Villager

Met a friend in Remmers and she recommended this as the local watering hole. We met around 7:30 on a Wednesday night and sat right away. The place had a decent amount of people of all ages hanging out, both inside & under the heaters outside.
Sports on the TV but not too in your face, so you can have a nice conversation or go watch the game, whatever you’re feeling. There is also a large dining room off the main room, so they can really pack people in.
They had so many Monteith’s on tap! I opted for the Chomper’s Pale Ale, a featured draft from Wellington. Set me back $ 11.50, but it was a huge glass so I guess that’s normal? My friend got the Chardonnay on special, for only $ 8.50. That to say, I suppose you can find a deal if you read the special signs behind the bar.
Overall, I wouldn’t go out of my way to go there, but if I’m in Remuera I wouldn’t turn my nose up at this place.

After discovering BOTH of the Fish & Chip joints in the the Upland Shops were closed, we decided to head to the Villager for a pint and burger. They weren’t very busy but the service was attentive and food was served in reasonable time. I got the Cubano and the description was a bit more adventurous than what actually arrived. It was pretty good although the patty itself was well-​done instead of medium as I would have liked, but the handcut chips were so worth the extra $ 4. They do indeed have a very extensive range of Monteiths on tap, and my APA went very well with my burger. Considering there isn’t much competition around it is a-​ok as a local pub. I would definitely say it’s on the pricey side, but so is everything in that part of Auckland. If you’re in the neighbourhood, stop in for a drink but I wouldn’t make an out-​of-​the-​way trek for it.

So 6 of us went here for a birthday dinner. The start of a horrible night began when they gave us food menus and no drinks menus. After about 15min we finally managed to wave down a waitress who said they’d run out of drinks menus in the restaurant part, and that they had drinks menus at the bar but she couldn’t get those. So we went and got the drinks menus ourselves from the bar. What’s with that?
So the waitress came back and took our orders. We asked what the difference was between the small and large portion of fish and chips. Her answer was the one was bigger than the other… helpful.
So after over 1 hour and 15min (the place was less than half full and there were lots of staff around) we asked where our food was. They said the kitchen staff were in training but they didn’t know when it would be out. It sounds harsh, but I don’t really care what the excuse is, it’s unacceptable to wait this long and we just want our food.
The food came and it was pretty average except for one of our party who ordered fish of the day. It came with parsnip, carrots and beans and they were still raw. To the point that she couldn’t cut the vegetables with the knife.
We went to pay and told them this was a really bad meal. Again they just told us they had kitchen staff that were new and there wasn’t much they could do about it.
Verdict: if you just want to drink then the staff are probably competent to pour drinks. Other than that they food is bad, the service is shocking. You can get far better food and service for the prices they charge anywhere else.

If you feel like a decent steak — head to the Villager in Remuera Village.
I had the eye fillet, which comes with a beef cheek bourginon on potato purée with bacon (I chose not to have mushrooms with it). The eye fillet was really good but the beef cheek was a bit fatty and cooler than the eye fillet. The mix of temperatures was a let down.
My other half had the huge 400g NY rump steak and I swear it was the size of a shoe! He was very happy and the large steak plus the two fried eggs and chips was more than enough to conquer his hunger.
Drinks wise, the coffee and beer were both good, although one pint glass had a big chip out of it.
Be aware that you must be willing to part with a bit of money as the Villager isn’t cheap.
I went on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn’t too busy which was perfect for a lazy weekend meal.

The Villager is your standard, suburban, after work meeting spot with local mates. That’s not to say it doesn’t do the basics well.
The Villager is good for midweek rendezvous. It provides a good range of tap beer and decent bar food. There are ample screens to watch any sporting codes on, with a TAB right across the road.
There is seating outside, with bar leaners scattered throughout the bar.
Parking can be a pain, a disadvantage of being located on a main road, although the Remuera backstreets of nearby suburbia should provide the answer.
There is a lack of bars as such in the area, and The Villager will definitely suffice for an afterwork beer in the sun.

Monteith’s beer is a favourite in my family and this place is so dedicated to the stuff, it even batters their fish in it! This is what attracted us initially and since then we go back regularly. My favourite is the crushed apple cider which seems to taste better here versus when I buy it as a six pack to take home. We love their daily specials for example if you are a member of the pub you can get $ 6.50 Montieth’s pints and house wine on Thursday’s which I reckon is a really good deal! There is pretty good street parking around, it has never been a huge hassle to find one. The waiters and waitresses here are really great they are all really down to earth, easy to talk to and attentive. Always a good time in a relaxed, fun atmopshere!

OK, so it may be a bit shallow and possibly superficial to notice this but it seems like everyone who works in here is young and absolutely gorgeous! Luckily, they are also really attentive and have that balance of being really friendly without being fake.
I feel though that they need to discard a table or two. There are so many pieces of furniture that the place has this air of being overcrowded even when it’s not busy. However, this is only a mild irk, the good food and great quality draught beer more than make up for this.
I find the nightlife (or lack thereof) in this area of completely dull and boring, so it’s great that this bar is here to add just a little bit of chilled-​out cool to stuffy Remmers.

If you live in Remuera or Meadowbank, the Villager is bound to be your local. It is always busy! It’s also the usual location for parents group meetings, eg Kindy and school committees… Say no more ;)
There’s always something going on — sports games, wild food fancy food nights, quiz nights etc. Currently there’s a pie day with angus pies and mash for only $ 14.50! That’s going to be lunch tomorrow!
Easy to find — it’s on the corner of Upland Rd and Remuera Rd. There’s a parking area across the road behind the block of shops where the curtain shop is.