26 Best Restaurants in Christchurch and Canterbury, New Zealand

This restaurant's laneway setting and beautifully restored two-level building gives it a London pub feel. With food and drinks to suit all tastes, it's a popular hangout for locals day and night. Plush dining rooms and a wide covered veranda lead to a manicured garden that is also a year-round source of produce for this busy kitchen. The pizzas are hard to skip (try the salmon), and the lime-and-coriander-crusted fish is a treat. Staff go out of their way to make you feel at home for brunch, lunch, dinner, or a drink anytime. The emphasis here is on seafood, vegetarian, and vegan dishes. The Dux also brews its own acclaimed beers.

Don't be fooled by the unassuming alleyway outside: this chic restaurant and bar delivers fine Asian fusion cuisine on all levels. It's hard to recommend particular dishes because they are all exquisitely prepared and taste so good, served in a striking, seductive setting. Try the spinach leaf with roasted coconut, peanuts, garlic, chili, and lime for a stunning starter or the light, crunchy texture of moong dal and mixed seed salad with fresh lime and avocado. The sticky beef wontons are popular but save room for the equally delicious main courses to follow. There's a good selection of wine and, of course, fabulous cocktails. The restaurant is offset from the road, so keep your eyes peeled to find it.

It's worth the climb 27 steps to this stylish European bistro, consistently rated one of New Zealand's best and situated on New Regent Street's heritage row. The welcoming staff delivers stand-out dishes (including several excellent vegan options) made with a wide variety of fresh local produce, including Canterbury beef, lamb, Te Tapu venison, and Akaroa salmon. A generous wine cellar, with an emphasis on Waipara locals, is tucked into the snug cocktail bar.

This diner-style café is open for all day. Breakfast is the usual Kiwi fare, like eggs Benedict and pancakes. The lunch and dinner menu is Mexican-themed with burritos, nachos, and quesadilla. There's also the classic Kiwi meals like burgers and chips. If you're in a rush, food to-go is also available. 

Set in the heart of Christchurch's dining haven, The Terrace, this rain-forest-inspired restaurant combines delicious food with friendly service. Behind the busy bar is an opulent dining area with an open kitchen where you can watch the talented chefs create Mediterranean-style dishes.

Right in the middle of Mt. Hutt Village, the Blue Pub and Brown Pub sit on opposite corners. This one offers reasonably priced bistro-style meals, and a European-style courtyard on the street, where you can enjoy a cold beer while watching the world go by. The venue hosts live music most weekends and is a local hot spot for late-night fun. 

Like Blue Pub, you can't miss this big brown building in the middle of town. This country pub serves a classic menu, albeit slightly limited, of all the Kiwi favorites—like steak, burgers, steamed mussels, and fish and chips. You can sit inside by the roaring fire on sprawling hardwood tables, or outside in the beer garden. 

Named after a notorious American pirate, this modern restaurant occupies a great site overlooking the yachts moored in the harbor. New Zealand cuisine is highlighted, and there are light and full-size main courses for breakfast, lunch, and dinner all year round. Enjoy tapas and a cocktail in the sun, and don't miss the plentiful seafood platter. 

Set in a retro-vintage shop on MacMillan Street, this café has treasures along with its legendary bacon-and-egg sandwiches and excellent coffee. Grab a granola breakfast here and a muffin for later. The house made soups are also good. 

This cozy haunt is packed with locals who come for the tasty tapas-style food, produced in a tiny kitchen, and the excellent cocktails. There's an eclectic selection of international and New Zealand wines, spirits, and craft beers.

Here you can dine in a 1920s Tudor-style house, looking out on the Botanic Gardens and the Peacock Fountain, or take a garden table and be part of it. The menu has tapas selections and a good variety of seafood, with owner–chef Javier Garcia producing authentic Spanish cuisine evoking an old-world atmosphere. Try the Cordero Asado (slow roasted alpine lamb shoulder) or something a bit lighter like the Spanish Paella served in its pan. The kitchen garden supplies herbs, berries, and vegetables to the restaurant, and they have a strong environmental policy to keep things green.

If you've left Christchurch a bit late for breakfast, about 30 minutes south in the Selwyn district, stop at the Dunsandel Store. It's a fascinating mix of local store, deli, and café with excellent food. The offers plenty of tasty sandwiches and baked goods. They also have a good range of breakfasts and all-day treats made from mostly local and organic produce. There are tables indoors and out, surrounded by a courtyard full of fruit trees and vegetables.

