To the amazing followers of this page: Since writing this list I have moved to Auckland and am exploring the options to keep this going. If you’re based in Wellington and would like to be involved, please let me know.

I’m all for a good deal. I sit somewhere in between a rampant coupon-collector and a notorious rubbish-diver. Wellington is abundant with daily deals, yet curiously these have not been collated anywhere. Nada. Zilch. I had thought that it must exist somewhere when scouring the net for a good Wednesday pre-theatre meal (without shelling out for a three-course proper ‘pre-theatre’ at Logan Brown or similar). I came across a deal at Pizza Pomodoro, which I have been waiting for an excuse to try. I got thinking that there must be more out there, and I cannot believe what I found. This is by no means intended to form a conclusive or exhaustive list; it will undoubtedly be in constant flux, and there are certainly places I’ve missed off. But, after utilising my well-honed Facebook stalking skills I have stalked the shit out of Wellington’s eateries and come up with this. So voila, here you have it – The Gezellig’s guide to the daily deals and tipples to be found in the World’s Coolest Little Capital. I am not necessarily recommending all the places on this list – my picks are in bold!

Monday

Arizona: $1 house tap beer with any grill item

Atlanta: any Havana coffee and a muffin for $6

Bangalore Polo Club: $15 for any two ‘favourites’ (Salt & Chilli Squid, Pork Mandu, Croquettes or Beef Japchae), noon-9pm

Beach Babylon: all mains $20

Bruhaus: Fish & chips + a house drink $17.50

Café Pasha: Any main $16 (excludes fish and steak)

Chow: 2 for 1 food

Crabshack: Mussel Madness Monday: half priced mussels 3.30pm-6.30pm

Crazy Horse The Steakhouse: 2 for 1 steaks

Dragonfly: Mao’s Moa Monday: glass of Moa tap beer $6, + dumplings $15

El Matador: Asado Monday – $24 for wood-fired rump steak with chimichurri, chap potatoes and salads + glass of Argentinean Malbec

Flying Burrito Brothers: 2 for 1 mains

Gasworks: Kids dine free after 5pm

Istanbul: 2 for 1 mains (up to $30), dinner only

Little Beer Quarter: Pizza & a pint for $20

Matterhorn: BYO wine – no corkage. Staff will recommend food to match your tipple of choice

Mediterranean Food Warehouse (Newtown, Tory St, Kapiti, Lower Hutt, Kelburn): 2 for 1 pizza

Monsoon Poon: first Monday of every month – $30pp for all you can eat Firecracker Chicken +glass of milk or Tiger beer

Motel Bar: $10 Mojitos all night long

Pan de Muerto: 2 for 1 Bocados Pequenos (small bites) – see special menu here. Available lunch & dinner.

Pizza Pomodoro: free delivery with any internet order (min order $18)

Pravda Café: Bacon & eggs $10 (usually $16), 7.30am-10am

Rock Yard Restaurant: all big plates $16.50

Scopa Caffe Cucina: Meatball Mondays: pork and herb meatballs on housemade spaghetti with grana and basil $15 from 4pm, add a glass of Scopa Pinot Noir for $6

Southern Cross: 2 for 1 stonegrills, midday-1.30pm and 5.30pm onwards

The Grand: 2 for 1 stonegrills

The Lotus Restaurant: free entrée with every main

The Pub on The Terrace: 2 for 1 mains

The Residence Bar: 2 for 1 mains

Tuesday

Arizona: Any ‘small plate’ + a Budweiser for $15

Atlanta: Tuesday Breakfast Bonanza – bacon, eggs and coffee for $9

Bangalore Polo Club: any house made bottled punches (for two) + any item from ‘small bites menu’ $20, 5pm-7pm

Basque: Supercharger Tuesday: $16 jugs of Pinhead Supercharger APA

Brew’d: 2 for 1 pizzas from 9pm

Café Pasha: any two mains for $40 (excludes steak)

Crabshack: Pint of Prawns: prawns by the pint for $10, 3.30pm-6.30pm

Dragonfly: 2 for 1 house cocktails

Electric Avenue: 2 for 1 pizzas

El Matador: $6 Tuatara Pints

Five Stags: $30 Pizza and Pitcher (choose from six tap beers & cider and five pizza flavours) from 5pm

Fratelli: The Fratelli Feast: $35 for three courses

Gasworks: 2 for 1 mains after 5pm

Istanbul: free bottle of house wine with any five mains ordered

Gooseshack: Winter Special: Three Courses $35, Two Courses $27

Little Beer Quarter: 2 for 1 mains and pizza at lunch and dinner (see menu here)

Maranui Café: Tradesmen’s Tuesdays: Big Bay Breakfast + regular coffee for $18 (she’s gone up, but still worth it)

Mediterranean Food Warehouse: free tiramisu with every large dinner (dine-in)

