The Vic Public House

About The Vic Public House

The Vic Public House is Nelson's public house in the truest sense — a family-run free house on Trafalgar Street, pouring proper pints and serving honest food in a character-filled two-storey Victorian building. The pub began life as The Victorian Rose in the early 1990s and quickly became one of Nelson's premium watering holes, before transforming into The Vic Mac's Brewbar in the early 2000s. The Williams family took over in 2010 and have since shed the Mac's name, making The Vic a proudly independent free house.

As a free house, the taps are forever changing, with breweries like Guinness, Garage Project, Parrotdog, Emerson's, Eddyline, Panhead, Sawmill, Urbanaut and B.Effect at the bar's disposal — all served in proper imperial 568ml pints. The kitchen keeps things simple but delicious, making good, honest food with fresh local produce: pub classics like The Vic's Classic Roast, stuffed Yorkshire pudding, shepherds pie and fish'n'chips, alongside burgers, salads and puddings.

For the Williams family, hospitality is in the blood — their grandfather owned a café in the English midlands and their great grandfather ran a pub now preserved at the Black Country Museum. That heritage shapes a pub built for celebration, commiseration and togetherness: a welcoming spot for people from all walks of life, open seven days from 12pm, with wine, cocktails, mocktails and gift vouchers alongside the beer.

The Vic Public House: Nelson's Free House for Proper Pints and Honest Pub Food

On Trafalgar Street, in a handsome two-storey Victorian building with arched windows, black-and-white trim and white umbrellas out front, The Vic Public House has been a fixture of Nelson life for more than three decades. Open seven days from 12pm, it bills itself simply as Nelson's Public House — a place built on good old-fashioned hospitality, where people from all walks of life are welcome.

The pub's story reaches back to 1992, when it opened as The Victorian Rose and quickly earned a reputation as one of Nelson's premium watering holes. In the early 2000s it was transformed into The Vic Mac's Brewbar, and in 2010 the Williams family took over. They have since parted ways with the Mac's name, and today The Vic stands proudly as a free house.

A Free House with Forever-Changing Taps

Not being tied to any single brewery means the tap list never sits still. Depending on when you visit, you might find pours from the likes of Guinness, Eddyline, Urbanaut, Sawmill, B.Effect, Parrotdog, Panhead, Garage Project or Emerson's — with many more at the bar's disposal. However you take your beer, it arrives in a proper imperial pint: a full 568ml. Undecided? Scan the QR code or ask the team at the bar for a free sample until you find the brew that's right for you.

Beyond the taps there's a broad wine list drawn from New Zealand regions and beyond — Kopiko Bay, Brightwater, Latitude 41, Roaring Meg, The Ned, Heaphy, Huntaway and Angus the Bull among them — plus sparkling Lindauer and Henkel. Cocktails run from the espresso martini and margarita to a dark & stormy, with shareable carafes of Pimms Cup and Aperol Spritz for the table. Non-drinkers are well looked after too, with mocktails like the Crangria and Strawberry Sour, juices, fizzies and 0.0% beer options.

Honest Food, Fresh Local Produce

The kitchen keeps it simple but delicious, priding itself on good, honest food made with fresh local produce. Start with nibbles like breads & dips or mushroom & walnut pate, or a bowl of battered fish bites and crispy fried chicken. Salads cover lighter appetites — roasted kumara, charred broccoli, chicken caesar.

The mains are proper pub classics. The stuffed Yorkshire pudding comes filled with slow-cooked lamb, braised red cabbage, peas and gravy; the shepherds pie pairs pulled lamb leg with rosemary & garlic mash; and fish'n'chips features crispy beer-battered fish of the day. There's a 250g sirloin with mushroom sauce, burgers with seasoned fries, wraps, and The Vic's Classic Roast — roasted beef brisket with all the trimmings, Yorkshire pudding and rich gravy. Finish with apple crumble, sticky date pudding, chocolate mud cake or a scoop of Winkatomic ice cream.

