Worlds End is a 'kiwi as' bar, restaurant and cafe on Fraser Street in Fraser Cove, Tauranga, and has been a local for more than two decades. Once known as the Worlds End Sports Café — complete with caricatures of Kiwi sporting heroes on the walls and a giant screen for the big games — it now caters to a much broader crowd while keeping its sporting heart, with a sports bar atmosphere and plenty of big screens.
The kitchen runs from 9am to 9pm daily, covering starters, brunch, burgers, salads, pasta, mains, mussels and bar snacks. Expect a proper big breakfast, eggs benedict and a Spanish omelette in the morning, then hearty plates through the day — the Worlds End burger, steak sandwich, scotch fillet, salmon, fish 'n' chips, and mussels with their own section of the menu. Reviewers single out the calamari salad and consistently well-cooked steaks, and mention generous portions at reasonable prices.
There is always something on: quiz night on Tuesdays, Texas poker and steak night on Wednesdays, live music on Thursdays, rib night on Fridays and a roast on Sunday evenings. For bigger occasions, the upstairs function area hosts up to 200 guests with a balcony and private bar, plus catering and drink packages.
The team describe themselves as people-people, and the vibe is relaxed and family friendly — kids are welcome, there is indoor and outdoor seating, a fireplace for cooler evenings and parking right outside. They support the local community too, having raised $60,000 for Cure Kids through fundraising events over the past five years.
Worlds End sits on Fraser Street in Tauranga's Fraser Cove, and after more than two decades in the neighbourhood it has earned its billing as one of the city's iconic bars and restaurants. The team calls the place 'kiwi as', and they mean it: this is a spot where you can gather by the fireplace with a hot cocoa and a slab of Whittaker's, pull on your favourite rugby jersey — so long as it is black — and watch the big game over a steak, or celebrate a milestone with fish 'n' chips and champagne. The room is designed around getting together, with nooks for a quiet cuppa and large spaces that can host 199 of your closest friends.
Worlds End began life as the Worlds End Sports Café, complete with caricatures of Kiwi sporting heroes on the walls and a giant screen for watching the big games. Two decades on, the venue caters to a much broader audience while keeping its sporting heart. Big screens still anchor the sports bar, but the menu now runs from delicious breakfasts through to dinner, and the calendar is full of live music, poker nights and quiz nights. The people behind it describe themselves as people-people, and they back it up in the community too, having raised $60,000 for Cure Kids through fundraising events over the past five years.
Kitchen hours run from 9am to 9pm every day, and the menu covers starters, brunch, burgers, salads, pasta, mains, mussels and bar snacks, with a drinks selection to pair. Brunch brings a big breakfast, eggs benedict and a Spanish omelette for early arrivals, while the mains lean hearty: the Worlds End burger, a steak sandwich, a scotch fillet, salmon and fish 'n' chips. Mussels get their own section on the menu, and the calamari salad is the dish returning reviewers single out for special mention. Steaks draw particular praise — one Local Guide wrote that hers arrived cooked perfectly rather than overcooked, and that she and her daughter scraped the last drops of sauce off the plate. Reviews regularly note generous portions at reasonable prices, and chefs who take presentation seriously. And if you are there for warmth rather than a full meal, the hot chocolate comes with a slab of Whittaker's by the fire.
Only bored people get bored, goes the house line, and the weekly schedule backs it up. Tuesdays are quiz night from 7pm to 9pm, Wednesdays pair Texas poker with steak night, Thursdays bring live music from 6.30pm to 9.30pm, Fridays are rib night from 6pm to 8pm, and Sundays close the week with a roast from 5pm to 8pm. Livestreamed boxing matches also make the calendar. With that much happening, the team recommends booking ahead to make sure you can secure a space — especially on event nights.
For bigger occasions, the large upstairs function area can be booked out for events of 50 or more and accommodates up to 200 guests, complete with a balcony and private bar. The team takes the stress out of office Christmas functions, engagement parties, 50th soirees and weddings, with catering and drink packages available. Downstairs, the vibe is relaxed and family friendly — reviewers mention kids being welcome and the choice of eating inside or out — and the gaming facilities have recently been upgraded. Parking is easy too, with tons of spaces right outside the venue.
Whether it is a slow brunch at nine, a family dinner, a quiz-night table or a late one when the bar trades through to 1am from Tuesday to Saturday, Worlds End keeps the welcome wide. Regulars call it a really popular, friendly local pub with fabulous food — which, after twenty years, is exactly what it set out to be.