Fiordland & Southland
The saviour of Southland's live-music scene, Tillerman’s hosts everything from thrash to flash, with a battered old dance floor to show for it. Visit the…
Must-see nightlife in New Zealand
Palmerston North
Roasting a tonne of coffee a week out the back, coffee company Arrosta opened Espresso 101 for the coffee connoisseur. It's geared for takeaway, but you…
Hastings & Around
All day and all night (well, almost), stylish Diva is all things to all people: wine bar, bistro (mains $15 to $29), craft-beer haven and DJ venue – it's…
Bay of Islands & Northland
Try to score an outside table at this laid-back local pub (mains $13 to $36) so you can take in the improbable views of Opononi's massive sand dunes just…
The Wairarapa
In the wind-blown settlement of Lake Ferry, overlooking Lake Onoke, this old-school pub has a beaut outdoor terrace upon which to sit, sip, and snack on…
Taupo
If panoramic pool-table views of Lake Taupo sound good to you, make a beeline for The Deck. Beer starts at $5 and there's even house-infused vodka. To eat…
Hastings & Around
Surrounded by orchards, these folks proffer beers and ciders all brewed on-site, plus tasting trays and belly-filling food (mains $12 to $25 – burgers,…
Queenstown
The big attraction at this otherwise average bar, huddled among shops, is the roof terrace – a wonderfully hidden-away spot for an alfresco drink, though…
Timaru
The pub most likely to be registering a pulse of an evening, this enterprise – housed in an interesting 1870s stone warehouse – redeems its overly…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Have a drink at the bar, crafted from a huge slab of native timber, or tuck into robust meals in the quieter cafe (mains $28 to $36). Afterwards,…
Taupo
With Irish ephemera nailed to the walls and a backpackers next door, you can be sure that there will be plenty of craic here. A host of locals get in on…
Palmerston North
This vaguely South Seas cocktail bar puts on DJs on Thursday and Friday nights and live music on Saturdays. A pizza and tapas menu is available and cost…
Queenstown
Beyond the eclectic decor (stuffed bear, stock-exchange boards on the wall), Ballarat is quite a traditional spot, with gleaming beer taps, nightly bands,…
Waiheke Island
Part bar and part beach cafe, all served up with cool decor and Onetangi Beach views from the sunny deck. There's a good selection of tap beers and a menu…
Gisborne
This well-run, Celtic-style boozer does the business, offering bangers and mash, a big-screen TV and plenty of beaut beers. It's also family-friendly and…
Palmerston North
Expect a good old-fashioned pub, but nothing more. Labourers, travellers and students bend elbows with a few tasty pints of the black stuff. Friendly…
Palmerston North
Roasting since 1996, Ebony is for people who are serious about their beans. Takeaway coffee is the only thing on offer in this Featherston St warehouse,…
Greymouth
Valiantly trying to capture the sophistication and glamour of golden-era Hollywood in good old Greymouth, this bar inside the Regent Cinema is an…
Dunedin
Nelson's Mac's brewery is making a strike deep into Speight's territory in the form of this popular, convivial pub right on The Octagon. It's the sunniest…
Taupo
Corr-blimey, Guvnor! You ain’t seen a rubber-dub-dub like this since old Blighty, with lashings of colonial clichés and London Pride on tap, plus a couple…
Christchurch
This convivial spot on Sumner's main shopping strip has a sunny courtyard, good meals (mains $20 to $30) including pork souvlaki and rib eye steak, and…
Christchurch & Canterbury
While full immersion on the menu front is not necessarily advisable, this tidy gastro-pub-style establishment is a safe bet for a few cold ones and some…
Hastings & Around
A carpeted, dark-wood, Brit-style boozer complete with 27 globe-trotting beers on tap, usually including a few local Hawke's Bay brews. Quiz nights and…
Napier
Wow, what a classic! Before the advent of craft beer and ritzy bar-cafes, this is what all the watering holes in NZ were like: underlit, Tui on tap,…
Bay of Islands
The party hostel has the party bar: a popular spot with large video screens and a decent terrace. You’ll be shuffled inside at midnight to keep the…
Whanganui
Give your morning a jolt at this retro coffee house inside a 107-year-old former pharmacy. There's not much on the menu other than a couple of cakes and…
Kingsland & Mt Eden
With picture windows overlooking Eden Park and a front terrace that’s pick-up central after dark, this upmarket pub is the place to be either side of…
Taranaki & Whanganui
As far as contemporary NZ craft-beer bars go, Forgotten 43 Brewing's modest Stratford shopfront is a casual, unsophisticated affair. But, hey, where else…
Hastings & Around
This lofty timber space pulls a mixed crowd of young 'uns and seasoned drinkers, here to watch the All Blacks on the big screen, sip Monteith's or chow on…
Hamilton
House on Hood is a 1915 barn with lots of frosty drops to slake your thirst. Beer specials and meal deals abound, plus on Friday and Saturday nights,…
Dunedin
Craft beers, single-malt whiskies and good cocktails appeal to a different crowd than those found in Dunedin’s numerous student pubs. Antipasto plates,…
Christchurch & Canterbury
Wunderbar is a top spot to get down, with regular live music covering all spectra, and clientele to match. The kooky decor and decapitated dolls' heads…
Whanganui
Still tapping into NZ’s waning passion for Irish pubs, the Grand Hotel's version is as good a spot as any to elbow down a few pints of Guinness on a misty…
Te Anau
This corner bar with pavement seating is a sound choice for sipping a pint or two of Mac's beer. The kitchen dishes up upmarket gastropub and cafe fare …
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
A cosy place for a quiet drink early in the evening, getting more raucous as the night progresses. Get in quick to put your picks on the video jukebox if…
Queenstown
With the vibe of a pub, but the wine list of a sopshisticated lounge bar, Barmuda is a drinking hole for all-comers. A huge open fire makes its walled-in…
Queenstown
Pool tables and shared rotisserie chickens make this a top spot for easy carousing. Free-flowing beer and well-mixed cocktails will help things along. If…
Bay of Islands
Design-your-own pizzas (pizza $12 to $22) plus the added attraction of excellent craft beer on tap from Hamilton's Good George Brewery, and a few well…
City Centre & Britomart
This South Pacific gumbo spin on a southern US jazz bar has wicked cocktails, and live jazz and blues from Wednesday to Saturday. Bar snacks include po…
Queenstown
If you're wanting a shot of caffeine courage as you head up the hill to the Shotover River or Coronet Peak, this tiny black cabin brews a fine coffee…and,…
