Malt Public House is Grey Lynn's gastro pub, set in the heart of the vibrant West Lynn village on the corner of Richmond Road and Hakanoa Street. It's the perfect blend of bustling bar and upbeat dining restaurant — relaxed, comfortable surroundings inside, a delightfully cosy spot in front of the open wood fire, and a spacious outdoor deck and courtyard out the back.
The kitchen keeps things honest: all the old favourites plus exciting daily specials, built on premium local ingredients, delivering a varied grazing selection as well as fresh and hearty pub staples — all prepared with a tasty twist. Behind the bar there's a proper selection of craft and premium beers with a rotating guest tap, alongside carefully selected wines from Marlborough to the Barossa and a full cocktail list.
Great service is integral here: the team prides itself on friendly, knowledgeable service and a warm, welcoming environment. Malt also hosts functions, from reserved areas to the whole venue, and offers gift cards, online reservations and a loyalty programme for regulars.
On the corner of Richmond Road and Hakanoa Street, in the middle of West Lynn's vibrant village strip, you'll find Malt Public House — Grey Lynn's gastro pub and, in its own words, the place "where locals feel at home." It's a genuine hybrid: half bustling neighbourhood bar, half upbeat dining restaurant, and it works for a quick after-work pint just as easily as for a long dinner that drifts into another round at the bar.
The space does a lot of the charming for you. Inside, the bar and dining areas are relaxed and comfortable — a proper pub, not a showroom. When the weather turns, there's a spot that's delightfully cosy in front of the open wood fire; when the sun's out, the spacious outdoor deck and courtyard are where everyone wants to be. Regulars simply move with the seasons.
The kitchen keeps a familiar brief and executes it well: the menu has all your old pub favourites, with daily specials alongside to tempt your taste buds. The chef works with premium local ingredients and tasty flavour combinations, delivering a varied grazing selection as well as fresh, hearty pub staples — all prepared with a tasty twist. Because the specials change regularly, there's a real reason to check the current menu before you come, or simply ask the team what's on today. Malt publishes its full menu set online too: the main food menu, the drinks list and a dedicated alcohol-free list.
Beer drinkers are well looked after, with a strong craft and premium line-up: Emerson's Pilsner, Bird Dog IPA, Day Tripper and the Orange Roughy hazy tropical pale ale, Panhead's Pickup Hazy IPA and Supercharger APA, plus Guinness, Stella Artois and Mac's Ginger Giant on tap. A rotating guest beer means there's usually something new to ask about.
The wine list is carefully selected rather than endless: the house-range Squashed Olive pours from Marlborough and Hawkes Bay sit beside The Ned, Cloudy Bay, Mt Difficulty's Roaring Meg pinot noir and a Bannockburn pinot for the big occasion, with French and Italian picks across sparkling, white, rosé and red.
Cocktails have personality, too. The Malt Margarita and Malt Mojito each come in four flavour takes, the Cinnamon Express pairs fresh espresso with vanilla vodka and star anise, and Malt's Maple Old Fashioned stirs bourbon with maple syrup and chocolate bitters. And if you're not drinking, you're not an afterthought: the alcohol-free menu covers Corona Cero, Guinness 0%, Zeffer's 0% cider, Emerson's Little Bird, Seedlip spirits and proper mocktails. The menu's own slogan — join the fun, avoid the hangover — sums it up.
Malt scales up gracefully. For group events and parties, the team will talk you through booking an area — or the whole venue — for everything from lunch and dinner to drinks and nibbles, parties and corporate events. Online reservations are there for everyday visits, gift cards cover the hard-to-buy-for, and the Stash loyalty programme gives registered regulars 10% back on their next purchase. There's a What's On page worth watching, too, for whatever the pub has planned next.
Underpinning it all is service. The team's stated focus is on quality and a warm, welcoming environment, and it prides itself on friendly, knowledgeable staff — the kind of thing that quietly turns first visits into habits.
Practicalities are simple: Malt opens from 11am until late, Monday to Friday, and from 10am on Saturday and Sunday. You'll find it at 442 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, on the Richmond Road and Hakanoa Street corner in West Lynn — an easy walk for most of the neighbourhood, which is rather the point of a local.