Liberty Restaurant

About Liberty Restaurant

Liberty Restaurant, on Cuba Street in the heart of Te Aro, is a dinner spot built around sharing — unfussy dishes full of flavour and intrigue, made to be placed in the middle of the table and passed around. The kitchen works with the best seasonal ingredients from Aotearoa New Zealand while borrowing inspiration from the flavours of the world, a style the team happily calls cuisine that defies categorisation. One plate might nod to Malaysia, the next to the Mediterranean or Japan, and together they land somewhere entirely their own: a taste of here and there.

The menu roams from To Start through Small and Large plates — think oysters natural or tempura, prawn and pāua dumplings, Malaysian fried chicken with hot honey, slow-cooked lamb shoulder and miso-marinated hāpuku — with sides, playful desserts (a Jelly Tip macaron among them) and an after-dinner list of tipples. Drinks matter here too: drinks for every mood or taste, sipped and savoured, backed by L'affare coffee and a proper tea selection.

Dinner runs Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm to 10pm, with Mondays dark. Reservations can be made online or by phone, gift vouchers are available, larger groups can take a group set menu, and Liberty will open for lunch on request for private functions. Dietary needs are flagged across the menu — gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan — so mixed tables are easy to cater for. As they put it: come enjoy and share in a little liberty.

Liberty Restaurant Wellington: Flavour-Packed Shared Plates on Cuba Street

On Cuba Street — Wellington's most characterful strip — Liberty Restaurant runs on a simple, appealing idea: unfussy dishes full of flavour and intrigue, made to be shared. Dinner here is less a formal procession than a steady parade of plates for the middle of the table, matched with drinks for every mood or taste, sipped and savoured. Oysters, dumplings, fried chicken and hāpuku sit comfortably on the same table, and that's entirely the point.

A taste of here and there

The kitchen works with the best seasonal ingredients from Aotearoa New Zealand, then borrows freely from the flavours of the world — Liberty calls it cuisine that defies categorisation, and the menu proves the point. One table might move from Malaysian fried chicken glossed with hot honey, to prawn and pāua dumplings with chilli oil, to crisp oyster mushrooms with masala spice dust, with the butterfish and shrimp 'toastie' and its burnt chilli caramel reading like a cult order in the making.

Seafood threads throughout: oysters natural or tempura, grilled octopus with mint harissa and puffed black rice, hot smoked snapper with taramasalata and kumara chips, and miso-marinated hāpuku with dashi foam, shiitake and seaweed XO.

Large plates are where sharing gets serious. Slow-cooked lamb shoulder arrives with caponata, smoked olive tapenade and fresh dates; wild Fiordland venison comes with vindaloo carrots, cherry gel and black garlic labneh; and a 300g Angus Pure ribeye pairs chimichurri with bordelaise sauce. Vegetarians are properly looked after too, with roasted butternut gnocchi, charred broccolini with pistachio falafel and an eggplant parmigiana with fennel dukkah. Chilli fries, duck confit yams and brussels sprouts with lemon maple cover the sides — and for the indecisive, the menu offers a cheerful escape hatch: let the kitchen take you on the Liberty tour.

Desserts lean playful: tiramisu cheesecake with coffee gel and raspberries, passionfruit meringue pie on coconut sablé, a Jelly Tip macaron that tips its hat to the Kiwi ice-block classic, and rocky road. After dinner, the tipples list runs from Koakoa Limoncello and Amaro Montenegro to Quick Brown Fox and a roasted New Zealand coffee liqueur, while L'affare coffee and Harney & Sons tea see the night out gently.

If you like to scout ahead, the website carries the current menu, a gallery and a short video for a feel of the room, and Liberty shares new dishes and news on Facebook and Instagram. Menus move with the seasons, so each visit is a slightly different snapshot.

How a visit works

Dinner service runs Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm to 10pm, and Liberty closes on Mondays. Bookings can be made through the reservations page or by phone on 04 801 8787, and gift vouchers are available for anyone gifting a night out. Larger groups can build the evening around a group set menu — sourdough, dumplings, coastal spring lamb rump and kamo kamo gnocchi among the courses — and the restaurant will open for lunch on request for private functions, which makes it a flexible pick for celebrations and work dos.

Dietary needs are handled as part of the plan rather than an afterthought: the menu flags gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes throughout, and a gluten-free loaf is available so nobody misses out on the sourdough course.

Set at 227 Cuba Street in Te Aro, Liberty sits deep in Wellington's eating-and-drinking heart — an easy stop whether you're wandering Cuba Street or making a dedicated pilgrimage for dinner. Come hungry, bring company, and share in a little liberty; as the team puts it, they'd love to see you.

