Juniper Gin Bar & Restaurant

About Juniper Gin Bar & Restaurant

Juniper Gin Bar & Restaurant has anchored Johnston Street in Wellington since 2003, pairing European cooking — with touches of Pacific and Aotearoa — with one of the city's deepest gin selections: more than 40 premium gins from around the world, with a strong showing from New Zealand distillers.

The kitchen serves lunch and dinner on weekdays from 11am, and dinner from 5pm on Saturdays. Menus move from breads and light meals — risottos, tempura market fish, a vegan harissa cauliflower bowl — to big plates like Angus scotch fillet, braised beef cheeks and maple pork belly, alongside a gourmet burgers menu, takeaway service and a kids' meal. Desserts run from the Juniper tiramisu to a warm apple crumble.

Closed Sundays and all public holidays, Juniper takes reservations by phone or email. Vegan and vegetarian dishes are marked on the menu, gluten-free is available on request, and diners are encouraged to flag any allergies with staff.

Juniper Gin Bar & Restaurant: 40+ Gins and European Cooking on Johnston Street, Wellington

Juniper has been part of Wellington's dining landscape since 2003, holding court on Johnston Street with a simple, confident promise: great food and more than 40 gins from around the world. Two decades on, that pairing still defines the place — a proper restaurant kitchen out front and one of the city's most interesting gin cabinets behind the bar. The cooking leans European, with touches of Pacific and Aotearoa woven through, and the mood is that of a well-loved local, equally suited to a long dinner or a quiet weekday lunch.

A serious gin bar

The gin menu is the headline act. It stretches from European classics — Monkey 47, Hendrick's, The Botanist, Tanqueray, Gunpowder from Ireland, Roku from Japan — to Australian favourite Four Pillars, and it is notably deep on New Zealand distillers. Wellington is well represented by Bureaucrat (including its Black Doris Plum expression), Doyenne, Chemistry from Karori, the Southward gins from Cuba Street and Ruin The Valley from Upper Hutt. Further afield you'll find Dancing Sands from Golden Bay, Reid + Reid and Light House from Martinborough, Little Biddy from the West Coast, Imagination from the Kapiti Coast and more.

Pours are 30ml, and the tonic is treated with respect: Schweppes as standard, with East Imperial (red, yuzu, grapefruit) and Fever-Tree (Mediterranean, elderflower) for those who want to dress the drink up. If the wall of bottles feels daunting, the house gin & tonic is the intended way in — the dinner menu even lists it as the apéritif.

From the kitchen

The kitchen keeps both lunch and dinner crowds happy. Meals often begin with the caramelised roti with citrus butter, garlic baguette or flat bread with elaiasalata, guacamole and dukkah. Light meals cover plenty of ground: three risottos — pumpkin with crispy halloumi pops, mixed mushroom with truffle oil, and a seafood version with prawns and squid — plus tempura market fish with Juniper's own tartare sauce, Thai grilled pork with nam jim, and the lamb shawarma, a coriander and cumin marinated lamb kebab with hummus, slaws, tzatziki and flat bread. A vegan harissa cauliflower and carrot bowl keeps plant-based diners well looked after.

Big plates are where the menu flexes: Angus scotch fillet in 250g or 400g cuts, beef schnitzel with creamy mushroom gravy at lunch, and at dinner braised beef cheeks in rosemary red wine, bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin and maple pork belly with honey bourbon jus. Grilled and braised dishes need about 20 minutes — worth planning around. Finish with the Juniper tiramisu, warm apple crumble, or an affogato made with Kapiti vanilla and a shot of amaretto. A separate gourmet burgers menu, takeaway service and a kids' meal round things out.

Plan your visit

Juniper opens 11am to 10pm Monday to Friday, and from 5pm to 10pm on Saturdays; it closes on Sundays and all public holidays. Booking a table is deliberately easy — call or email, whichever suits — and the team encourages diners to flag any allergies. Vegan and vegetarian dishes are marked throughout the menu, and gluten-free options are available on request.

Two decades in, Juniper remains what it set out to be: a neighbourhood restaurant with a world-class excuse to linger. Come for the food, stay for the gin.

