Dunedin Breweries
Emerson's Brewery
Richard Emerson started brewing beer in his student flat. These days Emerson's Brewery churns out up to 15,000 litres of premium craft beer five days a week at their swanky premises just a stone's throw from Forsyth Barr Stadium. With a fabulous restaurant on site, and guided tastings and brewery tours available, a visit to Emerson's is a must-do for beer lovers.
70 Anzac Ave
Speight's
Brewing in Dunedin since 1876 and fed by a natural spring beneath the site, Speight’s is one of the few gravity-fed breweries left in the world. Take in a brewery tour and then pop next door to the Alehouse restaurant for a Tasting Tray, expertly matched with the menu, should you fancy a bite. Fresh spring water is available from the Speight's tap outside too, join the queue and fill your bottle.
200 Rattray St
Arc Brewing Co.
This small family brewery is just north of Dunedin, sitting on the shore of Blueskin Bay. It’s focused on brewing small batch handcrafted beers for the people of Dunedin. Its small bar has a real community flavour, regularly featuring live music and food trucks. Open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
1870 Waikouaiti-Waitati Rd, Blueskin Bay
Noisy Brewing Co.
Noisy Brewing Co. is a little Dunedin brewery which opened in 2018, supplying various bars around the city. You can also join the aficionados and buy Noisy brews direct from the cellar door.
7 Anzac Avenue, Central Dunedin
Steamer Basin
Hunt out No Name Alley and visit Steamer Basin's stylish new taproom, just off Bond Street. Steamer Basin brews using low-tech, traditional methods to make well-balanced beer that is enjoyable to share and celebrates our place. As well as their year-round beers, Steamer Basin produce small batch seasonal beers using fresh ingredients matched with delicious woodfired pizza.
No Name Alley (just off Bond Street) Central Dunedin
Dunedin Distilleries
No.8 Distillery
Tucked away in a light and airy brick building on the corner of Filleul and Hanover Streets in downtown Dunedin, No. 8 Distillery crafts a range of award-winning boutique spirits and liquors and also holds workshops and tasting sessions. Sample their range of award-winning gins, rums and other delicious drops, made with a recipe passed down by the French distillers grandmother.
4 Hanover Street, Central Dunedin
Sandymount Distillery
Crafting boutique gins and vodka, this Otago Peninsula-based distillery channels the beauty and wildness of the region into its locally-inspired range, made using locally foraged native botanicals among other more classic ingredients. Watch this space for news of the new tasting room opening on-site soon.
71 Sandymount Road, Otago Peninsula
Dunedin Craft Distillers
Located in the heart of Dunedin's historic Steamer Basin is Dunedin Craft Distillers. A small batch operation which is literally raising spirits, from bread. Created by two Dunedin women on a mission to reduce the volume of bread and bakery waste going to landfill, it's a true food upcycling success story. All their spirits are distilled from fermented waste bread and bakery products. The distillery’s range includes their signature Dunedin Dry Gin and medal winning Cacao Vodka, The Bay Gin and Naked Spirit. Visit their refurbished brewhouse and distillery featuring traditional open fermentation and a beautiful 500L copper still. Do a tasting or take a guided tour of their unique Bread to Bottle process.
Bars, Pubs and Clubs
Octagon and Moray Place
Mr Fox
An intriguing new subterranean bar has arrived at no. 12 The Octagon, Mr. Fox is a den of cool, cocktails and tapas, tucked away below street level with a hidden courtyard space amongst the heritage buildings. Serving up signature ‘foxtails’ such as the Basil Brush Bramble, the Lost Giraffe and the Midwestern along with delicious titbits from the Bacchus kitchen upstairs, this is a bar worth trying.
Woof!
Woof! Is a late-night bar located on the corner of Moray Place and Lower Stuart St. An eclectic, welcoming and surprising bar experience, accompanied by great service, carefully curated spaces and top-notch music. Scottish author and cocktail writer Damian Barr has had a hand in designing the cocktail menu and musician/culinary genius Stef Animal heads up the kitchen team.
Dunedin Social Club
Lively spot with alfresco seating on the corner of Princes Street and the Octagon, snacks and sit-down dining, often with live music after dark – get your dance on.
The Craic Irish Tavern
Get snug in this cosy corner of the Octagon, offering a wide selection of international and NZ beers, wines, spirits and whiskys as well as an extensive menu for brunch, lunch and dinner.
Emerson's Brew Bar
A great site for people watching on the corner of the Octagon and lower Stuart Street.
Albar
A small Lower Stuart Street bar with lots of heart, serving local wine and beer, a select spirit range and tasty, tasty snacks.
Catacombs Nightclub
Find the lower Octagon doorway to this popular dance club and nightclub.
CBK Bar and Kitchen
Craft beer and ciders and stone grill meats, views over the Octagon plus alfresco seating.
Pool House Café and Bar
An enormous space with plenty of pool tables for you and your friends. Found on the Moray Place/Filluel Street corner.
Pequéno
Shhh, it’s a secret… cocktails, wine, tapas found down an alleyway in Upper Moray Place opposite the Rialto Cinema.
Toast Bar
A chill vibe with welcoming, cocktail-shakin’ staff on Princes Street.
George Street
Zanzibar
A gin bar with so many choices they’re running out of room for glasses to serve them in. As Joni Mitchell would sing, it has 'the whoosh of jungle blades and the crackle of northern ice'. Knowledgeable staff and live music.
The Bog
This Irish bar and restaurant is in a classic publican’s site and hosts music and quiz nights.
Hanover Street
Vivace Karaoke Bar
Yes, the song list has everything from Euro-pop to K-pop and everything in between. Belt it out.
Near the city centre
Sessions
This popular inner-city haven offers fab food, local and NZ craft beer, cider and wine. Live music and a happy atmosphere add to the attraction.
XYZ
It’s new, there’s a big glowing dance floor, it’s LGBTQ and Straight friendly and they’re planning heaps of events. Sounds like fun.
Duke of Wellington
Nothing beats a classic British-style pub on a cool winter's day and the Duke of Wellington is all that and more. The purveyors of fine ales from around the globe, this rather ornate establishment in the historic Warehouse Precinct of Dunedin has twenty-odd beers on hand at any given time and a cosy, wood panelled interior that lends itself to a few warming pints and a bit of banter.
North Dunedin
Inch Bar
It’s little, friendly, welcoming, with live music and a range of local and exotic beverages.
South Dunedin
The Kensington
There’s a real community vibe at this classic pub, established in 1915. There’s free pool, quiz nights galore, family days when children eat for free, even Texas Holdem Poker nights.
Port Chalmers
The Portsider
A characterful pub whose staff know the stories behind the great beer they serve with tasty food in this historic harbourside township.
Carey’s Bay Hotel
A landmark 1874 bluestone pub and seafood restaurant on the banks of the Otago Harbour. Settle in and relax for the day.