Signature items

• Malaysian Fried Chicken
• Butterfish & Shrimp 'Toastie'
• Miso Marinated Hāpuku
• Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder
• Bang Bang Cauliflower
• Jelly Tip Macaron

Menu

Sides

• Chilli Fries & Mayonnaise — House chilli fries; gluten-free
• Duck Confit Yams — Whipped feta and honey
• Brussels Sprouts — Lemon maple and dill yoghurt; gluten-free and vegan
• The Liberty Tour — Can't decide? Let the kitchen take you on a tour of the menu

Desserts

• Tiramisu Cheesecake — Coffee gel and raspberries
• Passionfruit Meringue Pie — Coconut sablé and lime
• Jelly Tip Macaron — A playful nod to the Kiwi ice-block classic
• Rocky Road — A classic sweet finish

To Start

• Logan Brown Sourdough — Whipped French onion soup butter; gluten-free loaf available
• Oysters — Natural with lemon and vermouth mignonette, or tempura with wasabi mayonnaise; minimum of three per style
• Crisp Oyster Mushrooms — Masala spice dust with fresh green relish; vegan and gluten-free
• Butterfish & Shrimp 'Toastie' — Burnt chilli caramel and avocado; gluten-free and dairy-free
• Malaysian Fried Chicken — Basil and hot honey; gluten-free and dairy-free

Coffee & Tea

• Black — L'affare coffee, served black
• White — L'affare coffee with milk
• Hot Chocolate — L'affare hot chocolate
• Mochaccino — L'affare coffee with chocolate
• Harney & Sons Tea — Tea from the Harney & Sons range
• Peppermint — Caffeine-free peppermint infusion
• English Breakfast — Classic black tea

Large Plates

• Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder — Caponata, smoked olive tapenade, fresh dates; gluten-free
• Roasted Butternut Gnocchi — Mushroom ragu, sage butter, hazelnuts; vegetarian
• Wild Fiordland Venison — Vindaloo carrots, cherry gel, black garlic labneh
• 300g Angus Pure Ribeye — Chimichurri and bordelaise sauce; gluten-free and dairy-free
• Eggplant Parmigiana — Smoked tomato, capers, fennel dukkah; vegetarian
• Miso Marinated Hāpuku — Dashi foam, shiitake, greens, seaweed XO

Small Plates

• Prawn & Pāua Dumplings — Crispy shallot and chilli oil; can be made dairy-free
• Grilled Octopus — Blackeye beans, mint harissa, puffed black rice; gluten-free and dairy-free
• Broadbill Swordfish — Puttanesca, heritage tomato, Sicilian olives, pickled chilli
• Charred Broccolini — Pistachio falafel, picked red onion, dill labneh; vegetarian
• Bang Bang Cauliflower — Gochujang, sesame and scallion purée; vegan
• Hot Smoked Snapper — Taramasalata, kumara chips, black lime

Group Set Menu

• Crisp Oyster Mushrooms with Macadamia Skordalia — Finished with raspberry salt; vegan and gluten-free
• Grilled Asparagus — Goats cheese marshmallow, black garlic, preserved lemon; gluten-free
• Coastal Spring Lamb Rump — Baba ganoush, Persian feta, green harissa and peas; gluten-free
• Roasted Kamo Kamo Gnocchi — Cherry tomato ragu, zucchini and pinenuts; vegetarian
• Mangaroa Farm Salad — Hemp hearts, parmesan and ranch; vegetarian

After Dinner Tipples

• Koakoa Limoncello — Bright and zesty handcrafted New Zealand lemon liqueur
• Amaro Montenegro — Herbaceous and fruity digestif
• Dows Fine Ruby Port — Herbaceous and fruity digestif, served on ice with orange
• Pegasus Bay Aria Riesling 2023 — Fruit forward, hints of dark chocolate and vibrant cherries
• Quick Brown Fox — Perfectly balanced with honey, apricot and lemon
• Roasted NZ Coffee Liqueur — Gently spiced with subtle nuttiness

Frequently asked questions

Where is Liberty Restaurant located?

227 Cuba Street, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, in the heart of Wellington CBD.

What are Liberty's opening hours?

Dinner Tuesday to Sunday, 5pm to 10pm. Closed Mondays. Lunch can be arranged on request for private functions.

Do I need a reservation?

Bookings are recommended and can be made online via the reservations page or by calling 04 801 8787.

Is there a set menu for groups?

Yes — Liberty offers a group set menu alongside the à la carte menu, ideal for larger tables and celebrations.

Can dietary requirements be catered for?

Yes. The menu flags gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes, and a gluten-free loaf is available with the sourdough.

Can I buy a gift voucher?

Yes, gift vouchers are available to purchase online via the vouchers page.

Does Liberty host events or private functions?

Yes. Enquiries can be made via the events page, and the restaurant opens for lunch on request for private functions.

Tips

• {"body":"Service is dinner-only, Tuesday to Sunday from 5pm to 10pm (closed Mondays). Reserve online or call 04 801 8787.","title":"Book ahead for dinner"}
• {"body":"Dishes are made to be shared, so order across the menu — or let the kitchen steer with the Liberty tour when you can't decide.","title":"Go with company"}
• {"body":"Larger tables can plan around the group set menu, and Liberty will open for lunch on request for private functions.","title":"Groups have a shortcut"}
• {"body":"The Jelly Tip macaron and rocky road are small, playful finishes — worth keeping space for.","title":"Save room for the sweet stuff"}
• {"body":"The after-dinner list runs from Koakoa Limoncello to roasted NZ coffee liqueur, with L'affare coffee for the road.","title":"Linger over a tipple"}

Good to know

• {"dietary":"Gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan dishes marked on the menu; gluten-free loaf available."}