Mike's Bistro & Taproom is a fully gluten-free restaurant and taproom at 40 Devon Street East, in the heart of New Plymouth's CBD. Once known for its large, rustic venue, Mike's has evolved into a more intimate, stylish dining room serving elevated comfort food, local craft beer and live after-dinner music — with a motto to match: Eat, Drink, Stay A While.
The kitchen is proudly 100% gluten-free, with no chance of cross-contamination, making it a rare safe haven for coeliac and gluten-sensitive diners; the team is currently working toward official certification with Coeliac New Zealand. The menu covers hearty mains like scotch fillet, lamb shank, fish and chips and chicken parma, alongside small plates, desserts and dedicated kids' options. The taproom is a free house, pouring a rotating selection of local and independent craft beers — gluten-free options included — plus wines, cocktails, alcohol-free choices and unique botanical beverages.
Evenings here have a rhythm of their own: relaxed early dining (with the 30's Club offering 30% off meals for 5:00–5:30pm bookings, seven days a week), then open mic nights, live bands and community music events after 8pm, all timed so earlier diners can still enjoy a calm, conversational atmosphere. With an 'excellent' rating across more than 480 Google reviews, genuine hospitality, group-friendly dining and vouchers available, Mike's has become one of New Plymouth's favourite local destinations for locals and visitors alike.
Tucked into 40 Devon Street East in the heart of New Plymouth's CBD, Mike's Bistro & Taproom has built its reputation on a promise very few restaurants can make: everything on the menu is gluten-free. Not a section of the menu, not a handful of adaptable dishes — the entire kitchen runs 100% gluten-free, with no chance of cross-contamination. For coeliac and gluten-sensitive diners, that turns an evening out from a careful negotiation into a genuine treat.
Mike's motto is 'Eat, Drink, Stay A While', and the venue has grown into exactly that. Formerly known for a large, rustic space, the bistro has evolved into something more intimate and stylish — a room where quality food, genuine hospitality and a strong sense of community share the table. The mood is relaxed through dinner service; later, the same room becomes a lively local hub for open mic nights, live bands and community music events.
The gluten-free commitment is the heart of the place. Because there is no gluten anywhere in the kitchen, dishes that coeliac diners usually have to interrogate — fish and chips chief among them — are simply safe, and guests report enjoying them with zero reactions. The team is currently working toward official certification with Coeliac New Zealand, a step that would formalise what regulars already take for granted.
The food is positioned as elevated comfort food, and reviewers name their favourites freely: a scotch fillet that slices 'like butter' with a sensational mushroom sauce, a lamb shank and a chicken parma guests single out by name, a creamy chicken pasta with a deliciously crumbed topping, a chicken curry regulars call not to be missed, and tempura with a perfectly light batter. Small plates, desserts and dedicated kids' options round out the menu, and large groups are clearly part of the fabric — one Google reviewer brought a table of twenty and noted, approvingly, that the children were fed first.
The taproom half of the name is well earned. Mike's is a free house, pouring a curated, rotating range of local and independent craft beers — gluten-free options included — alongside wines, cocktails, alcohol-free choices and unique botanical beverages. It is a list built for matching whatever the kitchen sends out, or simply for lingering over after work.
Value hunters have the 30's Club: diners aged 30 to 39 who register and book a table between 5:00pm and 5:30pm receive 30% off meals, seven days a week. The promotion was created to fill the quieter early-evening slots with date nights, catch-ups and family dinners, and registration plus booking are essential (T&Cs apply). Vouchers are available for gifting, and tables — including large-group bookings — can be reserved online or by phone.
From around 8pm, Mike's Live programming brings a steady calendar of local musicians into the room, from open mic evenings to named acts and themed band nights. Reviewers praise the balance: real entertainment, but never so loud that conversation suffers. One guest recommends a Thursday night specifically for the open mic.
The overall verdict from guests is emphatic — an 'excellent' rating across more than 480 Google reviews, with repeat mentions of friendly staff who go out of their way to make you feel welcome, quality wine, and food worth travelling for. One visitor wrote that a single scotch fillet made their trip to New Plymouth memorable.
Open 5pm until late, seven days a week, Mike's Bistro & Taproom manages a rare double: a safe harbour for gluten-free diners, and one of the more engaging dinner-and-music rooms in Taranaki.