Hospitality in the Blood

For the Williams family, hospitality is inherited. Their grandfather owned a café in the English midlands in the mid 20th century, and their great grandfather ran a pub now preserved at the Black Country Museum — home of the Peaky Blinders. Phil began pouring pints in Thornbury, Bristol before the family moved to New Zealand in 2004; Chris trained as a chef at SkyCity in Auckland; Howard has managed The Vic for years; and Zoe ran sister company Burger Culture right next door. Together the family brings more than 50 years of industry experience to the room.

That ethos shows in how the pub sees itself: a place for celebration, commiseration and togetherness — the beating heart of a community, best accompanied by hearty food and frosty cold ales. Whether you're dropping in for an imperial pint, settling in for a roast, or organising a get-together with a gift voucher, The Vic makes room for you.

Signature items

• The Vic's Classic Roast
• Stuffed Yorkie Pud
• Fish'n'Chips
• Steak & Chips
• Shepherds Pie
• Espresso Martini

Menu

Wine

• Kopiko Bay Sauvignon Blanc — Marlborough
• Brightwater Sauvignon Blanc — Nelson/Tasman
• Kopiko Bay Pinot Gris — Gisborne
• Brightwater Pinot Gris — Nelson/Tasman
• Latitude 41 Chardonnay — Nelson/Tasman
• Roaring Meg Riesling — Central Otago
• The Ned Rosé — Marlborough
• Heaphy Rosé — Moutere
• Kopiko Bay Merlot — Hawke's Bay
• Kopiko Bay Pinot Noir — Marlborough
• Roaring Meg Pinot Noir — Central Otago
• Huntaway Syrah — Hawke's Bay
• Angus the Bull Cabernet Sauvignon — Victoria, Australia
• Lindauer Brut Cuvée — Méthode, 200ml
• Lindauer Prosecco — 200ml
• Henkel Trocken Dry Sec — Méthode, 750ml

Mains

• Beef Burger — Pub patty with bourbon onion jam, cheese, salad & seasoned fries
• Chicken Burger — Lemon honey sauce, buffalo mayo slaw, pickles & seasoned fries
• Chicken Schnitzel — With creamy mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce
• Shepherds Pie — Pulled lamb leg with garden peas, gravy & rosemary garlic mash
• Stuffed Yorkie Pud — House Yorkshire pudding with slow-cooked lamb, braised red cabbage & gravy
• Fish'n'Chips — Crispy beer-battered fish of the day with chips & tartare sauce
• Greek Lamb Wrap — Pulled lamb leg with tzatziki, lettuce, tomato & feta
• Chicken Caesar Wrap — Grilled chicken, lettuce, bacon, parmesan, croutons & caesar dressing
• The Vic's Classic Roast — Roasted beef brisket, all the trimmings, Yorkshire pudding & rich gravy
• Steak & Chips — 250g sirloin cooked to your liking, with mushroom sauce and chips

Sides

• Seasoned Chips — Side portion
• Salad — Side portion
• Slaw — Side portion
• Mash — Side portion
• Charred Broccoli — Side portion
• Roasted Vegetables — Side portion

Salads

• Roasted Kumara Salad — With spinach, feta, pumpkin seeds & balsamic glaze
• Charred Broccoli Salad — With pickled red onion, crushed walnuts, lettuce & citrus dressing
• Chicken Caesar Salad — Bacon, lettuce, croutons, parmesan & caesar dressing

Sauces

• Aioli — Sauce add-on
• Rich Gravy — Sauce add-on
• Whipped Feta — Sauce add-on
• Mushroom Sauce — Sauce add-on
• Tartare — Sauce add-on
• Buffalo Mayo — Sauce add-on

Snacks

• Battered Fish Bites — With lemon cheek and homemade tartare sauce
• Fried Chicken — Crispy chicken with lemon & honey sauce and buffalo mayo dip

