Thistle Inn

**What makes your venue the Best Gastropub in New Zealand?**

The Thistle Inn sits on a corner site in Thorndon since 1840, surrounded by large buildings. It is a unique insight into New Zealand's past, which has been brought into a new era in 2004 with a complete refurbishment.
Retaining all the character and charm of yesteryear, it now stands tall amongst the community of Thorndon as New Zealand's Best Gastro Pub.

Established in 1840, it exudes a nostalgic charm that transports patrons back in time. The rustic decor, crackling fireplace, and period features create a warm, inviting atmosphere. The gastropub's reputation for exceptional food and drinks crafted with locally sourced ingredients further enhances its allure. From the moment you enter its doors, the Thistle Inn is enchanted with its historical significance, cozy ambience, and delectable offerings, making it a must-visit destination for locals and tourists alike.

We know more than a beautifully restored historic building is needed to make a great pub. What matters is the people within the building, the atmosphere that is created, and the products on offer. Richard has been at the Thistle for over 20 years. His business partner Scott (7 years) has built up the business, changing focus from crate bottle drinking, gambling, and hot microwave pie pub to a sophisticated gastropub, offering awesome genuine customer service and bistro-quality pub food.

The Thistle's kitchen is a limiting factor; it is the smallest kitchen within Wellington (let alone NZ), approximately 2 x 4 meters in space. Yet, they can still serve hundreds over lunch or dinner. This Limiting factor has meant that the menu has to be crafted uniquely to serve the masses. We love to get creative with our menus and change every couple of months based on seasonal availability. The vision we have for our food is Simple and delicious; each dish is elevated to another level with interesting elements of flavour, bringing an approachable uniqueness to our menu, delighting and wowing our guests. Some of our favourite innovative dishes we have are paua croquettes, scallops and black pudding, house-made pork and paua sausages and even a special haggis sausage for our Robbie Burns night.

We know that hospitality is all about how we make people feel, through the team's personality, with their inviting personalities and warmth, to the chefs' delicious flavours and innovative dishes. The attention to detail and thoughtful touches throughout the experience and pub make for a truly memorable experience.

We know we are unique, and we enhance our uniqueness by collaborating with suppliers to create exciting products for our customers. We do collaborative craft brews with local breweries, and we have also collaborated with a local distributor to help add to our unique offering and give our guests the best experience possible. Our beverage offering strongly focuses on local and NZ-only products (where possible). Being such an NZ icon and a privately owned small business, we strongly focus on supporting other local businesses.

