Food & Drink Tours in Dunedin

Food and drink in Dunedin starts with beer. Speight's has brewed in the city since 1876, and a newer craft scene runs from Emersons on Anzac Avenue to small family breweries out at Blueskin Bay, so a brewery tour and tasting is the easiest way in. It fits around a day of heritage trains or peninsula wildlife, both part of things to do in Dunedin.

Brewery tours and tastings in Dunedin

A brewery tour in Dunedin usually means a guided walk through the brewing and packaging process, followed by a tasting. Emersons Brewery at 70 Anzac Avenue is a 15-minute walk from the centre of town. It began in 1985 as a four-and-a-half-litre brew on a kitchen stove and has grown into one of New Zealand's biggest craft breweries. A 1-hour brewery tour and tasting there walks through the process from brew to bottle.

Speight's, brewing on Rattray Street since 1876, is one of the few gravity-fed breweries left in the world, and the Alehouse next door serves a tasting tray matched to its menu. Smaller names add variety, such as Arc Brewing Co., a family brewery at Blueskin Bay north of the city making small-batch beers.

For wine rather than beer, wine tasting and winery tours in Dunedin is the place to look.

Bars, pubs and seafood around the Octagon and the harbour

The Octagon has cafés and bars with alfresco seating, and Mr Fox at number 12 is a subterranean cocktail bar serving tapas. The Duke of Wellington, in the historic precinct, keeps roughly twenty beers on hand at any time.

Out on Otago Harbour, Carey's Bay Hotel is an 1874 bluestone pub and seafood restaurant, and The Portsider in Port Chalmers serves food and beer beside the water.

Pairing a tasting with the rest of the day

Anzac Avenue helps with planning: the railway station is at number 22 and Emersons is at number 70, so a heritage train day can finish at a brewery door. Dunedin tours cover the wildlife on the peninsula and the Taieri Gorge, and a tasting makes an easy finish to either.

Frequently asked questions

What is Dunedin known for in food and drink?

Dunedin is known for beer, with Speight's brewing in the city since 1876 and a craft scene that includes Emersons and several small breweries. The Octagon adds bars and cafés, and Otago Harbour has pubs such as the 1874 Carey's Bay Hotel for seafood.

Can you tour a brewery in Dunedin?

Brewery tours are available in Dunedin at Emersons Brewery on Anzac Avenue and at Speight's on Rattray Street, with a guided tasting as part of the visit.

Is there an age limit on brewery tours in Dunedin?

Brewery tours in Dunedin involve beer tastings, so they are for adults, and ID may be required to join the tasting.

How far is Emersons Brewery from the Dunedin city centre?

Emersons Brewery at 70 Anzac Avenue is a 15-minute walk from the centre of Dunedin.

Where can you eat seafood near Dunedin?

Carey's Bay Hotel, an 1874 bluestone pub on Otago Harbour, is a pub and seafood restaurant, and The Portsider in Port Chalmers serves food and beer beside the water.

A brewery tour and tasting is the simplest food and drink plan in Dunedin, and it sits a short walk from the centre of town.