Nikau (Civic Square, next to the Wellington City Art Gallery)
I consider myself a regular at Nikau, and am slowly working my way through the menu (albeit very slowly; I have my firm favourites, which I struggle to move past from). It is great on a nice day; the outdoor courtyard is pretty sheltered and overlooks the home-grown herb garden. Indoors, I would also recommend sitting upstairs (as opposed to the same level as the kitchen and cabinet) as it really maximises natural lighting. The cabinet is to die for – I am a huge fan of the scones (rocket and cheddar especially) and the donuts are also really hard to look past (the flavours change regularly). Everything in the cabinet is worth trying; the chefs at Nikau are great at experimenting with new flavours that make the most of seasonal produce. The breakfast and lunch menus are both quirky; I love the sage fried eggs, as well as the fruit toast (the best fruit toast I have ever had – seriously). It probably isn’t the best place to take your overly-conventional grandparents, but any other occasion hit it up!