Review The Hop Garden - Wellington

Love the decor, tap selection, and added bonus of the basic draft menu on the TV. To be honest though, it literally feels like the green house it is downstairs on this hot humid day, but upstairs in the patio overlooking the city it's cool and has awesome views for having a pint. Will definitely come back.

We had a really nice meal at The Hop Garden last night. The menu is more casual compared to our last visit 2-3 yrs ago, with lots of small plates to share such as arancini balls, falafel, calamari, pork belly skewers & fries with a really wide range of dips & toppings. The Hop Garden is a craft beer venue but as I'm not greatly into beer, I had a very good sloe gin with East Imperial Old World Tonic. Nice to see a good gin list & range of mixers. Food was very good; my partner enjoyed his steak with stuffed potato while the others had a succulent-looking stuffed chicken breast. I opted for vegetarian pasta (there's also a vegan option) with Jerusalem artichoke, mushrooms, rocket, spinach & roasted chestnuts. Overall very nice though i will say it was a bit odd having raw mushrooms in a pasta dish where everything else except the rocket was cooked; it would have been tastier with cooked mushrooms. The apple pie & cheesecake were scrumptious! Service was excellent & the wine list was small but interesting. We'll defo go again 😀

Friendly staff that quickly had us a table even tho we hadn't booked, tables are well spread for covid restrictions. Food was tasty, we thoroughly enjoyed the woap burger.

Great bar with nice selection of beers. Definitely more of a local bar vibe than many close by which is nice. Upstairs roof garden is a bonus.

Hop Garden is a real hidden treasure, they've got a great selection of booze and some really tasty food, really well priced as well. Staff are super friendly and very attentive, I've never had to wait longer than a few seconds to get served, even when it's a particularly busy time of day. It's just a shame I've moved now as I loved coming here regularly.

Excellent service and above average menu. There’s a genuine French attitude to food and wine here, plus an ever changing range of locally sourced craft beers. The place is bigger than you’d expect from the modest entrance, with an upstairs garden bar as well as the spacious ground floor bar/dining area. Dogs are welcome in the bar areas and there are 2 unobtrusive TVs if you want to check out local and international sports events. The pub is closed on Mondays but you’ll be sure of a warm welcome every other day, for lunch and dinner, as well as a thirst quenching glass of ale.

Beautiful place. Great Customer Service. Nice atmosphere

Food is great, eaten here many times and am always blown away. There is a good selection of small bar plates and the a la carte menu in the restaurant. There is an awesome selection of beer on tap with even more in the fridge. The wine menu also has some brilliant drops. I also love the glass roof, although in summer the roof top bar is the place to be.

Another great little pub with fantastic craft beers Recommended Great work Wellington

Good service. Excellent range of beers. Stunning fries! Interesting layout and decor. Being outside the CBD, you'd have to be dedicated to include it in a bar-crawl. Easy access from the street, and the actual possibility of parking nearby.

Very good food. While not obviously child friendly, ie no children's menu, it was actually a great place to take kids. Staff were more than happy to split meals for our young boys, who demolished them. Comfortable set-up with good atmosphere. Great range of drinks and friendly service. One of the best gastro pubs in the Wellington region.

I really enjoyed my visit to the Hop Garden. We went on a beautiful summers day and say upstairs at the roof top garden. It was well shaded from the sun but still allowed a beautiful breeze to pass. The service was friendly and efficient. Inside it had a neat cave type feel. They also have a great snacks menu

Held my sister’s 30th Birthday here - about 30 people. Great email communication and very accommodating. Reserved us a lovely spot and everyone commented on what a fantastic venue it was. Food platters were delicious. Friendly staff. A++

Had a grabone voucher to spend for a 3 course dinner and enjoyed the overall experience. The dining area had a very classy but relaxed ambiance. Staff was outstandingly friendly, helpful and well-mannered which what made the experience for me. The food got to our table quite speedily and was a delight. Could do with some slight improvement on their desserts but that's being too nitpicky and is more of a personal preference. It did not affect the night though but would have definitely been perfect otherwise.

