Grant and Alice are the duo behind Goldie’s – a neighbourhood wine bar and eatery with a big heart and a local focus. After time spent living around Aotearoa and overseas, the Hawke’s Bay-born pair came home to create something special in Napier: a space that’s casual but curated, welcoming but elevated. With hospitality in their blood and community in their bones, they’ve built a spot that reflects their values – where good wine flows, the food is honest and seasonal, and everyone feels at home.
EAT
Vinci’s Pizza – the best pizza in the country (in our opinion). We love the crew, and Vince is a legend! Delight Plus – the Mapo Tofu and Dumpling Noodle Soup are standouts, but honestly, anything on their menu is insane. It’s BYO, and the huge Lazy Susans on the round tables make it great for groups. You can even pre-order a whole duck, which is perfect for sharing. The staff are amazing and love a bit of banter. Sunrise Bakery – Banh Mi. If you know, you know. Lovely, friendly owners and staff. Lisbon Artisan Pastry Shop – their Portuguese tart is world-class. We’ve never had one that wasn’t warm – that’s how fast their turnaround is. Hapī – Chicken Broth and turmeric lattes. Highly recommend if the winter bugs are coming for you (or even if they’re not). Mister D – David and Prue are such a lovely and hardworking duo. We recently had lunch there and everything was delicious – special mention to the sashimi dish. Wow wee!
DRINK
Vinci’s cocktails – don’t quote us, but we think Julian makes them and they’re all insane. The Corpse Reviver can cure any ailment, self-inflicted or not. The Rose, Guinness – gotta Split the G!
SHOP
Old Flames – for curated vintage finds. Cool Toys – the best toy shop in the Bay. Electric City Music – just when you think you’ve been through all the vinyl, you find an absolute banger. Music Machine – locally owned and operated forever. Legends.
PLAY/SEE/DO
Napier is a great city to own a bike – or hire one. A while ago, the whole family (our two daughters included) hired bikes and rode from Marine Parade to Ahuriri. We stopped along the way to catch up with friends, had a swim in a little bay with busy rockpools – hours of fun. We also stopped for gelato from Gelato 2U, conveniently located next to the bike hire shop.
WHY WE CALL NAPIER HOME
We’re both Hawke’s Bay born and bred. We’ve lived in other New Zealand cities and travelled overseas. A few years ago, we moved back from North Canterbury – and fell in love with Napier. We think Napier is an amazing city with so much to offer. It’s definitely taken a hit in recent years, and that’s had an impact. But we felt like Goldie’s would be well received here. We wanted to bring a casual, approachable offering to the city. We had a clear vision for what Goldie’s needed to be: order at the bar, tap beer, a small and well-curated (mainly local) wine list. You can share a meal or have one to yourself. You can come for a drink, a snack, or dinner. It’s family-friendly, but also perfect for a romantic date night. It’s for the lads and for the ladies – everyone is welcome. With all that in mind, that’s why we chose to open Goldie’s in Napier.
