Award-winning restaurant going back to its deli roots

Friday, 5 June 2026

An award-winning Wellington restaurant is turning full circle and going back to its daytime roots.

From 2027 Rita, housed in a a 1910 worker’s cottage in Aro St, is set to become Super Rita, a deli/cafe/urban pantry.

Owners Kelda Hains and Paul Schrader, the well-known duo who ran the City Gallery’s hugely popular Nikau cafe for close on 20 years, say the new venture has been brewing for a while.

“After nine years we just felt we had one more business idea in us,” Hains said. “Nine years is a good chunk of time and it seemed like a really good time to percolate on our future and work on a concept that would excite and sustain us over the next few years.”

She acknowledged the current economic climate had also played a part in the decision to shift to the new model as had the fact the pair weren’t getting any younger - though they were not the main factors.

“There’s no denying that the forces acting on hospitality at the moment are [not] ideal and yes, night-time work is generally a young person’s game so that was also potentially a factor, but really it was more about doing something that excites us and invigorates us.”

Appreciation of the space as a daytime haunt was also a consideration. “In the first few years of our operation, we had quite a stream of people wanting to come in for a cup of coffee because they still thought it was the deli. There was a long memory there. Plus I cook lunch for the staff every day, and we will often sit in the big window together. We know what a lovely space it is during the day, what a neat place it is to sit and watch passesby.”

Rita ‒ named after Hains’ grandmother who she credits with influencing her approach to life and food ‒ currently offers a three-course trust-the-chef menu across two evening sittings.

Its acclaim includes two hats from the Cuisine Good Food Awards and three Felix Wellington Hospitality Awards, including suburban/regional experience of the year, and establishment of the year as voted by the public.

More recently the restaurant had been tipped as a possible contender for a New Zealand Michelin star.

The move takes the little cottage full circle. It was previously Deliaro and later Haya, both of which operated as a cafe plus delicatessen with counters full of ingredients that could be turned into an eat-in sandwich or taken home.

Hains said Super Rita was about continuing to support and “feed” their community but in a different way to what they were doing now.

Carrying over the trust built with Rita's customers ‒“we’re really grateful for the fact that our customers trust us just to cook something for them”‒ as well as drawing some inspiration from Nikau, it would work as a bespoke urban pantry using seasonal, local produce to support and connect small local growers and customers.

The “thoughtfully curated offerings” would be designed to take the decision-making stress out of what to make for dinner.

“The problem of what to have for dinner, that struggle is real, and I find that even for me. What to cook for dinner, it’s the eternal question,” said Hains. “So this is for the people who want their meals to be something that enriches their daily existence, not just fuel.”

Rita will continue its evening service through to the end of the year.