Really great little place serving a good selection of beers, wines and spirits. Their Riesling was incredibly sweet, so changed it for a dark beer. They also have some nice spirits. We ordered a selection of tapas. All were great and good sharing size portions.

Been here a couple of times now and I must say I enjoy the atmosphere. Had the Cubano sandwich - yeah not bad, not bad at all. But what really knocked my socks off is the humble cheeseburger. Juicy and De-freaking-lish. The hand cut fries I had this evening were really, really crisp. They might even be triple fried!? But you'd have to confirm with the chef! Personally I'm a fan of the fatter chips, with a fluffy interior, so will forego the fries n opt for two burgers next time! Before I forget, they have a great range of beer on tap too!<br/><br/>

Fabulous place! Great venue, decor and vibe, amazing beer and wine selection, beautiful food and friendly attentive staff! What more can you ask for?! We will definitely be back!

Really lovely meal and great service. We ate from the al a Carte menu. My partner had steak which he said was perfectly cooked. I had ratatouille which was so tasty and wonderfully cooked. A real chef and more expected from fine dining. However it’s a pub with football and sports however a fancy chefs al a Carte in disguise. Great waiter service too

It was a very nice experience, the staff were very friendly and they were great hosts. <br/><br/>We went for breakfast and the food was WOW! <br/><br/>Check out my instagram for more info Wellymunchers 😄

The food was excellent and came out quickly.<br/><br/>I had the steak which was superbly cooked, good beer selection as well.<br/><br/>The only negative was that even through the restaurant was half empty and it was just 8pm we felt that we were being pushed through the service by the waitress, with plates being cleared before all of us had finished and constant reminders to order our next course.

The Hop Garden was a pleasant experience but definitely has some opportunities for improvement.<br/><br/>We had the lamb and chicken mains, mousse and cheesecake desserts.<br/><br/>The lamb was cooked wonderfully med rare, with a bit of crispy fat/skin on top which was a little pop of flavour. the potatoes were below average and tasted like they were roasted the day before and then microwaved for the meal. the "greens" were green beans and were nice but nothing exciting and the pea puree kinda tasted like blended frozen minted peas, the texture was perfect but again nothing exciting with the flavours.<br/><br/>The chicken again was cooked well but overall this dish was lacking in flavour. Unseasoned grilled chicken, subtly flavoured risotto and some beans and zuchinni does not make for an exciting meal.<br/><br/>The mousse was rich and very dense, almost like a semi set cake batter. the orange segment lifted the dish but 2 tiny segment was not enough. A few more segments would've made it nicer or better yet make the mousse lighter and fluffier.<br/><br/>The cheesecake trio was interesting. At first blush I thought it was average but then I got to the passion fruit curd which was hiding at the very bottom and boom the flavour all suddenly popped and made perfect sense. with the exception of the popcorn which should be scrapped immediately cos the coldness of the dessert makes it chewy and gross.<br/><br/>The service was really good and the chefs obviously have a good grasp on flavour but just need to refine their menu and their prep but I see good things coming from them as time goes on.

Really disgusting horrible service. It seems like good ratings were for previous owners thus the recent bad ones.<br/>Waitress/Owner was very rude and bossy. We had email correspondence and mentioned our method of payment which they said was fine only to have a limit imposed on us at time of payment.<br/> Very unprofessional. Good selection of beers but you can get that at multiple locations in Wellington with much better service. <br/>Only come here if you enjoy rude service and mediocre atmosphere.<br/><br/>We had 40 people and were treated extremely rudely. <br/><br/>I genuinely hope this bar closes down, it's a disgrace to Wellingtons excellent craft beer scene.<br/><br/>Don't be fooled, go elsewhere.

There recently for private gig. No hand soap in either toilet upstairs and dead plants everywhere. Bar man ruined the surprise of a birthday cake too. Given the amount of venues around, they really need to sharpen up.

