The Great Tuatara Tap Hunt – The Tuatara Triangle

One of the main functions of this blog is to highlight some of the exceptionally cool venues which have made the decision to stock our beers. At Tuatara, we acknowledge that, because of the way our industry runs, making that choice is not always as easy as it should be in an ideal world, and there can be some costs or lost incentives involved.

This week, we are looking at three venues all within a 100m (or so) radius in central Wellington – D4, One Red Dog and the Featherston. We have dubbed this area “The Tuatara Triangle.”

D4 is upstairs at 143 Featherston Street. It is named after the Irish postcode Dublin 4 and is billed as “a leading Wellington Irish Bar/Pub and high quality restaurant.” Their website describes the place as “an intimate open plan setting, nestled above the bustle of the capital's beating heart. From the hot pink velvet staircase to the bespoke Kanemail chandelier, D4 brings understated elegance to the culture capital. Service is efficient but discreet, cooking, invariably excellent and D4 presents great value for money.”

They currently have six Tuatara beers on tap – all of them apart from the Ardennes which, given the hot pink stairs, may be wise. As a match, try a baker’s dozen of their new hot and spicy chicken wings with celery and ranch dressing accompanied by a quenching Tuatara Pilsner.

A block or so away on the ocean side is One Red Dog Queens Wharf. They describe themselves “the newest edition to the One Red Dog, but we ain't no runt. Always one of the busiest places on the waterfront One Red Dog, Queens Wharf is a pure bred red.” Their food speciality is definitely pizza and they are hard to resist.

All seven Tuatara beers are on tap and available in jugs ($25 or $20 on Fridays). The suggested match here is the Godfather pizza (pepperoni, tomatoes, red onions, Portobello mushrooms and capsicum) with extra anchovies matched with Tuatara IPA. Do not be put off by the on-line beer menu which still has the Loaded Hog beers listed. The Tuatara chased those guys off years ago.

The Featherston Bar and Grill sits on the corner of Featherston and Johnston Streets, again about a block from D4 but this time towards the train station. After a dramatic and much-needed renovation, their website rightly describes the place as “An exquisitely refurbished art-deco masterpiece, Featherston boasts a reputation as Wellington's finest bar and grill. Featherston Bar and Grill is eternally popular with tourists, government and financial sector workers, food lovers, sporting enthusiasts and a whole range of local wits and raconteurs alike.”

Tuatara APA is on tap and looks set for a long stay. The Featherston steaks are amazing and any place which serves a dish of pork belly and spare ribs is always going to appeal to the Tuatara team. However, for something snackier, try the crab lemongrass and chilli dumplings washed down with Tuatara APA.

With three quality bars all serving Tuatara with a couple of blocks of central Wellington, the Tuatara Triangle could be one of the world’s easiest pub crawls. In fact, some people could probably do laps!

Cheers from the team at Tuatara