Golden Dawn

Golden Dawn usually holds some good gigs. However I was there on Saturday night & was made to wait in a line when they weren’t busy at all.
The music was even stopped at one point? It was around 11PM which is when most people are getting into the «dancey» stage of the evening so I don’t understand why that happened?

Can’t go wrong with a cold beer in the courtyard here in Summer or a mulled wine while a live band plays in Winter. The staff are amazing, always service with a smile.

Below average music! House fans dont come here. Ordered Moscow mule he gave me lemonade! 2 stars for good location.

First time at GD solely to see a band… Which was disappointing. In saying that I loved the bar and the vibe. Awesome friendly bar staff and beers. Will definitely be back to sample the food. Seems to have a rep for good music… So I shall live in hope

What a great place to hang out! I was dropping my daughter off at a drawing class and looking for a place in Ponsonby to have a beer. When I tapped the Unilocal app I realized there was a happening 100 meters from where I was at Golden Dawn. This was a Unilocal Elite event but Golden Dawn is all inviting. While it does not have the most obvious entrance, once you find it, you will never forget it. There is great beer on tap and the staff are all interesting fun people. There was a DJ the night I was there and the scene was both interesting and friendly.

This bar is pretty cute. Dimly lit, great music and plenty of candles give it a romantic feel.
While I’ve been here for mainly drinks over the years, I had a few sharing plates the last time I went along. Highly recommend the Welsh Rarebit. I’ve heard great things about their dinner menu — which I’m looking forward to trying.
If you come in winter, try the slow cooked mulled wine while sitting next to a heater outside. In summer, knock off work early and come for the great music and the last of the afternoon rays.

Had a good time here with good company!!! Food service is great, best cheese on toast so far (Welsh Rarebit) but brewski service is a bit slooowwww. Music wasn’t totally my thing, but didn’t scrub myself down in the shower thinking about it afterwards.
Poo signage finding the place, but I’d go back for sure.
Recommend.

So with a non descript entrance hidden on Richmond Rd you enter through the maze which is Golden Dawn .
Great open space which cleaverly feels like it’s closed over come night time (although I wondered what they do when it rains ?) Blankets are provided to keep warm under heaters, I like a good patio bar area .
A extensive drinks menu with witty cocktail names and what vessel said cocktails would be served in, is a big tick in my book .
We tried a prawn Mayo served in a pretzel bun, polenta croquettes, rissoles and Welsh rarebit these snack bites were soo good, my fave was the prawn Mayo in a pretzel bun — lots of prawns, celery and seasoned Mayo gently put into a sliced pretzel bun I’d like one of theses puppies for lunch EVERYDAY .
Wine was a Marlborough Pinot Gris so fruity and crisp on the nose but a good dry finish .
Next time I’ll be stopping by for one of their Jazz Sunday’s.

I’m not really a fan of golden dawn, mostly just for one reason, there is no signage so if you are meeting a group of people there and can be hard to explain how to even get into the bar, this annoys me because I assume that the only reason for this is to give it a hipster underground vibe.
Oh also the bar staff wear beanies, like they are lumberjacks! Again hipstery and annoying…
Apart from that, it’s a great bar with plenty of outdoor seating, diverse wine list, and mulled wine! Perfect for a winters evening celebration.

Excellent cool bar… And a nice patio… Just missing the happy hours… so always full price…

I love GOLDEN DAWN! Not because it’s actually named after a Greek Fascist Party, let’s not go there. I love it here because of the vibes, people and music.
In it’s earlier days when it first opened it was almost mystical, it’s like where is this weird and kooky venue everyone keeps talking about. It was super hip back then because Golden Dawn had no signs and basically it occupied the famous Ponsonby & Richmond Rd Corner where I believe (back in the mid nineties) where there was a Late Night Café shop was and the Original Ponsonby Pie bakery was right next door.
Back on the topic of GD, Matthew Crawley (promoter, host, man about town, basically everyone’s favourite character) manages in the evenings but most importantly he is responsible for making sure all the select bands that play there are top notch and fit the bill of the venue.
Tips — Get there early on Fri and Sun or expect to wait but during Summer is quite glorious in the airy backyard
–great craft beers in bottles and on tap
–awesome vibes, can be a little clicky at first but you get over that by consuming good amounts of alcohol
–expect to dance, or boggie more like it when the DJ spins some great songs. Because someone has to do it
–decent grub, great for sharing
–Pretty ladies and men, has a indie, boho, hip vibe to it — also seen a fair share of snogging good on
I know this is more of a vibe review than anything else but go there, you won’t regret it, I promise you.

Easy friendly bring your kid on a jazz Sunday for a beer or two. Very civilized, and fun.

You simply will not understand, ever, unless you are a unicorn (MAYBE… Maybe… if you want to be a Unicorn). Have you been to US of A? Where no one gives a shit? Glitter, fancy dress, real fucking music. That is all. Peace out tt

Went here with a friend. My first time visiting Auckland. There was a live band. The area for the band is a bit small but the rest of the establishment is great. Friendly and attractive bartenders who really know their craft. Nice outside patio area and a great friendly crowd. I would definitely repeat if I lived in Auckland.
Stay sexy my friends!

