If you’re constantly guilty of checking your bank app after a night out and assuming your paywave has been stolen, only to realise the transactions were, sadly, you all along…raise your hand.
We know you’ve got your hand high in the air right now, so we thought we’d help you out (particularly looking at you, uni students). We get it, Auckland is expensive, and sometimes you just want a night out that doesn’t hurt your wallet more than it hurts your head the next day. So we’ve rounded up a cheat sheet of all the cheapest (and cheerful) bars in the city. Get hopping!
Cassette Nine
CBD
Right in the heart of the city sits the coolest bar in town, Cassette Nine! This hotspot is wildly popular for their alternative shots served in teapots, funky live music, and the best bar eats around. It’s a backpackers go-to in Auckland and the perfect place to have a great night without emptying your bank account.
Shadows
Auckland Central
Every Auckland University student knows what’s up when we say good old Shads is the best cheap bar, hands down. The bar is located right on campus and offers drink deals made with the average struggling student in mind. Known for their $8 jugs and cheap as chips mixers, Shadows will always get you ready for a night on the town.
Doolan Brothers
Lynfield, Newmarket, Botany & Ellerslie
Trusty Doolans has got your back when you’re after a pint and a catch up with mates. The Quay Street residents keep the cheap drinks flowing and music pumping into the early hours of the morning so you can keep partying all night long.
Sixth Sense
CBD
When you’re running late to the pre-party and need a few more drinks in your system before you’re ready to enter the club, head to Sixth Sense on Wyndham Street. With their $4 shots you can’t go wrong making a quick trip in and out to get you ready set for the rest of your night.
La Zeppa
Freemans Bay
Ah La Zeppa, you can do no wrong. The Victoria Park bar is always buzzing with a great atmosphere, especially during their Friday night sunset sessions. Grab a $9 SOHO Frosè after work and sit back to unwind for the weekend.
Spitting Feathers
CBD
If you’re a lover of all things beer but don’t want to pay the hefty Auckland price tag ($10 for a bottle is daylight robbery) then Spitting Feathers will be your new best friend. $5 beers are the daily special here, with Thirsty Thursday’s specialising in $7 Redbull vodkas and $5 wines—unheard of in the City of Sails!
Whammy Bar
Auckland Central
There’s a lot of reasons to love this K ‘Road gem (like jamming out at the karaoke bar or seeing all our favourite artists ever here?!?) but a well kept secret is Whammy Bar’s suprisingly low prices! Grab a few cheap drinks and bites to eat while jamming out to some great live talent.
Bedford Soda & Liquor
Ponsonby and Takapuna
When we think cocktails, we think Beford Soda & Liquor. Bedford offers all the classic cocktails you know and love, to more experiemental concoctions like “The Capital” – made up of vanilla vodka, marshmallow syrup, strawberry shrub, egg whites and lemon. Head down during happy hour (Fridays 5pm-7pm) for cheap beverages and $5 shoestring fries!
Little Easy
Ponsonby
Every day is a good day at Little Easy. The groovy Ponsonby Road bar will only set you back a tenner for a wine or beer and the pub menu is nothing to scoff at. The Mac’n’Cheese burger, pork belly lettuce cups, and spicy buffalo wings already have our mouths drooling. Plus, you can always count on Little Easy to be playing the best beats at any time of the day.