Phil's World Pub Guides - New Zealand

Pub Comments Location
ASHBURTON
Robbie's Bar and Bistro Matson's beers and others on tap, and good food in this friendly open modern pub/restaurant. Father Christmas arrived in a Robinson R44 helicopter and handed out sweets while I was there!!
Last visited December 2007.
360 West Street
Speight's Ale House I found good food and good beer but slow and confused service in this member of the chain which has one large open room with a square island bar in the middle. The decor is the standard modern pale wood floor and bare air conditioning ducts.
Last visited December 2007.
 
AUCKLAND
Blue Bar A modern-styled airport bar serving Speight's draughts.
Last visited December 2007.
International terminal, air side.
MLC A typical plastic hotel bar with a nice selection of kiwi beers in bottles. No draught beer.
Last visited December 2007.
Airdale Hotel, Queen Street
Playhouse Pub A very large open yet dark interior with wood panelling and wood and tiled floors, plus a large terrace out front. Good food.
Last visited December 2007.
 
Queens Head This pleasant unremarkable manufactured pub has a large open interior with a snooker table and the usual gaming area. A wide selection of New Zealand beers is available on tap.
Last visited December 2007.
Queen Street
Shakespeare Tavern Ten of their own brews on tap in this multi-roomed pub with brewery attached. Their beers range from a Bohemian Lager to a Belgian Grand Cru via a Raspberry Weiss, and the Stout is very nice.
Last visited December 2007.
 
CHRISTCHURCH
Cafe Espresso A normal airport cafe serving bottles of Speight's and CD.
Last visited December 2007.
Air Side
Pegasus Arms Speight's draughts and good food are available in this pleasant open pub, which was very busy on a Friday evening.
Last visited December 2007.
 
Sticky Fingers A large open modern-styled bar/restaurant with a terrace out front on the street. They serve Monteith's and foreign draughts (Amstel, Murphy's, Erdinger, Tiger and Heineken) and good food.
Last visited December 2007.
 
DOUBTFUL SOUND
Patea Explorer Just a buffet counter on a boat but they sell beer so I'm counting it. Needless to say, superb views of the fjords.
Last visited December 2007.
 
DUNEDIN
The Ale House First of the Speight's Ale House chain, located next door to the brewery. Fake old decor with plaster and bare brick walls with embedded (decorative) conditioning tanks. Food excellent.
Last visited December 2007.
 
GORE
RSA Club An enormous social club very nice inside and serving good food.
Last visited December 2007.
 
Traffers A clean and tidy boozer with dance floor, pool tables and gaming room. Pretty empty except for a small group of local drunks when I visited on a Wednesday evening.
Last visited December 2007.
 
GREYMOUTH
Speight's Ale House A nicely done out modern multi-roomed pub/restaurant.
Last visited December 2007.
 
INVERCARGILL
Speight's Ale House Good food and good beer seems common to all branches of this chain. Here you can dine on a balcony overlooking the bar.
Last visited December 2007.
 
KINGSTON
Kingston Cafe and Bar Excellent food in this bar/restaurant, and fine views of mountain scenery from the terrace outside. Speight's and DB on draught.
Last visited December 2007.
 
Kingston Flyer Speight's draughts in this cafe located at the steam railway station. Good breakfasts.
Last visited December 2007.
 
MACRAE
Stanley's Hotel A plain one-room pub with interesting old pictures of the village and the local gold-mining. Good pub food.
Last visited December 2007.
 
NATIONAL PARK
Station Cafe I had bottled beer and a very nice bacon and egg pie in this cafe which dealt efficiently with a train-load of customers when the Overlander called there.
Last visited December 2007.
 
PALMERSTON
Cafe De Rail The large CLOSED sign put us off going here for dinner, so the North Western Hotel got our custom. Passing later we saw this place was busy but still displaying the same sign.
Not visited.
 
North Western Hotel A wide selection of bottled beers but no draughts in this friendly local boozer, pretty quiet on a Sunday evening. They do a very nice mixed grill.
Last visited December 2007.
 
PICTON
Toot 'n' Whistle Four or five draught beers including Speight's Old Dark in this pleasant modern pub located next to the railway station. The food looks good.
Last visited December 2007.
 
WELLINGTON
Kaori Rip Speight's and Mac's beers in this pleasant bar on the ferry to Picton. Excellent views from the attached atrium at the rear.
Last visited December 2007.
M.V.Kaitaki
Leuven They've tried hard to make it look like a Belgian bar inside, and nearly succeeded but this place is too large, too clean and too tidy to be genuine! About five draught and twenty bottled Belgian beers on the menu.
Last visited December 2007.
 
Macs Brewery On the waterfront, a large converted warehouse decorated in the standard style with pale wood floor and bare air conditioning ducts and arty ceiling panels above. About nine of their own beers on tap, I had the splendid Sundance seasonal brew.
Last visited December 2007.
 
Shepherds Arms Another member of the Speight's Ale House chain, nicely decorated in British style and serving excellent food and a range of Speight's brews.
Last visited December 2007.
 

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