The Rooftop Bar & Eatery is the crowning level of The Good Home New Plymouth, an Ariki Street favourite whose motto - it's not a house, it's a home - sets the tone for everything that happens above and below it. The rooftop bar trades Wednesday to Sunday from 11.30am until late, while the main Good Home bar downstairs opens every day, serving the kind of generous, honest cooking the venue sums up as: good food, good company, just good.
The kitchen covers serious ground. Share plates include house-made garlic loaf, slow-cooked chicken wings and mushroom arancini, while sharing platters scale all the way up to a seafood spread of battered market fish, whole garlic prawns, crispy chilli squid, smoked salmon and steamed mussels. There's a cook-it-your-way stonegrill section, hearty mains from braised beef cheek and Guinness pie to baby back ribs and steamed mussels, burgers on house-made brioche with the venue's famous fries, pizzas with gluten-free base and vegan cheese options, salads, a dedicated steak grill using the secret Good Home seasoning, and house-made desserts.
Brunch runs 11.30am to 2.00pm with Big Breakys, eggs benedict on house-made rosti and brunch cocktails from mimosas to espresso martinis. Weekly food and drink specials keep things fresh, a loyalty card rewards regulars, and delivery is available through Delivereasy. After dark, local and touring DJs play Friday and Saturday nights from 10pm (R18, no cover charge unless advertised), karaoke takes over Icons Sports Bar Thursday to Saturday, and fundraiser quiz nights help local clubs and charities raise thousands in a night. Reservations can be made online or by phone.
On Ariki Street in central New Plymouth there's a place that insists it's not a house - it's a home. The Good Home has become something of a second home for locals, and above it sits The Rooftop Bar & Eatery, where the same kitchen's generous cooking meets a breezier, later-night pace. The idea behind the whole venue is printed right across it: good food, good company, just good. The team here talk about welcoming you into their home as if you were one of their own, and the easy, unpretentious atmosphere is the reason regulars keep hanging their hats here.
The menu leans towards the table. Sharing plates cover the classics done properly - house-made garlic loaf with basil pesto, slow-cooked chicken wings with sweet chilli and ranch, mushroom arancini with truffle mayo, and chicken or fish tacos with smokey chipotle and lime mayo. When the whole crew turns up, the platters take over: mixed breads with cured meats and dips, a full antipasto spread, the house stonegrill, or the seafood platter piled with battered market fish, whole garlic prawns, crispy chilli squid, smoked salmon and steamed mussels.
Then there's the stonegrill, the venue's cook-it-your-way section. Surf and turf, mixed grills, a haloumi-heavy veg plate and garlic-marinated pork loin all arrive for you to finish at the table, with fries, salads and sauces alongside.
The mains read like a greatest-hits list: prosciutto-wrapped chicken stuffed with basil and cream cheese, pan-roasted lamb rump with eggplant moussaka and mint pea puree, green pea and asparagus risotto, farfalle pasta, white-wine steamed mussels with grilled ciabatta, baby back ribs in BBQ cola sauce, and beer-battered fish and chips. Burgers and buns all come on house-made brioche with the venue's famous fries - the beef burger stacked with smoked cheese, bacon and onion rings is a standby, and there's a crumbed-haloumi vege burger for the herbivores.
Pizza fans get a proper list too, from a classic margherita to the Meatfest and the haloumi-and-pumpkin Herbivore, with gluten-free bases and vegan cheese available. And for the steak-minded, the Good Home Grill cuts - rump, sirloin, rib-eye and eye-fillet in two sizes each - are seasoned with the house's own secret blend and served with chimichurri compound butter, plus sides and house-made jus from red wine jus to blue cheese cream.
The kitchen runs a full-day rhythm: brunch from 11.30am to 2.00pm, lunch until 3.00pm, dinner from 5.00pm to 9.00pm, and the evening rolling on from 8.00pm. Brunch is worth setting an alarm for - the Big Breaky with kransky sausage, rosti and braised beans, eggs benedict on house-made rosti, and brunch cocktails from mimosas to espresso martinis. Weekly food and drink specials keep the rotation interesting, a loyalty card rewards the regulars, and delivery runs through Delivereasy for nights in.
Families are looked after too, with a dedicated kids menu for ages 12 and under - wings, ribs, tenders, cheeseburgers and mini pizzas, plus a dessert list of brownies, sundaes and churros.
When the sun goes down the volume comes up. Local and touring DJs play every Friday and Saturday night from 10pm - it's R18, and there's no cover charge unless advertised. Karaoke takes over Icons Sports Bar every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10pm, fundraiser quiz nights help local sports clubs, charities and community organisations raise over $2000 in a single night, and one-off free and ticketed events pop up regularly on the venue's Facebook events page.
The Rooftop Bar & Eatery runs Wednesday to Sunday from 11.30am until late, with the main Good Home downstairs opening every day. Reservations can be made online or by calling 06 758 4740. If you have allergies or intolerances, let a team member know - everything is prepared fresh in-house and they'll do their very best to accommodate you, though trace elements may remain. Come hungry, bring company, and settle in: after all, it's a home.