The Old Quarter is a modern Vietnamese restaurant at 39b Dixon Street, Te Aro, in the middle of the Wellington CBD dining grid between Cuba Street and Courtenay Place. The restaurant describes itself as a Vietnamese fusion restaurant and takes its name from Hanoi's Old Quarter. It serves lunch and dinner seven days, with a break between the two services.
The dinner menu is built for sharing and organised into sections — bao buns, salads, curries, dumplings, pho and larger plates. Dishes named on the menu include salt and pepper soft shell crab bao, five spice roasted pork bao, tempura oyster mushroom bao, summer rolls, salmon sashimi, salt and pepper squid, crispy pork spring rolls, zucchini and corn fritters, salmon and prawn parcels, and sticky chilli caramel chicken wings. Salads include free range chicken and mango, prawn and green papaya, roast duck with fresh orange, and nôm thit bò with seared beef sirloin. Curries listed are Grandma's beef curry, tropical duck curry, creamy chicken curry and a vegan green curry. Larger dishes include banh xeo pancake, bun cha Hanoi, caramelised pork belly, cha ca la vong with Kāpiti line-caught fish, and twice-cooked beef short rib. Two pho are listed, along with vegetarian, chicken and pork dumplings. Desserts include coconut pannacotta, sweet sticky rice pudding and a Vietnamese coffee crème brûlée.
Allergen labelling is applied across the menu — gluten free, dairy free, nut free, vegetarian and vegan, with several dishes available in modified form on request. That level of published detail is helpful when confirming arrangements for a delegate group with mixed dietary needs.
The restaurant is licensed and runs a full bar. The drinks list covers New Zealand and imported wines by the glass and bottle, tap and bottled beer including New Zealand craft options, and an extensive cocktail list with Vietnamese-influenced drinks such as a Saigon sour and a Vietnamese espresso martini. A parallel mocktail and non-alcoholic list is published, which is useful for mixed corporate groups. Published specials include a daily 5–6.30pm happy hour on selected drinks and two-for-one cocktails on Wednesdays.
The Old Quarter publishes set menus specifically for groups. A $49 and a $59 three-course set menu are both listed with a minimum booking of five people, each offering a choice of mini bao buns, a second course of dumplings or salad, and a third course of curry, grilled dishes or a dessert; a tap beer or house wine can be added for $8. A $69 per person tasting menu is also published, with a minimum of four people. Online booking is available for parties of up to eight; larger group bookings are handled by phone or email.
The published set menus with clear minimums and per-head pricing, the shared-plate format, the full bar and the central Dixon Street address make The Old Quarter a straightforward option for smaller business dinners, delegate dining and incentive-group meals. It is within walking distance of most CBD hotels and the Courtenay Place entertainment strip. Browse other Wellington restaurants suited to event dining.
Capacity