Love the atmosphere in this tiny place--cozy and old-school. The bartender made a really proper…read morewhiskey sour! It does get rather crowded as it's a popular place, though, so get a seat while you can. The two times I've been, there's always been a decent DJ, a small crowd, and some honestly REALLY good food on their small food menu. It's a great place to sit down with a small group and have a chilled out evening with drinks and pupus.

The only elements missing from this bar are a few cushy sofas. Why? Because one could spend all…read moreevening here. The decor is modern rustic, with plenty of wood & iron throughout the bar area. There are two massive speakers inside pumping killer tunes, so unless you've got your dancing shoes on I suggest you mosey outdoors. That is where most people are mingling. From what I have been told, there is live music and plenty of dancing on Friday & Saturday evenings. Outside there is a fireplace fit for a king, for those of you who get chilly at night. The mini-alleyway, is reminiscent of the hidden cobblestone streets in Rennes or Paris, where more than one bistro share a road. I believe there are three total here. So do not be shy, check 'em all out! I am still new to the NZ wine scene, so I am trusting the recommendation of sommeliers and bartenders. This bartenders recommendation of a Pinot from the Marlborough region was fresh, peppery, fragrant and just right for the night. Even when evening weather decided to shed light rain, everyone was safe and dry under the overhead canopy, on this hidden cobblestone path in Auckland. C'est très bon!

"PSC" as the locals call it is the closest thing to a "Grown n' Sexy" crowd as i have found in…read moreAuckland. Definitely not an 18+ crowd. The music was tho! If you love 90's RnB and Hip-Hop in a danceable, 2-step vibe, more so than fist-pump, table jumping manner. Auckland has so many beautiful and thick women and they were all here. But it's still more of a standing/talking/vibing bar-that-plays-music than a club-club. I would go back, especially to start off the night, but maybe not finish it...unless I was on a Bumble Date that I thought might be wifey. All in all, good fun. Standard drink prices around NZD $10/ea

Whenever we're out in Ponsonby, we always end up going to PSC. I'm not even sure why, it's not…read moreparticularly great. In fact, it's always packed and a nightmare to get to the bathrooms, which are at the very back of the bar. It's saving grace is the music. It's largely hip hop and RnB but think old school classics as opposed to Chris Brown. For me, PSC is a late-night destination and I almost always order G&Ts so it's hard to comment on the drinks but the bartenders are speedy and friendly enough! It wouldn't say it's a must visit but if you're keen for a boogie and you're on P.Road, it's worth a look.

I want to give The Wine Cellar a few props from the perspective of a door bitch at gigs. We are the…read morebitches who take your money - we put silly insignias on your wrist and hand you cheap EPs. Getting a gig together at The Wine Cellar is easy - the bar staff are really friendly people who don't seem to mind when the door bitch once again forgets a pen. Rohan who runs the technical side of the shows clearly loves making people sound good and takes his work seriously enough to do an excellent job of it. It's also massively cheap to rent the place - $100 for a PA and Rohan.

The wine cellar has two sides to it - music venue and bar. These are, logically enough, divided…read moreinto two rooms. The music side has a really nice feel to it, very intimate and casual, like you're sitting in on some friends jamming in their living room rather than a band performing on stage. The bar side is neat too, still very casual and boutique without being at all snooty. Wine Cellar has an association (business or family or both, I'm not sure) with the Purangi Winery in Coromandel, so they serve an interesting selection of liquors and wines from there. They also have their own ales on tap. Be warned though - of the two I've had I think one is quite nice and one is foul, and I can never remember which one is which.

I've said it about The Wine Cellar and I'll say it about Whammy too - this place treats bands (and…read moretheir respective door bitches) incredibly well. Booking a gig at Whammy (or The Wine Cellar) is done through Rohan, a professional sound tech who will make your band sound pretty gosh darn good. He'll do it for $100. Get 6-10 paying people through the door and you've broken even already. Accommodating about 150 people more than Wine Cellar and starting later in the evening, Whammy is the place to go if your band wants to be late and loud. Doorman Will is a massive boss as well - about as courteous as a man who deals with drunk idiots can be.

I'm embarrassed by how long it took me to realise the pun in the name…read more Whammy bar is like a lot of music/performance venues: the quality of your experience here is directly related to what's on. Good band: good night. Crappy poser art-noise: bleeding eardrums and regret. It's a gamble, but a fun one to make. Whammy has all the requisite dive bar trappings - low ceilings, awkward stairs, an unassuming entrance. The crowd is your typical fashionable scene, but not too teenage to make you feel old - although again, this depends somewhat on the band playing. They don't just have bands playing, I've seen poetry recitals and comedy here. But the best times to be had are the rowdy live music nights, when the energy's deafening and everyone's bouncing off the ceiling.

