From the team behind Queens Rooftop, this laid-back rooftop eatery channels the charms of an Aussie surf club, but with a Kiwi twist, writes Johanna Thornton.
Anyone who’s experienced the charm of a true blue Aussie surf club – where you can sip a Pacific ale and eat chips in
On March 11, they’re set to open Takapuna Surf Club, an all-day rooftop eatery above Takapuna Beach with views of the Hauraki Gulf and Rangitoto.
Australian surf clubs are pillars of the community. Think Coolangatta’s Rainbow Bay Surf Club with its bar made from broken surfboards, surfing hall of fame, and a salt-worn balcony. Or Surf Club Mooloolaba, one of the oldest Surf Life Saving Clubs in Australia steeped in history. Takapuna Surf Club embraces that same local spirit – a place where you’re just as welcome fresh from the ocean in a towel as you are straight from work or celebrating a birthday.
“At the heart of the brief is we’re a community spot. We’re a large venue built for lots of people and we’ve got a catch-all of everyone’s welcome,” says Andrew Roborgh, who with Callum O’Brien, Kristian Lloydd, Reuben Ruscoe and Maia Atvars, makes up the Five Fellas.
It’s a big venue, and every corner has been thought out, with three distinct spaces with room for 400 people. There’s a garden bar with views of Hurstmere Rd, a main bar overlooking Takapuna Beach, and an entertainment zone packed with automated dart lanes (which use video technology to score games), arcade games, and big screens. There’ll be a lot going on, says Andrew, and the plan is to make visitors feel instantly at ease the moment they ascend the escalator to the plant-filled lobby. Takapuna Surf Club is “a nod to old school workingmen’s clubs,” says Andrew. “Somewhere you can come any day of the week, find your spot, turn up at any time, there’s always something going on, but it’s super relaxed.”
Callum says their latest venture caters to a wide demographic, something places such as the Northcote Tavern and Swashbucklers do well, and his hope is Takapuna Beach Club provides that same level of accessibility. “In the same way those Aussie surf clubs appeal to a wide range of people. That’s what’s driven the brief here.” Is it worth the drive from the city? That’s the plan.
They’ve worked with design firm CTRL Space again for this project, having collaborated on previous ventures Dr Rudi’s, Saint Alice and Little Easy. They’ve transformed the sprawling space into sun-chasing zones, softened with lush greenery and framed by tree-lined and sea views. The interior channels 80s surf club nostalgia with white breeze blocks, a sweeping curved bar and a surfboard or two. The impressive main bar has a gently pitched, timber-lined roof reminiscent of a boathouse or the interior of a sailboat. The beach feel continues with a natural and light-toned palette, timber decking, sandy-hued upholstery, and whitewashed plaster.
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Advertise with NZME.It also has a sense of permanence with travertine flooring, natural brick planters and aged copper lighting, laying the foundations for an eatery that will be humming for years to come.
“What we’ve discovered through this process is that people from Takapuna are really proud to be from Takapuna,” says Callum, who hopes they’ll be equally proud of their new local. If there was a lot of excitement over their previous venture, Queens, “I reckon there has been more about this one because people from the Shore are so passionate and so they’re so keen to get something good over here”.
The all-day menu, designed by executive chef Maia Atvars, is inspired by “clubroom dining”. Think chicken parmigiana, prawns on ice and beer-battered fish and chips. While that might sound like simple fare, Maia has assembled some top talent to execute it, including Al Alfante, previously at Milenta. As Callum puts it: “It’s a team of weapons in the kitchen”.
Another focus of the menu is hand-stretched pizza, cooked in a Valloriani Igloo pizza oven shipped from Italy and craned, with some difficulty, into the first-floor restaurant. The team has secured an award-winning pizza chef to manage the pass, which will see pork and fennel sausage pizza topped with whipped ricotta, cherry relish and parmesan, and chilli prawn pizzas with bechamel sauce, red onion and mozzarella head out to diners.
To drink, there are frosty beers on tap from Sawmill, Hallertau and Epic, as well as jugs of Peroni and Asahi, Morning Cider, and a considered wine selection. The cocktail list is short, but covers all the bases with a spicy peach margarita, mezcal paloma and pineapple rum martini, designed by Reuben and the team.
Unlike Queens, Takapuna Surf Club has been conceived with families in mind, offering a children’s menu and a games area to keep them entertained. It’s “kid-friendly, but not kid-focused”, says Andrew, with the dart lanes and arcade machines hopefully having wide appeal. “It’s just a space to have fun,” says Andrew, “whether you’re young or old, corporate or student, local or an international traveller.”
Like any good surf club, there’ll be sports playing on big-screen TVs and DJs will set the mood on weekends.
Sure, they could have filled these varied spaces with more tables, they say. “We try to steer away from doing ordinary stuff, you know,” says Callum. “It’s important to make it worthwhile for people to come out and spend $13 on a beer when they could drink one at home. We try to close that gap with amazing service, a wicked fitout, and heaps of stuff going on.”
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Advertise with NZME.And of course, there’s that sea view. Come see for yourself – Takapuna finally has the beach bar it deserves.
Takapuna Surf Club opens on March 11, find it at 111 Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna. Open from 11am until late, seven days a week.
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