Caretaker ★ 4.7
Caretaker is a basement cocktail room beneath 40 Customs Street East in Britomart, Auckland. No drinks menu; bartenders mix to mood. Walk-in or text ahead.
Signature drink: Off-menu bespoke cocktails
Food: Snacks and small plates
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in Auckland for grown-ups.
Where to drink
Bar Albert ★ 4.4
Bar Albert sits 38 floors above Wyndham Street in Auckland CBD with rooftop city views. Cocktails over the harbour and Sky Tower line of sight.
Signature drink: Skyline negroni
Food: Snacks
The Churchill ★ 4.4
The Churchill is a rooftop gin bar at 110 Mayoral Drive in Auckland CBD. A long gin list, modern snacks and a quieter alternative to the Britomart strip.
Signature drink: Curated gin and tonic
Food: Drinking snacks
Atelier ★ 4.2
Atelier at 292 Karangahape Road is one of the K Road strip's newer cocktail rooms in Auckland. Airy room, after-work cocktails, first-date energy.
Signature drink: Seasonal cocktail menu
Food: Bar snacks
Sly ★ 4.5
Sly is a hidden K Road speakeasy at 354A Karangahape Road in Auckland with cocktails, hot dogs and a tight 20-seat room behind an unmarked door.
Signature drink: Cocktail and hot dog pairing
Food: Hot dogs and snacks
GG x Flamingo ★ 4.1
GG x Flamingo at 271 Karangahape Road in Auckland is a tropical tiki room on the K Road strip. Tiki cocktails, kitsch decor, late Friday-Saturday hours.
Signature drink: Tropical tiki cocktail
Food: Bar snacks
Hoppers Garden Bar ★ 4.0
Hoppers Garden Bar at 134 Ponsonby Road in Auckland is a backyard garden bar with cocktails, beer and the city's most consistent weekend afternoon trade.
Signature drink: Garden gin highball
Food: Bar snacks
Clipper ★ 4.3
Clipper at 175 Ponsonby Road in Auckland is a small-room cocktail bar on the Ponsonby strip. Bright bold cocktails, late-night DJ rotations on weekends.
Signature drink: Bright seasonal cocktail
Food: Snacks
Palmer ★ 4.3
Palmer at 1 Albert Street is a rooftop cocktail bar and restaurant in Auckland CBD. Polished room, harbour views, the city skyline at sunset.
Signature drink: Rooftop spritz
Food: Modern New Zealand restaurant