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Finc

3_half star rating
26 reviews

Cuisine: Cafe, A La Carte, Bistro

122 Wakefield St
Wellington Central
Wellington City
04-499 2999
 

Hours:

  • Mon 7.30pm – 4pm
  • Tues 7.30pm – 4pm
  • Wed-Fri 7.30am – 9pm
  • Sat 9am – 9pm
  • Sun 9am – 4pm
  • Facilities/Features:
    • Business Dining
    • Out Catering
    • Private Functions
    • Breakfast Meetings
  • Payment Types: EFTPOS, Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Diners
  • Price Range: Moderate, $15 - $25
  • Dress Code: Casual
  • Alcohol: Beer, Wine, Spirits
  • Seating for: 65
  • BYO/Corkage: BYO, Corkage Charge
  • Parking: Pay & Display
  • Good For Groups: Yes
  • Good For Children: Yes
  • Takeaways: Yes
  • Delivers: No
  • Takes Reservations: Yes
  • Dietary Restrictions: Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
  • Wheelchair Accessible: No
  • Outdoor Seating: Yes
  • Meals: Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert
  • Wi-Fi: Free

Finc is a Cafe by day, Bistro restaurant by night.
Located opposite the Wellington town hall and Michael Fowler centres; Finc dining room is a perfect stop prior to a concert or show in the evening.

Finc chooses to support locally owned, boutique growers & producers, trading fairly, organically and free-range as much as possible. Our ingredients reflect quality not quantity as we care about what you consume.

You’ll experience fabulous contemporary fare with a Pacific Rim influence; in a casual, friendly, professional environment offering, innovative touches which make it a unique dining space.

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26 Reviews for Finc

18th June 2013
4 star rating
Very good place! Amazing service, attentive people, everything on time & food just full of flavor…..

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 18/06/2013   
Hi Alexa, Thanks for your positive comments. The Fincsters will be very pleased to read this review. Hope to see you again soon.
13th May 2013
3 star rating
Booked a table for Mother’ Day with some friends. Expected a little more attentiveness. Waitress was either quite new, or quite disinterested, as every time something was put on the table she just leant over and plonked it, no excuse me, or warning, just an arm appearing from nowhere! As I didn’t arrange this I didn’t say anything at the time. Not very good value for money, been to Hippopotamus which was same price and far and above expectations in food and service.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 13/05/2013   
Hi Sophie Thanks for your feedback, I’m sure with so many different high tea options out there, everyone has there own preferences. Thanks for trying ours.
30th April 2013
3 star rating
We went to Finc for brunch one Saturday morning. Cafe was about half full.

Seated promptly, but then waited awhile before being asked if we would like drinks. Duly ordered, along with our breakfast, we then waited and waited. Watched people who arrived and ordered after us receive their drinks.

We were about to see where our drinks were when our food arrived. We asked where our drinks were (mainly because we had a toddler and it was going to be impossible to eat our own meals if he didn’t have his fluffy to entertain him) and they duly arrived with speed. Obviously there had been a mix up of some kind because they had clearly been made in a hurry. Coffee was over extracted, bitter and lukewarm.

On the food front we fared better. The Turkish eggs were absolutely delicious. The mushrooms on brioche were also tasty but overpriced for the small serving size.

Finc is child friendly with high chairs and toys so we’ll probably give it another shot – just not in a hurry.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 1/05/2013   
Hi Kara, Thanks for your feedback, we are always welcoming improvements. We do have new staff on board at the moment and your comments will be very useful to them. As we have found mushrooms not affordable for us to place on the menu any more, we have removed…    More »
26th April 2013
4 star rating
My friend & I had starters instead of a main for dinner which was good as we didn’t feel like a large meal. Service was good. Saw a City Councillor & a Cabinet Minister dining there. Good place for pre NZSO concert dinner.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 1/05/2013   
Thanks for your feedback Winifred. We have adjusted our menu to suit the early concert starts, so I’m glad you enjoyed the experience. We hope to see you in again with the Beethoven season. Thanks Teresa
27th February 2013
4 star rating
The cafe is, well – a cafe! A decent place to have brunch. I have been to Finc many times for lunch and enjoyed their eggs and coffee; they serve basic brunch food well and everything is satisfactory. Decent, if brusque, service.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 1/05/2013   
Thanks for the four stars Gillian. Try our dinner menu if you like. Quite a different experience. Many thanks Teresa
13th December 2012
3 star rating
We went there prior to an event and had to be out at a certain time – the service was slow and a tad aggressive when we were not sure when some members of the group would arrive. The food was fine but not for the price – $32 plus for mains seemed OTT for the type of place and the food – would I go again? No, not for dinner but may have lunch there if it is cheaper.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 13/12/2012   
Hello Jo… I’m sad to hear that my staff were aggressive. When a group comes in with a time restriction, we do try to accommodate best we can. I imagine the ladies were concerned for your late comers and whether they would get fed in good time. As our menu…    More »
13th December 2012
4 star rating
Had a very nice first experience at Finc. Restaurant was half full but we were promptly seated and our orders taken in a reasonable amount of time.

