Parla is a Turkish and Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant on The Parade in Island Bay, bringing Anatolian warmth and an energetic spirit to Wellington's southern coast. Opened in July 2025 as the younger, quirkier sibling to Kisa, it is the newest venue from the Mosaic Venues family, which also includes Mr Go's, Ombra and LTD. Event Space.
The dining room is intimate, seating just 38 guests, complemented by sun-soaked outdoor tables and a street-side takeaway window. With a strong focus on premium New Zealand produce and beverage, Parla runs a relaxed all-day experience from breakfast through to dinner, Tuesday to Sunday, with day, night, drinks and dietary menus that change regularly to showcase seasonal produce.
Note: Parla is temporarily closed following damage sustained in the Wellington flooding on Monday, 20 April. The team is endeavouring to reopen by 1 August 2026 and is tentatively accepting reservations from that date. Around 80% of the dining room is bookable, with the rest kept for walk-ins, and there is plenty of free public parking right outside.
Parla sits on The Parade in Island Bay, on Wellington's southern coast, where the city slows down and the sea takes over. It opened here in July 2025 with a simple promise: Middle Eastern flavours, from day to night. In practice that means Turkish and Middle Eastern-inspired cooking served in a relaxed, all-day setting, from breakfast through to dinner, Tuesday to Sunday.
The room itself is small and intentional — 38 seats inside, backed by sun-soaked outdoor tables and a street-side takeaway window for anyone passing through. Parla calls itself the younger, quirkier sibling to Kisa, and the energy matches: rooted in Anatolian warmth, but with a breezy, coastal rhythm of its own.
Parla is the newest addition to Mosaic Venues, the Wellington hospitality collective led by founder Dean White. The group's story runs from Mr Go's in 2016, through the purchase of Ombra in 2018 and the launch of LTD. Event Space in 2021 — the birthplace of Kisa as a pop-up before its permanent home opened in 2022 — to Parla's arrival in Island Bay in July 2025. Across all of its restaurants, Mosaic describes a shared commitment to genuine hospitality with great food and beverage, shaped by professionalism, warmth and consistency.
That pedigree shows in the details: considered menus built on premium New Zealand produce, and a drinks list that leans local too.
Parla's offering is split across a day food menu, a night food menu, a drinks list and a dedicated dietary menu, all refreshed regularly to showcase what's in season — the menus published online are samples, so expect them to shift with the produce. One note for the allergen-aware: the kitchen handles nuts, shellfish and gluten, and while reasonable efforts are made to accommodate dietary needs, no dish can be guaranteed allergen free.
For a 38-seat room, Parla takes groups seriously. Around 80% of the dining room is open to reservations while the rest stays walk-in only. Parties of up to 10 can book online; groups of 11 or more are asked to email instead. Tables of up to 11 order from the regular menu, while groups of 12 or more move onto set menus — between $38-64 per head at lunch and $56-72 per head at dinner — with some flexibility for early dinner bookings and children under 14. Groups of 8 or more can opt into a set menu too, and for bigger occasions, part or full venue hire accommodates 18-34 guests. Whether it's a milestone or a long-table dinner, the idea is that you simply enjoy the moment.
One thing to know before you go: Parla is currently temporarily closed. The restaurant sustained damage in the Wellington flooding on Monday, 20 April, and has been shut for an unknown period while repairs are carried out. The team is aiming to be open again by 1 August 2026 and is tentatively accepting reservations from that point, so it pays to check the latest status before making the trip.
When the doors reopen, the practicalities are easy. There is plenty of free public parking outside on The Parade, a 1.5% surcharge applies to card payments, and reopening news flows through Parla's Instagram and Facebook pages. For a taste of Turkish and Middle Eastern hospitality on Wellington's south coast, Parla is built for lingering — morning, noon or night.