Grand Central

Well, one of the bar which stays open late. Believe it is 4 or 5 am during the week end. While I don’t think the bar is that great and the sofas and seats needs surrey a refresh, it is a good one for: a last one for the road, or last resort.

This place is famed for its excellent live music. They have such a wide selection that you can’t fail to be impressed by it. I once saw a DJ with a live bongo player in here, which was so brilliant and totally out of the ordinary.
The place itself has had a renovation recently; gone are the outhouse-​like toilets and in their place is the outdoor area of Pincho’s tapas bar. A very welcome change! You can go up and help yourself to tapas on sticks, tuck in and take your finished sticks up to the bar at the end to pay. It’s really simple and delicious bar food.
I love the fact that there are seats outside right on Ponsonby Road, so you can chill out with a drink and people watch all the Ponsonby hipsters for hours and hours. But, of course, the best part of all is their 2 for 1 happy hour between 5pm and 7pm on weeknights. It makes being a part of said Ponsonby hipster crowd a lot easier on the wallet.

Meeting friends for a few drinks at Grand Central is a great way to both start and end your night. As one of the most popular, long standing, trendy bars on Ponsonby Road, Grand Central is the perfect place to meet ‘hipsters’ and people watch.
With a full bar and extensive wine list it caters for everyone, and as a result the bar attracts patrons of all ages and walks of life. Though quite a small venue, live music is frequently played, there is room for a bit of a dance, and there is also plenty of outdoor seating. A slight down side of this however is the seated area is usually full of smokers, so be prepared.
Smoking aside, Grand Central is a guaranteed good time. Regardless of whether you sit outside on the comfy couches with a wine in the afternoon or dance the night away while enjoying live music, there is never a dull moment.

I would like to call Grand Central the Monday to Sunday live music and DJ hot spot of Ponsonby rd, they have been doing their groovy thing for many a year and pull in the crowd time and time again.
Monday nights are a sure bar filler with the Open Mic night, pop your name on the list and wait your turn to sing out or play about three songs. For the rest of the week, you get different bands, musicians, or DJ’s to keep the bar sounding and feeling festive.
Always open late, and with fantastic friendly bartenders.
You can also hire the upstairs function room for say a birthday party or work function.
They have a courtyard to sit in if its not raining, which is a new addition, and you can also smoke here or out the front on comfy couches.
Pop in for Happy hour after work or check them out on a busy weekend night, always a very colorful scene.