Father Ted’s

Guy wouldn’t let us in because our ID was from another country and we decided to leave our passports at our hotel (we didn’t want to carry passports around).
We got into the casino across the street just fine with our IDs. You need to be 18 to drink. I am almost 30.
Tourists should NOT GO HERE.

Father Ted’s is a great place to pop to after work for a few drinks. On the Friday that I went there was a great Father and Son duo playing that was really very good. Best of all they have Happy Hour Wednesday to Friday from 3−7pm so it’s a cheap start to your night.

This was the first place (after checking in the hotel) to eat. It was around 1pm and the place was fairly slow inside except some bar sitters. They do have a lunch menu with great prices but be warned you get less food. I had the fish and chips on the lunch special price and it was only one piece of fish but it tasted great. Also got meat pie that looked and tasted amazing and the kiddos got chicken which they cleaned their plate so all was enjoyed. The meal came out timely and you ordered at the bar and paid at the bar. I would recommend.

First thing first, food was good. We ordered guinness meat pie, Fish ‘n chips and Chicken ceasar salad. Fish ‘n chips wasn’t too greasy or watery inside. It was just right. And Guinness meat pie was quite heavenly. Very juicy and tender beef inside w/​bitterness from guinness. This is perfect marriage between two.
This place could’ve gotten 4 stars if the waiting time wasn’t too long. 1^st dish didn’t come out until 40 minutes later. It didn’t look back up as there was only one party of 3 beside us who ordered food at that time. At least, salad could’ve come out sooner.
Maybe we came here in wrong occasion because we had to catch the bus to airport within next 30min after we got the food. We probably should’ve come here when we were not-​so-​in-​hurry even though we thought we gave enough time.
But I had to say, as soon as I put the food in my mouth, the wait was worth it.

This was the first place I went out to grab lunch and food when I moved to Auckland. First of all, they have a wonderfully priced lunch menu where you can get awesome things for just $ 10! Our timing was really poor because they had just gotten the orders from a huge private group right before we got there, so it took a long time for our food to come out — but they gave us very fair warning and we decided to stay. They felt so bad about it, they gave us a free round of drinks even though it was our decision to stay regardless of the wait! Everyone who works there is Irish, so it’s completely a Irish pub… of course. Great priced pitchers, and the bartenders are pretty nice. The bouncers are my favorite, they are great fun and big Maori guys. There is a pub quiz every Tuesday and it’s great fun! We would make regular appearances of going even though we never came close to winning the beer tab prize. They even are kind enough to give some great bar snacks in the middle of the quiz. They have different events throughout the week to keep everyone entertained including some live bands. There’s pool and a decent amount of seating. If you’re going for any event, especially quiz night, I’d get there at least an hour to half an hour early to get a place to sit though. Miss this place so, so much!

When I asked for a tall can of Magners for my friend, the bar man slyly repeated ‘caan.’ Making fun of my American accent, then walked away. Now if your going to poke fun, allow it to be a two way street. I’m up for a good laugh too. This was not the case, so I felt very insulted without the opportunity to even counter his remark.
Although there is ample outdoor seating, along with a server to bring out food, not once did anyone come to our table to ask if we wanted another round of drinks. The only saving grace for this pub is the food. The burger and fries were very good, big enough to share with another. The burger meat itself was fresh ground, not a pre-​packaged pattie.
The Murphy’s stout was alright — nice head but a bit on the watery side.
Good food but poor service and manners.

Father Ted’s (or just Ted’s as we call it) is where my friends and I head when we’re in the mood for some Friday night fun in the way of live music, a good crowd and some all-​time sing alongs! Generally, the people here seem to be in the same head space as I am and no-​one is too nervous to shout out the lyrics and get their groove on. I find this a refreshing change from the dub step clubs and alternative ‘scenester’ spots scattered around town. This is somewhere I can just let my hair down and be myself! Lines can get up so try get there before the crowds… but even if you don’t it’s worth the wait!

I always seem to end up at this pub during a night out on the piss and I’m not entirely sure why. It’s small and dark inside, rather rundown and dirty, the outside drinking area is quite crap, and the drinks aren’t anything special. Perhaps all these things give this Irish Pub its character, but I think the best thing about Father Ted’s is that it seems to attract a great crowd. There’s a buzz about this place that I haven’t experienced anywhere before in Auckland. It’s a good place to meet new people, get boozed, talk rubbish, and listen to some quality live music. The musicians they have playing here are incredible and toward the end of the night everyone seems to be loving life and dancing away like there’s no tomorrow. There always is a tomorrow though, a painful and regretful tomorrow.

As an Irishman, I can testify to the fact that this is a genuine Irish pub and not one of those faux-​Irish pubs you often find outside the country. It’s a bit on the shabby side but that’s not really the point of Father Teds — this place is all about the atmosphere and having a good night out. The staff are all Irish and their earthy friendliness makes me think I am back home again. They sometimes do cheap deals on the booze — the last time I was there a bottle of Heineken was $ 5 instead of the usual $ 9. I had a sore head the following day though because of that deal. The food is also good and I had steak here on one of their mid-​week discount nights and it was cooked to just how I like it. Overall, the emphasis in Father Teds is on the ‘craic’ and as any Irish person will tell you, that’s what Ireland is all about.

Sometimes, I just get a mad craving a good steak. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, no other dinner will suffice. After a few failed attempts, I have now come to the conclusion that rather than trying to cook it myself, the only sensible thing to do is head down to Father Ted’s on either a Monday or Tuesday night where it is always Steak Night. A quarter kilo (which is always enough for me to be filled but without to big a bout of meat sweats afterwards) one is $ 10 and a half kilo (boyfriend sized) ones are $ 15.
With prices like that I wasn’t expecting the steak to be particularly great the first time I had it. But every time I have had one, they never fail to disappoint: expertly cooked, never chewy and with your choice of sides and sauce. There is almost always live music (the kind you would expect to hear in an Irish pub) and the service is always pretty good, with Dave the bar manager giving a typically hospitable Irish welcome. Perfect for a cheap midweek treat.