Food took over an hour to come out, steak wasn't medium rare, was actually quite raw. Good customer service but slow service even tho the restaurant was empty.

Overall service was extremely poor. We had to stand for around 15 minutes to wait to be taken to a table (shouldn't be a hard task considering there were only 2 of us) and then we were left an additional 20 minutes for our order to be taken and another 30-45 minutes for our order to arrive. When we got our order (one being the pancakes and the other being "the lot") the pancakes were stone cold, the banana that was promised was non existent and the portion size was very small for the price especially to get it cold and half complete. On top of this "the lot" was only luke warm and the portion size again was ridiculous and costed a whopping $22! Overall I'd hop on over to a different restaurant.

Came with a GrabOne voucher and I'm glad I did. Coffee toke 30 mins to get to me and the coffee was dreadfully burnt, with such a high competition with coffee in Wellington this was far the worse, I suggest another barista. My mocha looked sad and dull and my partners Long Black had no creme on it at all. Then comes the food, we waited at least 15 mins to order another 45 mins to get our food. Which on the menu the steak said it came with tomato and garlic mushrooms, I got no tomato and one mushroom!? Hard to get another of the staffs attention as they are just flustering back and forth, maybe a few more wait staff to deal with busy periods. Also to the poor girls sat beside us who ordered before us had been sitting there 10 mins after we got our meals to receive theirs and their coffee's had also been forgotten about.. Poor to say the least.

A nice place nested at the foot of Mt Vic. The staff were really friendly and made the experience very pleasant. The steak we ordered was a bit over cooked for my liking and it would have been nice if it was offered with some sauce or gravy as the different components of the dish didn't really connect.

Good food and great service. <br/><br/>We had four tapas and two mains. Our favourite tapa was the sesame prawn toast. This was something different and was very tasty. One of our main was the black angus sirloin. The accompanying hasselback potato was very nice. <br/><br/>From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by a friendly staff and she correctly guessed who I was. We could choose our first table. Our waitress was attentive and efficient. The great service made us felt very welcomed. <br/><br/>Thank you the Hop Garden. We will definitely be back soon.

Came here with my partner after purchasing some Groupon vouchers. Would recommend! Great service & delicious food. We tried meals from both the brunch & lunch categories and both were fantastic.

May be the only restaurant in Wellington not accepting the entertainment book voucher for 2 burger Wellington and not being able to explain why. (Been using the entertainment guide for the last 2 weeks with WOAP burgers of 5 other restaurants)<br/>Also the meat patty was dry and overcooked and the brioche bun not really a brioche<br/>I put 1.5 for the excellent beer (Garage Project) and the very good hand cut fries

A great spot for lunch or drinks and tapas a little off the beaten track, particularly in a sunny day with the courtyard and rooftop bar. The staff are friendly and food imaginative and well prepared.

Review 2<br/><br/>Back again and this time for tapas. <br/><br/>So everyone is doing tapas these days, some just do it better than others. Hop Garden pulled off some traditional and some not so traditional tapas. <br/><br/>We ordered some calamari and beetroot dishes to start. The calamari was crispy, salty, and tender. The vinegrette dipping sauce it came was tangy and cut the richness of the dish nicely. The beetroot was well cooked with an intriguing smoked sauce. I'm still not sure whether I loved or hated this dish. But it was a topic of conversation for a few minutes. <br/><br/>Next was the asian style pork belly and blue cheese arancini. An odd combination but there are no rules with tapas these days.<br/><br/>The pork belly was tender but with a crispy crackled skin. The word 'devine' comed to mind. I would have loved a bowl of white rice or a steamed bun to soak up the flavourful soy based sauce, but we can't have it all. <br/><br/>8My least favorite dish was the arancini. The risotto was overcooked and a little dry. The blue cheese flavour barely traceable. I was expecting a blue cheese explosion. I got a puff of smoke instead. <br/><br/>We also got a main to fill us up. The fish of day. It cames in a broth with linguine, clams, and mussels. The fish was perfectly cooked and well seasoned. The linguine and broth was a pleasant detour from the normal rich pasta sauces. And the clams and mussels added a depth to the dish. Overall a well thought out dish. <br/><br/>My Chilean wine rounded out the meal nicely. <br/><br/>With my gold card the meal came to $91. Worth every penny. I have raised my score to 3.5. <br/><br/>Review 1<br/><br/>This place never disappoints, but it also doesn't excite. The food is decent and the wait staff are pleasant. I go here if I can't decide where else to go. I went a few weeks ago and I'll likely go again soon. I even bought a Groupon voucher. Maybe I'll see you there. 😆

