Muddy Waters Irish Pub & Restaurant

About Muddy Waters Irish Pub & Restaurant

A locally owned and operated Irish pub and restaurant at 36 Riverbank Road in Mercer, Muddy Waters has been a perennial favourite of locals and travellers for generations. The welcome is pure Irish — "Céad Míle Fáilte", one hundred thousand welcomes — and the combination of hearty, delicious food and easy hospitality keeps people coming back, whether for a filling meal on the Auckland–Hamilton drive or a few cold beverages with mates.

Mercer sits on the east bank of the Waikato River, 58 km south of Auckland and 70 km north of Hamilton, with easy access to the SH1 on and off ramps — making Muddy's a perfect place to stop, refuel and relax. A large wrap-around deck leads to a grassed garden where kids can let off steam after a long car ride, and well-mannered dogs on leads are welcome in the outdoor seating area too.

The menu covers brunch, lunch, dinner and snacks with options for everyone: shared appetizers like mussels steamed in Muddy's famous sauce and Muddy's Special Fried Chicken, fresh-based pizzas, Famous Muddy Salads, the legendary Muddy's Special Double Burger, and mains from bangers n mash to the Salmon Skillet and slow cooked Shanks On Mash. There's a chef-crafted kids' menu (kids eat free Mondays and Tuesdays), a 10% meal discount for SuperGold Cardholders, and desserts to finish.

Beyond the dining room there's a sports bar with pool, TAB and gaming machines, free Quiz Nights every Thursday, Mud Club member perks on Fridays from 6pm, and Muddy's Van for a safe ride home — just call 09 233 6663 to book your pickup.

Muddy Waters Irish Pub & Restaurant: Mercer's Legendary Irish Pub on the Auckland–Hamilton Run

On the east bank of the Waikato River, in the quiet village of Mercer, Muddy Waters Irish Pub & Restaurant greets everyone in Gaelic: "Céad Míle Fáilte" — one hundred thousand welcomes, wherever you come from, whosoever you be. It is a fitting motto for a locally owned and operated pub that has spent generations looking after locals and weary travellers alike, and it captures what keeps people coming back: warm hospitality and hearty, delicious food, served without fuss.

Location is part of the legend. Mercer sits almost exactly halfway along the Auckland–Hamilton run — 58 km south of Auckland, 70 km north of Hamilton — with easy access to the SH1 on and off ramps, making Muddy's a natural place to stop, refuel and relax. The village has always catered to north–south travellers: the old railway station refreshment room fed stopping trains right up until the late 1950s, and today Muddy Waters carries on that job for the state highway.

What's Cooking

The menu is genuinely extensive — brunch, lunch, dinner or a snack, with options for everyone, kids included. The appetizer list runs from garlic bread, onion rings and curly fries to salt & pepper squid, half a dozen mussels steamed in Muddy's famous sauce, mushroom arancini and smoked kahawai croquettes. Pizzas come on fresh bases, from a classic margarita to meatlovers and a garlic butter prawn pizza, while the Famous Muddy Salads pile fresh greens, raw beetroot, cashews and balsamic dressing high, topped with calamari, grilled chicken, halloumi or falafel.

Burger fans have the legendary Muddy's Special Double Burger to contend with: two meat patties, lettuce, mayo, cheese, grilled mushrooms and a single egg, served with fries. Further down the menu sit Bangers N Mash, Muddy's Chicken Schnitzel, beef lasagne, pork ribs, beef cheek with red wine jus, and the heavier hitters — the Salmon Skillet, Scotch Fillet and Shanks On Mash, with slow cooked lamb shanks over mashed potatoes.

The kids' menu is carefully crafted by the chef — chicken nuggets, fish bites, a hot dog, ham & cheese pizza or a grilled cheese sandwich, all with curly fries — and kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays. Save room for dessert: warm chocolate brownie, apple crumble, cheesecake with whipped cream and ice cream, or an ice cream sundae.

More Than a Meal

Muddy's is as much the local's pub as a restaurant. Shoot some pool or shoot the breeze with a cold pint in hand, take a punt on the ponies with the TAB in the sports bar, or drop a couple of coins in the gaming machines. Thursdays are Quiz Nights — free to enter with teams of two to eight, great prizes up for grabs and limited space, so book early. Fridays from 6pm belong to the Mud Club, with special members' pricing and a weekly bar tab draw; ask the bar staff about joining. SuperGold Cardholders receive a 10% discount on all meals, and if the evening runs long, Muddy's Van will get you home safely — just call (09) 233 6663 to book your pickup.

