A humble Newtown cafe with a big heart
Pranah Cafe on Riddiford St in Newtown isn’t much to look at. A very barebones cafe with very humble decor, it’s very much a substanceover-style sort of place.
It’s strength, however, is not just the coffee but that it is a cafe with an enormous heart.
Hanging art for sale on the walls of the cafe is free. No commission, no charge. Artists of all stripes are welcome to sell their art.
Pranah Cafe also specialises in vegetarian food, with homemade offerings in their cabinet and on their kitchen menu.
The location means the cafe has a close relationship with hospital visitors.
Owner Thi-Kim-Thuy Tran, known by the locals as “Twee”, said she saw people on the best and worst days of their lives.
“We see newborn babies, people fighting for the life, people who are here because hospital have certain teams for the day and night, specialists, and people who have travelled from all over the country to have a procedure here as well. “We see a lot of new people, as well as a lot of locals and schoolchildren There’s a good diversity.”
Tran and her partner Tom live in Lower Hutt but have been running Pranah since 2011. She said she’d never expected it to last as long as it has but 13 years later, it’s still going strong.
“One of my dreams was to open a cafe, but when I started, I was 23 with no capital, no money and just out of uni.”
She started the cafe with a friend but not long after taking it on, they decided they wanted to get out of hospitality.
“At that time, my partner was made redundant and his family had a fish and chip shop so he knew the industry already and he was like ‘how about I do the other 50%.”’
From there, the cafe has grown to become a meeting point for both those from the hospital and Newtown’s friendly locals.
“It's grown a lot from 13 years ago to what it is now. I feel like Newtown has come a long way and in that time, I feel like we've got a name for ourselves.”
The prices of the mainstay coffees are quite standard for the area. A long black is $4.50, a flat white is $5 and a mocha is $5.50.
The ambience of the cafe felt very separated from the street in a cosy way. You’re connected to the action outside through the window without having to negotiate the weather and the bus fumes.
It’s the sort of place you could have a quiet and intimate conversation with someone.
The coffee is fast. After over a decade making it, Tran said it’s like second nature.
She also told us what Wellington’s much talked about coffee culture meant to her.
“I know we're known as the capital of coffee and we're known for our flat whites. But I really noticed in places like Auckland, the coffee was not the same as home.
“If you go to Auckland, the coffees are single shots in large cups, whereas we’re known for double shots.”
Pranah Cafe is located at 120 Riddiford St in Newtown and is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 3pm and Saturday from 8.30pm to 3pm.