Only sinners here to seek out an afternoon pick-me-up with a visit to a quaint, aged church,…read morere-purposed into a beer bar! Blessed be! When in hop capital, the Freehouse is an automatic add onto one's rotation. The most friendly, helpful staff to serve up a fresh pint and give all the best recs. Quite a few tap handles, but per the sheet, only those with the red check mark were the ones "On". No matter, because the selection with the 15 available was eclectic and very exciting. Surprisingly a number of sours on draft along with some cask options and beers featured from their on-site brewery "The Flavourtorium". We sat outside near this makeshift brewery within a shipping container, fermenter tanks and mashers in full view as a worker toiled away gathering the spent grain for disposal. Many a patron chatted away -- visitor and locals alike -- and dogs lazed away or wandered around off leash for a joyful afternoon basking in the Nelson sun. What an absolutely terrific vibe and what a time to be alive enjoying the fresh Nelson hops of the region!

Good place. They helped me out when I arrived in Nelson to an unacceptable hotel/motel, reviewed…read moreseparately. I ordered a pint and asked for recommendations. I got a few and followed up on one and ended up in a much better spot. It was admittedly not busy, so I had a bit of an opportunity to chat, and they were quite pleasant to get along with. A group came in as I was winding down my pint, and it is clear that they have a good community following (also confirmed by a recommendation of the Freehouse from a friend who lived in Nelson for quite a while). It was also a Sunday evening, so things were already pretty quiet in Nelson. There is a beer garden/patio out front with a food stand, but it is late winter now, so that wasn't active, and they have only a light kitchen themselves, so they were happy to recommend nearby places for take-out to eat-in at their spot. Good neighbors then. Good people. Very helpful. Good beer. Worth the visit. Oh, and it's in a repurposed church. Very cool.

We had a great time. Service was fine, but wine flights were diverse and delicious! And the pizza…read morewas yummy.

From the owner: Rimu Wine Bar at the Mapua Wharf offers an extensive range of premium Nelson region wines and a few…read morefavourites from New Zealand and around the world. All wines are available to taste, by the glass and by the bottle. You can also purchase wines and beers to take home. Rimu also has a range of quality whiskeys, ports and liqueurs, along with some of the finest craft beers available. Enjoy our wood fired pizzas, platters, or bring in your fish and chips from the Smokehouse to enjoy with your drinks. Watch out for special events over the winter months and come and enjoy the evening with friends in front of our roaring fire.

If you're Californian, and you've been in NZ, you know the pain of finding only 4% beer…read more Really? Dear god if I wanted coors light I would've stayed home. Enter CBD. An oasis. Apparently these are "California boys" who have started to make craft beer in Nelson, the northern part of the South Island. They know what they're doing. And they also have take-away beer that's excellent. If you like craft beer with higher alcohol than 5%, come here. The vibe is chill, the beer is excellent. Currently sipping a half pint of a 12% porter after a 6.5% red Ale. Considering we're from the land of hops and 7-10% beers, this place is a godsend. Come here, especially if you're from Cali and need a good brew. Growlers are for sale. No food on site. Eat before/after you come.

We loved this place!! We are from Hawaii and we stumbled across CBD to grab a beer and wine. The…read moreowner was so nice and we became instant friends!! Beer and wine were tasty. They even have kombucha on tap. We will definitely come back

Food was superb!!! What a treat. We had the vegetarian falafel, steak and fish of the day. With a…read moreside of the crispy potatoes. All were amazing. Our server was lovely. Wine was delicious. And the restaurant has great vibes. Do note they eat early around here and the host needed permission from the kitchen to seat us at 7:45. So glad they did!

The Apple Shed came highly recommended for their beer battered fish and chips, despite the price…read more My partner and I came here to order the fish and chips, but when we did, our waiter told us that they didn't serve fish and chips. He sent us to the Smokehouse next door. Confused, we looked at the menu they have displayed outside and it says 'Beer Battered Fish & Chips.' We ended up going to the Smokehouse and had a wonderful experience. AND we didn't have to spend $32 on one dish to do so.

