Horse & Trap

The horse and trap is a nice little pub with a bit of a ‘local’ feel. The range of beers is standard and the food is typical of a pub. Nothing outstanding about the place, at the same time there is nothing wrong with it either. Would like to see more nz craft beers on tap and less of the DB range.

Quiz night on Tuesdays is the perfect excuse to try out the Horse and Trap. Rigsy is a hoot on the mike. And the bar food is well above average. Pizzas, burgers and salads mingle with steaks and pies on the menu and sit even better upon the tongue. Nothing original, but it’s all done well. Just what one hopes for at a local. All that’s left to achieve is that elusive 1^st place…

The Horse & Trap’s tagline is that they are a «stable of social relaxing». When we visited on a busy Friday evening, this was certainly the case. It was pretty packed, with after-​work suits, girls pre-​loading for town, and an intriguing mix of middle-​aged suburbanites.
The 100 year old building that the bar is housed in has a lovely feel to it; spread across 3 floors with plenty of private function rooms and outdoor areas, this venue can hold a crowd. As a Monteith’s bar, your tap selection also includes their range of ciders which makes for a refreshing summer tipple.
We were planning to just grab a drink or two, but looked over the menu & decided to stay. 1 of the 2 man-​sized appetites I was dining with had a hankering for a burger, and the Horse & Trap Burger was calling his name. Served with pepper relish, battered onion rings & fries for $ 20, this was a man-​sized burger. It even had the Kiwi touch with large slices of beetroot adorning the filling. The pattie appeared to be homemade, which is a big thumbs up for a busy pub kitchen. The chips were well cooked & seasoned, onion rings crispy & the relish was tasty. The only minor complaint was that the burger had been zealously seasoned — a touch too much cumin & coriander overpowered the other flavours. Otherwise the burger craving was well sated, and the request for extra aioli was happily met.
Our other dishes included the Pulled Pork Quesadilla with black beans, cheese, guacamole & salsa ($ 18). Again this was heartily-​sized for a quesadilla. The filling was tasty, but the guacamole was more like pureed avocado as you can see from the photo. It was a little too smooth & runny to qualify as guacamole.
The last dish of the 3 was the Open Steak Sandwich with caramelised onion, gravy & fries ($ 19). Often times you’ll get served a rubbery minute steak or flaccid schnitzel in a steak sandwich, so I was pleasantly surprised to have a decent cut of steak, cooked medium-​rare. The gravy & onions complemented it very well; all-​in-​all, pretty damn good pub grub.
It’s not the cheapest night out at the pub, but the food shouldn’t disappoint. Maybe that’s why the mostly middle-​aged clientele are proud to call this their local.

I wish I had a place like the Horse & Trap just down the road from me: just a good, relaxed pub where you can pop in for a quick drink, or settle in for the night.
Apart from this, it’s also a grouse place for functions: they are really set up for them, and know what they are doing. They even once provided their upstairs space for free for a charity function I helped organise, and gave away some bar tabs for the auction — and we didn’t have to talk them into anything, they offered and were super helpful and generous. So thumbs up Horse and Trap!

A good pub with a lively atmosphere, we came here one Sunday for lunch a while ago. I recall the staff being friendly and very attentive to us even though we were sitting in a corner. I got a beet pie which was lovely — chunks of beef in gravy with a nice flaky pastry. The vegetarians (there were three of them) got a selection of the entrees and were happy enough with them. There were these broccoli and cheese bites, curried filo pastries and wedges. At least, it’s a bit more choice than the predictable veggie lasanga or pasta. They have a good selection of Montieths and as it was a hot afternoon, I was on the cider — very refreshing served with ice. Overall, we were happy with the food and drink at the Horse and Trap and I would definitely go back there.

The Horse and Trap has been around for as long as I can remember. As a Mt Eden local, I still recall my parents leaving my siblings and I with babysitters while they went off for a night at The Horse and Trap.
Since turning eighteen I’ve frequented the bar on a few occasions, and to be honest I was never overly impressed by it. Offering the usual beers and wines, bar food and casual bar atmosphere, there was nothing particularly distinctive or unique about my experiences at The Horse and Trap until recently.
Last Saturday my friend held her 21^st party in the function room downstairs of The Horse and Trap. And, in my opinion, this area is far cooler than the main bar upstairs. The room was plenty big enough to have a decent dance floor as well as some indoor seating and tables for presents and cake, there was a full bar with subsidized drinks (including house spirits), and the outdoor area was brilliant. Lots of tables, a TV perfect for playing photo slideshows (though on other days I imagine it would be used for rugby games and such) and fairy lights and lanterns hanging overhead — the set up was perfect.
If anyone is looking for a venue for their 21^st, work party, or other such function definitely check out the downstairs area of The Horse and Trap!
Bonus: The Horse and Trap is located down the Symonds St end of Mt Eden so is really close to town — a nice cheap taxi ride is a huge plus!

The Horse and Trap is a friendly local pub, good if you live or work near the area, as my husband works just down the road we have been here a number of times both before and after I had my baby. The times before were a lot messier than after the baby, especially the times my husband would say lets go for a quick drink after work and that drink turned in to far too many drinks, taaaxii !!, not nice on the old head the next day.
They do some yummy dishes, good pizza, nice platters, they often have lunch and Sunday specials and they have a great loyalty card and if you are going every week you quickly add up points for some free meals and drinks.

The Horse and Trap Tavern is such a great pub, I’m so glad that my friend introduced me to it. It’s located in a bizarre place off the main road (Mt Eden Rd), and easily missed if you don’t look out for the sign.
Nice ambience inside, which can get heavily crowded during a big sports event; you need to get in very early or you’ll never get a seat. If you do manage to get a seat, definitely order some food from here. The pizzas are especially delicious, and they have different specials throughout the week; for example on Saturdays you can get a beer or wine and a pizza for $ 20.
The bar stocks all the different varieties of Monteith’s beers, which is awesome for a Monteith’s lover like me. This is a good friendly place.