Cuisine: A La Carte, Gastro Pub Food
Price Point: Mains from $25 - $35
Enjoy fresh New Zealand fare with a political twist at The Backbencher!
Offering a unique dining experience, The Backbencher is renowned for its outstanding food, drinks and sense of humour. Think satirical artwork, contemporary puppets and a cheeky menu named after past politicians!
In the kitchen, their talented team serve all your Kiwi favourites, from stunning meats and fresh seafood, to seasonal vegetarian fare. Try Twyford’s duck croquettes and Clark’s calamari, before moving onto mains like the G Robertson scotch fillet, or try the Sir Winston’s lamb rump.
Located opposite The Beehive in Thorndon, this iconic pub is settled on the grounds of one of Wellington’s oldest masonry buildings. After two devastating fires, The Backbencher was renovated in 2013 to reflect the location’s unique history.
As well as their stylish decor (including a 1000 wine glass display), the restaurant is adorned with satirical art. Take a walk through their humorous walls and enjoy politician puppets and original drawings by Tom Scott.
A unique socio-political food and bar experience, make sure you grab a table quick at The Backbencher!
Map
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The Backbencher Gastro Pub
34 Molesworth St
Wellington 6011
Open Hours:
Monday - Friday 11am - 10pm
Saturday - Sunday 9am - 9pm
Phone: 04 472 3065
Website: www.backbencher.co.nz
Sample Menu *may not be current
Click on menu to enlarge.
Reviews
Nick Chamberlain - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 25 May 2019
Great place. Good atmosphere. Will be back!
Rowan Booker - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 19 May 2019
Our experience was fantastic front the time we walked into the restaurant! Great waiting staff.. excellent service.. but the food... was exceptional! Loved it! Will definitely be going back..
Michelle Scholtz - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 18 May 2019
Great food and service staff were on the ball
Annmarie Mead - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 27 April 2019
Great service and the meal was amazing first experience for us. We are from Southland had a fabulous time
Joanne Excell - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 13 April 2019
Great atmosphere lovely meal.
Aroha Obrien - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 7 April 2019
Nice dinner out....good choice of food and friendly staff
Adrienne Slater - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 6 April 2019
Clean comfortable Music not intrusive. Staff friendly and unobtrusive which is great when you want to have a quiet meal
Food excellant as usual
Margaret Hadley - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 10 March 2019
Great pub type meal. Waiting staff and bar staff were very friendly and welcoming. Definitely recommend.
Pat Fairhall - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 11 March 2019
Yummy food nicely presented. The passionfruit brûlée was so good. The hand cut chips were charged up at a higher price than what the menu says though.
Corrina Nielsen - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 24 February 2019
Such fabulous mains with a pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff. Would recommend if visiting wellington or a local resident
Anne Morel - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 9 February 2019
Amazing food and drinks. We had a main each and a few drinks plus shared a dessert. We will be back again
Grace Goris - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 28 January 2019
My brother and I had a lovely evening at Backbencher, the food was tasty , well presented and good portion sizes. My brother had the pate - his first experience of Backbencher pate and was completely blow away by how lovely it was. My steak was redone for me by the chef and was one of the best I have had in quite a while. Our server was helpful, friendly and knew her job, She was a pleasure to chat too and was extremely helpful. All in all a great dinner and an enjoyable evening for us both
Jeanné
Jeanne Hyde - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 15 January 2019
Joined first table for opportunity to try all different restaurants in Wellington without spending a fortune - great opportunity to fine favourite places and have never been disappointed at any - been waiting for some time to get a table at Backbenchers and it was definitely worth the wait - food was varied tasty and freshly cooked and beautifully presented. Attentive staff who were ever intrusive - I’ll be back asain ASAP !
Margaret Hadley - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 13 January 2019
Fantastic food, exceptional service! A+
Sara Madsen - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 12 January 2019
Dinner for an early family catchup. The food was great, delicious and nicely presented, and the service was friendly and attentive. Good range of wine and beers, with quality craft beers on tap. If there was a downside, it was that they were out of stock of their particularly enjoyable Prosecco. Would go back ...
Grant Robinson - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 11 November 2018
Had a lovely meal and great service
Kay Wilton - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 21 October 2018
The food was delicious and the service was fantastic.
Andrea Martin - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 16 October 2018
Food was amazing and delicious. Staff were polite and friendly and would definitely recommend going there
Char Harding - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 13 October 2018
Great food and great atmosphere
Siegmund s Visser - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 29 September 2018
The decor and puppets of notable politicians create a pleasant environment for socialising. Both the wine list and the menu provide an excellent range of choices at a corresponding range of prices. We enjoyed our selections. The service throughout our visit was excellent. We will go back and enjoy more hospitality from The Backbencher.
Michelle McConnachie - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 6 October 2018
We had a great time. The food, service and atmosphere was great. There was plenty of choice and is a great place for all ages.
Lynda Stevenson - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 1 October 2018
Our first experience with Firsttable and it was great. We both had a really meal and the service was great.
Jane Wickham - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 24 September 2018
Buzzing... it was a Sunday evening and there were quite a lot of people there but it was such a ‘neat’ place to go. Service was excellent, young courteous staff, the meals were plentiful, hot and were very well presented. Great Wall art !! A must to go if you are in Wellington!
Kathy Hardy - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 23 September 2018
Great food - delicious, great service too
Hayley Henton - dined at The Backbencher Gastro Pub on 2 September 2018
Overview
25 reviews
We had a fantastic First Table experience at The Backbencher. The wait staff were attentive and made excellent suggestions for both food and accompanying drinks. The atmosphere for a Saturday night was relaxed and the venue was clean and well managed. We’re looking forward to our next visit to Wellington so we can return and sample more of The Backbencher’s generous meals.