We were searching for places to eat in Mapua near the wharf. Spoiler alert, not much choice unless…read moreyou're willing to pay for the view. We decided to check out The Sprig & Fern Tavern which has 10 locations in New Zealand (Nelson, Tahuna, Richmond, Brightwater, Motueka, Wellington, Petone and Christchurch). We dropped in on a Thursday evening (around 8:30pm). There was live folk music playing! There's a nice outdoor patio with plenty of seating, just watch out for the mozzies. Service is friendly and sweet. Make sure to walk up and order at the bar (for food). For food, the menu is split into snacks, salads & light meals, mains, burgers, pizzas, desserts and a kids menu. For drinks, there's an assortment of wine, craft beer and cider. - Mango and lime cider ($5.50 NZD glass) - didn't get much lime flavour but this was decent. Almost tasted like juice. - Berry cider ($5.50 NZD glass) - this had some berry flavour to it but it didn't leave much of an impression on us. - Fish of the day ($24.00 NZD) - the fish was a gurnard (described as a mild white fish to us). We got it grilled and it came with hand cut crispy potatoes, mesclun salad and house tartar sauce. Tartar sauce was tasty! Gurnard was nicely cooked; tender, flaky and well seasoned. Even the crispy potatoes were just as described. Two big portions of fish too. - Meat lovers pizza ($21.00 NZD) - marinated pork, merguez lamb sausage, streaky bacon, onion jam and house BBQ sauce. I don't get why NZ pizzas all have this tube squeezed sauce on them. Not a fan. The pizza was average; what you'd expect from a brewpub. Crust didn't any texture or bite to it. Better than we expected, especially coming from a chain brewpub. 3.5 stars.

Popped in here for a quick dessert and glass of wine. I had been told that this was a great local…read morebar and it did not disappoint! I had one of their excellent chocolate bourbon balls with a glass of great NZ rose and people-watched from the corner. Initially the bartender I got came off a bit salty and surly, but he warmed up a bit in the end. The other bartender was a bit more jovial and engaging and by the time I left you could tell this was a regular spot for some of the locals as well as a place recommended by the locals to visitors in the area. They looked like they had a good menu, if I had been in Nelson an additional night, I would have come back for lunch or dinner.

I was in Nelson for two nights and went here both times. The beers are all local, the staff is…read morefriendly and helpful explaining all the different beers. The beers are fantastic. I only wish my liver could handle a few more at each sitting. My favorite is the Porter. The have a couple of tables out front, a lot inside in two areas, including a separate smoking area which is very nice.

After a ferry journey of 3 hours from Wellington, we found this delightful brewery/cafe nestled in…read morethe lovely Heritage park overlooking Nelson Bay. Beers have been crafted for many years by the operators of this establishment and we had an opportunity to try every type from 1854 to present. The food was flavorful and paired well with their craft brews. Try a paddle and take home a box of your favorites like we di.

great location, good beer. Food a bit overpriced though. I found the portion of the green curry a…read morebit small with little meat for that kind of money.

Boat Shed was so good, we visited twice during a 3 day trip to Nelson! It's unpretentious and very…read morecasual with stunning views of the lake, and the food is fantastic. I would recommend a reservation, especially if you want a table overlooking the look for dinner. Standout dishes for us was the pan roasted fish of the day and fried oysters. The oysters were phenomenal and so fresh. Service was always warm and friendly. We would definitely visit again when in Nelson.

Great food, lovely service. We had the beef filet, potatoes au gratin and broccoli and didn't skip…read moredessert either. The vanilla lemon cheesecake was lighter than we expected and the rhubarb was tart and the perfect balance. It was all lovely and eaten at our leisure. We should have come when it was light so we could see the Sea!

Nelson plays host to multiple Sprig & Fern locations, with the main location being voted 'best bar'…read morein NZ, many years running. With no real knowledge of the differences between locations, we ended up at Hardy Street, simply because it was on our route. We loved this particular location, for its fantastic bar ambiance, and I do hope they are factored into the overall Sprig & Fern ambiance in the 'best bar' vote. Walking in, wandering up to the bar, we were overwhelmed by the variety of hoppy IPA choices- the bartender asked, 'what will it be', and I said, 'no idea', because I wasn't ready to decide on my IPA of choice quite yet. Though, the bartender took this to mean I was a beer novice, and was super friendly, as he began to describe the different beers to me- when I clarified, 'oh I know beers & taste preferences, the bar just offered too many great sounding IPAs'-and he immediately shifted gears and started pouring mini sample IPA sips to help narrow the choices! (and I didn't even have to ask-how nice). Once we made our pint selections, we stayed up at the bar for a bit chatting about life in Nelson, NZ-learning about his life journey, moving from Italy, learning about life during COVID, and life after re-opening. Then we nestled into the corner booth, enjoying our beers & music. An absolute delight of an evening, well-priced, tasty brews, and nice ambiance.

Great brews, food, friendly helpful staff. $10 lunch specials during the week. The falafel was…read morewell seasoned and delightfully crispy. Try the Golden IPA and the cider