Out of the many bars and restaurants we visited while in Wellington for the weekend, this one stuck out the most. I can't stop thinking about the Veggie Dumplings and Arancini Balls with blue cheese and basil pesto. I wish I could remember where the peanut butter and raspbery beer was from because it was awesome. Friendly and helpful staff too.

Good selecting of wine and beer. The food was good but very small portions. Atmosphere is good. Good for liquids not for food as after our meal we went next door for some chips

I quite fancy that place. A bit out of the way, quite big as well. Bartenders are really nice and attentive and food was really promptly served and good on top of that. They also have fantastic beers on tap and a nice setting to drink and eat in.

We decided to try out THG for dinner. We were keen, booked on their website.<br/>Here's what we found:<br/>- no reply rec'd to our online reservation - seems to me that if offer that service you should um service it :( No biggy as there were zero other diners - maybe thats why they don't monitor their online reservations :)<br/>- good food, great beer selection. Recommend the dumplings and the chips (not together). Fair value.<br/>- good live music - loads of talent on show as it was Mike Night (pretty funny as our foreign guest was called Mike), we wanted to show off Welly's renown craft beer culture.<br/>- service ... erm... dreadful.... non- existent..some Rude English Git (let's call him REG) was having a bad night.<br/>- we were the ONLY table in the restaurant (he said he was flat out....pfffft)<br/>- after chatting with the chef (open kitchen) about recommendations and me saying 'cool, let's have 3 of those burgers then'... he asked me to tell REG; which I did. Then REG told me off in front my employees for having the temerity to chat with the chef about this..... and "for future reference, order at the bar" then turned on his heels.. no eye contact which was weird/creepy.<br/>- so non-existent service was good, when REG was non-existent.<br/>I'm guessing REG is the owner - cos who would hire him? Shame that our foreign guest ended up being amused rather than wow-ed. What an easy missed opportunity Hop Garden.<br/>- $198 for 3 people.

The interior/decor is pretty cool and they have a decent variety of craft beers on tap as well as the usual assortment of bar snacks like hot chips

The Hop is pretty Hip. <br/><br/>Wellington is full of these under cover surprises, from the outside it looks like a shack but then inside its large, with good music, comfy seating and a good vibe. We got a shared chefs choice platter, sirloin for him, lamb rump for me, panacotta for him, apple pie for me. New dining experiences can come with hunger anxiety and the 'is this gonna full me up'? inner dialogue.Portions are just right, potatoes are a little small so we did order a side of chips. Hubby was glad because he loves a good spud with steak. The lamb was cooked lovely, sauce was okay but the tide was a little low. So it needed a bit more. The dumplings were bursting with flavour. Puds was nice too, good timing between meals. Very friendly waitress, but there was a tag team thing happening with drink orders so I had a little wait for my drink, other than that, a pleasant evening. <br/>

Yummy food and nice beer selection. It's location is also favourable for those who live in town. Staff are friendly and the decor is light and fresh. The only thing is the heat! It's nice in winter, a warm getaway from the cold, but other times I have found it a bit too hot inside, which hinders the overall experience. There is an outside area, but as a non-smoker, it is not too inviting unfortunately.

