Where Land And Kai Meet: The South Island City Telling Kiwi Food Stories

In Te Waipounamu's (South Island) largest city, a quiet transformation is unfolding. Ōtautahi Christchurch's dining scene is redefining New Zealand gastronomy—rooted in resilience post-earthquake, regional produce, and a new generation of chefs who are rewriting the rules.

From the fusion of Asian, Pacifica and Māori flavours at the locally-loved Manu to the locally sourced Whitebait & Pickled Dill sando at Inati, this is a city where innovation meets authenticity. Locally sourced ingredients shape menus that tell the story of place—with chefs acting as storytellers as much as cooks.

Urban List and 100% Pure New Zealand join forces to spotlight the dishes and destinations that prove why Aotearoa should be your next food adventure. Here is our guide to the ultimate Ōtautahi kai hotspots in Aotearoa. For more on why Aotearoa is the dining destination to add to your holiday radar, visit here.

Lillies

495 Saint Asaph Street, Philipstown

Cidery, winery and restaurant Lillies opened last year by wine and cider makers Will Lyons-Bowman and Liam Kelleher. Featuring their own drops (Vita Wines, Lele Wines and Lillies Cider—with the hip and cool converted ex-warehouse space doubling as a taproom to showcase their beverage craft), their kitchen talents are also equally as impressive.

The menu consists of pizza and non-pizza categories. From a wood-fired bubbling Phillytown cheesesteak with local Pihi farms beef short rib and brisket, to elderflower-pickled cucumber with raw moki dressed in refreshing kombu tsuyu. Head to this local favourite, stat.

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Gatherings

5/2 Papanui Road, Merivale

Hit up the edge of Four Avenues and find yourself at chef-owner Alex Davies’ intimate dining room space, Gatherings. With warm lighting, the space is intimate with a menu that changes weekly. Ordering a range of things to share is the way to go here. The menu is split between dishes to share and then dessert (and cheese) sections. With dishes like duck and pork terrine, pan-fried Moki, and Poaka free-range pork (wild-farmed and free-range heritage pigs in Canterbury)—with all the necessary pan juices—it’s a menu designed to be shared and grazed on with family and friends, like you would at home.

Leave room for the dessert and cheese section—with a range of sweet (and savoury NZ cheese options) to suit every sweet and not-so-sweet tooth. With classic comforts like fresh madeleines baked to order, tarte tatin, and seasonal rice pud (currently: strawberries and custard), to a refreshing rhubarb sorbet with frozen vodka. They’re gearing up to open their wee bar and social lounge behind the dining space later this month—the perfect spot for a drink before dinner.

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Londo

Unit 6/2 Papanui Road, Merivale

Book a seat at this neighbouring wine bar on Papanui Road (next to Gatherings), an intimate space with seasonal and ingredient-led bites, as well as local drops. Born out of creating a space that (humble and ultra-talented) Chef-owner Robert Fairs wanted, Londo is an approachable space where friends can enjoy delicious food, without feeling overly formal. Swing by for vibrant, flavoursome plates showing snapshots of each season and with fun, playful textures. 

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Inati

Te Uruti, 48 Hereford Street, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch

Inati means “to share” in teo reo Māori, and Chef Simon Levy has created a menu around exactly that—shared plates around a menu with sections linked to the Earth, Land, Sea and Nectar. From their signature duck trumpets with blackberry jam, to savoury dessert flavours like porcini mushroom with sage ice cream—Inati is a must-visit for high-end style dining in Ōtautahi Christchurch.

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Bar Yoku

Located in: The Welder, 20 Welles Street, Christchurch Central City

Nestled in the industrial-chic Welder building is family-run urban izakaya Bar Yoku. With their own spin on Japanese dining—smoky yakitori with Black Origin wagyu (and grilled fish collar), sashimi (using Akaroa salmon), and crispy, loaded sushi tacos, to name a few delicious treats on the menu.

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Xolo

T6/20 Welles Street, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch

Wander through Welder and find Xolo—a Mexican restaurant by chefs, partners and owners Karla Villa (from Mexico) and Carlos Calisto (from Chile), who met while working together in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Xolo brings Mexican flavour with a touch of Aotearoa, right here in The Garden City.

From empanada frita, venison tongue with tomatillo salsa, to Chile Colorado stew-braised short ribs on tortilla—each dish is packed with flavour and a nod to their culinary roots. Don’t leave without dessert—their take on tres leches is on the menu with Oaxaca chocolate. 

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Mapu Test Kitchen 

8A London Street, Lyttelton

Chef Giulio Sturla runs an intimate test kitchen in Lyttleton—with only six guests at a time. If the name sounds familiar, you may remember his restaurant Roots, which closed in 2019. Mapu operates as his creative outlet—an experimental kitchen—where you can make a reservation, either at the test kitchen (a room where Roots used be) or try your luck getting a booking at chef collaborations across the country with other restaurants.

Chef Giulio is a keen advocate for Aotearoa hospitality, having found and started Eat New Zealand—a food movement, bringing together chefs, producers, media, academics and food leaders from all around Aotearoa to raise awareness on Aotearoa’s future of food. Join Chef Giulio on his culinary experiments and book yourself a seat at his table (and check out his edible garden while you’re there too).

