6-10 Roukai Lane, Britomart,
Auckland Central
Auckland,
1010

(09) 309 3854 

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I’m not really a big fan of Christchurch. It’s a bit flat and there are too many boy racers hooning around for my liking. However, I will readily admit they’ve got a pretty good rugby team down there, and the city also does bars better than Auckland.

One of my Christchurch bars is Cartel. On a visit a couple of years back the combination of its laneway location, casually retro décor, open fire, and Tom Waits and The Smiths was pretty hard to beat. Now the guys behind Cartel have opened Racket in Auckland, a virtual facsimile of their Christchurch operation in Sol Square, and already my favourite new Auckland bar.

We’ve got a Saturday night dinner booking elsewhere, so arrive at Racket at about 7pm for a couple of cocktails. Like Cartel, Racket enjoys a spot in a narrow laneway, this time in the up and coming Britomart area. With smith and the newly opened Brew on Quay, it’s fast becoming a destination area as Aucklanders leave the Viaduct to the tourists.

A couple of trees festooned with fairy lights announce the location; that, and the huge open fire out the front. Like I said, no-one does cosy like Christchurch bar owners. We head inside for the ambience of exposed bricks, distressed walls, and mismatched furniture. We’re probably a tad early on a Saturday night, and there are only a few other punters. Apparently from about 10pm the turntables in the corner are given a good workout, all the furniture is pushed back, and Racket becomes as much a dance venue as a bar.

That’s probably a bit of a shame, because Racket is at its best with a more relaxed vibe, and a couple of expertly mixed cocktails. Tonight it’s a Pisco Sour and a caipirinha, both lovingly prepared by a Smurfs T-shirt wearing bartender. There’s a great mix of wines and beers available too, with Skippers beer on tap. I was hoping it was some interesting South Island microbrew, but apparently, it’s just another DB beer. Oh well, time for a Budvar instead.

At this stage of the night, the music’s pretty chilled, and on Sundays at 5pm, Racket and A & M, the aligned tapas and wine bar next door, become the venue for live jazz. That’s when the possies outside beside the fire really come into their own.

Christchurch still has plenty of drinking spots worthy of a visit – check out Cleaners Only or The Twisted Hop if you’re down there – but with the opening of Cartel Mk 2 up here, maybe thirsty Aucklanders can stop checking out Air New Zealand’s Grabaseat website quite so often.

What a Racket.