend your hard earned $$$ elsewhere, especially on a Sunday!

Oysters. Go get them. Dined Saturday and should have ordered more. Service is great and the lamb for two could have feed more! My wife didn't like the small loo but you get that... Keep it up, you never know who will walk in the door. Cheers!

AWESOME!!! We popped in for a dinner on a Thursday with our friends. Table was waiting for us which was great to see. Friendly service by a young lady. We then began with some bread, oil and butter which was really nice and was told they bake daily - Great!! We then shared mains of a pork belly for two and a lamb for two. Both came with different side plates like yummy roast potatoes, asparagus, flatbread, aubergine which were all perfect. Too full for dessert so had a truffle and coffee each. What a lovely meal........ Well done Hummingbird!!

<br/>Perfect start to our evening. Excellent food, well cooked and well presented. Chocolate Pudding perfect!!! Good choice of wines and a lovely waitress to look after us. Overall a great eating experience. Thank you.

So I've just tried the food at the refreshed Hummingbird - wow - seriously amazing. The roast duck and lentils were worth it alone. I'd highly recommend for foodies and casual dinners alike...Nice and warm too - perfect for this rainy Wellys evening.

It seems Hummingbird now does brunch of a weekend. My partner and I visited 12th of May, 2012, about 9.00am. The place was empty because they have been doing brunch for only a couple of weeks. Well, it was awesome. I had perfectly scrambled eggs with grilled tomato, asparagus and rocket, on rye toast. Everything was perfectly cooked, fresh and flavoursome: eggs moist with just the right degree of firmness; asparagus grilled, salted, slightly crunchy with a hint of garlic; rocket served with a balanced oil and vinegar dressing. On top of all this, the wait staff were charming, coffee very good, the place as clean as a new pin and there was an enormous bunch of fresh flowers in the loo. All round, an excellent start to the day. Get there before it gets crowded.

We went to the NEW and IMPROVED Hummingbird at the weekend. The restaurant had just reopened from a re-vamp with a new chef, new menu, new drinks list and an amazing new interior so we were curious to give it a go. It surpassed our expectations. The atmosphere is inviting and relaxed and there is a huge emphasis on food loving combined local ingredients which is delicious and refreshingly unfussy (We had crab, squid with choritzo to start lamb with broadbeans feta and mint, amazing roast chicken for main and devine orange brulee and salted caramel chocolate for dessert) The whole place has an attention to detail and casual atmosphere more commonly found in London than in Wellington. The best thing about it was that despite the makeover-and how amazing the meal and service was- it just didn’t seem like it was trying too hard. As Wellington based foodies who eat out regularly we were so impressed with the menu that we went back for dinner the following night! Well worth checking out.

I don't actually live in NZ but was staying with friends in Palmerston North. Went to my Mothers funeral and needed to get out of Palmerston. Found a little restaurant on a corner in Wellington thought " this looks cute". OMG !!!!!!!!!!!<br/> I own a Restaurant and Bar in Australia; and the staff, the food, the cocktails, the service, lighting, music of Hummingbird was and is 5 star!! My Brother and I were already upset as we just buried our Mother and when we left the premises, ( pretty sure we were the last to leave ) just had the best time of our lives. <br/>Eddie and his staff don't just treat you as customers but as their friends. Coming from a Restaurant owner you can't teach that!!!!, it comes from within, and the team there at Hummingbird are the best in Wellington. <br/>If I could I would fly them all over to my restaurant, but that would be selfish because if anyone out there reading this who wants to go to Hummingbird won't have the experience like my Brother and I had!!!!!!!!!. To me they are the best. <br/>Wish I lived in wellie. Sue-Ellen White from Brisbane.

Went earlier this year. Great food &amp; cocktails, although i think the service was average<br/><br/>Cool atmosphere &amp; great location

I would say we had an average evening too. The surroundings were really great and there was a nice atmosphere too. The night we were there there was a couple playing the piano and violin who were very clever and got the audience going, brillant. The staff were nice enough although not amazing, I am not sure that I would say they were an award winning front of house team?<br/><br/>It was the food that really let the place down, we had a voucher for $100 and we couldn't even spend it all as there was nothing on the menu that looked that delicious. We wanted to spend it all but just ended up getting some change for the tip and the taxi home.<br/><br/>There didn't seem to be anything on the menu that I couldn't make myself at home, roasted chicken breast, crumbed fish, deep fried calamari. All in all, not that bad, but we'd definitely dine somewhere else next time we are in Wellington. Very Average.

First time to Wellington for both my boyfriend &amp; I we found this beautiful cafe in Courtney Place.From the gorgeous entrees to the darling main menu to the entertaining yet subtle staff, this place is what a restuarant should be....<br/>absolutely devine...

took my partner here for our anniversary. would say we have no complaints but altogether we found the hummingbird to be pretty average really.<br/><br/>we were seated promptly without a booking, but as our waitress claimed it to be her first night any questions we had to ask about the wine lists or menu had a delay in being answered as she had to go back to the kitchen to check.<br/><br/>we liked the concept of the small plates but much prefer the likes of DUKE CAVILS for their TAPAS style.<br/><br/>the food was tasty and presented well.<br/><br/>all in all we felt that for the up market place it is they are missing the point, an example of this is asking for a Drambuie and having it be served to us in a shot glass! also the waiter looked and sounded like he belonged on a rugby field! sweet as bro!<br/><br/>is this place a weekend drinking bar or a fine dining restaurant, it is hard to tell!

The setting was wonderful , staff served us with a smile from the get go and we loved the music and ambiance.<br/> We were seated next to the fireplace, nice way to thaw off before eating! We ordered starters , dumpling and brochette's which were lovely , but I must say when I tried to change a small thing on my next order the chef demanded that I buy him a Heineken beer first? Very odd and kind of let me know he didn't have our best interests at heart, plus some very obscene language could also be heard from the table when our order was put in . <br/> Needless to say I don't think we will return if that same chef is still there , pity because it was otherwise an enjoyable evening out .