425 Tamaki Drive,
St Heliers
Auckland,


(09) 575 9969 

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3 out of 5 stars

For a harbour city, Auckland struggles for a variety of good places for a drink with views of the ocean. Once you leave the Viaduct and head past the Northern Steamship Co Brewbar near Britomart, it’s a long way to the De Fontein Belgian Beer Café in Mission Bay. After that it’s another long haul around to the newly opened Moreton’s Bar & Restaurant at St Heliers. The lack of bars along Tamaki Drive has probably got something to do with arcane licensing laws. We reckon it’s a lost opportunity for the city.

Moreton’s occupies the corner space once used by Halo Restaurant. It’s now a Heineken-themed bar out the front, and a cosy restaurant further back off the street. On a windy Thursday night when the sea breeze is whipping up a curtain of salty spray, a scattering of outside tables is occupied solely by a group of exiled smokers. It definitely feels like winter outside, so we venture to the warmer interior. For a Thursday night, it’s surprisingly busy, and the only room available is standing at the bar. Maybe those licensing laws don’t accurately reflect the wishes of the locals after all.

The restaurant area – think robust dishes like grilled pork cutlet with rosemary potatoes and beef and black beer sausages – is doing good custom with a mainly older crowd. Even in the bar trimmed with lots of dark wood, there’s also more of a middle-aged skew than I can remember at most places around town. They’re probably the same guys that will pack Moreton’s for upcoming Blues and Warriors games on the multiple big-screen TVs.

On tap is Heineken –tasting fresher than the bottled stuff brewed in Auckland – the Monteith’s range, Export Gold, and DB’s international offering of Amstel Light, Erdinger and Tiger. It’s a diverse mix popular with this middle-slightly blokey crowd. This is St Heliers after all, so there’s also a wider than normal range of wines, including a surprising number of champagnes.

Across the upcoming winter, Moreton’s will be a convenient spot at the end of Tamaki Drive. Come next summer, the picture-postcard views of Rangitoto from outside will also be worth the drive. Moreton’s has all the makings of a good neighbourhood bar, especially since it’s in a moneyed locale where there is minimal competition.