Built from limestone blocks, The Hurunui, New Zealand's oldest continually licensed hotel (since 1860), refreshed weary drovers bringing sheep down from Marlborough; it's still a great place to rest yourself with a beverage. The restaurant with its old-fashioned pub serves à la carte dinners and a succulent selection of beef steaks, including angus, sirloin and home-smoked ribeye. You can dine in the pub, where there is a roaring fire in winter, or outside in the tree-lined beer garden. 

One of the city's most beautiful pieces of architecture also houses one its most popular cafés. Christchurch Botanic Gardens' rare plants and nurseries sit alongside a busy dining room in this modern take on a glass conservatory. With their own vegetables and herbs just outside, the ilex chefs are no doubt inspired by the 52 acres surrounding them. Line up with the locals for well-priced and inventive seasonal soups, pies, and salads washed down with organic soda or a glass of wine. On a fine day grab a picnic blanket from the friendly staff and spread out on the impressive lawn.

Tucked away down a side street off the main road, this cute little café with a red door is packed with country locals and is fast becoming a popular visitor stop, too. Besides the great coffee, there's also an excellent selection of well-priced baked goods, including delicious muffins, and a tasty brunch menu to suit all appetites.

Well-known for its excellent coffee available in many Christchurch cafés, this is the home of the legendary roastery and plenty of hearty fare to match. Great service and an arty atmosphere mean this heritage building is buzzing from early morning until late afternoon every day. They won't serve drinks in single-use takeaway cups, so if you're in a rush, be prepared to bring your own, or dine in. 

In a renovated villa on the main road into Hanmer, No. 31 serves exceptional food. Its well-established local chef specializes in modern New Zealand cuisine, using the best local produce, offered with a selection of wines from the Waipara–Hanmer area. Candlelit, moody, and romantic inside, you can also dine alfresco in summer.

This predominantly seafood restaurant is renowned for its creative, conceptual New Zealand cuisine. From the moment you set foot into the white space-age foyer at the George Hotel, taste buds are tantalized with local, seasonally influenced and sustainably sourced ingredients. Choose from the à la carte or degustation menu and enjoy some unusual pairings (think celery sorbet with chocolate). There's an extensive wine list to accompany the interesting food.

Now a popular café for locals, the Powerhouse building used to contain a small hydroelectric generator that supplied power to the old Queen Mary Hospital and a few streetlights. Today, it opens at 7:30 am and offers a great brunch and lunch menu to suit all tastes. Local and free-range ingredients are used in dishes that are all house-made.

Rascal is a modern bistro in the heart of Christchurch offering innovative food from a constantly changing menu, and exceptional cocktails. Dishes are designed to be shared tapas-style, and they arrive at the table as they are made. The service is casual but attentive, and the space itself offers various seating options along the bar on high tables, traditional seating at the rear of the restaurant and a cozy courtyard for summer evenings. 

This eatery's clever take on Māori Japanese fusion has won rave reviews from locals thanks to its selection of carefully crafted dishes that are perfect for sharing. It's set in the beautiful Old Royal Hotel Building on the waterfront, and the atmosphere is stylish and relaxed. Open every night for dinner and three days per week for sumptuous lunch. 

A great place to get a coffee fix, this hip café is styled with a red-and-white American diner aesthetic. The café is a flagship outlet for the Coffee Supreme brand, which started in Wellington over 30 years ago before expanding to Japan and Australia. Look to the all-day breakfast menu for fresh fruit platters, and a decadent double stack of pancakes with whipped butter and maple syrup. Countertop goodies are served with excellent coffee. Sit at the communal bar or smart wooden tables.

Western and Thai spins on local produce, meat and seafood, along with a seaside location makes for sought-after reservations at this, venue, which serves delicious food all day. Dark wooden floors, white tablecloths, and leather chairs lend a seaside chic quality, and on a nice day, snatch a table outside. In addition to breakfast, there are three different menus, including Kiwi, Thai, and seafood. The latter is the highlight, boasting Akaroa salmon fillet, huge seafood platters, whole squid, oysters, and more. 

This inner-city pub anchors the emerging South Town neighborhood of the Central Business District, and this big indoor–outdoor space has plenty of atmosphere. Menu items range from contemporary pub food to Mediterranean cuisine, all made using local produce. You cant beat the souvlaki served with Greek donuts. They often have live music, and there's a pool table in the back.