The Kingslander is Kingsland's self-styled home of live sport, live music and good times — a big, buzzy bar on New North Road where game day is treated as an event. UFC, boxing, rugby, league and cricket all screen live and loud on the big screens, and the venue promises there is always something on, from packed match-day sessions to a full weekly calendar of entertainment.
The week has its own rhythm here: Tuesday is quiz night hosted by Believe It Or Not Quiz Nights, Wednesday brings salsa lessons with Coco of Salsa Con Coco, Thursday pairs open mic night (hosted by GIG HQ) with all-you-can-eat ribs, Friday and Saturday showcase live local bands, and Sunday belongs to the UFC, with pay-per-views and Fight Nights on the big screen. Daily food specials run alongside — fish and chips Wednesdays, steak and chips Fridays, ribs nights Thursdays and Sundays, and a Saturday platter of the day.
The kitchen covers proper pub territory: starters and snacks like loaded fries, wedges, chicken wings in a secret rub and the namesake Kingsy fried chicken, with menus spanning sharing salads, large sharing platters, mains, steaks, burgers and sandwiches, sides and desserts. Function hire is available for birthdays, gigs, screenings and corporate events, catering is offered, and delivery runs through Uber Eats.
The location is hard to beat — in the heart of eclectic Kingsland, a stone's throw from Eden Park and a one-minute walk from Kingsland Train Station — making it an easy meeting point before kick-off and the obvious place to keep the evening going after the final whistle. Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm until late.
There are sports bars that tolerate the game, and there are sports bars that live for it. The Kingslander, on New North Road in the heart of Kingsland, sits firmly in the second camp. It calls itself the home of UFC, boxing, rugby, league and cricket in Kingsland, and it backs that up the only way that counts: every big match screened live and loud on the big screens, in front of a crowd that cares as much as you do.
On game day, the atmosphere is the point. Whether it's a big rugby or league clash, a boxing card, a cricket session or a Sunday UFC pay-per-view, the action goes on the big screens with the volume up and the room right behind it. The bar is only a stone's throw from Eden Park, which makes it a natural staging ground before a test or a concert, and the obvious place to keep the conversation going afterwards.
Getting there is refreshingly easy: Kingsland Train Station is a one-minute walk away, so you can leave the car behind and let the train do the work. The venue sits in the middle of eclectic Kingsland, surrounded by one of Auckland's liveliest neighbourhood strips.
What really sets The Kingslander apart is that the calendar never goes quiet. Tuesday nights are quiz night, hosted by Believe It Or Not Quiz Nights, with sharing platters on special for teams. Wednesday belongs to dancers, with salsa night taught by Coco of Salsa Con Coco. Thursday does double duty: all-you-can-eat ribs in the kitchen and open mic night hosted by GIG HQ.
Friday brings live music from talented local bands, Saturday keeps the live bands coming week after week, and Sunday is fight day — UFC pay-per-views and Fight Nights on the big screen, billed as the home of the UFC in Kingsland. In short: whatever night you pick, something is on.
The kitchen covers proper pub territory. The menu runs from small sharing salads and large sharing platters through mains, steaks, burgers and sandwiches, sides and desserts. The starters board does the heavy lifting early: garlic butter and cheese pizza bread with a balsamic glaze, beer batter fries, loaded fries with melted cheese, bacon and gravy, curly fries with aioli, and wedges with sour cream and sweet chilli — with loaded versions of both for serious appetites.
Fried chicken is a house strength. Wings come in a secret rub with your choice of BBQ or honey soy, by the half dozen or the dozen, and the Kingsy fried chicken arrives with sriracha mayo. Salt and pepper calamari rounds out the snacks.
The daily specials give regulars a reason to keep coming back. Wednesday is fish and chips night, Friday is steak and chips, Thursday and Sunday both run all-you-can-eat ribs, Saturday features a platter of the day, and Tuesday's quiz platters feed the trivia teams.
Got something to celebrate? The Kingslander offers private function hire for birthdays, gigs, screenings, corporate events and more. Catering is available as well, and if you'd rather have the food come to you, delivery runs through Uber Eats.
The Kingslander is open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm until late and closed on Mondays. Find it at 470 New North Road, Kingsland — a stone's throw from Eden Park and a minute's walk from the train station. Bookings can be made through the website's What's On page, or call 09 849 5777 to lock in a table for the big game or a spot at quiz night.