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Manu

151 Cambridge Terrace, Christchurch Central City

Manu is a Pacifica-Asian restaurant and bar combining modern Māori dishes with Pacific influence and Asian inspiration. From venison and pāua spring rolls, to scallop, spinach and tītī (muttonbird) dumplings—Manu is a vibrant and fun space which opened last year by restaurateur Karen Hattaway (and a sister restaurant to Queenstown’s Blue Kanu). 

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5th Street Restaurant

5 Elgin Street, Sydenham

A former fruit and veg warehouse turned stylish restaurant, 5th Street has a menu that celebrates Aotearoa’s produce. Divided into small, medium and large places, as well as a two-course “Trust The 5th” surprise menu, plates feature small and medium plates like fennel and orange fish crudo, buttermilk fried chicken, spiced lamb meatballs in cumin yoghurt, local veg grilled, pan-fried, buttered or triple-cooked—along with larger plates like ricotta ravioli, Speckle beef ribeye, coastal lamb shoulder and cider-butter sauce over pan-seared market fish. They even have their own pickle range—Bones Pickles—featuring hand-cut Canterbury-grown cucumbers, spiced to perfection. 

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O.G.B.

28 Cathedral Square, Christchurch Central City

With old-fashioned service and a speakeasy bar set in the old heritage government building on Cathedral Square, O.G.B. restaurant reopened last year after a five-year hiatus. O.G.B stands for Old Government Buildings and nods to the past life of the building.

Inspired by Nomad in New York, the newly redone restaurant space looks over to the existing bar space, complete with white-dining clothed tables—high-end in a casual setting. From shucked-to-order Mahurangi oysters, cider-steamed mussels (with an O.G.B. focaccia bread-mop) to elevated bistro-style grub like stout-honey glaze lamb ribs, book in for dinner and live music (on Thursdays to Sundays, check their website for the schedule) in the courtyard this summer. 

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SUPER

5 Norwich Quay, Lyttleton

Blending Japanese and Māori cuisine, SUPER in Ōhinehau, Lyttleton is a brunch-to-dinner kind of dining affair. Inspired by owner Sahni Bennett’s inspiration from Japanese culture while travelling in Japan and reconnection with te ao Māori, SUPER is a unique combination of Māori and Japanese ingredients and flavours. From market fish and coconut ika mata with rewena frybread, to kawakawa and blackberry lamington for dessert—this spot is worth heading over the hill for. 

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Hugo

126 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch Central City

The latest addition to Ōtautahi Christchurch’s multi-cultural dining scene—is the must-visit new venue Hugo. With the essence of French cuisine in a modern Parisian setting, think Burgundy snails, twice-cooked goat's cheese soufflé, and hand-cut steak tartare before classic mains like the Hugo steak signature with pommes frites. 

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Black Estate Wines

614 Omihi Road, Waipara

Head north of Ōtautahi Christchurh to Black Estate Wines and make a beeline cellar door and restaurant. Head Chef Olly Le Maitre and the team have created a menu that celebrates Aotearoa from land to sea. From dry aging techniques (like their kingfish bacon) to beef raised right there on Black Estate, the menu is a snapshot of Canterbury each season.

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Sugarloaf at Flockhill 

Great Alpine Highway, 73 Craigieburn Valley, Lake Pearson

Just a 90-minute drive away from Ōtautahi Christchurh is Sugarloaf at Flockhill Lodge. Having just opened in December last year, the menu is driven by Head Chef Taylor Cullen, with a no-waste ethos, honouring produce grown from their own garden on-site (where most of their produce comes from, and shapes the menu) with over 30 varieties of fruit, vegetables and herbs. Produce is picked fresh daily, preserved for the next seasons, foraged by the sea and caught sustainably—to capture a menu that’s uniquely Aotearoa high-end dining. 

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The Restaurant at Grasmere High Country Experience

11075 West Coast Road, Lake Pearson

While in the heart of the Southern Alps, you'll also find Grasmere, a quaint working farm with villas, lodge accommodation, restaurant and newly-opened venue space. The restaurant is open to the public for a farm-to-table lunch experience, using Grasmere-farmed spray-free vegetables, as well as meat and poultry sourced directly from the working farm and region. 

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The Seafood Kitchen Akaroa

40F Rue Lavaud, Akaroa

Make your way to the East Coast of Te Waipounamu to Banks Peninsula, and to the seaside village of Akaroa. The Seafood Kitchen is your first stop, with a hyper-local menu that changes daily depending on the catch from local fishermen and suppliers.

They aim to use as much local Akaroa produce as possible. From koji-cured Akaroa King Salmon, hand-picked pāua turned pāua fritters, to fresh fish with locally-grown wasabi, or whole flounder cooked bone-in with local organic lemon, each bit of kaimoana on the menu acknowledges the local fishers who work tirelessly to bring produce to the restaurant table. Head to Akaroa for a very special fresh local seafood experience, along with a curated wine list to match.

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Ma Maison

6 Rue Balguerie, Akaroa

Overlooking Daly’s wharf and Akaroa harbour is Ma Maison. Grab a seat and soak in the views with tempura Chatham Island blue cod (elevated fish and chips), Akaroa salmon and a bowl full of white wine and garlic Mills Bays mussels.

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For more on why Christchurch, New Zealand, is the dining destination to add to your holiday radar, visit here.

 

Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Tourism New Zealand proudly endorsed by The Urban List. To find out more about who we work with and why, read our editorial policy here. 

Image credit: Supplied