Lunch should be savoured, flavoured, and never a labour. At Cityscape we believe in the long lunch: a proper sit-down feast with good banter and maybe a glass of wine. Here are our picks for the best places to make merry over lunch in the central city.
Universo Brasserie & Bar is equal parts edgy Euro chic and tropical escape with a drinks list that’s off the charts to match a brunch and lunch menu with ingredients that always give something a bit different. Try the Universo Platter – a selection of meats and sides to share that will keep you going for ages. Across the road you’ll find Fiddlesticks Restaurant & Bar, a sophisticated haunt that serves up an array of great fare and excellent tipple – the Saturday bottomless brunch option will keep your champagne, mimosa or bloody Mary glass full while you dine and there’s always Sangria Sundays. The ‘F.F.C.’ Fiddlesticks fried chicken is Christchurch famous, and the Canterbury Lamb Shoulder is an amazing demonstration of Kiwi fare.
Coriander’s Ethnic Indian Restaurant in St Asaph Street is your go-to for rich and roaring Indian flavours you’ll want to write home about, and a new whisky lounge serving popular and rare drams. From the excellent service to the exclusive international wine list, this is a true culinary experience across the board with a lunch special menu featuring some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes. For a full-throttled swank fest, Bloody Mary’s, with its plush surrounds, buttery chesterfield couches and high-back velvet chairs, is a cavern of cool that will embrace you like an old friend. Enjoy the popular brasserie menu from 10am, with steaks, salads and burgers to be enjoyed with famous cocktails.
Francesca’s Italian Kitchen is a genuine good time with filling and authentic pasta such as the creamy saffron linguine with prawns, rocket, and chilli, as well as pizza and decadent Italian desserts. Help your lunch settle with a digestif – lemony limoncello, bitter amaro or a good sharp grappa. Breathing new life into the Arts Centre space that was once home to Annie’s Wine Bar, Cellar Door continues the traditions of warm hospitality, fine wine and good food made from seasonal local ingredients. Take some time for a viticultural journey on a "wine flight" wine tasting, with wine-friendly foods such as the French Onion Soup with croutons and gruyère, or the Spanish White Bean Stew with winter greens and cashew cheese.
Kaiser Brew Garden is a hospitality hotspot on top of the bustling Riverside Market, offering a stunning setting where you can meet, mingle and enjoy a brew, speciality G&T or fine wine with your splendid sharing platter or, get this, a German pizza. Our favourite is the Flammkuchen pizza with crème fraiche, caramelised onion jam and pork belly. Also in Riverside Market, El Quincho uses fresh ingredients to cook authentic Argentine asado, or barbeque, which makes for hearty meaty fare. A lunch here is about more than just food, it’s about gathering with people you love and sharing stories, laughs and delicious food, in true Argentinian spirit. Start with the parrillada, a sumptuous meat platter ideal for sharing, served with house-made bread, chimichurri and hot red wine.
Just up the road, Terrace Tavern brings some super-slick sophistication to The Terrace with a full sit-down menu and a fine selection of jaunty gins. Soaring black ceilings feature pendulous white globe lighting, dark woods, dirty teal walls and booth seating in the dining area, which offer killer views of the open kitchen. Book in for a weekend Lux Lunch and sink your teeth into the Crayfish Roll or Dry Aged Wagyu Beef Burger. Head around the corner to Miro, sip on the signature breakfast cocktails and enjoy old-skool-style grill eats, Classic Mince on Toast or Mushroom Risotto as you kick back in the contemporary cool surrounds with two open fireplaces.
50 Bistro at The George hotel has a brill bistro restaurant, chill conservatory space and ‘lax lounge bar where you can dine and drink in style. Try the Nifty Fifty lunch menu including soup, a mouth-watering main – such as the creamy buffalo burrata or house-cured Akaroa salmon with candied walnut, pickled fennel and olive caramel – and a featured wine or beer. Nestled among the fine homewares of Ballantynes’ Lichfield Street wing is Kin, an elegant café, deli and wine bar. It’s the perfect place to pause your next shopping expedition and relax with a sit-down meal of seasonal produce and a cheeky wine, bubbles, craft beer, or nip of spirits.
The Dish in Montreal Street offers a slice of Tokyo chic and some smooth jazz to set the mood. The Peking Duck Roti Slider with plum sauce, pickled cucumber and lettuce showcases the restaurant’s commitment to freshness and flavour, while the Vietnamese Grilled Chicken with Peanut Sauce is the perfect flavoursome indulgence to really savour. For a selection to take your time over, check out Joe’s platter featuring a bahn mi bun, wontons and prawn toast. Barberra specialises in fresh, seasonal ingredients and the flavours of the Pacific Rim. The shared plates, snacks, desserts, and tasting menus showcase the chef’s best creations such as the Pulled Pork Bene, a special twist on the classic brunch.
Spagalimis Pizzeria & Bar is a city icon which has been turning out handcrafted pizzas since 1978. Order something from the extensive plant-based menu, or stick with the tried-and-true classics such as the delicious Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Poplar Street’s four-bar venue Dux Central is home to over 200 craft beers in its Brew Bar, so there’s guaranteed to be something to match your meal. Every Wednesday the restaurant runs a beers and burgers special featuring fish, beef, chicken and falafel burgers. For the oenophile with a taste for decadence, grab one of the luxurious velvet chairs in the Emerald Room and cancel your plans, because you’ll want to take your time selecting from over 70 choices of wine.
