Wellington cafe culture
Wellington's café culture and affinity for coffee is often stated as integral to its identity as a city. This culture began in the 1930s with the emergence of the milk bar, followed closely by the coffee houses in the 1950s.
The milk bar enterprise was fuelled by prohibition in America and the stationing of American troops in Wellington during Second World War. Milkshake machines were commonplace at these popular meeting places and until 1950 ‘coffee' in fact meant 'coffee essence', liquid coffee and chicory served in hot milk.
The 1950s saw the emergence of the modern café. Coffee houses sprung up all over Wellington city, notably Harry Seresin's Coffee Gallery, Suzy's Coffee Lounge and the International Coffee Lounge run by Wellington celebrity Carmen. The look was pseudo-European and sophisticated. Exotic new foods and a new type of Italian espresso machines were introduced.
Coffee houses opened during the day and remained open through to the early hours of the morning - a new experience for New Zealanders. Coffee houses were fashionable, a focal point for writers, poets, artists, musicians and academics. They reflected the classic American public bar made familiar by Hollywood films. Like today music was an important part of the scene and jazz was by far the most popular form of entertainment.
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