New restaurant for city
The people behind a fastgrowing Palmerston North brew pub are aiming to bring the atmosphere of one of the city’s long-lost restaurants to their new offering, a Mexican eatery.
They are also not put off by their location, which has been hampered by hospitality closures, saying the spot is set to take off.
Brew Union has quickly become a fixture of the Palmerston North hospitality scene since opening in 2017.
It won best pub, bartender and chef at the 2018 Manawatu¯ Hospitality Awards, brought some of New Zealand’s top Ma¯ ori chefs to the city for a fundraising degustation, and has worked with with New Zealand’s best breweries developing beers.
The owners are now working on a second site in the city, a Mexican restaurant called Libre, which should be open by the end of November.
Co-owner Murray Cleghorn said there had always been a plan to open a second location, but he did not want it to be a clone of Brew Union.
The George St restaurant would focus on Mexican food served with freshly made tortillas and Latin Americaninspired cocktails, while also serving beer from both Brew Union and other independent breweries.
Libre would also reflect the Spanish meaning of its name – free – in both its atmosphere and ethos, Cleghorn said.
‘‘My memories of Mexican places in New Zealand and overseas, it’s like New Year’s every time you visit.
‘‘Everyone is in a celebratory or festive mood.’’
He wanted Libre to have a similar atmosphere to Costas, a long-closed Palmerston North restaurant whose name can still be seen painted on the Cuba St building it called home.
Libre will be located in the former home of Good Morning Vietnam, which also had a short life on the street.
Cleghorn said the impending opening of Focal Point Cinema nearby and work by the council to regenerate the area made it a great place to operate from.
‘‘I would rather be a destination than just some place people go to on a night out.’’