The Speight's Ale House Dunedin — Restaurant in South Island

An ale house that wears its brewing heritage with pride, right in the heart of Dunedin, New Zealand.

Speight’s is more than just a name. It’s an ale brand rooted deep in tradition, established in 1876 by James Speight, Charles Greenslade, and William Dawson on Rattray Street. Dawson brought the craft, Greenslade the malt, and Speight the business acumen. Together, they built what would soon become the country’s biggest brewery, with their brews making their way across the Tasman and into the islands—Australia, Fiji, Tahiti.

Fast forward to 1999, the Speight’s Ale House was opened: giving longtime fans a place to enjoy the full Speight’s experience. And what a lineup! From the bright, citrusy kick of Summit Citrus to the crisp, well-layered Triple Hop Pilsner, and of course, the bold, unmistakable Distinction Ale—each pour feels like a celebration of Speight’s legacy.

The food? Solid. Think classic, hearty pub fare that keeps things grounded without stealing the spotlight from the beer, which is exactly how it should be. The service is fantastic! Attentive, friendly, and full of that down-to-earth Southern hospitality. It made the whole visit feel that much warmer.

All this, set in a charming two-storey building that echoes the character of the old brewery it once was, complete with that inviting, rustic feel that makes you want to linger just a...

I can’t really rate this place any better than two stars personally, but the formula seems to work as it was heaving on the Thursday night we visited. From the good reviews here and elsewhere I thought we would be getting a much better experience than we did.

Why the poor rating? Firstly, although I’d booked months in advance at the same time as booking a brewery tour next door, we we ushered to a mediocre table at the back of the restaurant. Second, unless you wave down a staff member, you might well be waiting 15 minutes before you receive any attention (this was the case throughout the time we were there). Third, the food is no better than average, if that, for its type and price point. Fourth, the whole feeling is like you are being processed through a factory. “Get ‘em in, get ‘em fed, give ‘em a beer, get ‘em out. Done.” Formulaic, and successful as a number of chain restaurants are.

If you don’t mind that, and the Speights name attracts you, well that’s just fine. You’ll probably enjoy it. Most of the customers seem like fairly unsophisticated tourists or people who dine out a handful of times a year and think this place is a bit special. But it really isn’t I’m afraid. I really regret not booking somewhere...

Friends visiting Dunedin arranged for a group of us to meet at Speight's Ale House last night for a catch-up over a drink and a meal and I thought why the Speight's Ale House as another friend had been there not long ago and wasn't overly impressed but along, I went anyway as would be great to catch-up with my friends. However, I was really impressed as typically a craft beer drinker I had a Speights Old Dark and it tasted very good. When all had arrived we were escorted to our table for 14 to have our meal and I chose the Brewer’s Braised Beef as deemed to be perfect with the Old Dark which it was. Well, the braised beef was a decent serve and tasted excellent. In fact, all the meals were of a decent size, and everyone cleaned their plates saying how great they were. Must admit the service was excellent as really friendly, checking on our table several times to make sure that there was fresh water, no-one waiting for a drink, and all our meals had arrived and were to our satisfaction – best service I’ve had for a long time. Well done team Speight’s Ale...