Jesse Mulligan Reviews Matchbox, The Ponsonby Cocktail Bar Taking Over From Deadshot

This Ponsonby Rd bar now serves cocktails with a side of tacos. You have to feel for bar owners. The excellent Deadshot on Ponsonby Rd served tens of thousands of cocktails to a great many happy people. It also fuelled one best-forgotten scene involving Paddy Gower, Michael Galvin and me, The singer showed up with 29 friends for a spontaneous after-party at Deadshot and, when told there wasn’t room, tweeted nasty things about the bar to her 24 million followers. “We usually only take groups of six or less,” shrugged the bar manager at the time, explaining her part in the most high-profile celebrity snub since Liv Tyler was turned back from Motel in 1999 (ask any Wellingtonian, they’re still talking about it). Unrelated (probably), Deadshot has now moved out of the space behind a hard-to-find doorway at the Western Park end of the strip, and some enthusiastic hospo lifers have moved in to create their dream business: a bar that does very good cocktails alongside very good tacos. “Is there a demand for high-end cocktails like this?” I asked co-owner Kamal Haggerty, while perusing a menu of cryptically named concoctions like Red Door and Mapo District that started at $25. “No!” he replied with delight. “There’s no demand. That’s why we don’t tell anybody what we’re doing.” What he meant is that he wants Matchbox to be famous for how delicious his drinks are (and they are spectacularly delicious), not for the fancy equipment and elaborate techniques that go into making them. “If I talk about fermentation, people will start thinking about sourdough,” he reckoned. “But if they ask, we’ll have a chat.” Matchbox is behind a hard-to-find doorway at the Western Park end of Ponsonby Rd. Photo / Babiche MartensI had a lovely agave-based drink made with lime and I’m not sure what else. Haggerty promised me the smokiness wouldn’t be overpowering – there was about 10 minutes in 2023 when everyone was excited about mezcal before realising that it was way, way too much – and he was right. Though it feels wild to pay more than $50 for a round, I can’t complain about the quality of the cocktails, even if I quietly wished Michael Galvin was there with some of his Shortland Street money to pick up the bill. If you don’t fancy a cocktail, you can order something from the wine list, sort of. “There is no wine list, the wine list is in my head,” Haggerty said, before sharing the names of the two white wines he could remember. There is also Kirin beer on tap if this all sounds too hard. The food will be just as much of a drawcard as the drinks, because it is fantastic. I’m not exaggerating when I say that this kitchen has changed the way I think about tacos. For years, we have been used to the idea that the meat in a beef or pork taco will be braised and pulled, but Matchbox is here to show you there’s another way.The tacos at Matchbox don't resemble the ones you're used to, writes Jesse Mulligan. Photo / Babiche Martens“There’s a place in Guadalajara called Taco Paris,” said the owner. “I said to my business partner, ‘Let’s do them like that.’” The result is probably not much like the tacos you are used to. He calls them “cold cut” tacos, meaning the meat is sliced off a larger cut (brisket or belly) as required and grilled as a thin strip. They do fish, chicken and oyster mushroom too, and every one of them tastes distinct – a taco that celebrates the animal (or fungi) rather than the inside of a cast-iron pot. Matchbox's fish taco. Photo / Babiche MartensThe protein is one thing, but they have absolutely nailed the two other key ingredients: tortillas (direct from Hands Down in Hawke’s Bay) and a salsa that other taco chefs in Auckland should line up to try. It is spicy, thick, orange and intensely Mexican, with the meat tasting so different from taco to taco, it scarcely matters that the sauce doesn’t change. The menu is short, but there are non-taco options. The guacamole is stunningly good: properly seasoned, with enough intact onion to give it character, and served with salted corn chips that taste good even before you dip them. My least favourite category of food, the croquette, is somehow irresistible here, with an almost liquid centre studded with chewy chorizo. A sweetcorn, lime and chipotle mayo salad is exceptionally moreish: smoky, spicy and sweet, with plenty of texture too.The croquettes on the menu at Matchbox in Ponsonby. Photo / Babiche MartensThere were more customers than I expected on a Tuesday night and the bar has apparently been slammed since opening, though according to the owner absolutely nothing stresses out his patient Colombian chefs, who take things in their stride, one taco at a time. I didn’t meet the other business partner, Alejandro Vasquez, but he is apparently from Milenta, Auckland’s most exciting Latin American kitchen. To put it simply, the ingredients are all here. If you can find it, you will love it.Matchbox Cuisine: Mexican Address: 45 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby Contact: @matchbox_ponsonbyOpening hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 4pm-late Drinks: fully licensed Reservations: not accepted From the menu: Beef brisket taco $12, salsa macha chicken thigh taco $12, blue oyster mushroom taco $12, catch of the day taco $14, pork belly taco $12, guacamole and tōtopos $19, smoked chorizo croquette $7, chipotle esquites $14 Rating: 17/20 Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it a miss. 13-15 Good, give it a go. 16-18 Great, plan a visit. 19-20 Outstanding, don’t delay.More restaurant reviewsAccording to Dining Out editor Jesse Mulligan.