I've been to Wellington a few times and it had somehow never worked out to enjoy this spot, despite…read moremany recommendations from friends. I made a point to get here on this visit as my first stop for lunch on the day of arrival. I ended up coming back a few more times, this is a fantastic beer bar and restaurant in Wellington. It's upstairs in a great area of the city with lots of other restaurants, bars, and shopping. The staff on every visit was so welcoming and fun, especially Simon who went above and beyond on my first visit. I love the location, with high top tables, booths inside, booths with a city view, and lots of outdoor patio areas with heaters and tables. They also are a full functioning brewery, and their beer is fantastic. Being a freehouse in the city, they have an epic tap list of other NZ breweries as well. Prices are reasonable, they do tasting paddles with lots of options. We visited shortly after they hosted a beer competition, which meant the tap list was extra special. I highly recommend this place, especially for beer loves and people wanting a cozy place to dine.

What a fantastic gem of a brewery! Greeted with super enthusiastic bar tender who is happy and…read morehelpful. Outstanding menu of beer and great food too. Had the hazy ipa and it was juicy with tropical notes, what a palate pleaser. Lots of seating in a big open area. Wonderful visit highly recommend if visiting Wellington and also ask about the craft beer tour. You can get a sheet and stamp 8 breweries on the list and get a souvenir!

Excellent small hotel ideal for the solo traveler. difficult to find on line but easy to find in…read moreFeatherston. excellent bar and meals Plenty of off street parking and private entrance to accommodation.

This used to be a "gang" pub. For those not up to date with gang culture in NZ, it pretty much…read moremeant that no sane person would have ever gone in there! Enter Paul Rowan....a Manchester lad who has a pretty good track record in launching really good gastro pubs in the Wellington area. And he has done it again folks...the Empire is a great place to meet for a beer, have a snack or sit down for a good feed. Fish and Chips in newspaper......the PC brigade haven't reached NZ yet....or, in a first for the area, stonegrill meals...where your meat of choice arrives on a hot stone and you get to cook it the way you like it!!! Jazz on Sundays, Live music at the weekends with free sausage sizzle (it's a banger wrapped in bread) on Friday nights are all things that have made this the No1 Meeting place in Petone. If that hasn't tempted you...they have Giant Jenga in the ber garden.....

Pub meets the farmland!!…read more This was a most pleasant experience. For the countryside to have a pub, serving great food, is a surprise. The service, atmosphere, and quality of food serves as a standard for most restaurants. We ordered our drinks at the bar, and took them to our table for our dinner. Starters were a trio of bacon wrapped scallops ($12.50). This was as expected...this was baked, so the bacon wasn't as cooked as it might have been, and the scallops didn't have any color or texture. This was the weak part of the meal. The specialty of the house, the Gate to Plate lamb ($24.00), was a sliced loin served atop couscous with vergetables. Very well prepared and tasty. Another main was the Angel's Breakfast, six broiled scallops served atop a mixed green salad ($22.00). A side of steamed vegetables, $4.50, and another side salad, $4.50, completed the meal. Again, well presented and tasty. See attached photos. A great selection of beers on tap, and wines by the glass, all around $8. This is a worthy addition to the area, and a return visit if in the area.

Great country pub This is a lovely pub with a outdoor deck…read morewith views of the river. It serves good gastro pub style meals and there is something on the menu for everyone. Our meals were all pretty good and reasonably priced.

On a recent trip, I was waiting for different restaurants and bars to open for the day and decided…read moreto give this one a try. This is a tied-house with some of the larger breweries so the selection is less. It's a nice space with center bar and lots of tables with typical NZ comfort food. It seemed like a popular brunch spot as well as there were many happy families. They also have outdoor seating to enjoy on the nice days. The staff here were very welcoming and nice. I got a tasting paddle, which was choice of three. All the beers were solid. They also had clean restrooms.

