Pig & Whistle Historic Pub
What makes your venue the Best Gastropub in New Zealand?
The Pig & Whistle Historic Pub was established in 1993 in a classic piece of bold 1940's architecture which served as Rotorua's police station until 1969. A local landmark, the building boasts unique features such as 2 pillars at the entrance, plaster cast of Māori design along the roof line, Māori motifs, and the royal coat of arms carved into the stone. A large Pin Oak Tree at the front, lit up at night, enhances the area and makes it easily recognisable.
Over the years, we have maintained and showcased the history of the building, whilst creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. With booth seating and casual bar leaners in the main building and a covered garden bar with greenery, a large open fire and a retractable roof, it's great for all seasons. We have a wide selection of New Zealand beers, wines and spirits, including Rotorua-made wine and spirits.
Our full menu, available all day until late, is updated seasonally, with New Zealand lamb shanks, slow-cooked brisket, ribs and pork belly all being favourites, particularly in winter. Some classics such as harissa chicken salad, scotch fillet, satay chicken burger and our famous Pigtail fries have remained on the menu since the beginning. Our team of dedicated and passionate people look to create an experience for every customer. Regulars can come in and have their favourite drink delivered to the table without asking, and visitors can enjoy a laid-back NZ experience, and even pick up some info and tips from our team about what to do in Rotorua & New Zealand. A private function room upstairs is available for birthdays, gatherings, and work parties, with a platter menu with options such as slow-cooked brisket, glazed ham, pork belly, root vegetables, spreads & dips. Weekly quiz nights are held in this space from March- November, with teams of regulars, locals and visitors battling out against each other to be crowned the winner.
We work with New Zealand distilleries, breweries and wineries to offer tasting evenings, with our executive chef providing degustation menus to match. Saturday nights offer a live cover band, with tables cleared to open up a dancefloor. We also have one-off events with tribute bands, originals and comedians. A few years ago, we switched to offering table service throughout the venue to enhance the experience for customers, whilst still welcoming casual orders at the bar.
Describe the experience your customers have at your establishment – what is your food and beverage offering and why do people come back for more?
We have 15 New Zealand craft beers and ciders on tap, with a couple of feature taps that rotate offering new and limited beers. Our team are happy to help you choose the right option for you, they'll even give you a taster if needed. Our bar is designed to showcase an extensive selection of premium spirits, you can find local options made in Rotorua and New Zealand. Our drink menu is updated seasonally to include and support new innovative brands coming through, along with seasonal cocktails created by our team. Our food menu is updated seasonally, and our executive chef and head chef stay up to date with new and trending options, while keeping our classics and customer favourites. In 2016, we invested in a large off-site commercial kitchen, this allowed us to improve our offering, and change our kitchen on-site to mainly a service kitchen which also improved the environment, speed of service and quality of food.
Tell us how you showcase NZ produce / offerings? Does your menu change with the season and how is it locally influenced. How do you accommodate allergy and dietary requirements?
We update our menu seasonally, slow-cooked meats are featured in winter, in particularly New Zealand Lamb Shanks, which are a favourite with locals and tourists. Our executive chef and head chef research frequently, including travelling, to develop new ideas. We encourage and welcome ideas and feedback from all of our team. On a recent menu change, we added a new burger created by one of our chefs, who is currently completing his apprenticeship. This burger has become our top-selling item on the entire menu over the summer. We have a separate section on our menu to showcase our vegetarian & vegan options and ensure there is a variety of gluten-free choices, all labelled on the menu. Our team are happy to discuss allergies and will discuss suitable options with the chef who will make changes as required when possible.
What are your key points of difference and how have you managed to deliver them?
We are a local landmark, and we have honoured the history of the building. We regularly update aspects of the interior to remain clean, fresh and current whilst always being respectful of the building and its history. We have worked with our team to create Core Values, one of which is to be world-class in Rotorua. We aim to elevate the City and be a part of the reason for tourists- domestic and international, to visit Rotorua. We support local businesses, showcase NZ brands, and give back to the community with donations to the mountain bike club, first response unit, local sports clubs and schools.
Best Known for:
Māori designs and motifs
Rotorua wines and spirits
Live music Saturdays
Please describe your commitment to sustainability.
We have made changes over the years, and adjust to new sustainable practices when possible. All packaging, straws, and consumables are sustainable. Food scraps are collected by a Pig farmer, and we have recently enquired to sign up for a pilot program aimed at reducing the industry's food waste. We promote tap beer and poured spirits over bottled options to reduce glass waste. The kitchen clean and re-use/ re-purpose containers. Used furniture, goods, and items that are replaced are donated to hospice shops, local charities or organizations to re-use. We support Tipu Wai, a trust led by Gregg Brown, whose mission is to aid in the restoration of our waterways and native fish species and the enhancement of landscape aesthetics by growing & planting 100,000+ locally sourced native seedlings over the coming years. For more information visit tipuwai.co.nz. Our firewood comes from pest trees only like Taiwanese Cherries and self-seeding Dogwood. We have helped eradicate 100s of these over the years.
Have you won any awards in the recent past? Tell us about them.
We have received Best Bar in the Rotorua Hospitality awards. We've been a finalist in the Westpac Business awards, and Gregg Brown- the owner, received the 'Icon of Hospitality' award in 2015. Our team won a Stella pouring competition, with two front-of-house members winning a trip of a lifetime to the Wimbledon tournament in the UK. Another staff member, Herbie Mitchell, has been a finalist for best bartender in our local hospitality awards.
Please describe how you create ambience.
We have a lighting system with various 'scenes' loaded in so that at various times the lights will be dimmed to create the right level of lighting, e,g.. lunch setting, summer dinner setting, winter dinner setting, and weekend live band setting. Warm lighting at the bar, and behind the spirit bottles to showcase all the bottles. We have two electric fireplaces in the main bar, one of which you can see straight away as you walk in, this helps create a warm and welcoming setting in winter. We recently renovated and added a plant feature to separate the kitchen door and walkway from the seating area, helping to control noise and disturbance to guests. The garden bar features a large fireplace creating a cosy atmosphere in winter, guests can enjoy the warmth and crackling of wood burning. For the warmer days, we have a retractable roof to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. With a sound system throughout the venue and adjustable volume inside and out, the team select chill playlists, often showcasing New Zealand artists.
