Auckland’s Best Wine Bars, Where The Vibes Are Immaculate (And So Are The Sides)

So, you want a wine bar that’s chic but also fun and lively, with a great drinks list and food to match? We’ve got you covered.

Bar Martin

Every suburb needs a local like Bar Martin, an inviting wine bar tucked between Mt Albert and Western Springs on Martin Avenue. Find a seat to suit your mood, whether it’s perched at the bar, watching the neighbourhood go by at one of the French bistro tables on the footpath, cosied up at a table for two, or enjoying the fresh air at one of the beer garden-style benches in the courtyard. There are more than 20 wines available by the glass, and double that amount available by the bottle, canvassing well-loved wineries like Craggy Range, Milton and Dog Point and natural styles from the likes of Delinquente Wine. To eat, find sardines with sourdough and seaweed butter; coppa with roast hazelnuts; burrata with herbs, capers and chilli, and duck parfait — nothing much is cooked here, and that’s just fine. Bar Martin has the kind of ambient lighting and stylish fit-out that makes it as ideal for impressing a first date as it is a friend from out of town, but be prepared to say hello to all your neighbours if you live nearby. Open from 3pm Tuesday-Saturday and Sunday from 12pm-8pm. 43 Martin Ave, Mount Albert.

Annabel’s

The stuck-in-a-timewarp Three Lamps end of Ponsonby Rd was crying out for a wine bar like Annabel’s when it opened in 2017. Since then Annabel’s has evolved to be more than a wine bar, offering a smart list of wine by the glass and bottle, classic cocktails and an aperitivo menu by night, and coffee, cake and sandwiches by day. It’s also an online wine shop. The interior features a deep blue leather banquette that sweeps around the bar, with floating bistro-style tabletops and wooden stools for perching on. The outside tables are always in high demand, benefitting from afternoon sun and with room for a friend or 10. The wines are interesting (like Black Estate Wildlife Riesling); boujie (think Perrier Jouet Grand Brut), and plentiful — you can order a litre of chilled Italian red if it’s that kind of evening. Filling your side plates is the aperitivo menu (available from 4pm every day) of olives, nuts and prosciutto, the chef’s menu (available from 5pm Wed-Sat) of oysters, fried potatoes and fritto misto or the always-a-good idea charcuterie and cheese platter. Open Monday-Saturday. 277 Ponsonby Rd, Auckland.

Beau

Stanley Ave Wine Bar & Bistro

This wine-bar-meets-bistro in Milford on Auckland’s North Shore is helmed by a team who know good food and wine. Manager Matt Aitchison is a Milford local and trained sommelier whose wine knowledge has benefitted some of Auckland’s best restaurants including The French Café, Masu and Cassia. Head chef Jono Beattie was previously sous chef at Viva’s Top 50 Auckland Restaurants Supreme Winner Mr Morris, and has created a bistro-style menu made up of snacks, and small and large plates ideal for enjoying with a glass of wine. “Stanley Ave is pitched as a wine bar with food but if you want to treat it as a restaurant you’ll find nothing missing,” says dining out editor Jesse Mulligan. “It’s a no-brainer if you live nearby but, like The Engine Room, well worth crossing the bridge for too.” 52 East Coast Rd, Milford, Auckland.

Bar Celeste

French neo-bistro Bar Celeste might be great for dinner (it’s featured in the top 10 in Viva’s Top 50 Restaurants for two consecutive years), but it’s also ideal for anyone wanting drinks, snacks and a good time, with a rotating wine and food menu that changes with the seasons. The vibes at this Karangahape Rd wine bar and restaurant are warm and rowdy, and Friday nights see the space switch to a party atmosphere with DJs, smash burgers, oysters and drinks specials flowing into the early hours. The wine list highlights organic and natural wines from New Zealand and further afield, with a short edit available by the glass and many by the bottle. On a sunny early evening, try the outdoor tables for a cold glass of orange wine and we can almost guarantee you’ll end up staying for dinner. Open Tuesday-Sunday from 5pm. 146b Karangahape Rd.

