In Hamilton for 2 nights. Enjoyed this spot twice . One of…read morethe few bars we could belly up to as many in NZ seem to have no stools. Great cocktails and beer selection. Friendly, engaging staff.

This is a serious contender for best bar in Hamilton. I came here Saturday night with my husband…read moreand a couple friends. Why, why have I not been here before now?! I used to live just up the block! My husband had already been here and, somehow, did not bring me in immediately. This is one of those places where I had a "love at first sight" moment. Even on a fairly crowded night, the vibe in this place is super-cool. It's small, almost uncomfortably so, but in spite of that (because of that?) it has a great intimate feel. The cocktails are pricey, but different and skillfully prepared. There is a good selection of whiskey (my whiskey-loving friend tells me). There was a DJ artfully spinning a weird, awesome, "did-he-just-do-that?" selection of tunes. The decor is comfortable/cool, with walls of exposed bricks and "I never want to get up" comfy couches. The back walls are lined with loads of books and one portion of the ceiling is covered with records. They appear to have some bites to eat, but admittedly, we were just there for drinks. It's a little tricky to find, set back from Victoria Street down a side alley. But, it's SO worth finding.

Used to go here couple times a week because Its close to home and office, They make the best banana…read moresmoothie in Hamilton, but it's a small glass and $7 so you kinda got to order two if you want any left by the time your food arrives, because their not quick. Also, that 2 out of 5 stars? That's because they forget something every single time. Order side of mushrooms? Don't expect it to arrive with your meal. Extra banana with your French toast? How about AFTER your toast. How many people had flat whites sorry? It's gotten ridiculous. Stopped bothering and found a new place but got caught out again recently while out with friends and ended up back here... they forgot one of our groups entire meal. Won't be back. But hey, best $7 banana smoothies in the Waikato.

My drink didn't come after 10 minutes so I went to ask the staff, they clearly forgot my order…read more(cafe was less than 25% full). My smoothie finally came and it was in a plastic takeaway cup for no reason. The drink was very poorly made - very syrupy, and overpriced.

Was worried about trying this place because of the lack of reviews, but glad we did! Perfect place…read moreif you're looking for a nice bar to relax, eat and chug some brews. We came in at 6pm on a Monday, which they have happy hour 430pm -630pm on the weekdays, $7 nzd for a beer pint. Our servers were pretty cool and friendly. Best of all, $.50cent wings! Everyday! Also you get to people-watch some locals coming in and out playing the slot machines in a room off to the side.

From the owner: Come down and experience that traditional, friendly pub atmosphere in Central Hamilton. It truly…read moredoes exist! The Quad - not part of any group or franchise.

Came here on a Sunday afternoon and it was not all that busy. So we were attended to quickly with…read morethem splitting some larger tables to make a smaller for the four in our group. They do have a fairly decent menu selection from which i chose the Brewers Breakfast, my other half the Piglet Burger and the other two a Brewers Breakfast as well. Strange as it may seem to have with a breakfast i ordered one of thier peach ciders as a drink. Now that was delicious.. Maybe because i like my ciders? The orders came out pretty quickly. Everything in my breakfast was cooked just i liked it. In a breakfast i really pay attention to the poached eggs , which i can be real finnicky about .These were cooked to perfection. The yolks not hard or even a little hard but soft and runny that the yolk ran out nicely ( if one can say it that way!). Everyone else was happy with thier meals and me having the biggest sweet tooth was the only one who chose a dessert. Though a simple one of a chocolate cake it went down well. So, anyway overall . On the food front no complaints. Particularly impressed with the poached eggs. Service was great, especially with the speed of and throughout the meal the girl coming by occasionally but not being overly intrusive to ask how things were. Price was as you would expect...so so, and the atmosphere was very good. Well worthy of a 100% rating!!

We came to this brewery because we enjoyed the drinks we had at Hobbiton. They make the…read moreHobbiton-exclusive beer, cider, and ginger ale. It wasn't too busy when we came here for lunch so ordering and getting seated was quick. They even had live music which was nice. We had a flight, the sample platter, and the cajun lamb pizza. Out of all the garlic bread and salt and pepper squid we've had in NZ, this was the best. The pizza and the sample platter was a lot of food for two people, so if you're not too hungry or have small appetites, I recommend just ordering one item to share. While we didn't really care for the cider (I didn't find any in NZ that I loved) or their hard pink lemonade which was too sweet, we did love their hard lemonade.

These guys are fraud do not visit them not recommended to anyone, my aunt visit them in August she…read morefell ill and currently under treatment due to poor beer and food quality

Excellent service and great food , had party of 12 and the waitress was good with coming back and…read moreforward, didnt have to wait long, had a great kids menu and cocktails were delicious! Great atmosphere! We were there when there was live music.

I have been here several times since it first opened. This place is brought to you by the same…read morefolks behind The Roaming Giant. There are a lot of things I really like about The Wayward Pigeon. First, since it is not in the CBD, parking is generally easy, plentiful and free. There is a good amount of indoor and outdoor spaces, table service and bar areas. On my most recent visit (last night), I had the Bang Bang Chicken Salad, which was delicious. A nice combination of crunchy and a kick of heat that built over the time I ate it. I also had kombucha to drink, though there is a very good assortment of beers and wines available. My husband had the pork scotch, which had a good flavour, but was perhaps a bit over done. Other people in our party had the fried chicken pieces and pizzas. Everyone seemed to agree that their food was pretty good. There is a great place to meet up with a group, large or small. The atmosphere is a sort of retro casual, the colour palette reminds me of the 70's. Call head for reservations - we called on the Friday for Friday night and they were fully booked indoors. We still ended up with a great outdoor space under the heaters. Will definitely return.

I've lived in Hamilton and haven't had too much occasion to go bar hopping, as a 30-something with…read moretwo small kids. However, a few Fridays ago, my husband and I were out "late" with a friend and this was one of the places we landed. I really love the decor! It's modern and inviting, dark enough for some ambiance and to flatter everyone. I think I may have come in here once a long while ago, saw the price of the cocktails and decided I would never come back. But, I'm glad I did. Now that I'm kind of over the sticker-shock prices of drinking in New Zealand, I realize that this place is indeed pricey, but mostly worth it. It's also entirely possible that the prices of the drinks keeps a certain subset of young party-goers out, which at my present stage of life, I'm completely OK with. I had a "passionfruit cheesecake" drink. We were sitting near the bar and I had fun watching the bartender construct this little gem, which was complete with a "crumb" bottom. It was awesome. I'm not sure it was quite $17-awesome, but I'm just trying to focus in on my enjoyment of the evening and block out the price of the drinks. My husband had chilled amaretto. He was happy with it (not that it takes still to make it). Our friend had the "Winnie the Pooh," and really enjoyed it. This is definitely a good stop on Victoria Street for good atmosphere, good drinks. It's probably too expensive to be most people's "regular bar," but it's perfect for an occasional splurge on a night out.

This place is pretentious. I came here wth my best friend before a concert, and when she ordered​…read moreher drink the bartender she'd her if she was sure she wanted it as it was 'pretty expensive' (it was $15). She got a bit confused and then asked if he had any good cocktails he could make, and his response was 'not tonight, we're busy'. As she then thought about what she wanted, I ordered 2 fingers of bourbon, to which he responded "are you sure?". When I said I was, he poured a shot, then again asked if I 'Really wanted more'. When I replied yes, I know what two fingers is, his response was "its pretty expensive, are you sure?". This bartender was both offensive, and arrogant. He purely judged us based on our appearance, and then repeatedly implyed we could not afford normal drink prices. Will not ever come again, this bartender should be fired for losing (well paying) customers.