Boneface Brewing

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

27 Blenheim St, Maidstone, Upper Hutt.

We’d heard . . . Nothing, because it’s new and tucked away on an old converted industrial site being turned into a beer garden and dining hub.

The vibe . . . A rambunctious mix of families, curious locals, oldies and 90s kids.

We ordered . . . Back in the day, there used to be a cafe on Cuba St called, imaginatively, Cuba Cuba. It served coffee and beer and pizza to us black-clad, urban slackers. And I remember it fondly as Wellington’s 90s kids’ club house.

It closed more than a decade ago, but stepping into Boneface in Upper Hutt, it was as if the Cuba Cuba vibe had been revived – albeit significantly lighter, brighter, larger, and cleaner.

There is a row of pinball machines against one wall (hello, Game Of Thrones machine); Hole, Nirvana and Mudhoney played during our meal, and pizza is definitely on the menu.

The similarities end there. Its pizzas are mighty and tasty things.

There are also burgers – one of my companions had the Korean pork belly with kimchi slaw and hand-cut fries ($22), which was massive and had her in raptures. Another had the mighty fish and chips that came on a sea of lightly scented mushy peas, with a fillet roughly the size of a man’s boot ($19.50).

But it was the pizza I was there for, and I was not disappointed. More than enough for two, my margherita ($20) came loaded with mozzarella, tangy red sauce and islands of bright green basil leaves. The base was perfectly chewy-crunchy, baked to perfection. Top marks.

Match your meal with a Boneface beer, brewed on site, and that’s a perfect lunch.