Eastern Suburbs Tavern is a traditional pub in the heart of Glengarry, Invercargill, serving up great times since 1963. It's the kind of neighbourhood tavern where you'll find cold beer, good yarns, pool and darts — and a full TAB terminal if you fancy a flutter. Manager James Wesney and the friendly team pride themselves on giving everyone a warm welcome.
The tavern offers everything you'd expect from a proper local, spread across several spaces: Craftys Bar with its full-service TAB and delicious bar meals, the East Lounge function room catering for groups of up to 200 people, a Gaming Lounge & Bar with 18 machines, and an on-site Bottle Store stocking a wide range of popular beers, wines and RTDs.
Food comes courtesy of Mrs Slocombe's Kitchen & Catering, serving hearty, traditional home-style cooking at prices that won't break the bank — whether you're after a comforting meal or catering for an event. Add in function space for gatherings big or small, help with fundraisers like quiz nights and talent quests, and members' Tavern Clubs you're invited to join, and you have a genuine cornerstone of the local community.
Some pubs chase trends; others know exactly what they are. The Eastern Suburbs Tavern, found in the heart of Glengarry in Invercargill, is firmly the second kind. A traditional pub serving up great times since 1963, it trades in the things that make a neighbourhood tavern great: cold beer, good yarns, pool, darts and a full TAB terminal for anyone who fancies a flutter.
At the helm is host James Wesney, who along with the friendly team has built a reputation for offering every visitor a warm welcome — and, more often than not, a yarn to go with it.
The Eastern Suburbs offers everything you'd expect from a proper local, spread across several distinct spaces. **Craftys Bar** is the tavern's main hub, combining a full-service TAB with delicious bar meals, so you can catch the racing over a plate without moving an inch. Those feeling lucky can head to the **Gaming Lounge & Bar**, where 18 machines are available.
For bigger gatherings, the **East Lounge** is a function room that comfortably caters for groups of up to 200 people. And if the night is winding down but you're not ready for it to end, the on-site **Bottle Store** stocks a wide range of popular beers, wines and RTDs, open daily from 11am to 11pm.
The food at Eastern Suburbs comes courtesy of Mrs Slocombe's Kitchen & Catering, which serves up hearty, traditional food — with a wink. Whether you're after a comforting meal in the tavern or catering for an event, the kitchen prides itself on great service and delicious, home-style cooking at prices that won't break the bank. It's a taste of tradition, served without pretension.
Big or small, the team can cater for it all. The function space is a genuine asset for the community, and the tavern actively helps locals run fundraisers — jingo, quiz nights or even a talent quest. With the space and the expertise on hand, they promise to make your fundraiser an absolute banger.
The tavern's **Tavern Clubs** are described as a vital part of the fabric of the establishment, and new members are invited to join. It's one more way the Eastern Suburbs functions less like a business and more like a shared local institution.
The tavern operates under the Invercargill Licensing Trust, and its licence is published openly on its website — a fitting bit of transparency for a place that has been part of the neighbourhood for over six decades.
Eastern Suburbs Tavern is open Monday to Sunday, 11am to 11pm, with the bottle store keeping the same hours — handy for a last-minute run. You'll find it at 60 Glengarry Crescent, Invercargill. Give the team a call on (03) 217 5993 or email easternsuburbs@ilt.co.nz to ask about bar meals, the East Lounge, catering from Mrs Slocombe's Kitchen, or joining one of the Tavern Clubs.
Sixty-plus years in, the formula hasn't changed much — and that's exactly the point. Come for the cold beer and the bar meals, stay for the yarns, and don't be surprised if you end up a regular.