Ani’s Gin Bar & Tapas











MondayClosed.
Tuesday5:00 – 9:30 pm.
Wednesday5:00 – 9:30 pm.
Thursday5:00 – 9:30 pm.
Friday5:00 – 9:30 pm.
Saturday5:00 – 9:30 pm.
SundayClosed.
One hundred per cent Māori owned and featuring exclusively New Zealand-based produce and drinks, dining at Rotorua's Ani’s Gin Bar & Tapas feels like you’re being welcomed into the whānau of founder Lorisse Vincent-Amor. The restaurant is named after Lorisse’s late mother, and the menu of modernised Māori kai is inspired by a nostalgia for the kai of her childhood and builds on Lorisse’s decades of experience as a chef. Many dishes feature native botanicals such as kawakawa or horopito, and those flavours are echoed throughout the bar’s extensive gin collection.
Everything is served family-style. Build your meal from the menu of “Smaller Bites Tapas”, “Bigger Tapas”, “Meaty Tapas”, “Sides” and “Sweet As Tapas”. The crispy, moreish housemade duck fat-fried crispy potatoes are fluffy on the inside and dusted with savoury pecorino cheese; the “Buttery Buttered Cabbage” delivers on its name and is an excellent accompaniment to the fall-off-the-bone tender pork ribs. This dish is perhaps the sleeper hit of the entire menu—hearty, melt-in-your-mouth, with a sweet-spicy char siu jus. Just order two from the get-go. Other standouts include the heaping bowlful of mixed kaimoana cooked in garlic, chilli, fennel and white wine, as well as the creamy pāua and pancetta raviolo.
If you just want a drink, snag a seat at the bar, where Lorisse reigns supreme. All of the spirits on offer are from New Zealand distilleries, and she sources some seriously unusual flavour combinations—think Feijoa & Pear Gin from National Distillery, a coconut, lime and lemongrass number called The Doyenne from Bureaucrats Gin, and even a vodka made from fermented sheep milk from White Sheep Co that sips neat, like an alcoholic milk bottle. Order from the cocktail menu, or rely on Lorisse’s experience and build-your-own gin and tonic. Either way, you’ll leave feeling like family.
Words by Claire Williamson & Photography by Jerome Warburton
Information not correct? Report an error
Location
1161 Amohau Street, Rotorua
Nearby Places
Yamato

Bowls of hot sticky rice, thick udon noodles and hot miso broth sound like your kind of thing? Then you best get yourself down to Yamato.
The Regent Room

For a dining experience that feels like a royal affair, look no further than The Regent Room centrally located in the heart of Rotorua.
Boasters Coffee Roasters

A coffee roastery, cafe and retail store all wrapped up into one, Boasters is a family-owned business getting Rotorua on a good buzz.
Rotorua Night Market

Every Thursday from 5 pm, enjoy shopping street-side at an impressive range of boutique food, arts and produce stalls.
Similar Places
Stratosfare Restaurant

Get your hungry self to this brilliant eatery, leagues above when it comes to the Rotorua dining scene (both metaphorically and literally).
Snug

Nestled on Rotorua's Fenton Street, Snug is a charming coffee and smoothie bar that has quickly cemented itself as a favourite amongst locals.
Boasters Coffee Roasters

A coffee roastery, cafe and retail store all wrapped up into one, Boasters is a family-owned business getting Rotorua on a good buzz.
Eighty Six

Eighty Six is a charming coffee spot located at Rotorua’s lakefront, offering a steady stream of great brews and views.