The Deck, the Garden and the Dog

One of Muddy's best features costs nothing at all: a large wrap-around deck leading to a grassed garden area. It makes the pub a genuinely relaxing stop for families, with plenty of safe space for kids to let off steam after a long car ride. Four-legged family members are welcome too — well-mannered dogs on leads, big and small, are happy in the outdoor seating area.

Plan Your Visit

Muddy Waters Irish Pub & Restaurant is at 36 Riverbank Road, Mercer, open seven days from 11am — until 10pm Monday to Thursday and Sunday, and late on Friday and Saturday nights. Call 09 233 6663 or email info@muddywatersirishpub.co.nz. Whether you need a filling meal to sustain you as you pass through Mercer or a few cold beverages with mates, the Muddy Waters crew will take good care of you. As the Yeats line displayed at the pub puts it: "There are no strangers here, only friends that have not yet met."

Signature items

• Muddy's Special Double Burger
• Half Dozen Mussels
• Muddy's Special Platter
• Salmon Skillet
• Shanks on Mash
• Muddy's Special Fried Chicken

Menu

Pizzas

• Garlic Cheese Pizza — Fresh pizza base topped with garlic and cheese.
• Margarita — Fresh base, Neapolitan sauce, cheese, tomato and fresh basil.
• Hawaiian — Fresh base, Neapolitan sauce, cheese, ham and pineapple.
• Chicken Supreme — Fresh base, Neapolitan sauce, cheese, spinach, chicken breast, mushroom, onion and spiced plum sauce.
• Meatlovers — Fresh base, Neapolitan sauce, salami, bacon, cheese, ham, onion and BBQ sauce.
• Prawn Pizza — Fresh base with garlic butter prawn, cheese, capers and sweet chilli sauce.

Desserts

• Ice Cream Sunday — An ice cream sundae to finish.
• Cheesecake with Whipped Cream and Ice Cream — Cheesecake served with whipped cream and ice cream.
• Apple Crumble — Classic apple crumble.
• Warm Chocolate Brownie — Chocolate brownie served warm.

Appetizers

• Garlic Bread — Classic garlic bread starter.
• Onion Rings — Golden crumbed onion rings.
• Basket of French Fries — A basket of classic french fries.
• Basket of Curly Fries — A basket of curly fries.
• Cheesy Garlic Bread — Garlic bread topped with melted cheese.
• Salt & Pepper Squid — Deep fried squid served with tartare sauce.
• Seasoned Wedges — Served with grated cheese, sour cream and sweet chilli.
• Shrimp Cocktail — Tender shrimps on a bed of lettuce with seafood sauce.
• Chilli Fries — French fries topped with beef con carne and grated cheese.
• Salt & Pepper Fish Bites — Served with tartare sauce.
• Prawn Twisters — Crispy prawn twisters for sharing.
• Half Dozen Mussels — Steamed mussels in Muddy's famous sauce, served with toasted bread.
• Mushroom Arancini — Crumbed mushroom risotto balls with truffle mayo and parmesan crisp.
• Smoked Kahawai Croquettes — NZ kahawai, potato mash and béchamel in a golden crumb with home-made hollandaise and crisp salad.
• Nachos — Corn chips with chilli con carne, cheese, capsicum, onion and salsa, served with sour cream and guacamole.
• Muddy's Special Fried Chicken — Crispy southern fried chicken served with chipotle mayo.
• Seafood Basket — Calamari rings, prawn twisters, S&P squid, tempura prawns, fish bites and fries with tartare sauce.
• Muddy's Special Platter — Fried chicken tenders, prawn twisters, tempura prawns, onion rings, fish bites and crackers with sweet chilli and seafood sauce.

Kids' Menu

• Chicken Nuggets — Served with curly fries.
• Fish Bites — Served with curly fries.
• Hot Dog — Served with curly fries.
• Ham & Cheese Pizza — Served with curly fries.
• Kids' Grilled Cheese Sandwich — Served with curly fries.

