The lounge was nice and clean! We arrived in the morning and it was great!…read more Food: delicious and hot. A lot to choose from Drinks: they have soft drinks, alcohol and coffee! Service: they come by to clean out your table often The whole place felt kind of warm in the beginning, but maybe because it was a cold day. People were friendly and refilled the food quickly!

Quite a large facility, this one, and though I was there early I found quite a few other patrons…read morethere -- yet it didn't feel crowded or overrun at all. All the food I sampled was delicious, and the staff were prompt about keeping the food and beverage options well stocked. They also did a great job clearing tables, so much so that a staff member apologized for removing my utensils when I'd only stepped away for another serving of food. This experience felt exactly like what an airport lounge should be.

South Bar and Café is located in Christchurch's International Airport just before you head through…read morecustoms. My suggestion is to check your bags in and head upstairs to South Bar for a final kiwi beer or pino (kiwi slang for Pino Gris which is a type of wine) before your long flight home. There is plenty of seating with views of the rugby on television screens or planes departing and arriving with the beautiful snow capped mountains in the background. Love the styling which is a mix of a stag head, photos of kiwiana and random pendant lights grouped together in different parts of the bar. You'll know what I mean by random pendant lights when you come and check it out. Great to have local sporting games live on the tv screens too. I can't comment on the food as we didn't try any but there is a full bar food menu. Highly recommend having a drink here before you fly.

One of the better airport bar restaurants I have been to; the staff are quick and efficient, the…read morefood comes quickly and is tasty (i.e. my Thai prawns are genuinely spicy) and there is an above average selection of beer and wine - good job Christchurch airport!

Jack is an example of 5 star bartendering due to not only his versatility but also his about to…read morequickly make cocktails on demand, would 100% recommend on a night out

An upscale, luxurious restaurant celebrating some Asian fusion ingredients and flavors. It's…read moreprobably a special occasions type of restaurant, though we viewed it more as a welcome meal on our first day off the plane in NZ. If you're having trouble determining what to get, their "Trust the King" tasting menu is a perfect choice. The "Royal" for 100 NZD nets you their best hits plus a dessert as a bonus. With the amount of courses you are given, this ended up being such an incredible value versus ordering all separately. After a final tally, it honestly felt like a highway robbery! Here's what our table received along with expected NZD: Small plate samplers (2): Natural oyster w/ nashi pear, Smoked salmon w/ spinach leaf, galangal, chili jam, and salmon roe Small Shared Plates (2): Wild Venison Carpaccio topped w/ nahm dtok, EVOO, and spicy sesame (32 NZD); Moong dal in mixed seed salad, avocado, and fresh lime (22 NZD) Larger Shared Plates (2): Marinated yellow fin tuna w/ chilli and mandarin, coconut salad (38 NZD); Crispy Pressed Half Duck in caramelized mandarin sauce (62 NZD) Dessert: Lemongrass panna cotta, lime granita, mint (18 NZD) It was a harmonic interplay between different Asian flavors, more Thai heavy than others, and even the local ingredients such as the raw venison entering the foray. They did ask if there was anything we didn't like before serving the meal to which I never thought to mention my aversion to overly spicy food (I was thinking of exotic foods I dislike). And, lo and behold, a lot of options were definitely on the spicier end such as the spicy sesame/ nahm dtok sauce which topped the carpaccio and abundance of red chili shavings in the marinated yellow fin tuna. On the bright side, it did require me slow down which enabled me to truly relish my food. Most everything was delicious even the duck with joyfully crispy skins and dipped in a sweet honey glace (though ever so slightly on dry side in the middle). King of Snake also houses the Monarch Cocktail Bar, to which I ordered a 'Paper Crane' (King of Snake Gin, apple soju, elderflower liquer, sake; 23 NZD) to pair with my meal. A buzzy, floral, and effervescent drink to really lend to the comforting meal.

Nicest Restaurant we've been to in a long while: upscale atmosphere, exceptionally nice ambiance…read morew:super helpful staff. We shared delicious plates and wine. would recommend the prawn dumplings, blue cod, tenderloin steak bites and curry pumpkin. We thought the curry pumpkin was the best!

I loved shop eight! It helped it was a balmy 27 degree C day when I stopped by however being warmly…read moreand friendly greeted by the chef and waitress as I read the menu was lovely. I also really like the philosophy behind their daily menu showcasing local ingredients and that chef loves to prepare! The waitress was very friendly and enjoyed discussing the business and was really up to matching the dishes to wine; or at least asking chef to recommend something. I had to try the lamb heart with capsicum and carrot jelly as it just sounded so unique and it delivered; ultimately I could not finish the dish as it was a bit to rich for me though the three glasses of wine may also have had an affect! I highly recommend checking out the menu to see what's new that you can try!

