Located on a corner in Ponsonby, this spot is particularly easy to find - just look for the throng of boozers out front. The beer is always cold, the pizza piping hot and the wine list offers a decent selection. Cocktails are best kept simple; stick to Pimm’s on a hot summer’s day with a medley of refreshing fruits and mint.

You’re in one of the city’s most sociable neighbourhoods, and this place is basically an institution here, so get involved. Pull up a perch outside and watch the Auckland scene saunter past. Hit it on a Sunday when swarms of revellers flock to bump and grind to different weekly DJs and fight their way to the bar…it can all get gloriously messy.