Monterey: burger and cocktails all $10

Pizza Pomodoro: free delivery with any internet order (min order $18)

Pravda Café: Bacon & eggs $10 (usually $16), 7.30am-10am

Preservatorium Café and Cannery: $5 lunch specials – can be chicken burgers, enchaladas, hot dogs & fries etc – check their facebook

Rock Yard Restaurant: 2 for 1 mains

Rogue & Vagabond: $2 Taco Tuesdays – usually choice of beef, beans, brisket or chicken

Scopa Caffe Cucina: $8 Margerita pizzas 11am-3pm

Southern Cross: 2 for 1 stonegrills, midday-1.30pm and 5.30pm onwards

Tequila Joe’s: Taco Tuesdays: all you can eat tacos (range includes pork, steak, chorizo, lamb, beef, calamari and more) + baja fries $20 per person 5.30pm-9.30pm (everyone must purchase one drink, $4+)



The Black Sparrow: 2 for 1 cocktails

The GreenMan Pub: $16 steaks

The Hop Garden: Tuesday Fives: first Tuesday of the month – alternates monthly between food & beer – tasting of 5 beers (or wines) and food – 6pm-7.30pm/8pm – tickets $35

The Library: 2 for 1 desserts + live music

The Lotus Restaurant: free glass of beer or house wine with every main

Wednesday

Arizona: 2 for 1 Margaritas

Atlanta: 3 tap Stella Artois for $15

Bangalore Polo Club: Moet & 3 Oysters $25, 5pm-7pm

Bebemos: $5 pints

Bruhaus: Sirloin Steak + one house drink $17.50

Bethel Woods: $15 burger and $15 jugs from 5pm

Café Pasha: complimentary Turkish coffee and Turkish delight with any main

Chow: 2 for 1 cocktails

Crabshack: Wicked Wednesday: $10 cocktails & spicy wings, 3.30pm-6.30pm

Dragonfly: $6 mystery wines

Electric Avenue: $20 for a pizza and a jug

Five Stags: Pork Ribs + tap beer or house wine from 5pm

Gasworks: all-you-can-eat ribs from 5pm

Goldings’ Free Dive: $10 Margherita pizzas (from Pomodoro), 12pm-2pm and 5pm-9pm

Goodluck Bar: 2 for 1 cocktails

Little Beer Quarter: $15 jugs – see their Facebook for info

Mediterranean Food Warehouse (Newtown, Kapiti, Lower Hutt, Kelburn): 2 for 1 pasta

Meow: $7 steak night – organic scotch fillet steak with chimichurri, red wine jus or French butter for $7 from 6pm onwards. Bookings welcome.

Mishmosh: 2 for 1 signature cocktails

Osterio del Toro: Pig and Mojito Wednesday: Havana Club Mojitos and porchetta in ciabatta for $12 from 5pm

Pizza Pomodoro: $10 Large Margherita pizzas (pickup only & no alterations to pizza)

Rock Yard Restaurant: 2 for 1 cocktails

Southern Cross: Wednesday Roast and Movie: Roast lunch $15, Roast Dinner with chocolate brownie $19.50. Also $22 for Roast lunch (11am-4pm) + movie ticket to Lighthouse Cuba St

Tequila Joe’s: If copious amounts of chook is your thing, then head here for Wing Wednesday: All-you-can-eat Buffalo Wings in 8 flavours + baja fries for $25 per person (1 drink purchase $4+ required each), 5.30-9.30pm

The Green Man Pub: Wine Club: $5 a glass, $25 a bottle

The Library: 2 for 1 cocktails

The Lotus Restaurant: free glass of beer or house wine with every main

The Realm Hataitai: 2 for 1 mains

Thursday

Arizona: Throwback Thursday: $5 cans of beer, $10 swappa bottles, $15 sangria jugs

Atlanta: two house drinks (beer or wine) and any pizza for $25

Bangalore Polo Club: $6 pints, $6 plonk, $25 jugs, 5pm-7pm

Beach Babylon: large cheese fondue $25 (swiss, brinza or creamy blue usually $32-$36)

Bettys: 2 for 1 cocktails

Boat Café: 2 for 1 dinners from 5pm-late

Bruhaus: pork sandwich + house drink $17.50

Crabshack: new drinks specials every week 3.30pm-6.30pm

Five Stags: 3 courses for $39 from 5pm (garlic bread or cob loaf entrée, any main & any dessert)

Gasworks: steak from $10

Goodluck Bar: 2 for 1 cocktails

Little Beer Quarter: $10 lunches – see menu here

Neo Café & Eatery: 5pm-7pm $5 sliders, $20 Sangria pitchers and $15 jugs of Tuatara APA and Pilsner

Preservatorium: free mini cookie with every cookie

Rock Yard Restaurant: Pancake Night: Banh xeo (crispy rice crepe with pork & prawns) $15 (usually $18.50)

