Pub n Grub sits right on the lakefront in Taupo's CBD, at 4 Roberts Street, and lays claim to the town's largest outdoor dining area on the lake front. With panoramic views over the water, a relaxed atmosphere and music playing all day, it is set up equally for winding down after a long day or for gathering with friends and family across brunch, lunch, dinner and everything in between.
The kitchen serves a full, robust pub menu built on the classics: juicy steaks and ribs, mouth-watering burgers, hearty all-day breakfasts, pasta, seafood and a lineup of delicious pub snacks. Sharing is very much part of the deal here — the platter range runs from the Seafood Platter, loaded with a selection of the kitchen's favourite treats, to the 'Pub Style' platter honouring the best of pub fried food, all the way up to an enormous Grazing Platter made to showcase everything that's good about food to share.
Drinks are taken seriously too. Tap beer, cocktails, wine and RTDs make up an extensive beverage list, and experienced bartenders will go out of their way to match the right drink to your food and your mood — happy hour included. Add pool tables, live sport on the screens and an upbeat, all-day soundtrack, and you have a proper local: unpretentious, family-friendly and built for good times by the lake.
Taupo has no shortage of places to eat, but few can match the setting at Pub n Grub. Perched at 4 Roberts Street in the heart of the CBD, the pub boasts Taupo's largest outdoor dining area on the lake front — a panoramic stretch of seating where the views over the water do half the work before the first plate even lands.
Inside and out, the formula is simple and winning: relaxed atmosphere, music playing all day for an upbeat vibe, and a full, robust pub menu that covers just about every craving. Whether you're winding down at the end of a long day or rounding up friends and family for brunch, lunch or dinner, this is a place designed to flex around whatever the occasion calls for.
The menu leans into the good ol' traditional pub faves — juicy steaks, ribs and mouth-watering burgers — but stretches well beyond them. All-day breakfasts mean hearty brekkies are on offer whenever the mood strikes, alongside a few fancier plates for the occasions that call for them, and the coffee has a reputation of its own. Pasta and seafood round out the mains, with delicious pub snacks covering the in-between moments.
The real showstoppers, though, are the share platters. The Seafood Platter gathers a selection of the kitchen's favourite treats; the 'Pub Style' platter pays tribute to the best of pub fried food; and the enormous Grazing Platter is built to showcase everything that's good about food meant for sharing. Order one with a group and it becomes the centrepiece of the table.
Pub n Grub makes no secret of taking its drinks seriously. Tap beer, cocktails, wine and RTDs anchor an extensive beverage list, and the experienced bartenders pride themselves on going out of their way to find the best drink for your food and your mood. If you're the type who plans an evening around a happy hour, this is a bar that speaks your language.
What turns the pub into a proper local is everything around the food. Pool tables keep the competitive spirit alive, live sport draws a crowd on the big days, and the all-day soundtrack keeps the energy up from open till late. It's the kind of room where a quick lunch can easily become an afternoon.
Pub n Grub opens Monday to Friday from 9am till late, and from 8am on weekends — handy if a big lakefront breakfast is on the agenda. Table bookings are taken by phone, so call the team directly on 07 378 0555 to lock in a spot, especially if you're chasing the outdoor seating with the panoramic lake views. You'll find them at 4 Roberts Street, Taupo 3330, or reach them by email at [email protected].
Between the views, the platters and the easygoing welcome, it's easy to see why the team sums up their own business as good vibes, lake front views, and great food and drink. Sometimes a pub just gets the brief right.