Queenstown
It's back to basics in everything but the taps, with bare concrete floors and industrial tables and chairs, but 36 creative NZ craft beers to sample. The…
Must-see nightlife in New Zealand
Viaduct Harbour & Wynyard Quarter
Viaduct Harbour's best views – usually including a bevy of visiting superyachts – combine with Dr Rudi's very own craft beers and a menu featuring wood…
The West Coast
Nostalgia wafts from every brightly painted beam of the Empire. Since 1866, West Coasters have huddled inside the pub, amid yellowing photographs and…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Near the town's wharf, this is the best place to combine a wine or cold beer with afternoon sunshine or a Raglan sunset. Inside, the decor mixes Raglan's…
Queenstown & Wanaka
Just off the Gibbston Hwy, this supremely rustic pub has a jute-lined interior and outdoor seating gathered around a fire. All wines are from Gibbston,…
Wellington
Who doesn't secretly love a board game? Assume an ironic stance if you must, but here's the chance to embrace your inner games nerd in public. There are…
Bay of Plenty
Whakatāne’s own craft brewer, in an industrial area at the edge of town, has a welcoming tasting room attached. The flavours are varied and often NZ…
Wellington
The actual Garage Project brewery occupies a former petrol station just down the road (68 Aro St), serving beer by the litre, petrol-pump style. If you'd…
Coromandel Peninsula
Serving thirsty gold diggers since 1869, the Junction is the archetypal slightly rough-around-the-edges, historic, small-town pub. Live music attracts a…
Bay of Islands & Northland
This cool basement restaurant-bar hosts lots of live gigs from touring Kiwi bands along with the occasional spoken word night, or gay mixer. As the hours…
Wellington
Named after a loud Harley-Davidson, the city outlet of this Upper Hutt brewery has a rusted motor built into the bar and beer taps made from exhaust pipes…
Tauranga
With its facade emblazoned with hops, and hops growing out front, the Hop House is single-minded in its passion for craft beer. There are 10 changing NZ…
Christchurch
Half-hidden at the back of a busy cluster of eateries, this European-style wine bar is the perfect spot for a pre-dinner aperitivo – though the thoughtful…
Whanganui
With DJs and gigs lined up every weekend and a rock-solid (rock-liquid?) cocktail list, we'll be Frank when we tell you that this is the place for a night…
Queenstown
Schmick interior design combines with handsome woodwork at this popular pub, with fake sheep heads to remind you that you’re still in NZ. Mac’s beers on…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Look forward to thin-crust pizzas named after LOTR characters, a winning salmon and hash stack, occasional movie nights in the adjacent laneway, and live…
Christchurch
Pumping a whole lot of heart back into the flattened High St precinct, the epic Dux complex comprises a brew bar serving its own and other crafty drops,…
City Centre & Britomart
Lit by the golden glow of close to 600 different whisky bottles, this subterranean den is a sophisticated spot for a nightcap. There's no list – talk to…
Wellington
Go out of your way to find Havana, a mighty fine needle in Welly's hospitality haystack, hidden down a side street in two weathered old cottages sharing a…
Christchurch
Seven years after the quakes, jazz bar Fat Eddie's has reopened in a brand-new building on the riverfront. With comfy couches, retro styling, a big dance…
Crossroads Brew Bar & Restaurant
Bay of Plenty
This unadorned bar looks as rough around the edges as Ōpōtiki itself, but it’s also just as welcoming. It brews its own range of beers – from Bohemian…
Blenheim
Take a break from wine-tasting at Moa's laid-back beer-tasting room amid Rapaura's vineyards. Food trucks often rock up Thursday to Sunday, and there's…
Tauranga
Sure, you could wander around town looking for a good wine bar, brewpub or whisky den, but you can also just head to the Barrel Room, which has already…
Wellington
This classy cocktail bar has a 1920s speakeasy feel, suited-up in waistcoats and wide-brimmed fedoras. Sip a whisky sour and play poker, or watch the…
Nelson Region
A member of the local Sprig & Fern Brewery family, this back-lane tavern is the pick of Motueka's drinking holes. Small and pleasant, with two courtyards,…
Blenheim
This pub and garden has a beer-hall ambience and suitably Teutonic menu featuring pork knuckle, bratwurst and schnitzel (its pizza and burgers are also…
Wellington
Tumble into this lurid-green, junk-shop juke joint any time of the day or night for a tipple and a plate of jerk chicken. Regular live music and DJs…
Greymouth
A stalwart of the Greymouth cafe scene, this quayside java joint is awash with local artwork. Hip clientele and friendly staff make it an excellent place…
Coromandel Peninsula
Craft beers courtesy of Hamilton's Good George Brewing combine with a concise menu of pub snacks amid the Smokey Pallet's spacious whitewashed interior…
Waikato & the Coromandel Peninsula
Hole-in-the-wall coffee roaster with the best brew in town. Stop by for a cup, a cookie and a conversation. Don’t leave town without buying a few fragrant…
Bay of Islands & Northland
Craft beer has arrived in Mangawhai at this buzzing bar-cafe, including a good selection from Northland brewers. Excellent food includes burgers, gourmet…
Nelson Region
One of NZ's oldest pubs, the Moutere Inn (built 1850) is a welcoming establishment serving meals (homemade burgers, fish and chips, curries) and craft…
Bay of Islands & Northland
A magical spot (10km out of town), especially on a summer’s day, this friendly pub overlooks the water with a sole pohutukawa blazing red against the…
Hamilton
Tucked away around 20m off Victoria St, Wonderhorse regularly features craft beers from niche local brewers including Brewraucracy. Vintage vinyl is often…
Wellington
Aiming to improve on the 'kebab at 2am' experience, F&B offers excellent burgers, pizzas, pies, share plates and meaty mains to go along with its crafty…
Queenstown
Queenstown's hippest rock bar is located – as all such places should be – in a dark, grungy, concrete-floored space off a back lane. There's a popular…
Napier
Does a whale drink? Or just filter krill? Either way, this big dockside bar is a sporty spot to join some fellow mammals for an unashamedly mainstream…
City Centre & Britomart
With 22 taps, more than 75 bottled beers and sports on the TV, this pleasantly grungy historic pub is popular with Auckland's savviest craft-beer fans…
Christchurch
Hidden behind a nondescript facade down the industrial end of Montreal St, the Christchurch branch of this famous Kiwi coffee roastery does a mean…
Hamilton
Hamilton java-hounds and CBD desk jockeys in need of the city’s best coffee make tracks to this specialist coffee bar. If you know the difference between…