Ah the lovely GOLDEN DAWN. My favorite bar in Auckland. Golden Dawn is one of its kind, attracting a huge variety of folk.
The bar inside is very quaint, filled with gorgeous smelling candles and hipster bar staff. You then step outside into a large courtyard lit by an assortment of glowing colorful lights. In the winter a large fire is burning, heaters on the walls and blankets at all the tables. Come summer the place is a buzz with people grooving to old school Motown etc.
The staff are amazing and so welcoming. The drinks menu is vast, and has a large variety of unique wines and beer.
I haven’t eaten at the dawn for a while, but i have smelt and seen some amazing goods floating around.
As you can tell i have nothing bad to say, i love it here, Golden Dawn is like been at home with all your best friends.

As far as waterings holes in Auckland go it doesn’t get much better, or cooler than this.
Firstly, they have an unreal drinks list — Hallertau on tap as well as several other micro brews in the bottle; a well thought out wine list which sorts the wine by apt descriptors, for example ‘juicy, crunchy whites’ or ‘racy, scented reds’ and an epic cocktail list full of both the tried and true classics and new innovative concoctions.
The service here is also brilliant. The bartenders are knowledgable yet unpretentious and even do table service before it gets absolutely packed on a Thurs, Fri, Sat. Not to mention, this one of those gems that is appropriate all year round. Although the seating, which is predominately outside, lends itself to daytime drinking on a hot summer arvo, it’s just as good here on a chilly winter’s night under the heaters, blankets across knees, sipping mulled wine.

Who would of thought The Golden Shaz would be such a delightful place to visit in the winter months!
It’s always super cosy and cute inside but for those that put smoking first like my flat mates and I we were prepared to brave the cold but were pleasantly suprised. They have lots of outdoor heating and candles with beautiful winter arrangements like berries and magnolia leaves that creates such a inviting atmosphere. On arrival we were offered heavy hospital blankets and after a look at the impressive wine lists aptly named after taste, we settled in with a «vibrant detailed» Odyssey Pinot Noir.
The food is always great here and we were all relieved to see the pulled pork roll was still on the menu. We also had the new leek and corned beef toastie with Colemans that was ok. The best was the mozzarella smokey eggplant, and chickpea with big hunks of bread — delicious rustic flavours.
I highly recommend this place for it’s cool live music, food and atmos, best avoided on friday nights when it’s too busy and the bar tenders can often be a bit too laid back.

If you wanted to be served and spend your night beside a salt-​merchant, who was the son of a salt-​farmer, who was the daughter of a sultana, who was the son of the Sultan himself, then head to Golden Dawn. There ain’t no «malties» here, although there are certainty some breezy breezy ankles, everyone is pretty strictly salt (without the pepper).
The beer selection is pretty respectable on the whole, the G nTs and dark and cloudy’s are stiff enough to make you think you’re at a salt-​mine.
Can get pretty busy from time-​to-​time, and sometimes unpleasant when this is the case. Otherwise go and get yo’ salt on, you salty son of a sausage.

The food at Golden Dawn is off the chain. It’s actually some of the best I’ve ever eaten in Auckland city and I would not have expected it at all, considering that it is predominately a bar.
The menu is often changed up but is really well priced and designed to share. There are currently some incredible lamb ribs on there, and a ‘fish butty’ — served on a big wooden board as a heap of crumbed gurnard pieces, a stack of white bread, a pile of lettuce and a tangy sauce. The best kind of DIY. The pulled pork roll is super, super good. The cornbread with zucchini and goat’s cheese is also worth a mention.
Drinks are great — the Hallertau Cider on tap is good, I don’t really like beer but I’ve heard that it’s some of the best. They do a punch of the day which is in my experience, always worthy of the $ 9/​$ 10 price tag. The wine list is extensive.
This is one of my favourite bars in Auckland. It’s relaxed (no ‘town’ dress code), there’s a very, very good enclosed outdoor area (rare in the city) with an outdoor bar, lots of seating and there’s often live music. It’s a little ‘Melbourne hipster’ but if you can get over that, you’ll be fine.
Again, if anything, go for a meal. You will not regret it.

Golden Dawn is a wonderful place to mix and mingle with the diverse individuals of Auckland. With no strict dress code, you can enjoy yourself, bop your head to some music and be comfortable in your own skin.
When I first went to Golden Dawn, it was for a reggae gig and my oh my was I ecstatic! It was my first experience in an outdoor club in Auckland. The outdoor area was buzzing with reggae music, people chatting and whenever I looked up I saw the stars. I was in reggae heaven!
Definitely a great place to enjoy a summer night.

The first time I ever experienced the wonder that is Hallertau beer, it was at Golden Dawn. We were crammed in like sardines, I was dodging a couple of exes for a good portion of the night, and yet, once I sampled that delicious drop, I cared not about any of the chaos unfolding around me.
I’ve been back to Golden Dawn a few times now, and I love it, mostly because it has the feeling of being in a gorgeous Wellington bar (without actually having to live in the city with six months of horizontal rain). The outdoor bar is massive, the bar staff are friendly and the security staff are among some of the best in the city. (A strange point to note in a review, but it’s rare to see a security guard smile, let alone greet people. These guys deserve five stars all on their own.)