Cicio Cacio

Restaurants key icon.
Restaurants key icon.

MondayClosed.

Tuesday5:00 – 9:00 pm.

Wednesday5:00 – 9:00 pm.

Thursday5:00 – 9:00 pm.

Friday5:00 – 9:00 pm.

Saturday5:00 – 9:00 pm.

SundayClosed.

167 Riddiford Street, entrance via Wilson St, Wellington

04 210 1404

The experience of wandering down an unassuming laneway next to Newtown's famous Moon 1 bar and suddenly finding yourself in a 1960s ski chalet is something in itself. The homely wooden interior just feels warm with its old-school patterned carpet but that could be just because the heat and noise of the kitchen is never far away. Upstairs is more accomodating for larger groups but between the decor and the ever-attentive wait staff, you'll always feel at home in Cicio Cacio.

Some might catch a glimpse of what's on offer from the all-Italian menu but the staff are more then qualified to take you through each rustic Roman and southern Italian specialty prepared by Giulio Ricatti, who cooked at the equally-popular Ombra before going it alone.

Their fare is Mediterranean but probably not as you know it, unless you've had poached cod whipped into a milky mousse and served on grilled polenta squares before. Even so, the flavour of simpler dishes like pasta and fagioli (beans) or Emilio's housemade pork sausages is always greater than the sum of their ingredients, which is one of the things that makes eating at Cicio Cacio so damn good.

Dinner here is best experienced over four courses - and in the true style of a homely Italian ostera, the menu varies daily depending on what's on the shelves, and pair it with a carafe or two of the imported house red or Garage Project, if you prefer. Mains come as they are, which is why you should also order something green from the side menu like the tortino di cavolfiore (cauliflower gratin) to enjoy them with, before capping everything off with cannoli.

You might try Cicio Cacio before a gig next door but the food in itself is worth a quick 10-minute bus trip or Uber from the city, and no more so than for their $12 -$15 lunch specials, which at that price effortlessly outclass any competing offer in town.

Words by Matt Paterson & Photography by Anna Briggs

Information not correct? Report an error

Location

167 Riddiford Street, entrance via Wilson St, Wellington

Nearby Places

Peoples Coffee

Inside Peoples Coffee in Newtown, looking through the steel frame opening to where customers are dining.
Place Wellington
Cafes key icon.

Championing ethical and sustainable coffee from its Newtown cafe.

Black Coffee

View of outdoor seating area.
Place Wellington
Cafes key icon.

A coffee shop, music shop and art gallery all in one, Black Coffee has quickly cemented itself as one of the favourite Newtown hangouts.

Rich Coffee Roasters

A coffee being made.
Place Wellington
Cafes key icon.

Although the relative new guys on the block, Rich Coffee Roasters are by no means amateurs.

Peoples Coffee Roastery

A man with child sitting on a couch at Peoples Coffee in Wellington, New Zealand.
Place Wellington
Cafes key icon.

Head to Newtown, venture a bit further past the chaotic and colourful Riddiford Street, and you’ll stumble across Peoples Coffee’s roastery HQ café, the...

Similar Places

Aro Taproom

A man pouring beer.
Place Wellington
Bars key icon.

Welcome to hop-head heaven.

Ombra

Flatlay of food on the table.
Place Wellington
Restaurants key icon.

Ombra goes to show that great food and great service are a winning combination every time.

Bellbird Eatery

A glass counter inside a cafe.
Place Hutt Valley Lower Hutt
Cafes key icon.

Bringing its own flair to a famed building with its relaxed glam feel, Bellbird Eatery is a fine example of a museum cafe in the Hutt.

Pickle and Pie

The cafe space at Pickle and Pie.
Place Wellington
Cafes key icon.

After many a lunchtime spent hankering for just a ‘good old sandwich’, Tim Tracey and Mia Freeman decided to take matters into their own hands.