Another popular Auckland eatery closes

Wednesday, 23 April 2025

Ponsonby eatery the Ponsonby Road Bistro is set to close after 18 years.

The restaurant first opened in 2007 and is the latest in a long line of Auckland eateries to close in the last year.

Owners Blair and Gin Russell described running the eatery an “unforgettable ride”.

Another Auckland eatery has announced they are closing their doors.

After 18 years, the Ponsonby Road Bistro will close in May, with owners Blair and Gin Russell saying that it was time for their next chapter.

The couple have been involved in hospitality on Ponsonby Road for nearly 25 years, firstly with Rocco, which Blair Russell opened in 2001.

He then opened Magnum in 2007, which eventually morphed into the Ponsonby Road Bistro.

In a post on Instagram, the couple thanked their “wonderful customers” and “incredible staff”.

They also described their time running the restaurant as an 'unforgettable ride'.

“We’d love to see as many of you as possible before we close the doors, come in for one last meal, one last glass, one last memory,” they said.

The couple told the NZ Herald they intend to move out of hospitality.

“We are sad to be closing, Ponsonby has been very good to us,” Russell said. “Yes, the last five years have been hard, but Gina and I are closing as we want to take on some new challenges.”

The Ponsonby Road Bistro’s last day of service will be May 3.

The bistro’s closure is the latest in a series of closures in the Auckland hospitality sector over the last year.

In April, Sid and Chand Sahrawat announced the closure of their restaurant Kol after three years.

Meanwhile, in 2024, iconic Ponsonby Road eatery SPQR closed its doors after 27 years when it went into liquidation. It has since reopened as a new venture Jacuzzi.

Other eateries in the city to have closed include Homeland, The Grove, Monsoon Poon, and Pilkingtons.