Ernesto's is a Cuban-meets-Pacific bar and restaurant at 1 Grey Street in central Wellington. The website calls it Ernesto's Cocina Cubana and describes the menu as island food inspired by Aotearoa and the Pacific. The dishes mix the two: duck in coconut red curry, horopito calamari, a Samoan chilli pork belly, a hāngī vegetable arancini, and a slow-cooked beef dish with kūmara mash. Cuban touches include the Ernesto's Cuban sandwich, with shredded pork, ham, salami and cheese. Burgers, tacos, fried chicken, salads and sharing platters also appear, and oysters are offered on a daily selection.
Booking is made through an online link, and walk-ins are welcome when the bookings are full. The website lists two service periods, from opening until 3pm and from opening until 9pm. Open Locally lists 15 other restaurants within a kilometre. Juniper Gin Bar & Restaurant, One Sushi Lambton Quay and Jeff Cafe are all 0.2 km away, rated 4.4 from 485 reviews, 4.4 from 19 reviews and 4.6 from 175 reviews respectively. The Green Man Pub, also 0.2 km away, has no rating.