Kaimak brings the flavours of Turkey and the Mediterranean to Johnsonville Road in Wellington's northern suburbs. It's a kitchen built around sizzling kebabs, wood-fired pides, creamy mezze and refreshing drinks — what the team calls the perfect mix of comfort, tradition and taste, made fresh daily with the best local ingredients.
The menu covers a lot of ground: Iskendar and grill meals (each available as a meal or salad), classic and gourmet kebabs, meat on chips or rice, stone-baked pizza and pide, mezze meals, starters and dedicated kids meals. Burgers get their own billing too — juicy, handcrafted and grilled to perfection with what the team calls a Mediterranean twist — while homemade desserts and drinks from chilled sodas to creamy shakes round things out.
Reviews from locals are glowing. One calls Kaimak the best Turkish restaurant in Wellington, another singles out the desserts, bowls and gelatos as worth the trip. The kitchen's stated ethos is simple: every dish tells a story of rich flavours, warm hospitality and recipes passed down through generations.
Whether you're after a quick lunch, a cozy dinner or a family feast, Kaimak offers fast pick-up and delivery (free on orders over $50) and is open Monday to Saturday from 10.30 am to 8.15 pm at 20 Johnsonville Road.
Step along Johnsonville Road and the smell reaches you first: meat over a hot grill and dough baking to a golden finish. Kaimak is Johnsonville's Turkish and Mediterranean kitchen, serving kebabs, stone-baked pide and pizza, mezze, burgers and homemade desserts from 10.30 in the morning until 8.15 at night, Monday through Saturday.
The team behind Kaimak describes every dish as a story — one of rich flavours, warm hospitality and recipes passed down through generations. Their chefs bring the essence of Mediterranean and Turkish cuisine to the plate, made fresh daily with the best local ingredients.
It's a simple promise, but it shapes the whole menu: nothing sits around, and everything is built with care, flavour and tradition in mind — whether you're ordering a quick weekday lunch or a full family feast.
The menu reads like a tour of a Turkish grill house. Iskendar meals or salads and grill meals or salads anchor the list for heartier appetites, alongside classic kebabs and gourmet kebabs for purists and the more adventurous alike. Burgers get their own billing — juicy, handcrafted and grilled to perfection, with what the team calls a Mediterranean twist — and there's meat on chips or rice when only true comfort food will do.
Bread lovers are well looked after. The pizza and pide come stone-baked: crispy on the outside, soft within, baked to golden perfection. Mezze meals bring a colourful mix of dips, bites and small plates made for sharing, with starters to open the meal. Kids have their own meals too, so younger diners are genuinely catered for rather than an afterthought.
The freshness isn't just talk — the kitchen works daily with the best local ingredients, and the burgers, like everything else here, are made fresh just for you.
First-timers usually begin with the classics: a classic or gourmet kebab, or an Iskendar for something heartier. Sharing a table? Put a mezze platter in the middle, add a pide or pizza for the main event, and let everyone fight over the last of the desserts. It's a menu built for mixing and matching — and with no set combos on offer, the team encourages exactly that kind of create-your-own pairing.
Save room. Kaimak's homemade desserts are described as sweet finishes that leave a lasting smile, and regulars agree — reviewers have called out the desserts, bowls and gelatos as some of the best around. Drinks run from chilled sodas to creamy shakes, so every sip completes the meal.
Visitors don't hold back. One reviewer calls Kaimak the best Turkish restaurant in Wellington and urges everyone never to miss it; another says that if you're in the city, this is the spot for the best desserts, bowls and gelatos. Five-star ratings sit alongside both. For a suburban kitchen, that's word of mouth most restaurants would envy.
Kaimak is set up for every kind of visit. Call in for a quick lunch, settle in for a cozy dinner, or order a family feast to share. Prefer your own table? Fast pick-up and delivery are available — free delivery on orders over $50 — and the whole menu, from kebabs to burgers and meals, can be ordered online.
The flexibility is the point: order a kebab with mezze on the side, split a pide between two, or line up burgers all round with desserts to finish. Currently there are no combo deals; instead the menu is deliberately designed so you can build your own perfect pairing.
Kaimak Johnsonville sits at 20 Johnsonville Road in Wellington's northern suburbs, open Monday to Saturday from 10.30 am to 8.15 pm. Whether the craving is sizzling kebabs, wood-fired pides, creamy mezze or something sweet at the end, the promise is the same: comfort, tradition and taste — a taste of Turkey, served fresh and full of flavour.