Meow

Live music, slam poetry readings, stand-up comedy and a thumping happy hour make Meow a versatile venue. Like a more tastefully-decorated version of the 1987 Mitsubishi Delica van your mate had in high school, it’s big and roomy inside but fills out rapidly on Thursday and Friday nights.

Crowds come for a revolving procession of noted music acts from here and far away, and perhaps relief from the circling wind. With fellow contemporaries Little Beer Quarter (LBQ) and wine bar Vivo, Meow sits at the heart of a cozy micro-precinct clustered between looming high-rises. Edward is an odd but ‘doughty little street’ as one historian describes it, having successfully endured urban encroach for at least 161 years.

Not a bad legacy then, for the one who first laid the cobbles. It’s a fair bet Edward Catchpool would be happy with the refreshments on hand, though he might have to work his way up to the modern, hopped-up IPAs we’ve come to take for granted. He’d be remiss to overlook eating here as well, given the creative set list of unusual starters. Wild wallaby wontons with plum sauce ought to get anyone in the mood for dancing.
Mains at Meow are very reasonably priced and well-beyond the scope of what some less salubrious eateries would charge you twice over for. A big-hearted tap range means there’s always something interesting on the go, but if it’s your first call into this fine establishment, you could do worse than start with a manuka-infused Captain Cooker ale from Golden Bay’s Mussel Inn brewery.