Beachfront bistro on Tamaki Drive, St Heliers. Panoramic Rangitoto views, bistro food, premium NZ beers and brunch. Book a table today.
On the St Heliers end of Tamaki Drive, where Auckland's waterfront eases into a seaside village, Moretons Bar & Restaurant occupies one of the city's most enviable corners. It is a beachfront retreat in the truest sense: panoramic views out to Rangitoto Island, a bustling dining room, and the kind of neighbourly welcome that has made it a fixture of local life in St Heliers. Come at lunchtime and the room hums with families and friends; come in the evening and the buzz carries right through service.
Moretons is part of Star Group's family of more than 50 bars, pubs and restaurants around New Zealand, but it wears its neighbourhood credentials lightly. The promise is simple: bistro-quality food, premium New Zealand beers and a relaxed space right by the water. Four-legged friends are welcome too — Moretons is proudly dog friendly, inside and out — which tells you a lot about the vibe.
The kitchen keeps things generous and crowd-pleasing. Start small and share: market-fresh oysters with yuzu and chive mignonette, beef brisket bourguignon croquettes with mustard cream, bang bang prawns tossed in chilli and sesame crack, salt n pepper squid with XO mayo, and pork belly bites with mustard BBQ. Loaded fries arrive in three builds — McC with shredded chicken, bacon and gravy; Pickle House BBQ with smoked brisket and jalapeños; and a vegetarian Holy Guac with avocado ranch and cheddar mayo.
Mains run the full distance from comfort food to proper occasion. There's classic fish and chips with tartare, a seafood and potato chowder served with garlic bread, a wagyu smashed beef burger stacked with BBQ brisket and smoked cheddar, and a buttermilk fried chicken burger with sweet and spicy pickles. Higher up the scale sits the butchers cut steak with béarnaise and port wine jus, twice cooked pork belly with piccalilli and apple cider jus, merino lamb rump and a broken tiger prawn linguine in XO cream — plus a spiced chickpea and roasted cauliflower bowl for plant-based diners.
Dessert is worth the pause. The dark chocolate fondant comes with Black Doris plum and crème fraîche ice cream, cocoa crumble and berry coulis, while the date pudding arrives with rum caramel foam and Kapiti vanilla bean ice cream. Weekends bring brunch service until 3pm, and a dedicated kids menu — chicken nuggets, fish fingers, cheeseburgers, even a s'mores waffle — keeps smaller diners happy.
The bar backs it up with premium NZ beers: Heineken and Heineken Silver, Tiger and Tiger Crystal, and Export Gold, with pitchers of selected draughts for the table. A short cocktail list covers the classics with a twist — mango and strawberry margaritas made with El Jimador blanco, a sloe gin fizz with Hayman's, and a spiced pear mojito.
Moretons keeps its calendar busy. The Monday Mile gets the week moving at 6pm every Monday, and the weekly pub quiz takes over every Tuesday from 7pm — a proper neighbourhood tradition that fills the room with regulars. If you're planning something bigger, the venue has function spaces with tailored food and beverage packages and free event planning services, making it a straightforward choice for birthdays, work dos and celebrations.
A few practical notes. The menu flags vegetarian, no-gluten-added and dairy-free dishes, though the kitchen is not an allergen-free zone, so it pays to chat with the team about any requirements. Card and contactless payments carry a 2% surcharge. Signing up to Star Social (free) earns you $1 back for every $10 spent — not just here but across Star Group's venues — and there's a digital coffee card for regulars who work through the flat whites.
Hours run from midday on weekdays — until 9pm Monday to Wednesday and 10pm Thursday and Friday — and from 11am on weekends, closing at 11pm on Saturday and 9pm on Sunday. Whether it's a long lunch looking out to Rangitoto, quiz night with the neighbours, or a Sunday family feed after the beach, Moretons does what the best local does: it makes the waterfront feel like home.