The answer is the latter – well for my review anyway (Fidel Castro IS a Cuban communist – little history lesson for you!).
Last weekend was a BIG one. One of my life-long best friends came from England to check out the land of the long white cloud and stopped in Wellington for a little visit!
So, being the hostess with the mostess, I had to show her the best of what wellington can offer; all the best clubs (obvs danger danger), J & M’s at 3am, AND of course the best foodie spots – including what I can confidently call one of Wellingtons most beloved brunch spots – Fidels.
For those who don’t know, Fidels is located right at the top of Cuba Street – with Fidel Castro’s face plastered on everything and a loud hum of conversation erupting from its premises, you really can’t miss it. This place has been one of my favorites ever since I took a bite of their fish taco’s two years ago, and no matter what cool and hip cafes come to Wellington – it’s always going to hold a special place in my stomach/heart.
Okay, after getting a little too emotional about this place (even thinking about Fidels is giving me cravings), it’s time to get onto the food. Fidel’s offers a brunch, lunch and dinner menu which is jam-packed with some all-time classics (Eggs Benedict I’m looking at you) AND super-duper alty dishes (Mojo Chicken – what even is this??). We came here looking for a goof ol’ feed after what I can safely say was a wild night out – and boy did their chefs DELIVER.
It took me AGES to decide what to have, especially because I had the choice of brunch AND lunch menu which made it just way too hard. In the end, after tossing up between the vegan bowl, salmon bagel and the haloumi on toast – I went for the vegetarian quesadilla.
I have to give myself a big old pat on the back, as I actually genuinely think this is one of the best vegetarian quesadillas I have ever tasted*. What could be a better hangover cure than sweet pumpkin, spinach and tomatoey beans all wrapped up in a crisp and carbalicious wrap WITH guacamole and sour cream?? Not much, that’s what. Everybody’s dish tasted absolutely fab – meaning you can have 100% faith in the chefs to make your dish deliciously dope no matter what you order!
This place has maintained its café-celebrity status for years, and I don’t believe it’s going to change anytime soon. They have however played it safe by not changing up their menu (well, not ever since I’ve lived in Wellington), which is something I would love to see them try! A solid 9/10 for Fidels on the CCL scale – they filled my belly with good food, they have awesome staff (shout-out to you Art!) AND they have such a dope café décor going on – and you guys know I froth a café that has a hardcore theme, both food and design! If ever in need of a stomach-satisfying brunch or lunch (I haven’t had dinner here yet, so I feel it would be fake news to endorse it), you know you can trust the guys at Fidels to fix you up!
*PSA Beach Bab still reigns supreme for their vegan quesadilla though
Cafe Crawler Lucy 