Bel-Aire Tavern

No Longer In Business

Enjoyed a couple of local beers while passing through town. Service and selection was good. Unusual location and premises (converted suburban motel maybe) provided a nice change from the usual dark bar. From my experience they deserve to do well and I hope they do.

Beach and park nearby. A dozen NZ drafts including a brewery or two I didn’t see elsewhere in town. Picnic tables on the lawn out front surrounded by short white picket fence. That kind of place. Made for a fun couple of drinks and a walk on the beach after.

Awesome place to sample a really good selection of local beers and ciders. They seem to have picked the best from the region. Bel-Aire is a free house. They encouraged us to get food from the local eateries - pizza, Thai or fish & chips and then provided serviettes and sauce. Great sunny outdoor area. Classy place but not classy prices. Wished it was bigger as the place was busy.

This is a new place with a modern design inside and out. Taps are dominated by local stuff, the only bar in Nelson I found that really provided a stage for small local brewers. Barman Eric is clearly a master at his craft, and owner Ray was in having a pint, and was keen to show the place off. Seemed to me that this is probably the best place in town to get a tour of Nelson beers that are available nowhere else. The only trivial quibble that I have is that although there is a beer menu displayed on a flatscreen TV behind the bar, the beer list cycles through so quickly it was tough to read it. Since Ray is an IT man, I’m sure this is an easy fix, or maybe he can even post the beer list online so people can see what’s available. At a y fate, I think this place has a bright future, and shouldn’t be missed if you’re in the area.