KEY POINTS:
It used to be the local library, now it's the local. Galbraith's Alehouse has won the Pub of the Year award at the New Zealand Bar Awards.
The pub on Mt Eden Rd serves up honest pub-grub but is better known for it's on-site brewing, which goes down
well with the locals.
Regular Michael Kennedy puts the large Wednesday night crowd down to good beer and atmosphere.
Mr Kennedy has been coming to the pub since it opened in 1995.
"People come here for the English-style ales.
"There's a core group of regulars and it hasn't changed."
Sophie Bribiesca says its the lack of white noise - there is no jukebox, pool table, television or loud music - that keeps her coming back.
"There's no interference, just conversation, which is healthy."
Owner and brewer Keith Galbraith said Kiwis "are drinking less but better".
"They're looking for a taste experience, not just something cold and fizzy on a Saturday night."
The pub has five brews on tap, everything from a gutsy porter to a sublimely balanced bitter. The beer is brewed with malts, hops and yeasts imported from across Europe.
Ponsonby Rd's the Living Room picked up the best new pub award.
The bar specialises in organic food and wine and opened in June last year.
The site used to be a Tui pub but owner Blair Fergus said now late night wine drinkers and weekend brunchers make up his clientele.
The evening menu features an organic beef dish, the signature, wrapped in bacon with scallop potatoes and served with a merlot jus.
And there's a veranda complete with fireplace for the smokers.
The outside seating commands a view of Ponsonby Rd.
"Sun is money," said Mr Fergus, "and we get it until 7 on summer nights."
NEW ZEALAND BAR AWARD WINNERS
Bar of the year: Matterhorn, Wellington
Bar Manager of the Year: Daniel Walker, Suite, Auckland
Wine Bar of the Year: Vivo Enoteca Cucina, Wellington
Pub of the Year: Galbraith's Alehouse, Auckland
New Pub of the Year: Living Room, Auckland
New Bar of the Year: Hawthorn Lounge, Wellington
Nightclub of the Year: Double Happy, Christchurch
Best Drinks Selection: Matterhorn
Bar Team of the Year: Clooney, Auckland
Operator of the Year: David Hawk, Suite & Crow Bar, Auckland
Cocktail Bar: Mea Culpa, Auckland
Cocktail List: Hawthorn Lounge
Best Music Offering: Sandwiches, Wellington
Best Bar Food: La Zeppa, Auckland