Food took a little while to come out but the restaurant had filled up at that point so it was understandable and not really that long. Wine could have come a little bit sooner but arrive just before our mains.

The food was fabulous! My chicken skewers were perfectly cooked and the accompanying sauces were fantastic. The salad was fresh and tasty. Perfectly sized portion. My friend had the beetroot and falafel salid which she enjoyed but did mention that the falafel was rather hard.

Staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. I would definitely go back again!

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 13/12/2012   
Thanks for your review Joel. I’m pleased you were treated hospitably by our Fincsters during this silly season. Thanks for your feedback regarding the falafel. We’re mindful that we need to look it this issue. Our supplier has changed the product recipe. …    More »
3rd December 2012
3 star rating
The food was very yum!. Roti wrap.

Coffee- cappuccino -was average. I know who made it, but I can’t say that is the standard of this cafe or it was just that staff.

Service – 1 staff was not friendly at the counter who got the order and made coffee and brought me Roti, but the other 2 were friendly.

The atmosphere was quite good and I’ll try again this cafe another time. I would have liked to give 4 star if the service was a bit better.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 3/12/2012   
Thanks for your feedback Lesley. Do remember we are always happy to hear from you directly if you have any complaints, this includes all our staff. We are at your service, good day or bad!
11th November 2012
4 star rating
Our post run “brunch” (it was 1.30pm) was great. We both ordered poached eggs on toast. We asked about having tomatoes as well (grilled or roasted or something), even though it wasn’t listed on the menu as a side or anything, and when our meals arrived were very excited to see tomatoes as well. I’ve given 4/5 because our coffees didn’t arrive until after I inquired about them, and it had been a while post-ordering, but they arrived quite quickly and with an apology. If I could I’d make it 4.5/5, because this was the only down side. We were in no hurry and were pretty relaxed, so it was a very enjoyable experience. This was not my first visit to Finc, nor my friends, so we will both be back.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 3/12/2012   
Thanks for your feedback. We are going through some new coffee training with new additions to our team, so feedback is good.
1st November 2012
2 star rating
I brought two out-of-town friends to Finc for dinner tonight. The food was decent but could barely compensate for the polite but ultimately pretty slack service. After wine and entrees, our main dishes took too long to arrive. Then we were left entirely to our own devices – our dirty plates were not cleared afterwards and we would have ordered dessert and another drink but the there was no sign of anyone taking any interest. Tired of waiting around, we paid and went somewhere else. Won’t be back.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 2/11/2012   
Hello James Thanks for your feedback. Georgia had mentioned that they didn’t have an opportunity to care for everyone as they would have like. The ladies are by no means slack, but I will be focusing on the amount of staff we have on whilst events are on at…    More »
30th September 2012
2 star rating
Oh, Finc. Finc, Finc, Finc. There’s something about this place that always makes me go back – it always looks so inviting and sparkly and friendly – even though the service is flaming terrible. Me and my friend went for Sunday lunch today because it didn’t look too busy. We waited 20 minutes for my glass of juice to arrive, which enraged me (it’s juice, all you need to do is pour it in a glass), and my friend’s coffee was forgotten. Our meals (soup of the day, and mushrooms on toast) took about 50 minutes to arrive. My soup was good! But I shared half of it with my friend because his $16.50 mushrooms on toast, when they finally arrived, were tiny. A fist-sized pile all lonely on a gigantic plate. It was more an entree than a lunch. So we both left feeling brassed off. Also – no apology for the slow service, and it would’ve been nice if they hadn’t charged us for the forgotten coffee, too. The thing is, I’ll probably forget all this because it *looks* so nice, and I’ll end up going back and foaming at the mouth all over again.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 1/10/2012   
Oh Ashleigh, I hope you come and see me personally if ever we have a next visit from you. I’m sorry you were so enraged by your experience. Whilst there is no excuses, I will defend my staff by saying that I may have understaffed our pre-lunch period today,…    More »
9th July 2012
4 star rating
Finc is awesome! Meals were delicious, and staff are helpful, polite and efficient! will definitely be back for more :)

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 1/10/2012   
We always love a smiley face, so thanks for your kind words. Our team work really hard, so they will appreciate your review.
20th June 2012
3 star rating
Nice place, but the service is just too slow for lunch. We were not in rush and had 45 minutes but still had to rush our meal down.

