Austin Club is Christchurch's underground cocktail bar, hidden down a laneway off High Street beside Glassons. Set in a repurposed underground space — described by the venue as a disused underground station — it opened as a hideaway for those who appreciate craft cocktails, live swing music, and a night out with genuine character.
The bar leans into a post-war New Zealand aesthetic: sing-alongs, good-time swing, and dazzling cocktails are the draws. The venue describes itself as 'a place for a jolly good knees-up' — theatrical, warm, and deliberately removed from the everyday. Open Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm until late, it attracts a loyal crowd of regulars and visitors looking for something different from the standard Christchurch bar scene.
Austin Club is part of the Inkster Company group, which operates a collection of Christchurch hospitality venues including OGB, The Church Pub, Paddy McNaughton's Irish Pub, Civil & Naval, Fox & Ferret, The Prebbleton Hotel, and Fanny's Pub. The Inkster Trail connects these venues into a multi-bar experience. The club also offers cocktail masterclasses for groups, an IYKYK Cocktail Club membership, private function bookings, and gift cards.
Tucked down a laneway off High Street, behind an entrance that rewards those who know where to look, Austin Club is Christchurch's underground cocktail bar — literally. Set in what the venue describes as a disused underground station, the space was transformed into a hideaway designed to feel like a discovery: a home-from-home for those who appreciate dazzling cocktails, live swing music, and the kind of evening that starts with one drink and turns into a knees-up.
The aesthetic and the story both lean into a particular era — post-war New Zealand, when the city was rebuilding and people wanted to enjoy themselves. Sing-alongs, good-time swing, and a drinks list built around serious cocktails are the pillars of the experience. The mood is theatrical and deliberately escapist — a place apart from the rest of the city above ground.
Austin Club is open Wednesday through Saturday from 5pm until late. Access is down the laneway beside Glassons on High Street.
Cocktails are front and centre at Austin Club. The bar has its own dedicated cocktails page and a signature list — the kind of venue where the drinks menu has been thought about as carefully as the room itself.
For groups wanting something more interactive, Austin Club offers cocktail masterclasses — billed specifically as an option for a girls' night out, though open to any group. The format gives participants a hands-on experience making cocktails with guidance from the bar team.
There's also an IYKYK Cocktail Club — a members-style initiative for regulars who want to go deeper into what the bar offers. Details are available through the website, and the name is the first signal that this is a bar that enjoys its own in-jokes.
A password feature on the website hints at the speakeasy sensibility that runs through everything Austin Club does — it's part of the experience, not just the decor.
Live music is a regular fixture at Austin Club, and the venue maintains a Coming Up events calendar on the website. The swing and sing-along programming fits the venue's character — this is not background music for a quiet cocktail, it's part of what the night becomes.
Austin Club is part of the Inkster Company group, which operates a collection of Christchurch hospitality venues including OGB, The Church Pub, Paddy McNaughton's Irish Pub, Civil & Naval, Fox & Ferret, The Prebbleton Hotel, and Fanny's Pub. The Inkster Trail is a multi-venue experience that connects the group's bars — details are available through the Austin Club website and the Inkster app.
Functions can be booked through the venue for private events and group bookings. Gift cards are also available for those who want to share the Austin Club experience as a present.