Nibbles

• Pub Nibbles — Assortment of spiced roasted nuts, salted pretzels and crisps
• Breads & Dips — Warmed sourdough, garlic butter, whipped feta, olive oil & balsamic dip
• Mushroom & Walnut Pate — With sourdough & bourbon onion jam
• Fries — Served with black garlic aioli

Desserts

• Apple Crumble — Classic pudding finish
• Sticky Date Pudding — Warm and sticky
• Chocolate Mud Cake — Rich chocolate slice
• Winkatomic Ice Cream — Per scoop — ask staff for flavours

Tap Beer

• Rotating Tap Beers — Forever-changing free house lineup — ask staff, scan the QR code or grab a free sample

Cocktails

• Woo Woo — Vodka, peach schnapps, cranberry, apple
• Dark & Stormy — Spiced rum, ginger beer, bitters, lime
• Espresso Martini — Vodka, Kahlúa, espresso, simple syrup
• Margarita — Reposado tequila, orange liqueur, lime, sugar

Non-Alcoholic

• Fizzy — Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, ginger beer, tonic & LLB
• Juices — Orange, apple, cranberry, pineapple or tomato
• Crangria — Cranberry, pineapple, mint, rhubarb bitters, mixed fruit
• Strawberry Sour — Strawberry syrup, lemon juice, FOMO, soda water

Cocktail Carafes

• Pimms Cup — Pimms, bitters, ginger ale, lemonade, mint & fruit — carafes must be shared between at least 2 people
• Aperol Spritz — Aperol, prosecco, soda water, orange — carafes must be shared between at least 2 people

Bottled & Canned Beer

• Speights Summit Ultra — 4.2% low-carb lager, 330ml bottle
• Corona Cero — 0.0% cerveza, 330ml bottle
• Stella Artois — 5.0% Belgian lager, 330ml bottle
• Corona — 4.5% cerveza, 355ml bottle
• Garage Project Fugazi — 2.2% mid-strength IPA, 330ml can
• Garage Project Tiny — 0.5% hazy IPA, 330ml can

Frequently asked questions

Is The Vic Public House open every day?

Yes — The Vic is open 7 days from 12pm at 281 Trafalgar St, Nelson.

What does it mean that The Vic is a free house?

The Vic isn't tied to any one brewery, so its tap beers are forever changing, with breweries like Guinness, Garage Project, Parrotdog, Emerson's, Eddyline, Panhead, Sawmill, Urbanaut and B.Effect on rotation.

How is beer served?

Beer is served in proper imperial pints of 568ml. If you can't decide, staff can pour you a free sample, or you can scan the QR code at the bar.

What kind of food does The Vic serve?

Good, honest pub food made with fresh local produce — salads and nibbles, burgers, schnitzel, shepherds pie, stuffed Yorkshire pudding, fish'n'chips, The Vic's Classic Roast and steak & chips, plus desserts.

Are there non-alcoholic options?

Yes — mocktails like the Crangria and Strawberry Sour, juices, fizzy drinks, and low or zero-alcohol beers such as Garage Project Tiny (0.5%) and Corona Cero (0.0%).

Can I buy a gift voucher?

Yes, gift vouchers are available in a range of values through The Vic's website.

Who runs The Vic?

The Williams family has owned The Vic since 2010. They're a family business with over 50 years of combined hospitality experience, originally from the UK.

Tips

• {"body":"Undecided on the taps? Scan the QR code or ask at the bar for a free sample to find your brew.","title":"Grab a free sample"}
• {"body":"Beer here is served in proper imperial pints — a full 568ml.","title":"Pints done properly"}
• {"body":"Cocktail carafes like the Pimms Cup and Aperol Spritz must be shared between at least two people.","title":"Bring a friend for carafes"}
• {"body":"The Vic's Classic Roast — beef brisket with all the trimmings, Yorkshire pudding and rich gravy — is the kitchen at its most traditional.","title":"Go for the roast"}
• {"body":"The beef burger can be made 'dirty' with cheese, gravy, brisket and pickles added on.","title":"Make it dirty"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Family-run pub welcoming people from all walks of life"}