Hillside Kitchen

Hillside Kitchen Hillside Kitchen serves up modern kiwi food in a relaxed environment, still in the city but out of the rat race. Concrete Playground

New Kiwi Cuisine

"Some of the most exciting, creative European-inspired Cuisine Wellington has seen in years"
Five Stars - Food, Service and Drinks List Dominion Post, 30 May 2015

"Exciting, cutting-edge and a welcome addition to Wellington" Cuisine Magazine, September 2015

"Some of the most exciting, locally focussed food that Wellington has seen in years and pushing the boundaries of what we can expect from a restaurant."

We know that a few of you have been waiting for this.It’s time for another rubbish post.The reason we haven’t had one to...
04/06/2026

We know that a few of you have been waiting for this.

It’s time for another rubbish post.

The reason we haven’t had one to date is because we haven’t yet filled a bag.

We are near the halfway point of the year and we’re currently sitting at less than half a bag.

We’ve got to this point not because we’re perfect, and not because we’ve solved waste, but because we’ve made thousands of small decisions over the last 11 years that have slowly got us here.

Restaurants create waste. Ours still does too.

But we think paying attention matters.

And trying to be a little better every day does too.

The goals we set aren’t always the most glamorous.

They are, however, meaningful..

Why meatless?Plenty of people thought it was a weird choice.For us, it became the direction that made the most sense for...
24/05/2026

Why meatless?

Plenty of people thought it was a weird choice.

For us, it became the direction that made the most sense for how we wanted the restaurant to operate.

Fermentation, preservation and seasonality had already become central to the way we cooked. Our garden and local growers naturally dictated much of the menu, and over time it became clear that removing meat allowed those ingredients to become the focus rather than supporting elements around a protein.

The ability for the same hands to tend the garden, plant a seed, harvest the vegetables, cook them and eventually serve them to guests creates a level of connection that feels increasingly rare within modern food systems.

There’s an intimacy to that process that we love to share.

It also fundamentally changes the environmental footprint of the restaurant, especially within a low-waste circular system where waste is composted and fed back into the garden.

That doesn’t mean a meatless restaurant is automatically sustainable. We don’t just pat ourselves on the back and rest on our laurels; we do the work and fight for sustainability every day.

Creatively, it pushes us further as well.

When meat is removed from the centre of the plate, flavour, texture, technique and seasonality all become more important. You can’t rely on a traditional centrepiece ingredient to carry a dish.

There’s also something we enjoy about challenging the hierarchy that often exists in restaurants, where vegetables are treated as secondary or expected to imitate something else in order to feel complete.

We’re not particularly interested in making vegetables pretend to be meat.

We’d rather they simply be good vegetables.

Importantly, the decision was never about judgement or telling people how they should eat. It’s simply the format that best aligns with how we want Hillside to function — creatively, environmentally, operationally and philosophically.

Ultimately, we just think vegetables taste good.

Plus, we are proudly a little weird.

Why do we use the menu format that we do.Our menu isn’t about trying to be exclusive or overly formal.In many ways, it’s...
21/05/2026

Why do we use the menu format that we do.

Our menu isn’t about trying to be exclusive or overly formal.
In many ways, it’s the opposite.

It allows us to focus more deeply on what we’re doing rather than spreading ourselves across multiple options and combinations.

Because our menu changes based on what’s coming from the garden, our foraging, and small suppliers, this format gives us the flexibility to work adjust with what’s good today rather than fighting against it. If something is abundant and beautiful, we can lean into it properly instead of forcing the ingredients to adjust to us.

It also dramatically reduces waste.
Using ingredients across a focused menu means we can utilise products more completely and thoughtfully, rather than over-ordering to support endless options. For a small restaurant trying to operate responsibly, that matters a lot.

The format also allows for a more sustainable and appropriate use of labour.
Instead of asking the team to maintain a huge menu with excessive prep and long hours, we’re able to create a workload that is focused, realistic, and sustainable. It means our team can work sensible hours, maintain balance outside of work, and still deliver the level of detail and quality we care deeply about, hospitality is all about people, including those providing it.
We don’t believe excellence has to come at the expense of the people producing it.