Signature items

• House Gin & Tonic
• Juniper Tiramisu
• Angus Scotch Fillet
• Lamb Shawarma
• Seafood Risotto
• Caramelised Roti

Menu

Bread

• Caramelised Roti with Citrus Butter — Warm roti served with house citrus butter
• Garlic Baguette — Classic warm baguette with garlic
• Flat Bread with Elaiasalata, Guacamole & Dukkah — Flat bread with Greek olive spread, guacamole and dukkah

Sides

• Beer Battered Fries — Golden beer-battered fries
• Spicy Wedges — Wedges with a spicy kick
• Kumara Chips — Sweet potato chips, gluten-free on request
• Garden Salad — Fresh seasonal garden salad
• Garlic Saute Spinach — Spinach sauteed with garlic
• Steamed Cauliflower — With mornay sauce and paprika
• Cos Salad — Cos lettuce with caesar dressing and parmesan
• Potato Puree with Truffle Oil — Silky potato puree finished with truffle oil

Gin Bar

• House Gin & Tonic — The signature apéritif — choose your gin, choose your tonic
• Tonic Choices — Schweppes, or East Imperial (red, yuzu, grapefruit) and Fever-Tree (Mediterranean, elderflower)
• Monkey 47 — German premium gin, 47% ABV, 30ml pour
• Gunpowder — Irish gin, 43% ABV
• Roku — Japanese gin, 43% ABV
• Gabriel Boudier Saffron Gin — Saffron gin from Dijon, France, 40% ABV
• Malfy Gin - Con Arancia — Italian orange gin, 41% ABV
• Luxardo Sour Cherry Gin — Italian sour cherry gin, 37.5% ABV
• Aviation — USA gin, 42% ABV
• Dancing Sands — Golden Bay NZ gin, 44% ABV
• Awildian — Coromandel NZ gin, 47% ABV
• East Block 200 — Hastings NZ gin, 40% ABV
• Broken Heart — Queenstown NZ gin, 40% ABV
• Juno — New Plymouth NZ gin, 40% ABV
• Bureaucrat — Wellington gin, 41% ABV
• Doyenne — Wellington gin, 41% ABV
• Bureaucrat Black Doris Plum — Wellington plum gin, 38% ABV
• Chemistry — Karori, Wellington gin, 44% ABV
• Southward Wave — Cuba St Wellington gin, 47% ABV
• Southward Blood Orange — Cuba St Wellington gin, 41% ABV
• Ruin The Valley — Upper Hutt Wellington gin, 42% ABV
• Twelfth Hour — Auckland gin, 43% ABV
• Blush Rhubarb Gin — Auckland rhubarb gin, 37.5% ABV
• Blush Boysenberry Gin — Auckland boysenberry gin, 37.5% ABV
• Dr. Beak - Garden Gin — Martinborough garden gin, 45.5% ABV
• Reid + Reid Native — Martinborough native gin, 42% ABV
• Light House — Martinborough gin, 42% ABV
• Light House Hawthorn — Martinborough gin, high strength at 57% ABV
• Source — Cardrona NZ gin, 47% ABV
• Imagination Reikorangi Dry Gin — Kapiti Coast dry gin, 42% ABV
• Imagination Strawberry — Kapiti Coast strawberry gin, 40% ABV
• Scrapegrace — Southern Alps NZ gin, 42.2% ABV
• Scrapegrace Black — Southern Alps NZ gin, 41.6% ABV
• Island Gin — Great Barrier Island gin, 43.2% ABV
• Little Biddy — West Coast NZ gin, 40% ABV
• Little Biddy Pink — West Coast NZ pink gin, 43% ABV
• Little Biddy Hazy (Spiced Apple) — West Coast NZ spiced apple gin, 40% ABV
• Roots — Marlborough gin, 45% ABV
• Strange Nature — Marlborough gin, 44% ABV
• Curiosity Ruby — Christchurch gin, 37.5% ABV
• Sipsmith Sloe — English sloe gin, 29% ABV
• Tanqueray — English classic gin, 40% ABV
• Botanist — Scottish gin, 46% ABV
• Hendrick's — Scottish gin, 44% ABV
• Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin — Victoria, Australia gin, 41.8% ABV
• Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz — Victoria, Australia shiraz gin, 37.8% ABV