Main Meals

• Fettuccine Carbonara — Chicken, mushroom and bacon in a creamy white wine sauce with parmesan.
• Bangers N Mash — Jumbo sausages with grilled onions and brown gravy on mashed potatoes, with green peas.
• Honey Chicken — Honey-glazed grilled chicken breast with french fries and salad.
• Beef Lasagne — Topped with parmesan, served with fries and salad.
• Fish and Chips — The timeless pub classic.
• Muddy's Chicken Schnitzel — Chicken schnitzel with french fries and salad, topped with gravy.
• Salmon Skillet — Grilled salmon fillet with green vegetables, potato and herb roasties, served with hollandaise sauce.
• Scotch Fillet — Served with salad, fries and two eggs, or mash and vegetables topped with mushroom sauce.
• Shanks on Mash — Slow cooked lamb shanks with mashed potatoes and green vegetables, topped with gravy.
• Pork Ribs — Pork ribs served with french fries and salad.
• Beef Cheek — With creamy mashed potato and green vegetables, topped with red wine jus.

Famous Muddy Salads

• Calamari Salad — Fresh greens, capsicum, mushroom, cherry tomato, beetroot and cashews with balsamic dressing, topped with calamari.
• Grilled Chicken Salad — Fresh greens, capsicum, mushroom, cherry tomato, beetroot and cashews with balsamic dressing, topped with grilled chicken.
• Halloumi Salad — Fresh greens, capsicum, mushroom, cherry tomato, beetroot and cashews with balsamic dressing, topped with halloumi.
• Falafel Salad — Fresh greens, capsicum, mushroom, cherry tomato, beetroot and cashews with balsamic dressing, topped with falafel.

Burgers & Sandwiches

• Ham & Cheese Sandwich — Grilled bread with cheese and ham, served with fries.
• Chicken Melt — Smoked chicken with melted cheese and tomato, tartare sauce on grilled bread, served with fries.
• Muddy's Special Club Sandwich — Triple-decker toasted sandwich with smoked chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo, served with fries.
• Muddy's Special Double Burger — Two meat patties, lettuce, mayo, cheese, grilled mushrooms and an egg, served with fries.
• Bacon Lover's Burger — Meat patty with two bacon strips, onion, cheese, lettuce, mayo, tomato and pickle, served with fries.
• Mushroom Cheese Melt Burger — Meat patty with a layer of grilled mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, mayo and pickle, served with fries.
• Fried Chicken Burger — Fried chicken patty with bacon, aioli, lettuce, onion, tomato and BBQ sauce on a brioche bun, served with fries.
• Crumbed Fish Burger — Crumbed fish with lettuce and hollandaise sauce on a brioche bun, served with fries.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Muddy Waters Irish Pub & Restaurant?

At 36 Riverbank Road, Mercer, New Zealand — on the east bank of the Waikato River with easy access to the SH1 on and off ramps, about 58 km south of Auckland and 70 km north of Hamilton.

What are the opening hours?

Open seven days from 11am. Monday to Thursday and Sunday the pub closes at 10pm, with later closing on Friday and Saturday nights.

Is Muddy Waters family friendly?

Yes — there's a chef-crafted kids' menu, kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays, and the wrap-around deck opens onto a grassed garden with safe space for kids to play.

Can I bring my dog?

Well-mannered dogs on leads are welcome in the outdoor seating area, both big and small.

Are there any discounts?

SuperGold Cardholders receive a 10% discount on all meals, and Mud Club members get special members' pricing on Friday nights from 6pm.

What happens on Quiz Night?

Quiz Night runs every Thursday. It's free to enter with teams of 2–8 people and great prizes on offer — book early, as space is limited.

What is Muddy's Van?

A courtesy pickup service — call the pub on 09 233 6663 to book, and the team will make sure you get home safely.

Tips

• {"body":"Breaking the Auckland–Hamilton drive? Mercer's on/off ramps make Muddy Waters an easy detour, with a deck and garden to stretch everyone's legs.","title":"The halfway stop on SH1"}
• {"body":"Thursday quizzes are free with teams of 2–8 and great prizes, but space is limited — ring 09 233 6663 early to secure a spot.","title":"Book ahead for quiz night"}
• {"body":"Time the family visit for a Monday or Tuesday and the little ones' meals are on the house.","title":"Kids eat free Mon & Tue"}
• {"body":"Call the pub and Muddy's Van will pick you up and get you home safely — handy after a long Friday in the Mud Club.","title":"Don't drive? Book the van"}
• {"body":"Travelling with your four-legged friend? Leashed, well-mannered dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating area.","title":"Bring the dog"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Kids' menu with curly fries; kids eat free Monday & Tuesday; grassed garden area for kids to play; dogs on leads welcome outdoors.","dietary":"Vegetarian-friendly choices include the halloumi and falafel salads; a dedicated kids' menu is available."}