The Thistle Inn is a historic pub that offers its customers a unique experience. Stepping inside, patrons are greeted by a warm, inviting atmosphere that exudes old-world charm. The cozy interior, complete with traditional decor and wooden furniture, provides a comfortable setting for guests to relax and enjoy themselves. Whether in the sunny conservatory, the intimate Parlour Room dining area, or the lively main bar, there are plenty of unique spaces to choose from.
At the Thistle Inn, the team undergoes extensive training not only in food and beverage service but also in understanding the psychology behind creating meaningful connections with guests. Genuine hospitality is the cornerstone of their service, and they strive to make every customer feel welcomed, valued, and appreciated. The team focuses on three main elements to achieve this: connection, significance, and certainty. By establishing connections through introductions and genuine curiosity, understanding guests' needs, making them feel significant and well taken care of, and providing clarity and consistency throughout their experience, the team ensures that every guest receives the highest level of service.
In addition to exceptional service, the Thistle Inn also pays attention to "added touches" that enhance the overall experience. From serving water with cucumber and lemon to offering complimentary nuts during drink hours, the pub goes the extra mile to make every visit special. Special occasions are celebrated with arrival bubbles for birthdays, customized menus, and house-made chutneys as thoughtful gifts. These details add to the uniqueness and charm of the pub.
When it comes to beverages, the Thistle Inn proudly showcases a selection of unique New Zealand products. Their focus is on offering local spirits and a back bar that highlights New Zealand spirits. While they are contracted to DB, they also have their own rotating taps featuring a variety of craft beers from Wellington's finest breweries. The carefully curated wine list offers select wines that are not easily found elsewhere. Throughout the year, the pub collaborates with local breweries to create exclusive brews, often incorporating elements like Thistle Milk and 1840 hops. This collaborative approach extends to gin production as well, resulting in a successful and distinct beverage offering.
Despite its small kitchen, the Thistle Inn has mastered the art of creating excellent food within its limited space. The menu is small and refined, with each dish crafted to be simple, delicious, and infused with interesting elements. The goal is to offer dishes that are unique and not easily replicated at home. The pub takes pride in showcasing Kiwi culture through iconic dishes like Paua Croquettes, Smoked Kahawai, and their renowned fish and chips, which are considered the best in Wellington.
As an iconic part of New Zealand history, the Thistle Inn is committed to elevating Kiwi pub cuisine and beverages for both locals and tourists to enjoy. With a focus on uniqueness, quality, and consistency, they have created an extraordinary establishment that celebrates the best of New Zealand in a truly unforgettable way.
Being New Zealand's oldest pub, we have a long history of serving local fare to patrons throughout the years. When the Thistle Inn was first built in 1840, Mrs Couper served roast wild pig and cockles from Pipitea to the small population of Thorndon.
We strive to continue this tradition and keep our Kai local. We have done events like hyperlocal, showcasing locally sourced produce in dishes such as Kina bellini, pickled shallots, salmon pearls, Paua Wakame San choy bau & Cray, and grouper head boil-up.
The Thistle Inn kitchen team believes using local produce is imperative to our business, community, and New Zealand. New Zealand has some world-leading producers and suppliers; we utilize and showcase these as much as possible.
Our menu is uniquely Kiwi, showcasing some iconic NZ produce daily. Our fish for our Kahawai rillettes is caught just up the coast, and we smoke this in-house using the tried and true Kiwi method of curing with salt and brown sugar. We have paua from Wairarapa and mushrooms from Mushroom House in Otaki, and all of our fish is locally caught in Cook Strait and up the Kapiti coast.
We also have daily specials, which is another way we can use local produce to offer our guests dishes such as flounder served with a beurre noisette and fried capers.
We change our menu seasonally to get the best out of our produce when it is in season; it's good for the environment, tastes better, and our guests appreciate an ever-changing menu.
We can also work with local suppliers who can let us know what they think is tasting good right now and what may be good in the coming month. This gives us flexibility in putting our menu together and gives us options for our specials board.
Produce and location are what influence our menu. We are lucky to be on the coast in Wellington and have verdant countryside just over the hill, providing beautiful wines, olive oil, lamb, beef, and pigs.
We cater for all dietary requirements as we are lucky to have a flexible and knowledgeable team of chefs. We outline gluten-free options on the menu; we always have vegan and vegetarian options available on our seasonal and set menus.
When guests book with us, they are asked if they have any dietary requirements, and we will cater to these as needed.
Staff are trained on each new menu before it goes live so they know all of the ingredients in each dish and the Chefs put together an allergen matrix for staff that is located for easy viewing during service.
We believe we offer an exceptional food program, unlike any other New Zealand pub. We highlight and celebrate local producers and provide excellent Kiwi fare for our guests.
At the Thistle, our key points of difference revolve around our exceptional customer experiences and our commitment to delivering a distinctively Kiwi atmosphere in our historic establishment. We go above and beyond for our guests, and our rigorous training plans cover all aspects of hospitality. We are selective in our hiring process to ensure that our team shares our vision.
Our team is crucial to our success, as they are responsible for creating amazing experiences for our guests. We conduct weekly training sessions and hold monthly team meetings where we align our values, review monthly results, discuss achievements and areas for improvement, and determine our focus going forward. These meetings also include menu and beverage tastings and fun team activities.
Our emphasis on team development sets us apart. By providing an excellent experience for our team, we can deliver an outstanding experience for our guests. We recognize outstanding employees through our Top 3 Employee of the Year incentive, which offers them the opportunity to explore other hospitality businesses around New Zealand. In the past, we have visited Queenstown and Auckland and enjoyed outdoor adventures in Otaki.
Additionally, we organize bi-monthly management meetings that promote leadership development and team-building activities. Previous activities have ranged from sound bath yoga to golf, boxing, and hiking. These excursions not only enhance leadership skills but also introduce new experiences.
Our owners, Rich, Scott, and Head Chef Zane, have an annual opportunity to visit Australia for a two-night hospitality venue tour. This allows them to gain inspiration from the fantastic hospitality offerings in Australia and continually strive for improvement.
All these initiatives foster a sense of teamwork and contribute to a unique experience where our staff work together towards a common goal.
In terms of our food, we take pride in offering exceptional bistro pub food. Our aim is to provide both high-quality cuisine and outstanding service, which sets us apart from other pubs in the country. We draw inspiration from New Zealand's unique offerings as well as renowned chefs worldwide. Every item on our menu is carefully curated to be delicious, simple, and interesting, resembling a work of art.
We deeply understand our market and continuously gather feedback to cater to our guests' preferences. With a database of 12,000, we regularly send out surveys and conduct in-depth studies facilitated by our Business Coach, Zac de Silva. This level of customer insight is rarely seen in the hospitality industry and has greatly benefited our business. By listening to our customers, we can make meaningful changes and continuously improve.
At the Thistle, we strive to create a distinctive experience where our team works together to exceed expectations. Our focus on training, development, unique cuisine, and customer feedback sets us apart in the hospitality industry.

