Taupo & the Ruapehu Region
A log-cabin-like space with a nod to the all-American diner. Join locals for cheap beers and a no-surprises menu (mains $12 to $28) of burgers, steaks and…
Must-see nightlife in North Island
Bay of Plenty
Stone-faced walls, fold-back windows and flaming torches set the scene for this slick, upmarket establishment. A lot of folk come here to eat, but it’s…
Bay of Plenty
This bar at the Whakatane Hotel lives up to the promise of its name as the liveliest drinking spot in town. The decor is green (of course) and there are…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
Tauranga
This big box of a gastropub pours Monteith's beers and serves pizza, burgers and meaty pub meals. This Phoenix rises best on Sunday afternoons and summer…
Bay of Islands
Great views, cold beer and tall tales abound at this brightly lit club bar where creatures from the deep protrude from every available surface. Decent…
City Centre & Britomart
Part of a transformation of a long-defunct cinema, Everybody's sprawls over two levels, with couches and banquettes on the mezzanine, and a plant-filled…
Bay of Islands & Northland
This testosterone-fuelled pub brews its own beers, and has a terrace, wood-fired pizzas and live music, including Thursday jam nights. You can't miss the…
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Trashy, brash and extremely young, Family gets crammed on weekends, with drag hosts and dancing into the wee hours, both at the back of the ground-level…
Tauranga
Convincingly replicating a British boozer, right down to the Sunday roast with Yorkshire puddings and the dogs-welcome policy, this black-painted corner…
City Centre & Britomart
Accessed from a lane off Federal St (just past Gloria Jean's), the main attraction of this bistro bar is the covered terrace – a rare outdoor drinking…
Bay of Plenty
The Talisman is better than your average small-town boozer, with a bistro (mains $23 to $41) and an attractive, deck-covered beer garden. Basic…
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
Inclusive and welcoming bar with occasional quiz nights and drag shows, and a well-frequented dance floor. Wider age range than other venues. Check…
Ponsonby & Karangahape Rd
A long-running underground club for serious dance aficionados, sometimes hosting big-name DJs. On Friday nights the soundtrack is classic house, disco and…
Bay of Plenty
The Office is a no-frills sports bar that does what it does well: racing, beer, big meals with chips and salad, and live bands and/or DJs later in the…
Wellington
Descend the darkened stairs to the clubbiest of Wellington's queer venues. Expect a fun young crowd, including plenty of mic-hoggers on karaoke nights.