Desserts

• Juniper Tiramisu — Sponge layered with espresso coffee, liqueur mascarpone and dark chocolate sauce
• Kapiti Ice Cream Profiterole — Profiterole with Kapiti ice cream and warm chocolate sauce
• Apple Crumble — Served warm with vanilla ice cream, almonds and creme anglaise
• Affogato — Kapiti vanilla ice cream, espresso and a shot of amaretto

Big Plates

• Fish of the Day — Aria potato, zucchini, cos salad, olive caper and tomato salsa, herby lemon vinaigrette
• Angus Scotch Fillet 250g/400g — Portobello mushroom beef jus, garden salad and beer battered fries
• Beef Schnitzel — German potato salad, creamy mushroom gravy and grated parmesan
• Beef Cheeks — Braised in rosemary red wine with potato puree, spinach, mushroom and glazed carrots
• Beef Tenderloin — Bacon wrapped, with roasted carrots, potato puree, garlic butter, onion rings and beef jus
• Maple Pork Belly — Buttered spinach, glazed apple, potato puree and honey bourbon jus

Light Meals

• Classic Caesar Salad — Crispy bacon, tomato, avocado, croutons, egg and caesar dressing
• Harissa Cauliflower & Carrots Bowl (Vegan) — Olive hummus, chickpeas, kale, walnuts, cranberry and tahini dressing
• Pumpkin Risotto — Crispy halloumi pops, bacon, pinenuts, peas, brown butter and parmesan
• Mixed Mushroom Risotto (Vegetarian) — Walnuts, spinach, green peas, truffle oil and parmesan
• Seafood Risotto — Fish pieces, prawns and squid in cajun-spiced tomato with parmesan
• Grilled Chicken Tagliatelle — Parma ham, spinach, tomato and creamy bacon sauce with parmesan
• Grilled Chicken Fettuccine — Spinach, tomato, creamy bacon sauce and parmesan — lunch favourite
• Parmesan Chicken Salad — Crispy bacon, tomato, avocado, crumbed halloumi and caesar dressing
• Tempura Market Fish — Green salad, Juniper's tartare sauce and chunky wedges
• Thai Grilled Pork — Cabbage minty salad, spring roll, nam jim sauce and steamed rice
• Lamb Shawarma — Coriander and cumin marinated lamb kebab, hummus, slaws, tzatziki and flat bread

Frequently asked questions

Does Juniper take reservations?

Yes. Booking is quick — call 04 499 3668 or email [email protected].

What are the opening hours?

Monday to Friday 11am–10pm, Saturday 5pm–10pm. Closed Sundays and all public holidays.

How many gins are on the menu?

More than 40 premium gins from around the world, including many New Zealand distilleries, served as 30ml pours with a choice of tonics including East Imperial and Fever-Tree.

Are there vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free options?

Yes. Vegan and vegetarian dishes are marked on the menu, and gluten-free is available on request. Staff ask that you advise them of any allergies.

Is there a kids' menu?

Yes, a kids' meal is available alongside the lunch, dinner and gourmet burgers menus.

Can I get takeaway?

Yes — Juniper offers a takeaway menu in addition to dine-in lunch and dinner.

When is the restaurant closed for holidays?

Juniper closes on Sundays and all public holidays, and also shuts for a summer break over Christmas and New Year. Check the website or call to confirm dates.

Tips

• {"body":"Tables are easy to arrange — call 04 499 3668 or email [email protected]; it only takes a couple of minutes.","title":"Book ahead"}
• {"body":"With 40+ gins, lean on the staff — Wellington distillers like Bureaucrat, Chemistry and Southward sit alongside Monkey 47 and Hendrick's, and premium tonic upgrades are on offer.","title":"Go gin exploring"}
• {"body":"Steaks, beef cheeks and other grilled or braised dishes need about 20 minutes cooking time, so order early if you're fitting in a show.","title":"Order big plates with time to spare"}
• {"body":"Saturday service starts at 5pm, and the restaurant is closed every Sunday and public holiday — weekday lunch is the relaxed window.","title":"Watch the week"}
• {"body":"The menu marks vegan and vegetarian dishes and gluten-free can be arranged on request — just tell your waiter about any ingredients to avoid.","title":"Say something about allergies"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Kids' meal available","dietary":"Vegan and vegetarian dishes marked; gluten-free available on request; advise staff of allergies"}