nami record bar sits at 115a Ponsonby Road in the heart of Ponsonby, Auckland, doing exactly what its name suggests: pairing a bar with a steady rotation of vinyl. The team's own tagline — 'Where The Records Revolve, The Culture Evolves' — captures the idea. This is a place where the music leads and everything else follows, built for people who like their nights out with a proper soundtrack.
On the drinks side the promise is simple: step onto the dance floor with some of NZ's finest drinks. The food menu keeps things easy with burgers — the site's 'New Burgers' section highlights the current lineup — so a night here can run from dinner through to last call without going anywhere else.
The hours follow a bar rhythm. Sunday through Tuesday the doors close at 10PM, Wednesday and Thursday run to midnight, and Friday and Saturday nights stretch all the way to 2AM, making it one of the suburb's genuine late-night options at the weekend.
Beyond the bar itself, nami runs an online merch shop stocking branded pieces — the 'Don't Forget Your Party Juice' T-shirt, house lighters in black and white, and gift vouchers. Bookings can be made through the website, and the team can be reached at hello@namirecordbar.com for anything specific.
Ponsonby Road isn't short of places to drink, but few commit to a single idea the way nami record bar does. At 115a Ponsonby Road, this is a bar built around vinyl — records physically revolving while the room fills around them. The team's own tagline says it plainly: 'Where The Records Revolve, The Culture Evolves.' It's part bar, part music culture, part late-night hang, and it treats the soundtrack as the main event rather than background filler.
The drinks menu arrives with a fitting invitation: step onto the dance floor with some of NZ's finest drinks. That framing tells you a fair amount about the room's energy before you've even walked in. This isn't a hushed cocktail parlour — it's a bar pitched at people who came for the music and plan to stay for it, with a drinks list that leans on New Zealand and is designed to carry you through a night rather than a single round.
Pair the drinks with the kitchen's burgers and you have the full formula. The site gives food real prominence — a dedicated 'New Burgers' section points straight to the current lineup — so a visit can comfortably run from dinner through to the early hours without needing a second venue.
nami keeps proper bar hours, and they shift with the week. Every night starts at 4PM, which makes it an easy after-work call as well as a destination. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday wind down at 10PM — a civilised pace for the start of the week. Wednesday and Thursday stretch to midnight, and then Friday and Saturday go the distance, closing at 2AM. If you're planning a Ponsonby night out that doesn't end early, the weekend is when this place runs at full tilt.
There's a merchandising streak here too. The online shop stocks the 'Don't Forget Your Party Juice' T-shirt in black, sized S through 2XL, along with nami house lighters in black and white. If you'd rather let someone else choose, gift vouchers are available — an easy present for the vinyl devotee in your life. Everything is sold through the website, so pieces can be picked up even when you're not in the neighbourhood.
Bookings are handled through the Bookings page on the nami website, which is worth using if you're set on a particular night. For anything specific — a larger group, an occasion, a special request — the team invites you to email hello@namirecordbar.com and says they'll do their best to accommodate your needs. The bar is also active on Instagram and TikTok under @namirecordbar, which is where new menu drops and updates tend to surface first.
A practical rhythm to keep in mind: midweek visits suit a relaxed evening that wraps by midnight or earlier, while Friday and Saturday are for the full experience — burgers, drinks, records and a room that's still going at 2AM. And if you leave wanting a piece of the place, the merch shop is only a click away.
nami record bar does one thing with real conviction: great records and good drinks under one roof, with burgers to keep you there. On Ponsonby Road, that's a combination worth building an evening around.