The service was friendly enough however.

No problems with the food and I would suggest the Sticky Tamarind Chicken Skewer.

Good place for lunch if you are on holiday.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 28/06/2012   
Hi David, Thanks for your feedback. Usually we know if our customers are in a rush or on a short lunch break so we can steer them towards some cabinet food or menu items that don’t take quite so long to cook but are equally as yummy! As all our meals are made to…    More »

Liz

1

13th June 2012
1 star rating
Turned up to Finc on a Wednesday for lunch at 1pm, cafe was 1/3 full. We were hungry so it looked hopeful for a delicious meal in the hour we had available.

This was the start of an entirely underwhelming experience.

Wait staff were quick to come and take our orders, but it took 30 minutes to deliver our mushrooms on toast and felafel and beet salad. By this stage we were ravenous.

Second disappointment, felafels were thumb sized and rock like… inedible unfortunately and spent the rest of the meal on the side of the plate. Whilst the dressing was lovely I kept looking at the plate of lettuce leaves and a couple of slices of beetroot and wondering how this could possibly be $19NZD. Really?

My friend asked for more bread for her meal as it really needed more than one palm sized slice to eat with a cup of mushrooms.

On leaving I thought it might be good to offer some friendly feedback to our waitress – that the felafels were rock hard and I found it hard to believe that we were getting value for money. I was very surprised to be told, “well that is just the way we do it.” No apology, nothing.

Fortunately for me, I know not to go back. Unfortunately for them, it was a missed opportunity to put something right. And save themselves from a negative review.

Conclusion: Over priced, slow and poor customer service.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 15/06/2012   
Hi Liz, Thanks for your review. I’m surprised you gave us 1 Star given the experience you had. We’ve passed on all your comments to the chefs and staff and it is much appreciated. Thank you again, The Finc Team.    More »
13th April 2012
5 star rating
My sister and I went to Finc recently for an early Monday morning coffee and some breakfast, well we were not disappointed.We ordered two coffees, scrambled eggs on toast and the berry pancakes. The coffees were very nice although a tad bitter but no major, the scrambled eggs were so deliciously creamy my sister nearly got another serving, and last but not least were the berry pancakes, wow! these are the most delicious I have ever tasted the pancakes were so light and fluffy with a berry sauce and vanilla syrup that were absolutely superb topped off with a spoonful of very rich cream fraich. wow wow wow I will definitely be returning to Finc for their pancakes and to sample the rest of their menu. On another note as I was leaving Finc I noticed the cabinet full of delicious looking food and asked the lady behind the counter if they made all the food and she said yes I’m very impressed as most other establishments in wellington buy in their cabinet food,thumbs up to finc.

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Frank

9

16th February 2012
5 star rating
Have tried many cafe’s around Wellington, and we always come back to Finc. Especially for a yummy weekend brunch with the family! Usually very busy, but the friendly staff always seem to accommodate us. I love the feel of the place, the decor is warm and inviting. Have probably gone through the entire brunch menu, with a favourite being scrambled eggs and ciabatta, they also do a wonderful latte.

Have also been there for high tea, which is excellent value for money compared to many others around town. The ham and egg sandwiches are so yummy as are the lovely fluffy scones served with cream and jam. Topped off with other gorgeous treats, and served on an eclectic mix of fine china. Such a great afternoon with the girls.

Definitely recommend, family friendly (although they could do with a change table in the loos), food is excellent and unique, and the staff are lovely.

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Ben V.

2

11th February 2012
4 star rating
Went for brunch today, definitive treat for the taste buds.
Had the eggs Benedict and a delicious banana smoothy. The eggs were cooked perfectly.

Wait staff friendly but not overly creepy, like some other cafés in Wellington are, even the kitchen staff were nice. I was having trouble with the bathroom lights (embarrassing) and their kitchen hand came out and showed me how it all works.

Keep doing what your doing and I’ll keep coming back.

