Capitol Restaurant

We arrived early for an early dinner, having struggled a bit to secure a booking online. Olivia welcomed us warmly and found us a cozy corner by the window—private, lovely, just right. Our server, Basil, was a gentle, joyful presence, tending to us with care. Even as the restaurant filled to the brim, we never once felt overlooked. We shared two appetizers and two mains, each dish arriving in generous portions. The standouts? The salt cod croquettes and shrimp linguine. The croquettes were crisp and fragrant, light as air. The linguine, perfectly al dente, cradled four plump shrimp that tasted as if they’d leapt straight from the sea. The meat dishes, however, didn’t quite hit the mark. The beef tartare leaned too heavy on seasoning, its flavors a touch overwhelming. The breaded baby lamb liver, slightly overcooked, turned out dry and firmer than we’d have liked—some extra moisture would have done it justice. Across the board, a lighter hand with the salt would have been welcome. Portions were so generous that our appetites—modest by Asian standards—struggled to keep up. So, we settled on just one dessert to finish: a crème caramel with torched apricot. Thankfully, it was flawless. This restaurant has character, warmth, and good energy. A place that lingers in memory, much like a well-savored meal.

A teensy little corner on Kent and Courtney place in Wellington, do your research I’m not a local and I’m navigationally challenged. A superb curated bottle of 2023 Deep Down from Marlborough, a dozen Pacific oysters to share, followed by the flakiest Terakini fish from Napier and what appeared to be charred pork belly. Rounded off with exceptional service and advice from Aria, a wonderful start to our NZ mini break. High recommended and bookings are essential.

Love it here! The service is so friendly and the food is exceptional, with fresh locally sourced produce. The vibe is relaxed with moody, ambient lighting. Great for couples and small groups. Highly recommend a visit.

Always a nice dinner with great service. We tried the WOAP cocktail, festival dish and burger. We also shared the calamari which was the best thing we had. Their calamari is so light and soft with wonderful flavor. I don't known what magic they are weaving with their calamari, but it's definitely worth going there to have it. The festival dish was not amazing and has a very strong fishy seafood flavor. The burger was nice, but nothing special.

Food is always good there. Impeccable service and tasty menu and always evolving. Being regulars, it always has been consistent good service, food and wine selection. Great boutique restaurant for special occasions or if your just looking for simple tasty food. The wagyu beef fillet is my favourite paired with polenta and adding a spinach sautées side. The toffee pudding and strawberries Pavlova, delicious with a glass of sherry.

Thanks. Awesome meal and service last night. Thanks Toby (was our waiter) & everyone else.

Do you want some food with your salt? If you’re a boomer with no taste buds because they’ve been burnt off with salt over the years, this is the place for you. Just hand me a plate of very expensive salt and be done with it. Very respectfully advised this to the owner and the chef was not happy to receive this feedback. Will not be back.

We were looking for a place to have an easy stress free European dinner after a long day. The dishes were fantastic, Eye fillet was perfectly cooked with a fantastic gratin and beautiful pesto. Side potatoes were more on a rusty side with roasted to a point of fluffiness inside and crunchy skin on the outside. I also tried my friend's special of the day veal in the bone which was extremely tender and melt in the mouth. The reason I gave 4 stars us that the restaurant was too busy and they really need to have at least 1 more staff. I ordered cranberry juice but got something else, possibly grapefruit as it was pink but citrusy... We were told that someone would tell us the specials, but no-one came to do so and we had to remind the waitress to do so when she was taking the order. We arrived at the restaurant at 8.30 pretty hungry and only got the food at 9.55, which was a very long wait especially for a late sitting. I understand of course that they were super busy, but I believe the management needs to make sure that there is enough stuff available for those nights.