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 came in on a Tuesday during the Xmas/nye holiday week (when a lot of things are closed) and they…read morewere pretty packed. The poor staff was cracking to the best of their ability and they were all really friendly and accommodating. The food was great! We got the spinach artichoke dip to start and it was super creamy. We each ordered a pizza, but one of the pizzas was a special order and the kitchen staff called it a "Frankenstein" pizza. We ordered a Hawaiian, but asked for no pineapple and to add Brie cheese. We also asked to switch the marinara sauce for the garlic sauce. So it was definitely one of a kind and delicious! We didn't really partake of their beers, but I had a cider and it was lovely. We had a wonderful time here

Outstanding brewery and pizzeria! Great beer, great service, great food, great place. Can't wait…read moreto visit again! The ambiance is super fun and pairs well with the names of their beer :) The pizza was awesome and so was the hummus plate. Our waitress was engaging, knowledgable, friendly, and efficient. Lots of beer choices for all tastes. I enjoyed the High-Tide Double IPA which was delicious and the Summer in the Citra IPA was a second favorite. I wish they had my size t-shirt, but maybe next time. I also won two tickets to their Beer fest coming up, however I will not be in NZ at that time. If you would like more info follow them on instagram, they are wonderful about responding. Cheers to a great brewery. Hoppy Cali Girl :)

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.

Overall great vibes and great flavors. They put a lot of care into changing up their menu regularly…read moreto showcase different local or seasonal items which makes for a fun experience. The service is a little hit or miss at peak times, and they seem to forget about us after we get seated, so prepare to be a bit assertive to get attention.

Don't visit this place during busy times. They take on way too many customers/tables than they can…read moreservice. We ordered just two dishes. Oysters, which doesn't require cooking, and one hot dish. The oysters came out after 10 mins, as expected. But after more than a hour, and no second dish, we walked out as they repeatedly gave untrustworthy wait times. When we ordered, we were told a 30 minute wait. After 50 minutes of no dish, we enquired. Waitress talked to chef, came back with an exact 7 minutes needed. 12 minutes later, still no dish. Waitress goes to kitchen again, comes back with 2 minutes. Guess what happened when 2 minutes later passed... No offer to comp dishes or drinks while waiting, no sincere apologies. Just an excuse than "it's busy at the moment, food will take longer". So yeah, just don't go during busy times. Clearly too popular and they're treating it like a cash cow now. Oysters weren't actually that good. Small oysters, not juicy and tasty. We had oysters at another place in town the same day, and it was night and day.

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.

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 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.