In keeping with the burger competition, we all had the burger. I have to say, the chips were really nice and I liked that there was a choice of aioli and tomato sauce. The burger was a little rare for me but that is just my personal choice, the fillings of beetroot, pickles, smoked cheese, mushrooms, tomato, lettuce and a huge thick patty - it was a lot to eat! Too much got me. Lovely waiting staff, nice place to go for a drink.

Dined on Friday with a couple of friends for the first time. Service was wonderful, although same can't be said about the portion of the fish dish. For a cost of $30 what you got on your plate was noting, although fish was very tasty, just a really small amount, like tiny amount. Frittata was't really working on the plate, loved the fish just more of it next time please. Thank god I had the entertainment book, 241. Won't be in a rush to go back.

Always excellent. Fantastic selection of drinks, as a hater of beer I was skeptical about the hopped cider but it was perfect. Meal sizes are small but filling enough, the seared salmon was heavenly and my dining partner's mushroom dish was delicate and beautiful. Every time I come here I get the beignets for dessert; if everything else is as good as those then they put most restaurant's desserts to shame. Well done guys, will definitely be back soon!

The Hop Garden places equal focus on good beer, wine and food. There are 12 rotating beer taps and 1 hand pump plus a selection of beers. The range isn’t as extensive as some of the other places on this list, but it’s still a decent range and the food is a cut above the usual pub fare.

It immediately became wine o'clock so as we parked our glutes in a shaded spot, sipping on local Red Metal merlot and a Dog Point savvie, we grabbed a couple of plates of food.

Great Venue, Unfriendly & disinterested service. Only stayed for a few drinks, menu looked ok but when asked a  staff member to order some food ,it was like we had asked her if she would like to have her teeth pulled out.<br/>Guy that served me behind bar also had zero personality .<br/>Bit of a shame really because the place itself was quite cool.  Doesn't cost anything for a smile or courtesy. Id be gutted if I owned the place and my staff were this lame at ensuring my business was a success.

Excellent food - very good service. Quite expensive for the meal size.

Went for a meal on Saturday night with my partner. <br/><br/>It was beautiful. The steak special was delicious. It was one of the best meal we have had in Wellington in a very long time. <br/><br/>The service was great. The atmosphere was great and a beautiful place to have an intimate meal with great beer and wine.

Went there today with my partner, on his suggestion and was very satisfied with the relaxed atmosphere (including the eclectic range of music), the warmth of the sun coming through, and the layout from bar seating for larger groups, to the intimate/formal seating down the back.<br/><br/>We had a few beers, played some cards and ordered the Eggs Montreal with bacon on the side, pork ribs and hand cut ships on the side.<br/><br/>I'm extremely fussy when it comes to hollandaise being done right, but they nailed it perfectly. Just wish I had ordered more on the side! The streaky (I think) bacon was beautifully done and added to the dish. The only gripe was the size of the bread pieces underneath, I took them out and cut them in half in the end as it tasted like there was more bread than the dish itself. Otherwise a delicious b'fast delight.<br/><br/>My partners ribs were the way you expect them; sticky, hot, messy and with enough hot sauce left over to soak up with the hand-cut fries we ordered. Amazing.<br/><br/>The service was relaxed and friendly. When my partner asked about dessert (which wasn't on the lunch menu), they were willing to accommodate his sweet tooth as we ordered the gelato trio and creme brulee; both I would highly recommend.<br/><br/>I have a strong feeling being Mt Vic based, this place will become our local in no time!<br/><br/>Good eating.

Been here a few times for dinner and Sunday brunch. Already impressed by the quality of the food.<br/><br/>Good service.

We had mixed results eating here, some food satisfying but I had poor quality fish which I took one bite of and left. The service felt pushy on the beer and but slow with the food. I wrote a moderate letter of complaint but received no reply. Will definitely not return.

