Dixon St Deli, Wellington, New Zealand

You had me at bacon.

Because my trip to Wellington was organised so quickly, I didn't have much time to do research. Yes, food research. I usually like to spend days or weeks looking online for recommendations, checking out restaurant websites, food blogs and reviews for the best eats in the area.

As I'd walked past Dixon St Deli on my first afternoon in Wellington, I doubled back once I realised the name sounded familiar. Pressing my nose up against the glass windows, I could just make out the menu of the closed cafe. Oh yes, I knew where I was heading for breakast the next day.



At 5.30pm, I'm eating two chicken and potato enchiladas with Poblano Mole from Viva Mexico. By 7.00pm Im about to start a three-course dinner at The Ambeli. I'm not really in need of a huge breakfast the next morning, but the bacon... it's the main reason I got out of bed so early.


Long black $3.30

At 8.45am on a Saturday, Dixon St Deli is still filling its glass display cabinets with pies, pastas, salads and cakes. The space is bright and airy, the morning sun streaming in cheerily through the glass. I love the huge u-shaped banquette seating in the middle, broken up around the edges with tables for two. There's a pile of morning newspapers on a side table, and jars of pickles and mustards lined up on the surrounding shelves.

Wellington is known for its fantastic coffee culture and my long black is just what this night owl needs - a rich smooth blend of coffee with a silky crema on top.


French toast with bacon, banana and syrup $14.50

And then comes breakfast.

Good French toast is hard to find, and I'm in awe of this triple decker construction, sandwiched with large slices of middle eye bacon and caramelised banana halves. The bread has been generously swaddled with egg and then pan-fried, the bacon is a little salty but that's why the banana always works so well - a sweet creamy foil which helps everything go down the hatch.



Of course the ceremonial annointing of maple syrup over everything is mandatory. Sweet, salty, eggy, spongy, banana syrup bliss. Plus a few diced bits of fruit - everything in moderation...

Grab Your Fork attended Wellington on a Plate as a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism. The meal at Dixon St Deli was visited anonymously and paid for personally. For more information on Wellington, check out http://www.wellingtonnz.com.




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Dixon St Deli
45 Dixon Street
(just off Cuba Mall)
Te Aro, Wellington, New Zealand
Tel: +64 (04) 384 2436

Opening hours:
Monday to Friday 7.30am - 5.00pm
Saturday and Sunday 8.30am - 4.00pm