Popular Auckland eatery shuts its doors, Nic Watt to take over venue

Pōni in Commercial Bay has shut its doors. Photo / @poni_akl
Popular eatery Pōni in Auckland’s bustling Commercial Bay precinct has shut its doors, announcing the closure to patrons on its social media channels and website.
In a post to its Instagram account on Thursday, Pōni confirmed its Wednesday service had been its last.
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news of Pōni’s closure, with our final service taking place yesterday,” the post read.
“To all our valued customers, thank you for your unwavering support. We hope to see you soon at our other venues within @commercial_bay; @gochugotyou and @gemmi__akl , where our team will continue to offer the exceptional food and service you’ve come to love.”
The Pōni website held a notice of its closure. “PONI is permanently closed. Please visit our other venues within Commercial Bay. Gochu and Gemmi would love to host your next dining experience or events,” it read. “Thank you once again for being a part of our journey.”
The all-day Asian-fusion eatery and venue was known for its lively atmosphere and seafood-centric menu inspired by Japanese and south-east Asian cuisines. With an emphasis on sharing and socialising, the restaurant boasted unique cocktails and a mix of smart and casual dining.
Part of the hospitality organisation Namu Group, a spokesperson told the Herald about the decision after Pōni’s closure was announced.
The restaurant had been doing well, the spokesperson said, and fans and industry figures shared their thanks on social media.
New Zealand chef and restaurateur Peter Gordon offered his condolences to the team, commenting: “I’m so sorry to read this. Thanks for all you did”.
Speaking to the Herald on Friday afternoon about the news, Namu Group confirmed Pōni has officially closed, explaining that the group was stepping away to focus on their other businesses. Chef and restaurateur Nic Watt has now taken over the venue, the spokesperson added.
“Precinct [Properties] had wanted Namu to take full ownership of Pōni, but unfortunately we have too many restaurants on our hands right now – we just didn’t have the capacity to do so,” Cho explained, clarifying the closure was a natural end. “It wasn’t to do with any financial hardship – it’s doing fine, it’s just our time had reached an end. We didn’t want to go further – it ended very amicably and all on great terms.”
A representative for Watt confirmed to the Herald he had taken over the restaurant and would be opening new eatery CanTing later this year in the same location.
Watt’s current restaurants include MASU and Inca.
Commercial Bay is home to a stable of dining spots, like Advieh, Ghost Donkey, Ahi and Namu Group’s Gemmi, and the new Kemuri Hi-Fi.
Originally known as The Poni Room, the current iteration of Pōni was the brainchild of award-winning Auckland-based restaurateur David Lee, who helped revamp the restaurant in 2021 under a fixed-term management contract.
Lee’s hospitality enterprise Namu Group currently operates a range of popular eateries, including Aigo Noodle Bar in Ponsonby, The Candy Shop in Newmarket and Crack Chicken in Wellington. The group also owns Gemmi, an Italian spot in the Commercial Bay precinct that opened its doors last year.
Namu Group is also behind Tobi in Ponsonby, a relatively new venue helmed by influential food figure (and the group’s operations manager), Albert Cho. Like Gemmi, the restaurant is a deviation from Namu and Lee’s penchant for Asian-fusion establishments, instead presenting a menu of European bistro classics with Kiwi elements.
A post shared by Namu Group (@namugroup)
Pōni is just one of many restaurants to close in 2024, for myriad reasons. Among the many popular eateries and chains that shut up shop were Madame George, Pilkingtons Restaurant and Bar, SPQR, Homeland and Lord of the Fries.
Auckland has also seen several new openings this year to help fill the gaps in the city’s culinary scene. Among the new kids on the block are Parnell’s Rhu, San Ray, the successor to Orphans Kitchen, on Ponsonby Rd, and other popular Ponsonby haunts Beau Deli and Bodega.