One of my favourite cafes to write in at present is the Mt Cook Cafe, located in (astonishingly) the suburb of Mt Cook, Wellington. I may be biased in its favour because it’s within walking distance of my house and the barista knows me and my order on sight (one day I’ll order something different, I swear!). I hang out here a lot when I can’t be bothered dealing with busy central city cafes.
Reasons to go there
The Mt Cook Cafe lives in what clearly used to be an old house, so it has this great homey vibe going on, with wooden floors and rustic-y tables. There’s also a side room in addition to the cafe’s main space, where I frequently hang out by myself in writerly solitude. There is an outdoor area at the back that I have braved occasionally on one of Wellington’s rare, non-windy days.
The main space has enormous windows on two sides, drenching everything in light, which is also why I retreat to the darker (and cooler) side room in the summer months. My routine may change come winter.
There’s also good free WiFi! #blessed
They do both cabinet and menu food – prices are pretty standard for Wellington – and the staff have been super chill about me occupying table space for hours at a time. It helps that this is usually a quiet cafe. The only times I’ve seen it busyish are on weekdays at lunchtime during semester (it’s near Massey University) and during Sunday primetime brunching.
Did I mention it’s within walking distance to my house?
Reasons not to go there
I have to be honest here: the coffee is pretty average (I’m sorry, nice barista man!).
AJ Lancaster 