I've been here before but walked out because I thought it was too packed. There is in fact a good sized dining area in the back, which is nicely setback from the hub-bub of the open bar area. So for a dinner for two on a Friday night it was actually quite calm and relaxing. Most of the food was great, potato skins and duck were fantastic. My partner was less happy with her ribs which were the blandest I have ever tasted, which is a shame since they were cooked really well. <br/>When we go back we'd have to try a bunch of the sharing platters. If you like food and beer, its a must to try.

fantastic dinner last night at their inaugural beer/dinner match. The six course dinner was outstanding - the choice of food, the presentation, everything. Staff were great and attentive as well. Only suggestion I would make is that for the future wine/beer match dinners that you cut the music when the head chef etc are talking about the food and alcohol matches. We look forward to the next night and will also get down there for a regular meal sometime soon as well. Well done to everyone

Had lunch here with a couple of friends on Saturday and really have mixed feelings. Whilst the food was delicious it seemed liked no one was in charge. Once seated and being handed only one of the menu options for the day, no one actually returned to our table. After 20 minutes we went to the bar and awaited another 10 mins to order drinks and food. This place very obviously needed more staff, the chap running the bar and the waitress in the restaurant were run ragged, though someone who may have been a manager/owner met with a friend/rep, tinkered with the sound system, enjoyed kebabs all the while we waited over an hour for food. Our order was actually overlooked, and we were offered a free drink and a massive apology, which certainly took the sting out, these things happen. <br/><br/>This place has massive potential, and with recent voucher deals on offer and new customers checking the place out, this kind of disorganisation will just not be accepted and people will not be back. Would go back, we did really enjoyed the vibe but their socks need to be pulled up promptly, there's just too many other great places for us to spend our money if this service continues.

My husband and I went to the Hop Garden for dinner tonight. Foolish enough to show up on a Saturday night without a reservation, the staff were great, said it would be about an hour before a table was available but took our number to give us a call if one came up earlier.<br/><br/>The service once we got a table was faultless. The salt and pepper calamari some of the best I've had and the handcut chips also great. I had the lamb and my husband had the steak and both were worth a return visit. Topped off with creme brulee for dessert it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.<br/><br/>At $102 for two entrees, two mains, one dessert and a beer and a glass of wine very reasonable for central Wellington.<br/><br/>We'll definitely be back - but will be sure to book next time!

We went over for Valentines day dinner as a special treat. Easy to get parking outside the restaurant on one of the side streets.<br/>What a fabulous array of beers!! OMG -for my husband who is a gourmet beer afficianado, it was heaven. He had the Yeastie Boys Pot Kettle Black - delish.<br/><br/>We had a bit of a wait to be seated, but the staff were very accomodating and it was fine.<br/>We ordered the Salt and Green Chilli Squid and Beef Skewers as a small plate to share. And the Sirloin and Lamb for mains.<br/>We were waiting for over 40 minutes till the food came out...and the rest of the restaurant(full) were also waiting and getting quite annoyed! We could have been told it was going to be a wait, and we would have ordered some bread or something to tide the hunger pangs!! Or it could have been offered! Wait staff were conveniently dodging our gazes, haha.<br/><br/>But I have to say it was worth the wait. <br/>The squid though a tad salty was beautiful and crispy and melt in the mouth...and went down beautifully with my Kemner Reisling. Beef skewers were a little under seasoned, but tender.<br/>The mains were beautifully done, beef was perfectly cooked, and the sauce was good.<br/>Lamb was nicely done, but it could have used some side serve of either mash or potatoes or some starch.<br/>Creme Brulee to finish was perfect, and we love loved the fig biscotti thing. DElicious...<br/>Overall, lovely...and I think they are a great little place, and will definitely be going back. Good luck.

The hop garden is more of a pub than a restaurant. The menu is limited which is fine but prices are high for a pub.

Nice surroundings with hop vines growing down the sides of the walls, this pub has a good feel to it. Service was good, prices about average for a pub. A nice local pub.