our story

The LAB began, fittingly, as an experiment…

…an experiment to elevate the quality and variety of food available to the
students and staff at Victoria University.

It was a simple premise, devised by a pair of VUW graduates, who saw the need for a greater range of appetising, affordable food & beverage options on-campus. Thus, to fuel the next generation of creative and academic minds, in February 2015:

the LAB Victoria was born.

Beginning with a foundation of speciality coffee, noodle salads and cold-press juice, The LAB quickly became the beating heart of all things food & drink at Vic. Stripping away traditional cafe boundaries, we encouraged our staff and customers to engage and have fun with us - including taking music requests, encouraging menu suggestions, and even giving away leftover food for free on Friday afternoons.

A lot of cafes claim to
create a unique atmosphere.

We walk the walk.

By 2017, The LAB had grown from a start-up café, to an iconic spot. With long queues around the corner every single day, and a much expanded menu, including smoothies, in-house baking, bagels, wraps, noodle-soups, and the best cheese scones in Wellington; we knew it was time to open a second location. Along came:

The LAB Press Hall.

Then-known as LAB Central, The LAB Press Hall was a big step; a leap into the central waters of Willis Street. With a distinctly different clientele and new vibe, Press Hall allowed us to get back to experimenting. Thanks largely to a significantly bigger kitchen, we continued to develop our ‘Flux Bowl’ concept- a contemporary lunch offering that we had been conceptualising at The LAB Victoria. The word Flux, meaning continuously changing, aptly represented our intention- to provide a range of fresh, contemporary dishes made with locally-sourced ingredients, according to season.

Not pretentious.
Not expensive.
just better bang for buck.

Throughout 2018 we continued to develop our style, and at the end of the year we were stoked to open an exciting third location:

The LAB XXCQ.

XXCQ gets its name from 20 Customhouse Quay- the address of the (then) brand new Deloitte Building, in which we opened. Smack-bang in the middle of Wellington’s business district, LAB XXCQ is mostly catered towards busy corporate workers. In a world where time is money, all too often food is deprioritised.

Not on our watch.

The LAB XXCQ provides a sit-down breakfast and lunch spot, where business meetings can occur alongside (not instead-of) quality food and drink. It’s fast, it’s busy, it does more than ‘get the job done'. And that brings us to the here and now. May 2020; and the launch of our latest project:

The LAB Victoria St.

Our first ‘classic’ Wellington Café. Unlike our first three locations, The LAB Victoria St. is completely its own entity. Unattached to any institution, it is purely and simply a relaxed place to come and enjoy a brilliant brunch, or a cup of coffee. With a brand new menu, space for any size of group, and no pressure to leave, this is your spot to sit-down and relax.

Wellington is our home.

It’s your city.

see you soon.