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.

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.

This place is great. Nice menu with small snack options and pizza and burgers. Nice selection of…read moreciders if your not a craft beer drinker. Patio and inside seating both a plus. Prices better that other close pubs.

Sprig + Fern operates a myriad of taverns and taprooms throughout the Nelson-Tasman region. While…read morethe actual brewery is located in Richmond, you can only drink (and eat) at the satellite locations. This one seemed a more scenic spot with its location near Tahunanui Beach. It doesn't sit on the beach (nothing does), but it was quite peaceful to sit on the patio, drinking up some Vitamin D, salt air wafting through the air. Delicious pub food is to be had with some creative inclusions like bao buns and seafood. We had a lamb burger and poke bowl alongside some suds. The Nectaron Pale really set things alight with its punchiness though the West Coast Awesome Mix was a worthy contender. In general, though, their beers are on the lighter side with an even grassiness. They even have ciders for more light options. The bites were yummy enough though the poke bowl's avocado was quite over ripe. Easy pickings for free street parking right out front. If you do desire to pop into one of the Sprig+Fern locations, this one should be it!

We were trying to find a place to stay in Nelson while using points and booked Honest Lawyer…read moreonline, when we arrived, we realized we were in for an experience. This is not your typical hotel/motel. It has character, we drove around finding the reception which was this very small office where she gave us the details about which room we were staying at and we drove in a circle to find the room. One great thing is you can park right next to the door so you're not dragging your luggage too far. The receptionist did let us know that they were having an event in the back area near our room, while we were driving to the back we did see people setting up near our room entrance and walking past it. We opened the door with the key given to us and the room was definetly more like Airbnb vibes from 1980s. I didn't do enough research to see if there is history with this hotel. There was no AC in the hotel so we tried to figure out what we were going to do in the night because it already felt warm, there was a fan from the 90s there with layers of dust which we turned on. We opened the windows however the second it was open, ants started crawling in so we closed those. We were so tired from the day, we decided not to go join the party outside. We wounded down and fell asleep. I am thankful we only booked this place for one night. I did like there was a lot of space and counter space for luggage etc. but it is very outdated- old, rusty, dusty, recommend bringing shower slippers, house slippers and more.

Stayed at the hotel while on vacation. Rooms are VERY outdated and need to be remodeled. Bed was…read moreok, we slept well and it was quiet. The toilet handle was broken and wouldn't flush. Ceiling in bathroom has peeling/chipped paint. The shower/tub was very outdated and the shower curtain smelled musty and was moldy. The faucet has separate faucets for hot and cold, which is annoying and inefficient. Room temp control is an oscillating floor fan... windows open but no screens. There is no coffee or breakfast on site until 10a weekdays (no breakfast weekdays at all) and 9a weekend and nothing close walking distance if you wish to have something before they open. They do offer tea and powdered coffee in your room but that's not my cup of tea! Staff also cannot recommend somewhere for coffee when asked. Had dinner first night and the service was just ok, ordered the salmon salad special and my bf ordered the steak cooked on the 400 degree stone. Which was really cool! Would have been nice to have some kind of instruction on proper cooking to medium temperature, but our plates were just dropped off without explanation. Please note there is no elevator. So you must carry your large bags up the stairs. Hangars are not removable in closet and there are no hooks to hang anything in the bathroom.

My pizza was delicious and my husband enjoyed his burger. Sweet ambiance, relaxed laid back…read morerestaurant with good food. Clean establishment : )

Ronnie was there to greet us at the door. Try to figure out the word of the day from the jumble of…read moreletters on the blackboard

Golden Bear Brewing is a local pub at Mapua Wharf. It's usually packed with locals on weekends…read more(Fri-Sun.) They have a live band playing every Friday night and it's a great place to enjoy some locally brewed beer while sitting by the water. It gets a bit quieter during the weekdays. You can get a takeout from The Smokehouse (just around the corner) and they let you eat it on their patio as long as you order drinks from them. Beer + fish & chips = perfect combination!

The restaurant was very quiet for Sunday lunch, yet they managed to forget the meal orders of 3 out…read moreof our 10-guest group. When reminded that most had almost finished their meals yet 3 had not even been given their food yet, the woman in charge apologised and explained that they had a shortage of staff. The 3 orders had not gone through to the kitchen. It was too late to have my lunch order prepared so I got a refund. Very disappointing with the service. The food consists of a very limited Mexican menu, that hasn't changed for a year or two, consisting of overpriced finger food. Very disappointing overall.

When a cider is good enough to turn even heads in the UK, you know it's good. New Zealand fruit…read more The kiwi/lime cider is refreshing, supremely tasty and is only 4.5% alcohol so is very sessionable as I did in various pubs. So if you find yourself in the Whakatū area, go seek them out!

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