I came to the tasting room after walking all day in the city for a quick drink and it was exactly…read morewhat I needed. The patio is a nice spot to hang out and the service is fast. Great place to refuel and grab a quick drink . Did not try any food this time

Stopped in for a quick snack. Had wedges and a Pizza. Great value for large plates and toppings…read moreright to the crust. Great service too.

passing through wellington and staying in karori, we were recommended this place by our air bnb…read morehost. quick 5 min walk from our place with a great selection of beer, pizzas, and other mains. I ordered the selvaggio veggie pizza and added jalapeños - delicious! my dad got the fish and chips and finally settled his hankering for it. great atmosphere and would come back again if we're in the area, cheers!

Absolutely excellent salad. And I don't usually eat salad…read more Great atmosphere! A few more thoughts...

I asked the Internet for where to find a proper Sunday Roast. It's a British thing and it's great…read moreto see this tradition exists in New Zealand culture as well. Hooray for the Commonwealth! Arriving at 6:40pm, the restaurant was only about halfway filled with a placard at the entrance announcing that this evening's Roast is sliced sirloin. I was hoping for lamb but this will do. I sat by the window with my laptop and used some wifi before and after dinner. My meal arrived after about ten minutes, a good portion with sliced sirloin, mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, roasted potatoes and yes, a Yorkshire pudding. A light gravy over all and the only point off is that they did not have any horseradish for the beef. Perfectly cooked, nicely presented and absolutely delicious. Hooray for tradition and thank you, Southern Cross. A lovely Sunday evening meal. [Review 352 of 2024 - 8 in New Zealand - 21385 overall]

It's always a bit of a crap shoot when vacationing and trying to find a good spot for dinner…read more Emporium was a winner for us today. We made a reservation online although when we arrived it wasn't too busy and we were able to get a seat outside on the sidewalk. As most places do not have A/C in town, this was preferable to the somewhat warm restaurant. Our nice server Michaela took good care of us and made some good food recommendations. We started with the prawn toasts (indescribable but REALLY good), then followed with Fish and chips (light and good) and the coconut chicken salad which was shaved cucumber, poached chicken, coconut, and peanuts with a light refreshing dressing-quite good (according to my spouse). A bottle of Rose topped things off. The menu has quite a lot of choices so it should be easy for most people to find something that interests them. Nice food, nice service, nice meal.

Location is great, in the heart of the Art Deco city center, a half block from the tourist…read moreinformation office. Service was fine. A little inattentive, but we got everything we asked for, we just had to ask for everything. We had fish and chips. There was a lot of fish, flaky and perfectly cooked. The chips (fries for us Americans) were really really good, seasoned and crispy outside, potato-y inside. All-in-all, a welcoming a reasonable lunch.

Tried BPC after it put a voucher on Grabone. The service was slow even though the place seemed only…read more3/4 full. We had to signal for someone to take our order - at least 15 minutes after being seated. I think we got our food some 45 mins after sitting down. The food was passable but not great. The sirloin steak was dry and could really have done with a sauce/jus. The pork hock was also dry with the crackling slightly underdone so that it retained a distinct taste of fat. The Tandoori chicken pizza was really the best dish of the night. Thin crust and packed with flavour. The decor of the place is a little odd. The main theme seems to be British Raj, the strings of coloured bulbs and the Chinese terracotta warrior statue are out of place. The heaters were very strong and despite it being winter we could sit inside in shirtsleeves very comfortably. It seems that the food is secondary to the bar and the copious amounts of peanut shells on the floor attests to the patrons being more likely to be drinking than eating. Not great value for money without the voucher.

We had a really nice lunch here. I had their spicy Kedgeree. Jasmine rice, smoked fish, and…read morepoached egg. My husband enjoyed his steak sandwich with chips. The place is fun, staff was nice and quick. Decor is Indian old boys Polo club ... disco music was playing at lunch but all worked.

Great way to fill the place on a Thursday with a $10 sirloin steak & mash. Go early to get a table…read more There's also $5 sides available. And if not cooking on a Thursday appeals to you, don't bother on Wednesdays either - that's $10 burger and fries night. Good selection of local wines, craft beer and cider. This place is a great choice for after work drinks or a busy fri and sat night venue, right in the heart of Havelock.

From the owner: Loading Ramp has a full bar and coffee available…read more The kitchen has an a la carte menu which is updated regularly. Our mains and desserts are cooked and prepared fine dining style. Loading Ramp becomes a nighclub venue on saturday evenings with a local DJ from 10pm till 3am.