At Sari Sari Filipino Kitchen, the passionate chefs aim to introduce traditional Filipino cuisine to the uninitiated, without compromising one jot on flavour. Sari Sari’s menu is designed to showcase the original fusion cuisine of the Phillippines; a melting pot of Malaysian, Chinese, Spanish, Indian and American flavours. Get a group of friends together and heat your soul with any of the warming soups, curries, or classic Filipino Pansit Canton Stir-fried Noodles, preferably with a glass of the Philippines’ best beer.
Mexico in Manchester Street is your go-to margarita manor, with excellent small plates and sharing dishes to fill your table. Get amongst the super spicy Mexico fried chicken, or taste a bit of all your Mexican favourites in the flavour-packed Lunch Degustación.
Strawberry Fare has been famous for its delish desserts for decades now, and its café meals are just as delectable, especially when zested up with a superbly-made classic cocktail. Strawberry Fare grows its own citrus, olives, figs, and feijoas, so for the freshest of local winter treats, try the warm pineapple and feijoa pudding. You won’t regret it.
City cafés
If absolutely Pinterest-worthy surroundings and excellent coffee is your jam, then pop in to Ally & Sid for a caffeine hit and an array of unfairly delicious cabinet snacks. Check the two-storey charms of New Regent Street fave The Caffeine Laboratory, with super-creative delish doughnuts which are almost too pretty to eat – almost. Lemon Tree Café is a boutique and contemporary space offering an array of sweet and savoury treats. Clean and green sustainable eatery Moment can cater to any dietary requirement or preference – and the avocado art is out of this world. Laneway Espresso rocks an all-day brunch menu alongside killer coffee. Effortless cool prevails at Unknown Chapter Coffee Roasters, roasting specialty beans and belting out amazing Breakfast Quesadillas. Black & White Origins in the Lichfield Courtyard is a speciality coffee store championing single-origin coffee and delicious bites where you can pick up some Coffee Monster beans to brew at home. The home of the famous and seriously good coffee roast, C4 is also a fine spot to sit in the courtyard and take it all in. Grain Coffee & Eatery serves up fierce coffee and daily-changing grain bowls, delicious sandwiches and filled bagels. Little Pom’s houses tasty and nutritious fare that features house-made nut butters and go-to brunch offerings served alongside craft beers, wine, and Allpress Espresso. Bohemian Bakery at Riverside Market is rightly famous for its award-winning sourdough, also boasting sweet and savoury pastries and other tasty eats. The super-cute Made Espresso Bar turns out honest, wholesome and simple food including freshly made and daily changing salads. Watch the magic happen through the bakery window while you eat at Vic’s Café in Victoria Street.
Outside the avenues
Sustainable style joins one of the country’s leading sustainable cafés in Burnside at Untouched World Kitchen. Let your hair hang down with a hippie bowl featuring beetroot miso, veggies and quinoa, or charge up with a super food salad. In Riccarton, vegetarian and pescatarian restaurant Dux Dine’s talented chefs whip up exquisite dishes using the highest quality ingredients. Don’t miss the Friday to Sunday Lux Lunch menu with bottomless cocktails. At Hello Sunday, a former Sunday school in Sydenham houses a multi award-winning brunch and daytime dining hotspot turning out inspired eats. For a bar and eatery with sustainability at its heart, check out The Fermentist micro-brewery and taproom. Governors Bay Hotel has the goods if you are looking to leave the city behind and grab a great view. Over in Merivale, Aikmans Bar & Eatery has a tasty selection that captures the best of New Zealand cuisine. Take a seat inside or celebrate with friends in one of the sunny covered outdoor courtyards at No.4 Bar & Restaurant. For traditional and authentic Japanese food visit Tomi Japanese Restaurant and its cook-at-your-table hot plates. Nom Nom Kitchen is an Asian fusion sensation with an array of dishes including gluten free, vegan and vegetarian options, and a great range of cocktails, wine and beer. Around the bay in Sumner, take a dive into Ocean Café & Bar and sample the very tempting lunch menu alongside a wee bevvy by the beach. Detour to The Tannery for the extensive range of breakfast, brunch, lunch and drinks on offer at Mitchelli’s Café Rinato, where great atmosphere and friendly service are guaranteed, or sit in at healthy haven and pick-your-own sushi bar Nori Table. The Elmwood Trading Co. in Strowan offers a mellow setting where you can enjoy the hoppy flavour of a craft beersy or a full-bodied vino in the superb restaurant and sheltered garden bar. The Old Vicarage, nestled on the fringe of Halswell Domain, is a beautiful venue steeped in history with manicured gardens and a flavour-packed lunch menu. Sign of the Takahe just off Summit Road offers great views of Christchurch with your drink and lunch in a unique Category 1-listed heritage building. Drive out to North Canterbury wine country for a feast at Fiddler’s Green Vineyard & Bistro and pull up a pew for a tasty combination of European-inspired and Kiwi favourites with a selection of Fiddler’s Green wines.
City Coffee Fix
Espresso Studio by Fushoken’s standard triple-shot espressos are a favourite with coffee lovers and professional baristas. Also at Riverside Market, check out the industrial cool of Underground Coffee Roasters. Little Brews Espresso is a sustainability-conscious and community-focused boutique coffee shop, serving locally-sourced coffee and healthy food. Little Brews supports local causes with the proceeds from the tip jar, and the cups and décor come from Canterbury businesses.
Flavours of Christchurch
For a full exploration of everything the Christchurch culinary scene has to offer, grab a copy of Flavours of Christchurch at your local café or read it online. It’s your local foodie bible with the best dining spots and who’s-who of Ōtautahi hospitality.