So You Want A Cosy Bar For A Date Night

The bars included in this round-up are the sort of places that transform after dark, when the lights are low, the vibe becomes intimate, the candles are lit and any scruffy corners seem to fade into the background. These bars have quiet corners to escape to, deep chairs to sink into and lowlit tables to converse over. Either way, they’re best enjoyed with great company.

Bar Magda

Viva Top 50 Auckland Restaurant Bar Magda serves a unique menu of seasonal plates with a Filipino twist, crafted by chef Carlo Buenaventura. It’s also known for its excellent bar, which you can secure a table in when you book online, and which is slightly separate from the main dining room. Located on Cross St, find Bar Magda down a flight of stairs, a dark and sultry space bathed in red light and hidden behind velvet drapes. Co-owner Matt Venebles is known for his cocktails and at Bar Magda the team thrives on offering visitors something they’ve never tried before. “Most people would look at my back bar and have no idea what most of the products are, but I have created a menu that makes them accessible,” Matt told Viva last year. That includes creations like Devil’s Medicine, a combination of Arette Tequila, Gracias Dios mezcal, clarified citrus, orange, honey, ginger and Still Life Malbec. Or the Magdarita with Arette tequila, Gracias Dios mezcal, elderflower, agave and salt. It’s an ideal date night spot, where you can slink down below street level and settle in for a night of new flavours. 25b Cross St, central city.

Roji Bar

A secret bar of sorts, Roji is hidden away at the back of the always bustling Azabu on Ponsonby Rd. Find your way there through the restaurant’s main entrance, or come in through the back via the graffiti-covered Maidstone Lane via the outdoor terrace. Like the main restaurant (which was awarded best restaurant for a first date by Viva’s Top 50 judges in last year’s restaurant awards), Roji’s walls are black, the lighting is dim and the decor is sleek, making it feel like the ideal starting point for a great night out. Far from being just a waiting area for the restaurant, Roji is the spot to sample the sake menu, which includes Daiginjo (served cold), Jumai Hojozo and more premium drops, umeshu (plum wine), Asahi on tap and a great cocktail list of Japanese-leaning concoctions like a Nippon Negroni (gin, Lillet Blanc, umeshu) or a Wasabi Mule (gin, fresh wasabi, lime, ginger and ginger beer). At Roji you can order Nikkei-Peruvian snacks from the main menu too. 26 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby.

Caretaker

Down a long flight of stairs on Britomart’s Roukai Lane, Caretaker is a sexy underground cocktail den ideal for a drink for two. There’s no drinks list here, rather staff will craft you a unique cocktail depending on what you’re in the mood for. There’s also no schlepping to the bar here, once you’re seated the staff will attend to you table-side, so all you have to do is sit back and enjoy the scene. Caretaker is usually busy, and doesn’t take bookings, so also consider its sister spot in Ponsonby, Deadshot, which offers the same no-menu philosophy and sweet tables for two nestled along a brick wall that is barely lit by low-hanging lights. 40 Customs St, Britomart Place and 45 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby.

Little Culprit

From the team that brought you this rave review from Viva’s restaurant reviewer Jesse Mulligan comes this inner city bar serving martinis and waffle cut fries on Wyndham St. Little Culprit is across the road from Culprit, which means top-notch snacks from the Culprit kitchen and the same inventive spin on flavours (Little Culprit’s old fashioned is made with white miso and Milky Bars, for example). Inside the bar, a back-lit dispensary bar creates an atmospheric spot for a drink and the lounge area is all velvet curtains and leather booths. Cnr Wyndham and Queen Sts, central city.

Gypsy Tea Room

Gypsy Tea Room is the kind of bar that benefits from the sun going down, when its charm becomes amplified and its intimate cafe tables turn into the ideal spot to while away an hour or two ensconced in a dark corner. Housed in a heritage building on a corner of Grey Lynn’s Richmond Rd, it has a certain old-timey appeal with its patinaed walls, patterned ceiling, backlit bar, antique lamps and stained glassed windows. It all adds to a warm golden glow that mysteriously makes any date look better. Or could it be the bottle of house red and mixed olives that did that? 455 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn.

Captain’s Bar

Located on the ground floor of Park Hyatt Hotel, stepping into Captain’s Bar is like setting sail on a sleek wooden ship destined for brighter shores. Maybe it’s the waterfront location, or maybe it’s the extensive rum list and sailing puns abound that makes it feel like a watering hole for mariners, but it’s the chic wood-panelled interior with plush booths, comfy couches, warm amber lighting and a working fireplace that makes it a nice date night spot. If you’re not in the mood for the aforementioned rum, the Captain’s Bar team can whip up the classics — espresso martinis, an old fashioned or a magarita, or try their signature cocktails, like the N72 with Woodford Bourbon infused with thyme, coconut-washed Aperol, mixed bitters and maple syrup. To eat there are tapas-style plates of calamari, baked brie and charcuterie. 99 Halsey St, central city.

If you can snag a booth out the back, this is a great spot to spend an evening, with candles lit, table service and a great playlist (Conch was originally a record store). The inside high tables are sweet too, with vases of flowers and partitions that make them feel more intimate. Conch always has a great selection of local beers on tap, usually Liberty and Hallertau, but they also do cocktails like pisco sours, mezcal negronis and caipirinha to go with the South American-inspired menu of tamales, tostadas and tacos all benefiting from the charred flavours of the outdoor oven. Speaking of which, Conch suffered from a fire in 2021 and had to close for renovations. It’s back up and running to the delight of its regulars, and still has that fresh wood polish smell. 115A Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby.

Est 1901

Est 1901 is a pint-size bar nestled between Prego and Boy and Bird on Ponsonby Rd that serves cocktails and an interesting list of wines from New Zealand and further afield. Its interior has all the hallmarks of a cosy bar: brick walls, a fireplace, leather chairs and the piece de resistance — a resident ginger cat called Buddy. Tables here are purposefully set up for two along one wall, making it the ideal drop-in spot for a date over an interestingly named cocktail like the ‘Toast The Main Trunk Line’, which combines Champagne with Grand Marnier and grapefruit juice, or a Three Lamps by Gaslight (a vegan whisky sour with Cointreau and kaffir lime powder). 224 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby.

Satya Chai Lounge

Next door to Satya restaurant in Sandringham is a corridor transformed into a haven for Indian street-style snacks and craft beers. Owner Samrudh Akuthota created the space in 2016 in the style of a dhaba, a rudimentary shack found on the roadside in India, with his version serving great food, local beers and cocktails. The walls and roof are covered in recycled coffee sacks, there are rugs on the ground and hanging lamps create an ambient glow. It’s a concept so successful that the Karangahape Rd location followed in 2018, which was included in the Viva Top 50 Auckland Restaurant list in 2021. Both locations are great for an atmospheric date; entering will transport you to another place, one with comforting spicy snacks and a mean drinks list. 515A Sandringham Rd, Sandringham.