As the story goes, Deep Creek Brewery was started by two mates from the countryside who formed a love of craft beer while travelling the world. Drawing inspiration from their international finds, as well as local craft beer flavours, the pair handcraft boutique brews in full view of their Browns Bay patrons.
As well as residing in two locations on Auckland’s North Shore (Browns Bay and Orewa), Deep Creek also extends its casual, crafty reach to Waiheke; where it just so happens to continue with the trend of goldmine views. In this instance, the bar/restaurant capitalises on the pristine coastal outlook available from the island’s main village, Oneroa.
While the beer list is mostly made up of the house-made varietals - Pale Ale, IPA, Red Ale, Pilsner etc - the establishment’s wine list utilises a good amount of the wineries readily available on the island; the main contenders being: Man O War, Obsidian, Passage Rock and Miro vineyards. You’ll also be treated to drops from Central Otago, Hawkes Bay, Marlborough, Wairarapa and further beyond.
The Cove’s menu is a near carbon-copy of its mainland siblings’ and boasts straight-arrow bar snacks like fries and chicken wings as well as generously heaped tacos, fall-apart ribs and steak. But it’s the tasting platters that will have you back for more. Coming in three varieties: surf and turf, meat, and seafood, each platter would easily cater to a table of 2 - 3, depending on the appetite of course. Being surrounded by ocean, seafood should be an obvious choice. Alongside an ample selection of condiments and bread, it comes with fried calamari, prawn skewers, beer battered fish, and thai curry-inspired fish skewers.
The only quibble is that there should be a vegetarian option like the onshore brood. Though, with the pairing of the exquisite view and drinks, you’ll likely be too submerged in island life to worry about it.