The Officers Mess

About this place

The Officers Mess occupies a former naval building at 170 Vauxhall Road, Narrow Neck, within the Fort Takapuna historic reserve in Devonport. The site is clifftop above Narrow Neck Beach, with views across the Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto, and it is bordered by the coastal walkways and gun emplacements of the old fort. It is roughly a 20-minute drive from Auckland's city centre, or a short trip from the Devonport ferry.

Although it is listed as a restaurant, The Officers Mess operates primarily as a function and events venue. The building offers three indoor spaces that can be used individually or together, catering for groups from around 40 up to 200 guests. The main room is approximately 132 square metres with an adjoining room of about 53.6 square metres, and the venue advises capacity of around 160 seated. The rooms are light-filled and open onto a large wraparound deck that takes in the gulf outlook. Both partial and exclusive hire are available.

Catering is handled in house by owner and chef Jeremy Schmid, who builds bespoke menus for each event rather than working to a fixed function package. Public dining is limited: the venue has traded on Sundays for brunch, with the remainder of the week reserved for private bookings, so anyone planning a casual visit should confirm current opening arrangements first.

The venue is widely used for weddings and receptions, and its scale, blackout of exclusive use and heritage setting also make it well suited to conference dinners, product launches, board and client functions, awards evenings and staff celebrations. Reviewers on Tripadvisor have singled it out as a function venue in particular.

For MICE planners, The Officers Mess is one of the North Shore's more distinctive options: a heritage building with waterfront views, flexible room configurations across a 40–200 guest range, on-site chef-led catering and the ability to take the whole site exclusively.