Anyone who frequents Eden Terrace will be familiar with the old Horse and Trap. Situated beside the historic ammunition depot on Enfield Street, the building oozes with age-old charm and has been my default pub-lunch venue of the past 2.5 years.
The Porter Novelli team has spent many lunch hours soaking up rays and enjoying delicious food, beer and conversation on the deck overlooking the western train line. Many great stories have been interrupted by the deafening rumble of a diesel locomotive, but that’s all part of the experience.
You would be hard pressed to find a bar in Auckland with better customer service. The Horse and Trap excels in this area. The manager, Warren runs a very tight ship and while food can take a while to come out on busier days, it’s generally worth the wait.
The menu has a number of lunchtime specials for $15, which is great value when compared with other gastro pubs. There are a few go-to dishes that I would recommend: the Chicken sandwich is hugely popular amongst PNers; the Ostrich Burger; Monteiths beef pie; as well as the Sirloin Steak – though some would argue it used to be better when it was served with curly fries.
On my latest expedition to the H&T I decided to mix things up and ordered the meatloaf. After around 15mins (standard wait time) I was presented with a two chucks of meaty and moist loaf topped with bacon and served with freshly steamed winter vegetables.
The traditional combo of meat and veggies was the perfect meal for a cold winter’s day and left me feeling robust and healthy. The H&T should be commended on their generous portion sizes, but in some cases this can lead to afternoon lethargy – not the case with the meat loaf.
Keeping with the hunting/game theme, the Horse & Trap’s specials board often features more exotic meals so be sure to enquire if you are feeling a bit more adventurous.
Being a Monteith’s pub there is always a great selection of beers on tap, as well as the full gamut of DB breweries brands to please even the fussiest beer drinker.
The Horse & Trap can get pretty rowdy and the noise pollution from passing trains means that it’s probably not suited for a more formal lunch rendezvous. But, it’s a solid performer and perfect for an informal lunch meeting or post work drink.
Overall rating: 7/10
- Location: 7
- Value: 7
- Service: 8
- Quality: 7
- Environment: 6
- X-Factor: 6
The Horse & Trap, 3 Enfield Street, Mt Eden
