Babaili Restaurant on Willis Street brings a Xi'an-inspired Chinese dining experience to Wellington's Te Aro neighbourhood. Drawing on the flavours of Shaanxi's capital, the restaurant is built around a casual, Xi'an-style barbecue and fried skewer menu, paired with an exclusive tea-infused cocktail list.
The restaurant is part of the wider Babaili group, which describes its approach as bringing people together over communal meals, combining traditional Chinese cooking methods with fresh New Zealand ingredients. Homemade broths, sauces and dough, alongside carefully selected meats and vegetables, are central to how the group frames its food across its venues.
Babaili Willis Street sits alongside separate Babaili venues in Wellington, including a hot pot restaurant in Johnsonville and malatang spots on Dixon Street and at Lambton Square, though the Willis Street site is focused specifically on its BBQ, skewer and cocktail offering rather than hot pot or malatang.
The restaurant takes bookings online and can also be reached directly for larger group bookings and events.
Babaili Restaurant sits on Willis Street in Wellington's Te Aro neighbourhood, bringing the flavours of Xi'an — the capital of China's Shaanxi region — to the city's dining scene. Rather than covering the full breadth of Chinese cuisine, the restaurant leans into a specific regional identity: strong, complex, savoury flavours built around a casual barbecue and skewer format.
The core of the food offering is a Xi'an-style BBQ and fried skewer menu, served in a casual format that suits sharing across a table. Alongside the food, Babaili Willis Street runs an exclusive tea-infused cocktail menu, a distinctive drinks offering that sets it apart from a typical Chinese restaurant format, plus a dedicated wine list for those who'd rather pair their meal with something more traditional.
Babaili Willis Street operates as one venue within the wider Babaili group, which also runs Babaili Hot Pot in Johnsonville and separate Babaili Malatang locations on Dixon Street and at Lambton Square. Across its venues, the group describes its food philosophy as centred on bringing people together over communal meals, using homemade broths, sauces and dough alongside carefully selected meats and vegetables to build what it calls the ultimate Chinese dining experience. The Willis Street site is the one focused specifically on the BBQ, skewer and cocktail combination, rather than hot pot or malatang.
The restaurant runs dinner service Monday to Friday from 5:00pm to 9:30pm. On weekends, it opens up for lunch as well, running from 11:00am to 2:30pm on both Saturday and Sunday, with dinner service continuing from 5:00pm to 9:30pm on those days too. Tables can be booked directly online, and food, BBQ and wine menus are available to view ahead of a visit.
Babaili Willis Street is located at 278 Willis Street in Te Aro, Wellington, and can be reached by phone or email. For larger bookings and events, the restaurant asks that guests get in touch directly via phone or email rather than the standard online booking system, so the team can accommodate bigger group sizes. The restaurant also keeps an active presence on Facebook and Instagram for anyone wanting a look at the space and food before booking.