Name revealed for celebrated Auckland restaurant SPQR’s Ponsonby replacement

SPQR, Ponsonby, July 2024. Photo / Alex Burton

The name for the highly-anticipated replacement of legendary Auckland restaurant SPQR has finally been revealed.

The Ponsonby establishment closed its doors to diners on July 12 this year after 32 years.

Now the site’s new owners, sisters Bronwyn and Jessica Payne, have revealed the new name on social media: Jacuzzi.

Bronwyn and Jessica Payne are taking over the SPQR site at 150 Ponsonby Road.

“Jacuzzi presents a truly rare opportunity for hospitality that artfully infuses a range of inspirations from SPQR’s vibrant past, Ponsonby’s character, travels around Europe and a sprinkling of disco fabulousness,” a post on the new restaurant’s website read.

“Jacuzzi is a feast for the senses, with a high-end drink and food offering.”

Its Instagram called Jacuzzi “an immersive journey that stimulates the senses and elevates occasions”.

Jacuzzi is calling for staff with all levels of experience, including a head chef, general manager, chefs and bar staff.

“Our collective job is to revive a cultural icon and fill it with excellence and our open invitation is for you to be a part of delivering this experience,” it said on its site.

The Payne sisters took on the restaurant at the end of August, adding to their hospitality collection which includes Ponsonby’s Elmo’s and Hopper’s Garden Bar.

A press release announcing their takeover said the site “has been given a new lease of life, having been purchased by two of the suburb’s hottest hospitality stars”.

It said they are “set to bring sophistication, spontaneity, theatricality into new genres of inner-city escapism”.

“Our mission is to bring some of the sophisticated creative freedom of European nightlife and turn it into a feast for the senses for locals and visitors to enjoy,” Jessica told Society Insider.

Jessica and Bronwyn Payne are hoping to open the revamped SPQR site under the name Jacuzzi in January.

Jessica, 32 and Bronwyn, 31 have been in the industry together for more than a decade.

Jessica opened The Pizza Library on Mt Maunganui’s Rata St back in 2012. Age 20 at the time, she was the sole owner.

As well as owning Hoppers and Elmo’s, the sisters were guest judges on My Kitchen Rules New Zealand.

The release said: “Having grown up in the industry, the passionate pair is well-equipped to take on the challenge that is creating something new and vibrant in the space – as well as honouring the legacy of what has gone before.”

The site will be closed until Christmas, as “much-needed renovations” take place and there will be “some incredible surprises on opening day”.

“SPQR regulars can rest assured that the renowned copper bar danced upon by so many over the years will remain in place.”

Jacuzzi is set at this stage to open next year in January.