We aim to source local ingredients and use local suppliers to help reduce our footprint. Where possible, we use all cuts of meat and vegetables and turn them offcuts into other dishes or stocks; the kitchen is highly efficient in product use, with the goal that nothing is wasted. We use flower power for our oil. This gets collected weekly and recycled.
We have an organic waste bin collected every couple of days for all food scraps. We purchase our house spirits from a local supplier in reusable 5lt containers to fill up our bottles. We also have separate Plastic and Glass recycling bins.
We partner with Decent Packaging, an award-winning sustainability company, for all our napkins. Even the logos that are printed on our napkins are printed with special organic ink!
All our lighting is LED, which is extremely energy efficient.
We understand the importance of having a sustainable business, and we try our best to do what we can within our financial means.
2023 - Finalist in the Hospitality New Zealand awards for BEST BAR and BEST LOCAL
2022 - Finalist in the Hospitality New Zealand awards for BEST BAR and BEST LOCAL
2022 - Second place in Burger Wellington, Wellington on a Plates burger competition, with over 200 entries Pre
2017 - Finalist in the Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence in customer service
The Thistle Inn is known for its unique ambience that blends history, culture, and charm. The inn is in a 19th-century building, adding to its distinctive character.
The tastefully decorated interior combines traditional elements with modern comforts, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The ambience is often described as warm, welcoming, and elegant.
The Thistle Inn also features a beautiful courtyard and marquee area, unique rooms such as the Katherine Mansfield Room, Georges Room, and The Parlour Room, the main dining room. All spaces provide their feel depending on guest preference.
We have collaborated with Kaldovision, who put together specially curated playlists.
Lighting is continuously adjusted depending on the time of day; we have lovely, dimly lit lamps in the dining room to create a very cozy atmosphere and a beautiful fire in the main bar and the courtyard to make those chilly nights lovely and comfortable.
We have luxury soaps and hand moisturizers in the bathrooms and a unique playlist that plays in our bathrooms, different from the music in the main bars. One of the songs is a Barry Crump short story, continuing on the iconic Kiwi theme.

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