Joyful Day Out
Rib-eye, coal charred
Waitaki beef, smoked butter, watercress. The dish people drive from Dunedin for.
Oamaru, Thames Street — open Wed–Sun
Joyful Day Out —
Joyful Day Out —
dinner, drinks
and poker nights
We're a grill restaurant and social poker room in Oamaru's Victorian precinct. Steaks off the coals, a proper wine list, and a card room upstairs where the games stay friendly and in person.
2019 est.
Thames St
Thames St
01 / The place
A grill room that grew a card room
Joyful Day Out started in 2019 in a former grain store on Thames Street. We were meant to be a simple grill: a coal fire, Waitaki beef, pints for the harbour crowd. Then a few regulars asked if they could deal cards in the back room on Thursdays. We said yes, bought proper felt, and the poker nights sort of took on a life of their own.
Now the rhythm of the week goes like this: the kitchen runs Wednesday to Sunday, and Thursday to Saturday the card room upstairs fills with people who like their cards dealt by a person, at a real table. Cards here are social and in person: chips, a caller, a bit of noise from the bar below.
02 / Eat first
Off the coals, onto your table
The menu is short on purpose. A handful of things we do properly, most of them touched by the coal grill we had built when we moved in.
Slow lamb shoulder
Half a shoulder, flatbread, pickled onion. Order it between two and argue over the last bit.
Coal vegetables
Whatever the market had that morning, finished over the fire with herb oil.
Stout chocolate
Dark, a bit boozy, made in-house. Pairs dangerously well with a poker win.
1
Eat downstairs
Kitchen opens at 5. Order off the coals, take your time. Nobody's rushing you to the felt.
2
Head up at 7
Thursday to Saturday the card room opens. The game is social. Take a seat, the caller deals you in.
3
Linger at the bar
Win or lose, the bar stays open late. Post-game analysis is half the fun anyway.
18+ card room
only
only
03 / Upstairs
Poker nights, Thursday to Saturday
Our card room seats three tables. Games are social, dealer-called, and everyone from first-timers to old hands sits in. You buy dinner downstairs, you take a seat upstairs, and the games run till the cards are done.
- Texas hold'em and dealer's choice, rotated night by night
- Free-seat social format; chips on the house, bragging rights for real
- Beginners welcome: the caller walks you through the first orbits
Please note: we're not an online casino or betting platform. Every poker game here is dealt in person, socially, inside the venue. Card room strictly 18+.
04 / Worth a mark in the diary
Nights we run a bit differently
Beyond the regular card nights we put on a handful of bigger evenings each season: themed deals, charity games, whisky pairings.
The Freezeout
One stack, one shot. A social freezeout with dinner service running alongside.
Steam & Aces
A charity poker evening for local causes. Oamaru's steampunk crowd usually turns up loud.
Whisky & Cards
Three pours, three tables, a slow Sunday-format game. Small room, small numbers.
05 / Around the room
A look inside
scroll sideways, it's a long table
Years on Thames St
Card tables upstairs
Games dealt a season
Coal grill, always lit
06 / Word of mouth
What the regulars say
Booked for a birthday dinner, ended up learning the game upstairs till midnight. The caller was patient, the rib-eye was enormous. We'll be back before the month's out.
Hana R.Timaru, came for dinner
My Thursday ritual. Same seat, same dealer's-choice table, different luck.
Bazcard room regular
We brought my parents thinking we'd eat and leave early. Mum won two hands of poker and hasn't stopped talking about it since. Friendly room, great lamb, no pressure.
Priya & Tomdown from Christchurch
07 / Quick answers
Asked often
No. Tell the caller it's your first time and they'll walk you through it. Most nights have at least one beginner at the table.
Of course. Most tables downstairs are dining only. The card room is upstairs and out of the way.
Yes, poker nights are strictly 18+. The restaurant floor welcomes families at dinner hours.
We do: birthdays, work dos, stag nights. Give us a shout on the contacts page and we'll talk numbers.
thames street, oamaru
Come hungry, leave a winner
Dinner downstairs, cards upstairs. Book a table for the kitchen or ask for a seat at the felt. Either way we'll look after you.