Black Lion Bakery & Cafe sits at 156 Cuba Street in Te Aro, right in the heart of one of Wellington's best-loved streets. The team bills it as the home of quality artisan breads and delicacies, and it's a working bakery first and foremost — beautiful artisan breads, pastries and sweet things come out of its ovens daily and fill the retail cafe's shelves.
The cafe cabinet leans heavily on that house baking. House-made sandwiches are a fixture, with lots of vegan and vegetarian options included as well as gluten free choices, so mixed groups can all find something. Alongside them sit classic bakery comforts: scones, danishes and an array of other sweet treats.
To drink, the team makes what they confidently call a mean coffee. If coffee isn't your style, there are smoothies and milkshakes instead — with vegan smoothies and vegan milkshakes available, of course.
Black Lion also runs a wholesale arm, supplying its baked goods to valued wholesale customers; businesses can get in touch at [email protected]. The cafe opens Monday to Friday from 8am until late, making it a spot for early coffees, lunches and after-work stops alike.
There's a particular kind of pleasure in the smell of fresh bread, and on Wellington's Cuba Street that pleasure has an address. Black Lion Bakery & Cafe, at 156 Cuba Street in Te Aro, calls itself the home of quality artisan breads and delicacies — and from the shelves of bread to the cabinet of sweets, the description holds up. It's a working artisan bakery with a cafe attached, which means everything on offer, from the sandwiches to the danishes, starts with what the bakers have made that day.
At its heart, Black Lion is a bakery. The team here makes beautiful artisan breads, pastries and delicacies, and that craft shapes everything the business does. Rather than reselling supplier product, the cafe is stocked from the bakery's own output — the loaves, the pastries and the sweet treats all come out of the same ovens. It's the kind of place where the bread is the point, not an afterthought to the drinks menu.
That baking-first identity also sets the rhythm of the day. A bakery's shelves look different at 8am than they do in the late afternoon, and part of the appeal of visiting a genuine artisan bakery is seeing what's on offer when you walk in. Regulars quickly learn to grab the good stuff when they spot it.
The retail cafe sits at the heart of Cuba Street and is stocked full of house-made sandwiches — and this is where Black Lion sets itself apart from many bakery counters. There are lots of vegan and vegetarian options in the sandwich range, along with gluten free options, so groups with mixed diets can all find something to eat. It's a genuinely inclusive menu for a bakery cafe, and a welcome one in a city that takes its food seriously.
Alongside the sandwiches sit the classic bakery comforts: scones, danishes and an array of other sweet treats. Whether it's a scone with coffee in the morning or a danish as an afternoon pick-me-up, the cabinet leans on the same house baking that fills the bread shelves.
The coffee, the team will tell you, is a mean coffee — a claim they make with some confidence on their own site. For a bakery, the espresso offering is taken seriously enough to be mentioned more than once, and it's a natural pairing with a fresh scone or sandwich.
Coffee isn't the only option, though. If coffee isn't your style, Black Lion also pours smoothies and milkshakes — and, of course, vegan smoothies and vegan milkshakes are available too. The wording says a lot: plant-based customers are simply part of the plan here, whether they're eating or drinking.
Black Lion isn't only a retail operation. The bakery also runs a wholesale arm, supplying its products to valued wholesale customers. For Wellington cafes, restaurants or food businesses after a quality artisan bread supplier, the invitation is open — wholesale enquiries go to [email protected].
You'll find the bakery and cafe at 156 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, right in the middle of one of the capital's best-known streets. The cafe is open Monday to Friday from 8am until late, which makes it an option for early coffees, a working lunch or an evening treat on the way home. Weekends aren't listed as trading days on the site, so plan your visit for a weekday.
Questions can go to the team on 022 034 3858 or by email. Whether you arrive for a loaf, a house-made sandwich, a danish or that mean coffee, Black Lion Bakery & Cafe delivers on the simple promise of its homepage: quality artisan breads and delicacies, made with care in the heart of Wellington.