The format also changes the pace of the evening.
Rather than the experience revolving around making the right choice, guests are able to settle in, slow down, and allow us to guide the meal. It creates a calmer dining room, a more connected style of service, and ultimately a more considered experience for both guests and the staff.

For us, the menu format is less about “fine dining” and more about clarity of purpose.

Current menu.
19/04/2026

Current menu.

11 years ago today we opened the doors for the first time. 🎂 🎉 🎈 How does it feel like yesterday and a lifetime ago all ...
14/04/2026

11 years ago today we opened the doors for the first time. 🎂 🎉 🎈

How does it feel like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once?

Over the years we’ve been lucky to welcome all sorts—
celebrities, sports stars, political leaders from home and abroad.

We’ve been part of weddings, birthdays, anniversaries,
welcome homes and farewells.

But this year, for our birthday, we want to focus on something else.

The cornerstone of any restaurant—
the people who just keep coming back.

The ones who already know what we do, and what we are about,
who can’t wait for next time,
who bring others in to share it.

Seeing your name on the bookings list still makes us smile.
Seeing you walk through the door tells us it’s going to be a good service.

Your loyalty, kindness and empathy over the years
are the reason Hillside is still here.

Thank you.

In a world that often feels rushed and hectic we do things a little different.18 seats.Nothing hurried.Thoughtful and co...
06/04/2026

In a world that often feels rushed and hectic we do things a little different.

18 seats.
Nothing hurried.
Thoughtful and considered.
Calmly served.

A different kind of evening.

Our garden is our muse.We have designed our menu format, dining room layout, opening hours and pretty much everything we...
04/04/2026

Our garden is our muse.
We have designed our menu format, dining room layout, opening hours and pretty much everything we do around this little piece of land.
It’s all about letting the ingredients sing.

Last week the above was sent out to our newsletter subscribers.Generally I have kept these sorts of discussions on my pe...
23/03/2026

Last week the above was sent out to our newsletter subscribers.
Generally I have kept these sorts of discussions on my personal profile, it has always felt more appropriate for me to take the flack personally than to put that onto the restaurant.
However with Hillside being around for more than a decade now it feels like the right time to allow the voice of change behind the restaurant to also be a bigger presence for the restaurant itself, tall poppy scythes be dammed.

The feedback from our customers on this newsletter has been absolutely amazing, the volume incredible, the story’s have brought back so many wonderful memories of menus past and the encouragement has been powerful.
Most importantly the fact that they want to be part of this discussion highlights the mistake of leaving the most important part of the business of hospitality out of the dialogue.
Without customers we don’t exist, and without honest conversation we don’t progress.

Asher

Easter Hours.We are closed over Easter weekend this year for some valuable time off and big jobs in the garden.We are al...
19/03/2026

Easter Hours.

We are closed over Easter weekend this year for some valuable time off and big jobs in the garden.
We are also booked out on the 2nd for a private function.
This means that there are limited bookings available over the next two weeks.

It makes sense to us.I little behind the scenes of how things run. As you probably know by know limiting waste is a big ...
16/03/2026

It makes sense to us.

I little behind the scenes of how things run.

As you probably know by know limiting waste is a big part of our journey.
Often people want to find one big thing they can change, when in reality it the cumulative effect of changing many small things that makes a difference.
This is where a secondhand glass splash back comes in.
Mounted on the wall where the kitchen meets dining room this has become our “docket” system.
No more duplicate pads or till rolls, just a single point that the whole team can see that communicates everything when need to know about what you have ordered.

Simplicity at its finest…… once you understand the system.

Address

241 Tinakori Road
Wellington
6011

Opening Hours

Tuesday 5:30pm - 10pm
Wednesday 5:30pm - 10pm
Thursday 5:30pm - 10pm
Friday 11:30am - 2pm
5:30pm - 10pm
Saturday 8:30am - 2:30pm
5:30pm - 10pm
Sunday 8:30am - 2:30pm
5:30pm - 10pm

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