The Hilltop Tavern offers stunning scenic harbour views, delicious wood-fired pizzas, great music and good old rural Kiwi hospitality. There is a fine selection of craft beer and cider and expect a hearty menu of pub favourites …
St Asaph Street has made a huge leap in popularity since early 2011. It’s now the street of choice for many retailers and restaurateurs. Obviously, St Asaph Street Kitchen and Stray Dog Bar is one of them …
The corner of Montreal and Worcester Streets has been transformed from the famed Le Bon Bolli restaurant into Fiddlesticks, a popular bistro and after work drinks hangout. The space is a clever overlay of contemporary style and eccentric features that blend pine wood panelling, tiles, low hanging lights and a grass wall feature to good effect …
Named after a club on campus established in 1978, The Shilling Club was based on the premise that if you did not carry a shilling on you at all times, you had to drink a forfeit. Now The Shilling Club is a restaurant and bar in the Undercroft (aka the basement of the main library), serving students and everyday people …
When you have a bar as popular as The Brewery, it makes sense to open another. And with the central city becoming stronger and busier every day, it also makes sense to open one within the four avenues. That is exactly what the owners of The Brewery have gone and done …
With a bar named King of Snake you may think you are about to enter some seedy phallic-riddled dungeon on Old Manchester Street or appear in a scene in a straight-to-dvd film starring Samuel L. Jackson. But leave your preconceptions at the door here …
A long time provider of a fine selection of wine, beer and spirits to Sumner locals, The Village Grape operating from its post-earthquake premises now is not only an off-license liquor store, but a sweet wee garden wine and beer bar …
Whether you’re a runner, sleeper, or an esteemed pole-vaulter, don’t be put off by the Pedal Pusher’s cycling theme – you don’t have to ride a bike to have a rolling good time there. Open late every day of the week, The Pedal Pusher offers sophisticated twists on some old favourites including chicken salad and lime dressing, wild vegetarian fettuccine and venison BBQ ribs …
Smash Palace takes the new Christchurch random aesthetic and makes it comfortable and cool. A bus serving as a bar in a formerly empty lot? Hey, why not. Re-appropriated doors acting as tables, outdoor heating, motorbike workshop and an on-site greasy spoon give the site a sense of permanence …
The word “eccentric” doesn’t begin to describe this unconventional, Euro trash bar in Lyttelton. The bamboo bar, garishly sequined stools, doll head lamps hanging from the ceiling and more peculiar curios to throw a stick at, Wunderbar attracts an eclectic mix of Christchurch’s freaks, geeks, bogans, squares, hipsters and suits …
With its grungy good looks and innovative features, Revival is a low-key inner-city bar with a good live music scene and hip, young staff. As its name suggests, this place is big into renewal and rebirth …
Christchurch’s cool crowd is flocking to the Darkroom on a battered looking St Asaph Street. Its incognito location makes you feel like you’re part of a secret society and, as the name suggests, the place is a little on the dark side (so much so that you quickly forget that the sun is shining outside) …
It’s amazing what people can do with a little corrugated iron and a shipping container. Porthole is a temporary bar (although likely to be around for a few years) located where the iconic Volcano Cafe and Lava Bar used to stand …
Tucked away behind the Mobile station at the end of Lincoln Road is a converted warehouse. Not just any old warehouse but a slick reimagining of one of Christchurch’s choicest pre-quake venues. …
Woolston is touted as the up and coming suburb of Christchurch. The number of boutique breweries in the area are increasing (albeit slowly) and Christchurch locals are beginning to appreciate the area’s industrial surroundings. …
Governors Bay is a little slice of paradise. Located under the Port Hills on the shores of Lyttelton Harbour, the area was settled in 1845, and in 1870 the Governors Bay Hotel opened its doors. …
Run by the owners of Le Plonk and 205, The Monday Room is housed in the Strategy building on Moorhouse Avenue. …
Although Christchurch’s nightlife proposition is yet to rival any big city, Volstead Trading Company is a great start. Found on Riccarton Road (the Hagley Park end) and tucked away off the main drag, this unexpected location adds to the rustic charm of the bar that has Moa beer on tap and moonshine on the cocktail list. …
Pomeroy’s is everything you would expect from an ol’ English-style public house (aka a pub!). The decor, the smells, the garish patterned carpet (dark, of course, to hide any unsightly beer stains)… But Pomeroy’s point of difference is evident in the details. …
Despite the clichéd names for bars popping up around Christchurch, Cargo is a fine establishment offering young professionals a reasonable environment to enjoy an after work drink. …
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