Three Wise Birds Garden Bar
What makes your venue the Best Gastropub in New Zealand?
Three Wise Birds Garden Bar is a unique experience, that feels as comfortable as your own backyard.
We are a bar that has a strong focus on being exactly that, a 'garden' bar; a place where all people can come, socialise and congregate with friends, family, colleagues and team mates. We have a strong focus on community, we have run sponsorship weeks/ months to support local sports teams, we raised funds for flood relief in our own back yard, and are a strong advocate for supporting and raising not just funds but awareness for mental health, through Gumboot Friday's and a partnership with 'Spark that Chat'.
Our staff are trained to be positive and friendly, and our relaxed and casual atmosphere is designed to encourage our customers to take a break and enjoy one anothers company.
Describe the experience your customers have at your establishment – what is your food and beverage offering and why do people come back for more?
Our customers experience a relaxed, fun and welcoming vibe. Nestled in our family's local orchard, our establishment focuses on the garden/ backyard environment we have created, and the orchard makes the quintessential Hawkes Bay backdrop that is ever-changing with the seasons, from the beauty of fresh blossoms to harvest time.
We pride ourselves on being an inclusive establishment; it is one thing to say all are welcome but another to execute an environment in which all feel comfortable, from young professionals and tradies to new mum groups and young families. The garden’s relaxed atmosphere makes our establishment the perfect space to congregate and socialise.
Three Wise Birds is also a cider producer, so our beverage offering is an opportunity to showcase our own products along with other local producers of beer, wine and cider. We rotate our on-tap options to give our customers the opportunity to experience something new, whilst our own products, as well as Estrella Damm, are a fixture on our taps so that our locals can have confidence in enjoying a drop they've had before.
Our food menu, we like to describe as "hands on", its been designed to fit the relaxed backyard vibe of the bar; high quality food that doesn't take itself too seriously, our customers can enjoy their burgers or ribs, although a little messy it's all part of the experience. Our sharing options and platters are a favourite and encourage socialising with friends and family no matter the size of the group.
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?
Our menu is as seasonal as the apples that grow around us: light, fresh, and colourful through summer and warm and nourishing in the cooler months. Hawke's Bay is a great growing region; locally sourced meat has shaped our menu items along with the fresh produce grown here. Our menu caters to all customers, whether they are there to enjoy a drink and snack, share with friends, or dine in. There is an option for them to enjoy. The Garden Bar is a popular place for functions and large groups, we have designed buffet and platter options, to give these groups the best experience.
We are, for the most part, allergy friendly and have the ability to adapt to most people’s requirements as needed.
What are your key points of difference and how have you managed to deliver them?
The Garden Bar is uniquely situated within our family orchard. The space and location gave us the opportunity to create an establishment unlike anything else available in Hawke's Bay; a bar’s main focus is the large outdoor space and garden area. Large windows and sliding doors that lead out onto a wrap-around deck allow for great indoor-outdoor flow and bring the orchard in.
A repurposed old Land Rover has been converted into an outdoor fireplace, creating a superb ambience in the garden all year around. An old container creates the shell for a stylishly rustic outdoor bar, allowing customers to bask in the Hawke's Bay sunshine without ever needing to go inside. Covered outdoor spaces and heaters allow customers to enjoy being outside even in the cooler months.
Three Wise Birds is also a cider producer with the cidery onsite framing the garden bar; this is a unique opportunity to showcase our own products on tap in our establishment, and whilst our customers are enjoying their beverage, they can, quite literally, through a large viewing window, look in to see where it has been produced, not to mention being surrounded by the apples that have been used to produce their thirst-quenching beverage. Our staff are well educated on the brand and the styles of ciders we produce, to give our customers an educational experience, if they so wish.
Best Known for:
“Garden” bar
Nestled in a local orchard
Cider producer
Please describe your commitment to sustainability.
We're big on keeping things green at the Three Wise Birds Garden Bar. We love using local and seasonal ingredients to support our community and reduce our carbon footprint. Plus, we're all about recycling and cutting down on waste wherever we can. We are constantly tweaking the products and services we use to improve our impact on the environment. Our energy-efficient setups help save resources, too.
Have you won any awards in the recent past?
Hawke's Bay Hospitality Awards- Best Bar
Please describe how you create ambience.
The bar’s ambience brushes over the customers as soon as they enter; a range of house, soft rock, reggae, alternative rock and acoustic tunes engulf the bar and resonate out onto the deck and into the garden. Music is selected to be the background whilst being loud enough to create a positive atmosphere.
The bar itself is designed to let as much natural light in as possible, bringing in warmth as well as enticing the indoor outdoor flow. A scattering of leaners, bespoke locally crafted picnic tables, beanbags as well as the option to sit on the grass 'picnic style'; introduce our customers to the relaxed environment that is the Garden Bar, this creates a state of enjoyment, all adding to the positive friendly and fun ambience.
Have you created a recipe that pairs with Estrella Damm?
Spanish Croquettes
Classic crumbed potato croquettes filled with chorizo shrimp and cheese topped with a smokey tomato relish and pickled salsa