Yet another club and bar on the viaduct that promotes itself as trendy and upmarket. This is one of…read morethose places that will charge you a $10 cover charge, on some nights you will be disappointed and on some nights you will enjoy yourself. It's like most clubs, some nights are good, some nights you want to smash the DJ for playing shit music. On the occasions I have been to Bungalow 8, I have been served what tasted like watered down cider and a decent red bull & vodka. Might have something to do with the bartender. It is a great place to head to on a Friday night to have a few drinks with your workmates and friends. The bar is located on the fringe of the viaduct which makes a few other bars and clubs a few minutes walk or stumble away. If you want to get a feel of the vibe at Bungalow, I suggest standing outside and listening to the music and peering through the balcony at what people are doing. Sometimes those long lines, aren't a good judge, as to whether the night is a good one.

I really like the word bungalow, it has good connotations of a little ocean fronting hideaway on an…read moreexotic island somewhere. You can definately see that is the look they are attempting to revive at this bar. From the cool fish tanks lining one of the inside walls, to the rattan/ cane outdoor furniture, beachside 'chic' is a resonant theme at Bungalow8. For a Friday night, it was a little quiet compared to some other bars, but it was beginning to pick up by the time we left. The dance floor was going off though, thanks to some sweet moves by me and a decent d.j playing some foot stompingly good tunes. I don't know if this is a student bar or what, but the clientele seemed to be super young. There were some dudes playing at being adults with a pitiful excuse for facial hair, and some manky suits, that looked so young that if I had been guarding the door I wouldn't have let them in.

In cahoots with Juice TV and it's neighbour, The Windsor Castle, Juice bar has a great line up of…read morelocal and international acts. New Zealand Music Month, Open Mic Night, UFC fights screened live or celebrating Brazilian Carnival- don't miss out on gigs at this Parnell hot spot. I have booked this venue for a birthday party and a farewell in the past and am never disappointed by the very hospitable staff. We were given use of the stage, DJ booth and VIP room guests dubbed "The Sexy Room". Until the cocktails start flowing there is a pool table to keep people occupied. Make sure you ask Chris or Z to show you their sweet mixology skills.

The first time I came here, it was to see my friend's band perform a while ago. It was the middle…read moreof summer and absolutely boiling in Juice due to the sheer amount of people and the fact that the huge windows at the front of the bar were closed (I guess due to noise pollution). It's a relatively small venue for live music, but actually quite a nice bar otherwise. I love the decorative hexagonal patterned ceiling and star-shaped hanging lights. It feels trendy but without being pretentious. It's one of the only bars I'll frequent in Parnell but I think that's purely because there's not a great variety. Juice's only neighbourhood competition is Farside (which I really don't rate) and McCarthy's Irish bar, which has definite pub vibe. It thrives because it's the only bar of its kind along the road--a good bar for an area distinctly lacking in good nightlife.

Claddagh's in a nice Irish pub that's off the main road and out of the way, so you can enjoy an…read moreafternoon pint without the garrulous office types. It's as dark and calming as any Irish pub should be, about the colour of Guinness inside the bar. Or escape into the airy courtyard, enclosed with brushwork fence. This area looks better at night with it's dainty little fairy lights and minus the moving trucks in the background. The relaxed but respectful service is by far the bars best feature. The staff go beyond the standard salutations and engage in friendly conversation with customers, without interrogating them or becoming unprofessional. Platters coming out of the kitchen look enticing and are handled with skill by the waiters. A couple of days later, there wasn't a trace of the St. Patrick's Day carnage and the sunny courtyard only held the sound of an Irish fiddler. Fantastic.

New management, new lease on life. What used to be sticky, run down and lacking heart is back with…read morea new beat. Quiz nights, live sports, pub games, live music, good pub grub. What's not to love? Go find out.

A cute little bar just off K' Rd......and I mean LITTLE! When we visited on a Friday night it was…read morecomfortably full with a chilled crowd of people chatting & lounging on the squishy sofa chairs. The music was funky, and the low red lighting made everyone look like an extra in a music video! Great espresso martinis, friendly bar staff & a place you can actually hear yourself think over the music: not a bad little find.

Tiny bar but it packs a punch…read more Awesome cocktails and they almost take it as a challenge to come up with something different and a cut above the rest. Nice place to chill out for a few drinks to start or end a night out.