Tequila Joe’s: third wheeling is now economically efficient with TJ’s 3rd Wheel Thursday: all food is buy 2, get 1 for free from 5.30-9.30pm. As with their other deals, you all must buy a drink ($4+)

The Pub on The Terrace: Thursday Girls Night Out brings $6 cocktail jar and specials on selected wines and bubbles after 4pm

Friday

Atlanta: free nibbles from 4pm-6pm and 2 for 1 Cuban cocktails ($16 each)

Bangalore Polo Club: $6 pints, $6 plonk, $25 jugs, 5pm-7pm

Baobob Café open for dinner with live music + Happy Hour from 4pm-7pm

Basque: Good Friday – jugs of the beer of the moment, usually Tuatara, Emerson’s and/or Panhead, plus Zeffer cider $15.

Crabshack: Winging Into the Weekend: 50c Spicy Wings 3.30pm-6.30pm

Dragonfly: $10 cocktails after 11pm

Five Stags: $10 cocktails and Jagerbombs and house double specials

Gooseshack: $9 sandwiches with free house-cut chips + lemon mayo (lunchtime) – I can vouch for the deliciousness (try the haloumi! sandwich!)

Gotham: $6.50 Heineken or House Sav or House Red from 5pm-7pm

Hunter Lounge, VUW Campus: 2 for 1 margarita pizzas after 3pm

Malthouse: Free Friday Feast – a mixed plate of nibbles per table from 6pm

Mishmosh: $5 house beers, wine and spirits from 4pm-7pm

Neo Café & Eatery: 5pm-7pm $5 sliders, $20 Sangria pitchers and $15 jugs of Tuatara APA and Pilsner

Pravda Café: complimentary antipasto in the bar

Rock Yard Restaurant: 2 for 1 cocktails, $6 red wines, $5 white wines 5pm-7pm

Tequila Joe’s: $4 Beck’s Lager on Friday after 10pm

The Pub on The Terrace: Friday Happy Hour which includes drinks specials and 2 for 1 snack food from 4pm

The Realm Hataitai: 2 for 1 mains

Zibibbo Restaurant: complimentary tapas in the bar

Saturday

Arizona: all fajitas $28 (chicken, beef or prawn and squid, usually $35)

Bangalore Polo Club: ABSOLUT cocktails $10 Basque: $6 for a glass or $15 for a jug.

Chow: 2 for 1 cocktails

Crabshack: Sangria Saturdays: 1 litre jug of white or red sangria for $28, 3.30pm-6.30pm

Dragonfly: $10 cocktails after 11pm

Rock Yard Restaurant: 2 for 1 cocktails, $6 red wines, $5 white wines 5pm-7pm

The Tasting Room: Wagyu wonder burger and a tap beer for $20 from 10am-6pm

Sunday

Arizona: pancake stack $10

Bangalore Polo Club: choice of 22 gin-based drinks in two-serve pitchers – half-price all day

Basque: Sangria Sunday: $15 carafe of sangria

Beach Babylon: free kids main with every adult main

Bebemos: Family Day: $6 for kids meal (juice, meal + ice-cream with chocolate sauce – usually $12), from 11am

Boulcott Street Bistro: Roast & Red: roast of the day with veggies and a glass of Cabernet, Shiraz or Pinot Noir and dessert for $45

Crabshack: kids eat for free when accompanied by an adult til 6.30pm (from kids menu, kids must be under 10)

Cuba St Bistro: 2 for 1 mains (Fish of the Day, Rump Steak or Vegetarian option)

El Matador: Sweet Tooth Sunday – free dessert with ever wood-fired sirloin steak

Five Stags: The Wapiti Session 4pm-7pm: $6.50 tap beers, ciders and house wines, $10 pizzas

Flying Burrito Brothers: Kids eat for $5 from 5pm-6pm (3 courses + drink)

Istanbul: 2 for 1 mains (up to $30), dinner only

Matterhorn: $25 Sunday Roast from 1pm

Rock Yard Restaurant: 10% takeaway

Southern Cross: Sunday Roast with all the trimmings + chocolate brownie $19.50. Second Sunday of every month there is a free salsa class

The Gooseshack: Sunday Roast Feast from 5pm: $28 or $35 with a house wine or tap beer. Woodfire flatbread + roast chicken or roast lamb with veggies + fruit crumble w vanilla ice cream or citrus tart

Thunderbird Café: Half-priced kids’ meals all day with every adult meal

(This part of the list is particularly of interest to those, who like myself, are terribly allergic to children and would like a list of places to avoid. Especially on Sundays.)

Enjoy and please comment if you have any corrections, additions etc to point out – I would like to keep this current as a resource for myself (greedy) as well as helping out the general, equally stingy public.

Follow my Wellington foodie adventures via instagram here