Takapuna Bar — Restaurant in Devonport-Takapuna

One star — and that’s generous. I’ve lived in Auckland for over 25 years. I’ve been to the Takapuna Bar occasionally over the years — not a regular, but certainly familiar enough with the place. Today, I walked in for what I expected would be a casual pint and left having experienced some of the worst customer service I’ve ever encountered in this city.

After ordering a Summit low-carb beer, I politely asked if I could swap it for something else, saying I found it a bit average. The duty manager flatly refused, which is fine — it had been poured, I get that. But what followed was astonishing.

His response was cold, dismissive, and unnecessarily rude. When I calmly pointed out that his tone and approach were off, he doubled down — in front of other customers — and said I wasn’t a “real regular” like some others, so essentially I didn’t warrant better service. That’s not just unprofessional — that’s biased and exclusionary.

When I challenged him (again, politely) on how he was handling the situation, he offered no apology. Instead, he said he only made the “not a regular” comment because I’d questioned his attitude. As if that justifies anything.

To the owner, Alistair Davidson: If your goal is to just keep the lights on, do nothing. But if you actually want this place to thrive, start with your people. Train them better. Hire people with EQ. Your front-of-house sets the tone, and today, it was a tone of arrogance, not hospitality.

I won’t be coming back. And if you enjoy average beer, poor lighting, TAB screens, and being treated like an inconvenience, this might be the...

Came here for the ABs vs Lions game, so admittedly not the best night to review, but food and drinks were good although because it was busy we had to sit outside, which on itself isn't the end of the world, but the bars liquor license does not extend to the little triangle of grass right in the middle of the outside area which made it very difficult to eat and drink with a large group of friends. Seems a bit crazy, as people coming outside to smoke were continuously told of by the bouncer for having their drinks in the unlicensed area, but do understand that this it's out of...

Great local bar, which punches above its weight, Great drink specials and options as well as pokies for anyone who is interested.

Always have something to do and will never miss a live game of sport here, situated 100m from takapuna beach on a round a bout it’s always a good spot for a beer or wine in the sun.

Great happy hour specials as well as good prices off peak, bar also offers snacks which are basic but nice as well as open to people eating food from elsewhere while having...