You know the type: a worn-in Irish pub with a proper Guinness tap, a pool table in the corner, and locals who'll talk to you whether you're from the island or just off the ferry. Malones sits on Miami Avenue in Surfdale, and it's the closest thing Waiheke has to a genuine local, a plain, dimly lit room with a beer garden out the back and sport on the screens.
Guinness is the main reason to come, poured properly and the best pint you'll find on the island by a wide margin, which is why people keep coming back through a run of indifferent welcomes. Food is unfussy pub grub, pizzas and chips and hearty plates, served whenever the kitchen is running.
You don't need to book here, you just walk in, grab a table inside or out under the pergola, and settle in. Afternoons are quiet and good for a peaceful pint, evenings bring live music and DJs and a small cover charge once the band starts, and it's often the last place on the island still open, though the hours can be unpredictable, so check before you head over late.
Written from 180 Google reviews, every one we could get, on 12 November 2026. Rated 3.3 from 180 Google reviews.
You're getting a genuine, worn-in Irish locals' bar with a properly poured Guinness and a crowd of island characters around it, which is reason enough. The welcome swings, warm one night and blunt the next, so come for the pint and the company rather than polished service.
You come here for the Guinness, and it's the best pint on the island, poured with a proper head and worth the trip on its own. Beyond that it's pub grub, with pizzas that come out well, good chips and hearty plates that fill you up.
Service is where it splits, because you can get someone going out of their way for you and a friendly word as you walk in. You can equally stand unserved while the person behind the bar finishes a text, then get a short answer about food, and the owner's mood carries across the whole room.
Inside it's old-school, dim coloured lights, a bit scruffy and sticky in places, with a beer garden and pergola out back for a sunny afternoon. Pool, darts and Sky sport keep the middle of the room busy, and later it turns into live music and DJs, with Latin parties on Sundays.
Drinks are Waiheke priced, so wine in particular is expensive, though the pub meals come in cheap for the island and people rate them as good value. There's a small door charge once the music starts, which is fair enough for a late night.
It's best for a casual pint, a session in the garden with mates, or a late one when everything else on the island has shut. Small groups and sports watchers settle in easily, though a big booking has been met with a shrug rather than a welcome.
Opening hours are the thing to check, because the times on Google don't match when the doors actually shut and people have arrived on a Friday or Saturday to find it dark. There's a cover charge once the band starts, sometimes applied even if you're sitting outside, and the food is less reliable than the beer.
Every fact on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against Google and 180 of its Google reviews. The photo is from the eatout library, not taken here, and no venue pays to be listed or ranked. Something out of date? Tell us
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