Late-night snacks are taken up a notch at this new Ponsonby bar that’s taken over the space of an old favourite.
What is it?
Matchbox is a bar in Ponsonby that embraces everything nocturnal – especially late-night dining. There’s everything you expect: cocktails, tap beer, champagne and classic drinks (good old G&Ts and such). Flip your menu for bar snacks, available as long as drinks are pouring (until 2am at the weekend!) It’s a big swing in a city that gets a lot of slack for shuttering by 9pm, particularly food-wise.
Where is it?
At the Karangahape end of Ponsonby Road, across from the food court and next to Freeman & Grey’s. It occupies the space formerly known as Deadshot, Alastair Walker and Heather Garland’s bar with legendary cocktails. Before its final hurrah, it was announced that hospo vets Kamal Haggerty and Alejandro Vasquez, head chef at Milenta, were taking over the space.
What’s new about it?
The name, the owners, the vibes, the food/drink menus and the existence of a kitchen. The small but mighty selection of bar snacks leans Mexican, but they don’t claim the title exclusively. Haggerty and Vasquez intentionally didn’t change much about the interior, given how beloved the space is, but their subtle touches mean it feels far from Deadshot 2.0. Where the former might have felt a bit too intimate for a first date, Matchbox feels more up for anything.
What are the vibes?
It feels like the space has opened up more – tables near the folding window make for great people-watching – with an extra light here, a DJ (sometimes) there and some slightly louder, funkier tunes, but with just enough restraint that it retains the speakeasy mystique. About a month in, it’s clearly been embraced by Ponsonby-ites, after-work punters and pre-dinner grazers. The service is friendly and as attentive as needed. Though their Instagram and decor might read as Serious Cocktail Bar, the vibe’s unstuffy and welcoming.
What should I order?
Start with the guacamole and totopos (corn chips). It’s an easy bar snack to half-ass, so you’ll be glad to find that’s not the case here – these aren’t decanted Mexicano chips. The ratio of dip-to-chip is most pleasing, and the guac is bright and zingy. Golden brown, crispy croquettes with a pillowy potato filling and pops of salty, rich chorizo are another strong starter. They could use better structural integrity as finger food, but are well sized: you can go for one croquette per person.
Tacos are up there in the pantheon of peak late-night eats, and Matchbox has nailed it by not overcomplicating the inherently simple. Pick your meat/veg of choice and it’s topped with pickled onions and salsa. They’ll ask if you want it mild or spicy – if you’ve wavering, rest assured that the spicy option is pretty subtle. They’re six inches, big enough that one would go down well with a few drinks or you could sample a few and call it dinner. The pork belly was my favourite, thinly sliced with perfectly rendered fat. The beef brisket was tender and juicy, and the chicken was succulent and smoky. Meat portions were just right: enough to require some manoeuvring, but not so much that you can’t fold the taco. Don’t stress about the mess, they’ll slide you a stack of napkins. Oh, and they use corn tortillas, a personal non-negotiable.
Drinks-wise, you’ve got nine signature cocktails to pick from. The tropical albedo was a standout, like if a caipirinha – a stiff Brazilian cocktail made with cachaça (a spirit made from sugarcane), sugar, lime and ice – had a foamy, silky sister with her edges smoothed out. If you see a fluorescent green drink in a coupe glass pass your table, that’s the pandan splice. If you put a Melona in coconut water, this probably isn’t too far from what that would taste like. It’s fruity and sweet but well balanced, just as good as it is grammable. I was also glad to see two low-ABV options given the same attention as the higher-proof options.
Non-cocktail-wise, you’ve got Kirin and Guinness beer on tap (both $8 during happy hour!) and an enticing $10 champagne-by-the-glass deal. It’s Andre Clouet Grande Reserve Champagne Brut if you, like me, cynically wondered if it was a pour on the economical side. Haggerty tells me they want people to drink good champagne, not “cheap shit”. It’s bold and acidic, and would probably pair well with the richness of the pork belly taco.
What’ll it set me back?
Depends on what you come for. For two tacos, croquettes and four drinks (three cocktails, one champagne), the two of us spent $62 each. Cocktails mostly sit around the $26 mark, while a classic drink (eg gin and tonic) is an agreeable $13. Snacks sit at around $14 (croquettes are $7 per piece), and all tacos are $12, bar the fish option at $14 – unless you visit during happy hour (4-6pm, Tuesday to Saturday) when the beef, pork and mushroom taco options are knocked down to $8.
Matchbox
45 Ponsonby Road, Auckland
Tues-Wed 4-10pm, Thurs 4pm-12am, Fri-Sat 4pm-2am
