The Cav

Overview

Freemans Bay drinking institution The Cavalier Tavern has reopened as The Cav. But while the name's getting shorter, everything else seems to get a little bit bigger and better.

The great pub is now a great gastro bar, with craft beers added to the drinks list and ex-Euro culinary star Eugene Hamilton added to the kitchen. The glorious deck is just that bit more glorious. And All Blacks matches will still be played on The Cav's screens – they'll just be flatter and wider and generally easier to yell at.

There's nothing sleepy about The Cav now. In fact, it's set to enter the late night market with DJs on Friday and Saturday nights, and getting some lazy Sunday sessions happening on the deck too.

That is, unless there's a game on. "The Cav will always be the place you go to watch the rugby," says Tuttle. It's just now you can do it with classic gastropub fare in one hand and a craft beer in the other.