Ascot

Bars key icon. Restaurants key icon.
Bars key icon. Restaurants key icon.

MondayClosed.

TuesdayClosed.

Wednesday4:00 pm – 12:00 am.

Thursday4:00 pm – 12:00 am.

Friday4:00 pm – 2:00 am.

Saturday4:00 pm – 2:00 am.

SundayClosed.

55 Ghuznee Street, Te Aro, Wellington

Just when you thought the stack of great hospitality businesses on the corner of Ghuznee and Cuba Streets couldn’t get any better, this hideaway bar taking pride of place on the top floor has just gone and proved us all wrong. Aiming to create lo fi wine-drinking environment, owner Cosmo Hawke instead makes sure the easy-going vibes at The Ascot (where music is loud and bartenders are smiley), makes everyone feel right at home.

Hotdogs and wine might seem like an unlikely combination to some, but at The Ascot, anything goes and no one’s going to judge you holding a glass of natural wine in one hand and a saucy dog in a bun in the other. Choose from either free-range pork dogs, or a vegan carrot dog, and pick a glass of something from the chalk board.

The all-natural wine list has consistently changing ‘glass pours’ meaning everything on the menu will be available by the glass at some point. The name (and original signage) comes from the Ascot Theatre in Newtown where Cosmo’s grandparents spent many of their working days selling hotdogs from a cart, so it seems only fair to reinvent their menu and bring it to modern Wellington. The outside decking is well protected from any wild Wellington weather, and come those rainy days we reckon being tucked up in this cosy spot with it’s floor - ceiling pane windows and candles burning is going to be a hard place to beat.

Words by Rosie Morrison & Photography by Anna Briggs

Information not correct? Report an error

Location

55 Ghuznee Street, Te Aro, Wellington

Nearby Places

Boar and Blade

Boar head on a wall above a barber chair.
Place Wellington
Services key icon.

Whether you’re in need of a quick trim or a hot towel shave, the boys at Boar and Blade will have you looking your freshest in no time.

Olive

Interior wooden tables and chairs.
Place Wellington
Cafes key icon. Restaurants key icon.

Olive provides attentive service, luxurious ambiance, perfectly poached eggs and a top cup of black coffee.

Rogue & Vagabond

Inside the bar.
Place Wellington
Bars key icon.

A great spot for meeting friends, socialising or just watching the Wellington crowd do their thing.

Shelly Bay Baker on Leeds Street

Man with tattooed arm holding a loaf of sourdough bread in brown paper bag
Place Wellington
Cafes key icon. Goods key icon.

When the call of carbs rings out loudly in Wellington, follow the scent of freshly baked bread down Leeds Street and through the door of Shelly Bay Baker.

Similar Places

Beach Road Deli

The brightly lit interior of Beach Road Deli on a sunny day.
Place Kāpiti Coast Paekākāriki Editor's Pick
Cafes key icon.

A bright and beachy café offering great coffee and quality kai in the cute seaside town of Paekākāriki.

Highwater Eatery

Long narrow restaurant with people dining in rows.
Place Wellington
Restaurants key icon.

This new eatery combines its efforts of sustainability with celebrating the good times - meaning you can eat and drink and have a great time with the knowledge that you're supporting the good guys.

KC Café & Takeaway

A close up of a plate of duck on thin noodles with steamed greens.
Place Wellington
Restaurants key icon.

An unassuming takeaway in the eyes of the casual visitor to Wellington, KC Cafe is so ingrained in the culinary history of the capital that it may as well have heritage status.

Kilim Petone

Chairs and tables in kebab shop with Turkish decor and tapestry on walls
Place Hutt Valley Lower Hutt
Restaurants key icon.

A revered name in Wellington’s Turkish scene, Kilim is synonymous with quality, hearty kebabs done well, with its reputation extending far beyond the Hutt Valley.