Experience
Hillside Kitchen - Plant-Based Dining with Heart, Soul & Sustainability
A short ride from Sojourn Ghuznee, tucked into a quiet corner of Thorndon, Hillside Kitchen is more than one of Wellington’s most acclaimed vegetarian restaurants - it’s a masterclass in mindful dining.
Owned by chef Asher Boote, Hillside doesn’t just serve vegetables - it elevates them, honours them, and gives them the spotlight they rarely receive.
Vegetables Take Centre Stage - By Design
In 2018, Hillside made the bold move to go 100% vegetarian. Not as a trend - but as a philosophy. And that decision pushed the kitchen into new creative territory.
No longer leaning on meat to anchor the menu, the team began exploring flavour, texture, and sustainability in a whole new way:
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Full-vegetable cooking that uses every part, root to leaf
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Minimal waste through in-house gardening and foraging
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Deep respect for seasonality - dishes evolve with what the earth offers
At Hillside, vegetables aren’t the alternative.
They are the main event.
A Menu That Shifts With the Seasons
There’s no à la carte menu here.
Instead, diners choose between:
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A five- or seven-course tasting menu
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Optional wine or non-alcoholic drink pairings (both done beautifully)
Each dish is a surprise — crafted from what’s local, ripe, and inspiring that week.
Expect plates that:
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Reflect modern multicultural New Zealand
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Use one seasonal ingredient in radically different ways across courses
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Look like they belong in an art gallery, not just a dining room
It’s not about fine dining rules. It’s about fine-tuned flavour.
Thoughtful Pairings, No Matter How You Sip
The wine list is small, curated, and refreshingly low-intervention - think natural, organic, and vegan-friendly.
Prefer not to drink? Hillside’s in-house sodas and kombucha are exceptional. And yes - they offer non-alcoholic drink matches to elevate every bite.
Cozy, Calm, and Warmly Welcoming
The experience at Hillside is calm from the moment you walk in:
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A Scandi-style interior - soft wood, warm lighting, and simple elegance
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Friendly, down-to-earth service - no stuffy energy, no formality
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Set inside a quaint villa on Tinakori Road - more homely than highbrow
Gourmet without the ego. Just good people serving incredible food, quietly.
Return to Stillness - Sojourn Awaits
After a journey through flavour and foraged creativity, your stay at Sojourn Ghuznee is a short drive away - warm, still, and quietly luxurious.
Visit WebsiteHillside fills your plate. Sojourn clears your mind.
A pairing worth repeating.
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