“I just wish there were great local pubs like we had in the UK” is a common sentiment here in Aotearoa – and one I empathise with entirely. Fond memories of rolling out of bed late on a Sunday, perusing the seriously chunky weekend edition newspapers with a hot cuppa in hand, and then at some point in the day wandering along to the local pub to meet up with friends over a pint and lunch or dinner in an atmosphere that felt cosy, welcoming and reassuringly consistent. 

I can’t help on the satisfyingly chunky weekend newspaper front, but here’s this wonderful ninth edition of Uptown to enjoy during your morning cuppa reading routine and there’s the Horse & Trap to satisfy your cravings for a welcoming local.

The Horse & Trap is a great spot for a beer, but it’s also many other things: server of memorable meals, an excellent function and event venue, a place to remind you why live music is such a joy. Whatever you’re after, the “guv’nor”, owner Jason Tupuhi, will sort you. Jason has owned the business for 11 years this July and had worked as the head chef in its kitchen for two years prior. I sat down with Jason on the sun-soaked deck of the pub for a yarn about the establishment that is his pride and joy.

Heritage kept alive

From where we’re sitting on the north-west facing deck, you could land a stone at what will be the entrance to the City Rail Link station. Construction has presented challenges to the pub’s trade, as foot traffic has disappeared and parking has been impacted. But Jason is determined to keep this lovely old bird alive and is excited about the future once the station opens in a couple of years. “We’ll be right on the doorstep of the station,” he says. “I’m hoping we’ll be the Uptown equivalent of a great little pub you walk into straight out of a busy tube station like Covent Garden in London.”

There’s been a pub in the building since 1986 and the building itself dates back to 1914, built by carriers and coal merchants W and G Winstone. From the 1930s until it outgrew the site in the 1970s, it was the main factory for Tasti, where hand-cut fresh ginger was “syruped” in oak barrels to make the crystallised ginger that was a popular treat at the time.

The face of the place

No absentee landlord, Jason is always at the pub working away, making sure everything is cushy and chatting to customers. His regulars all know him, and “if anyone comes in for the first time they’ll know who I am by my laugh and my loud voice”, he grins. “My customers get me singing to them – for free! I’m a Māori boy, the singing just comes out! Obviously, I’m not going to win every- one over, but most people I do. I know some people prefer to be left alone and I can do that too. I’m here all the time, this is my baby. I’m the face of the place, I’m the guv’nor, so I want to make sure that everyone is happy with everything.”

Care, kai, consistency, community

With Jason’s background as a chef, it’s not surprising that the menu at the Horse & Trap punches above its weight. Partly this is down to Jason keeping a firm eye on quality and consistency (and I can tell you after my access all areas tour, he also keeps the tidiest cold store I have ever seen, and I’ve seen a few). “You can go and get a beer anywhere,” says Jason, “but you don’t find so many places that also do consistently great food, and that’s what we aim to do here. We’re the type of place where our regulars come and eat the same dish each week because they know it’s going to hit the spot.” 

The main menu is supplemented with a specials board that changes depending on what’s in season and what the kitchen has been perfecting. Perennial favourites include the rich beef cheek and fish tacos. Although the pub does a steak night on Thursdays, offering a 300g prime sirloin steak with chips for just $20, Jason says he prefers to focus on keeping menu prices accessible overall rather than pushing lots of deals and having to drop the quality of the food. “I try to keep everything on the menu below $30,” he says. “I want customers to feel they’re enjoying a really good meal at a fair price.” On Sundays, kids eat free and there’s also a proper roast up for grabs, served with all the trimmings.

Jason loves his music (just ask him – he’ll burst into song in reply) and has regular live music at the pub on Thursdays from 5.30 til 7.30pm and Fridays from 6 til 9pm. “And we do table service here,” he says. “Hardly any pubs do that these days. It means you can just do what you came here to do – relax with your friends or family without having to get up all the time.” He’s also very proud that proper pints are served in his pub. Having lived in England for eight years, he says he wouldn’t feel like a real guv’nor serving up a beer in a stingy small glass.

Functions at the Horse & Trap

The pub boasts several spaces that can be booked for functions. Around 60 guests can be accommodated in the upstairs space The Loft, a room filled with natural light and with the cosy feeling of brick walls and wooden beams. It has its own bar and a good AV set up and suits all kinds of get-togethers, says Jason. “We have a business networking group that books it once a week, plenty of AGMs, and then last week it was booked out by a recruitment group for a bondage and discipline club ... we just left them to it that night!” If a group is keen to stay on and have meals, Jason is often open to waiving the hire fee.

Below the pub, The Stables can accommodate 150 or more and boasts a handsome rustic fit-out, bar, a really good sound system and a large courtyard to spill out into. It’s a popular spot for 21sts and other significant-number celebrations.

Lastly, the sheltered deck at the back of the main pub called The Carriage can be booked for smaller groups on Saturdays for a minimal fee.