8 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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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. 

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.