The Backbencher Gastro Pub

A quirky getaway inside the realms of parliament.
Attentive waiters, delicious food, the sticky toffee pudding is to die for.
We'll certainly be back for more of Jacinda Ardern's DJ sets.

Warm and inviting atmosphere. Really enjoyed our food. Would return.

Food was nice basic service with no meal checks after meal delivery but enjoyable dinner. Thank you. Clean and tidy venue handy location also.

Great food & service. Even went the extra mile to tell us I’d forgotten to put my handbrake on & my car was rolling down the hill outside

Great service, great food, can’t go wrong

Outstanding service! Great menu with plenty of options

We both enjoyed our meals and thought the service was great... very polite and friendly staff.

Food was nice, tasty, good sized serving and quick to table. The service was lovely. They didn't have the duck (which is why I picked them) but the pan fried fish was a great substitute. The agria potatoes in duck fat were so delish - I highly recommend.
We also brought our 12 year old and 5 year old and the didn't have time to get bored or play up which was perfect.

We have always had superb meals at the Backbencher, but things weren't the normal high standard on this particular night. On a good note, the pate was absolutely delicious! About half of the food on the drinking platter was nice but the taste on the chicken wings, drumsticks, calamari and fish fingers were bland. Chips and sausage was good. The serving of the platter were not very aesthetic, just served in a big wok. I'm not sure if this is the norm now as there was a large function in the main dining room and so maybe this was a one off - I hope so, because we usually love this place. The waiters were all nice, except one lady who looked quite annoyed when we tried to order and then served us without a word or even a change of expression. The other waiters were lovely but I think the function was taking up a lot of resources as they were very absent when we wanted to order.

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.

Great place. Good atmosphere. Will be back!

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..

Great food and service staff were on the ball

Great service and the meal was amazing first experience for us. We are from Southland had a fabulous time

Great atmosphere lovely meal.

Nice dinner out....good choice of food and friendly staff

Clean comfortable Music not intrusive. Staff friendly and unobtrusive which is great when you want to have a quiet meal
Food excellant as usual

Great pub type meal. Waiting staff and bar staff were very friendly and welcoming. Definitely recommend.

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.

Such fabulous mains with a pleasant atmosphere and friendly staff. Would recommend if visiting wellington or a local resident

Amazing food and drinks. We had a main each and a few drinks plus shared a dessert. We will be back again

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

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 !

Fantastic food, exceptional service! A+

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 ...

Had a lovely meal and great service

The food was delicious and the service was fantastic.

Food was amazing and delicious. Staff were polite and friendly and would definitely recommend going there

Great food and great atmosphere

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.

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.

Our first experience with Firsttable and it was great. We both had a really meal and the service was great.

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!

Great food - delicious, great service too