Vic Rd Wine Bar & Cellar

From the team behind Vic Road Kitchen in Devonport, who are creating some of Auckland’s most delicious food, according to dining out editor Jesse Mulligan, comes Vic Road Wine Bar & Cellar, a European-style wine bar-meets-bottle shop in the snug space once occupied by Thompson’s Shoes — a popular spot with Devonport locals for over 80 years. The Vic Road Kitchen team have repurposed elements of the original store, turning the shoe shelves into wine storage and uncovering original stained glass windows and brickwork. They’ve also created a cosy outdoor courtyard, ideal for drinking wine in the sun — see, charming! Not only does Vic Road Wine Bar offer a great list of wines by the glass (which changes regularly), but there are also 200 wines from New Zealand and overseas available to take home. The food is tapas-style, with terrines and dips, cheese and charcuterie, olives, octopus and more, served by attentive staff who know a thing or two about wine. Plus, if you’re after something more substantial, the excellent Vic Road Kitchen is just up the road. Open Tuesday-Sunday. 53-55 Victoria Rd, Devonport.

Cellar 495

If you’re in Hastings, Wine bar Cellar 495 is a must, a lively yet elegant space that opened in 2022, conceived by owner and master of wine Michael Henley (the world’s 495th wine master, hence the name). He’s designed the bar as a wine shop and tasting room by day, and a wine bar by night, with a menu of sophisticated food like Yabon sourdough with bone marrow butter and roasted garlic; little brioche toasts topped with Ortiz anchovies, salted yolk and chermoula; and crispy maple-glazed pork belly on kūmara puree with puffed amaranth and apple. A great way to experience the food is the Trust the Chef option, which is a series of six dishes accompanied by wines hand-chosen by Mike from Hawke’s Bay and further afield. Cellar 495 is in the Municipal Building, with some of the city’s key venues housed inside, including the Toitoi opera house, Akina Gallery, Hastings I-site and Craft & Social. Tables at Cellar 495 spill out into a laneway that connects these venues, making it feel like a vibey slice of Melbourne. Mike’s bar is the ideal spot for pre- and post-show drinks, but with food this good you’d be wise to settle in for longer. 319 Heretaunga St East, Hastings.

Noble Rot

Located on Swan Lane in a courtyard off Cuba Street, Noble Rot was one of Wellington’s first wine bars when it opened in 2016, a city known for its great restaurants but up until then lacking in bars dedicated to wine. The vibe is relaxed and informal and while the wine list might seem intimidating (there are over 500 to choose from, with 80 available by the glass making it one of New Zealand’s largest wine selections), Noble Rot’s team of sommeliers are happy to help you choose a glass. It’s a diverse and interesting list, available in 100ml and 150ml pours, plus a Corovin wine system allows the team to serve premium wines at drinkable prices. To eat, there are lots of light bites that pair beautifully with wine (fromage, parfait, rillette, charcuterie, burrata), but you can also find main meals, from dry-aged eye fillet to poached market fish with verjus beurre blanc. 6 Swan Lane, Te Aro, Wellington.

Scotch Wine Bar

Located in the heart of wine country, in Blenheim, Scotch Wine bar and Shop has been helmed by some of New Zealand’s top food and wine talent like Dan Gillet (Wine Diamonds) and Georgia van Prehn (head chef at Auckland’s Alta). In 2020 it entered a new chapter with new owner Jacob Anderson but what hasn’t changed is the ever-evolving list of rare and interesting wines (the bar has a cellar of around 2000 bottles) and a sharp multicourse tasting menu of beautifully presented food. The fit-out is thoughtful too, with deep blue booths, brick walls, industrial concrete blocks and warm wood tables. Scotch is known for its wine-tasting events, so be sure to check what’s on the agenda. Monday-Friday, 4pm-late. 26 Maxwell Rd, Blenheim.

Londo Bar

A relative newcomer to Christchurch’s thriving food and wine scene, Londo is a petite bar with big ideas, offering natural wine, slick cocktails and inventive food prepared with heart in a tiny kitchen. The team here care about food, with spectacularly presented in-season sharing dishes like pork Milanese with curly endive; or braised leeks with oyster mushrooms and a soft boiled egg, and silky smooth truffle pasta, dreamed up by chef Bob Fairs (previously chef at Lyttelton’s now closed Roots restaurant). Wine is a focus too, with some exciting New Zealand drops like Libiamo Amphora Chenin Blanc from Gisborne, and A Thousand Gods Love Letters Pinot Noir from Melbourne, as well as a roster of low-intervention international wines. From the glassware to the fonts to the lighting, the Londo team have paid mind to aesthetics, and it all looks great. Open from 5pm. Unit 6/2 Papnui Rd, Merivale, Christchurch.