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Jim

1

11th February 2012
2 star rating
Went for Saturday lunch, wait staff very attentive, long wait for meals and when my steak and chips arrived it turned out to be just that; a fairly thin piece of steak and some hand cut fries that were very nice, but no garnish.
The only thing on the plate was the steak which for the price was not that well presented.
This was a meal that should have been considerably cheaper and I would be careful about whether you are getting value for money.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 12/02/2012   
Hi Jim Thanks for your feedback. Our menu has recently changed, and your feedback is good timing, so much appreciated. We have had request for a long time to add a steak dish on the lunch menu. We are keeping our new menu simply styled and affordable for us…    More »
11th January 2012
1 star rating
I keep giving Finc a second chance but I’m always disappointed. I’ve learned my lesson now. Last month I told them I was in a hurry, they said they could get my salad ready in ten minutes. I waited for half an hour with no apology. Yesterday, I bought a roasted pumpkin, spinach and feta tart for lunch as I was rushing past on my way to a meeting – the pumpkin was rock hard. Also, I’m pretty sure they haven’t changed anything about the menu in the last four years. Get with it, Finc.

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Comment from Teresa H. of Finc 12/02/2012   
Hi Regina Thanks for your feedback. Hopefully you’ll accept my personal apology. We are always happy to respond immediately if you aren’t happy with anything. Many thanks for taking the time to review. Tree
19th August 2011
4 star rating
The poached eggs were a vibrant explosion of runny golden free range goodness. Yum.

Loving the friendly vibe of this cafe, staff, and its other patrons.

Yum cappuccino, could be improved by Barista-grade soy, which doesn’t have that goaty-flavour to it.

Original heritage tiled floor is gorgeous, while the bohemian-style slightly mis-matched wooden chairs & cushioned bench seats give an arty/edgy feel to the place.

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May

2

16th August 2011
5 star rating
I recommend their brunch. My husband had the smoked fish cakes and I tried the pancakes. Very tasty and not the typical brunch which is generally served in Wellington. The mocchacino was also very nice.

Pleasant atmosphere and a lot of character!

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7th May 2011
4 star rating
The blackboard outside claimed FInc served “Wellington’s Yummiest Breakfast”. That seemed RIGHT up our alley so this week’s destination was decided. The blackboard certainly cannot be accused of an outright lie. It may or may not actually be the absolutely yummiest breakfast, but at worst it is a podium contender.

We both hit the eggs on toast with sides. One set of Poached on Ciabatta and one of Scrambled on Vogels. Both were good, although the poached may have been slightly under-done. The butter came close to the award for best butter in a Wellington Cafe – Actual Butter (not in a foil covered plastic container), at a nice soft consistency – easily spreadable, but the ‘slightly not enough per serving’ was a slight drawback. Two fantastic sausages, the equal of any we have found, for just $4 as a side. A Potato Cake of top quality – not quite the equal of Mixed Business’ hash browns – but getting close… two excellent flat mushrooms and a generous portion of bacon which was well cooked, although still had rind, a minor quibble perhaps but with rindless bacon so commonplace why not just use that? All accompanied by two very good coffees, and good service… when asked if there was any possibility of a side bowl of rocket sauce or tomato chutney of some sort, rocket sauce arrived promptly, for two as well, even though only one was asked for. The views of the street were constricted but the cosy surrounds make for a comfortable (with nice cushions) retreat from the early morning chill.

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21st March 2011
3 star rating
We went for lunch on a Wednesday between 12.00pm and 1.00pm. There were five adults and one toddler and the staff were great and accommodated us.

I wouldn’t recommend going for lunch because there is a long, long wait for food and drinks. We did have a waitress but it was better to go to the counter because we were waiting so long.

The food looked really good but it just wasn’t quite right in flavour. Three of us had the vege lasagna which was not a good combination of flavours and it needed some chutney on the side or something. Mine was late and fridge cold in the middle. The other two were just warm.

The best thing we got was crunchy potatoes with aioli and tomato sauce and also a “no moo tutti frutti” and the English breakfast tea.

But besides forgetting a coffee, it makes me wonder if they have enough staff to cope with lunchtime???

Otherwise, I think they have potential to impress but we wont be going back during lunchtime.

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7th July 2010
4 star rating
Went to dinner last night and had a nice meal. The salmon and chicken were well cooked, though lightly seasoned. Thepot The service was fine, but we didn’t get dessert because they let us sit too long with our empty plates.

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26th June 2010
2 star rating
Went for an early lunch and was not impressed. I was there with my partner and 2 kids, arrived just before 12 and food took over 45 minutes to arrive – I can understand if they were busy but no warning given. Overall the food was disapointing, scrambled eggs way overdone, steak sandwich was small for the price. The big bowl of porridge looked good. They did knock off some from the bill so thats appreciated, and they stated they knew it woudl be slow – just wish they said that first up.

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MP

1

1st May 2009
5 star rating
Amazing from start to finish!

I can’t believe this place is a cafe in the day for the food they serve in the evening.

My mother has visited from the States on several occasions and can not stop talking about the apple crumble…the best she’s ever had! Great service and a great price for the portions and quality.

Highly reccommended!

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