You'll find this cafe in the oh so cute and historical New Regent Street…read more The cafe itself is on the small side, but they serve really good coffee and have friendly, efficient staff. They also serve the delicious cakes you may have already sampled at the Riccarton house market - 'By Anna' - which is conveniently awesome. Interestingly, many of the furnishings in the cafe have been made out of wood that came from buildings damaged in the earthquake; and have now been recycled and made into furniture. So if you are in central Christchurch, needing a coffee or a bite to eat - visit Shop 8 (and eat cake).

I love this place. I live nearby and it is a total asset to the neighbourhood - I use it both as a…read morecasual place to drop in when I don't feel like cooking, and also to take friends from out of town to show off the amazing tannery. The wine and cocktail list is refined but comprehensive, and the tapas are awesome - delicious, sophisticated, ranging from light (pickled vegetables with fresh herbs, or pil pil prawns with garlic confit) and fresh to sticky, fried yumminess (Yorkshire puds, braised beef cheek croquettes). The decor is also beautiful and original and if you're lucky there will be a piano player in the house, giving it a luxey, retro lounge bar vibe.

Friendly place with nice atmosphere. Bartenders are great especially Jen and Brandy. Karaoke…read morenight is a lot of fun. Good place to watch sports with the locals.

Lovely neighborhood tavern, where you can order some food, have a well-mixed drink, watch the…read moresports, meet nice local people and even sing karaoke on occasion. They have a great setup, with excellent singers, every once in a Friday night while. Make sure to call the bar to confirm if they are doing the karaoke thing on the Friday you are coming.

Super chill place with a nice upstairs bar area. We were planning to go to a few places in the…read morearea but ended up closing the night here. The bartenders were playing requests that day, asking everyone who came in to name a song on top of their mind. Drinks were strong and tasty - had the Commie Mule with the freshly crushed ginger (first choice was Dr. Orders - but no can't do as rosemary was out of stock). The beer flight was good as well as you get to try all 5 beers that they have on tap. Highly recommend on coming here.

The Institution is a small craft cocktail and beer bar. The staff is friendly and generous. There…read moreare 5 local beers on tap with a selection of bottles behind the bar. They'll let you try all their beers on tap before purchase. I enjoyed all of them. The cocktail I had was also great. They have a cheese platter which is also amazing. The bar seems to attract interesting people. Both times I went, I ended up in fascinating conversations with people I met at the bar.

Still avoiding Asian food due to going to there later this month, I decided on Western food for…read moredinner. The food seemed reasonably priced and was less than a ten minute walk from my hotel, so why not? FYI this will be the last business on your left as you walk through the parking lot. Anytime Fitness is on the right, and this business is currently next door to a brewery (who might be moving, so do not count on that if you are reading this months from now). You walk in and order at the counter. I decided on appetizers of onion rings, fish goujons, garden salad, and a mai tai. Here are my thoughts: Onion rings: I really liked the consistency of the batter. It is very crunchy, but there is no flavor. You are really going to need to try to salt and pepper the food, and this is coming from someone who cooks with very little of either (per my dad's opinion). Fish goujons: This is the same batter as the onion rings, so this is where I get my "have experienced better" rating. I do not recommend using the same batter for each. The batter for onion rings needs to be more light and airy compared to fish when battering. The fish was also pretty bland, so when you add a bland batter, the appetizer is even more bland. I only ate 3 pieces because the food was not good. Seasonal salad: I ordered no dressing, as I had learned from a previous restaurant that a random salad dressing will be assigned if you do not specify. There was something strangely spicy in this salad - jalapenos? As a Texan that is what they tasted like, but culturally I was confused because we do not put jalapenos in salads. Mai tai - This was pretty good. I could have used a large portion, but otherwise delicious. I can see if you want to come here and just have that without the food. One thing I noticed is that Christchurch apparently does not have a no-smoking ordinance within X number of meters. Even though there was a plastic covering around the patio since it was cold, there were cracks within the covered awning. The smoke can penetrate through these cracks, so be aware that just because you are "inside" an awning does not mean you are immune to the smoke. If you have asthma or allergies, keep this in mind as 3 of the employees were smoking at the table closest to the door. I think I will pass next time!

I have been in Christchurch now for three days and have found a new home. With a large variety of…read moredelicious beer and outstanding food... it begs the question... why go anywhere else?