Your 2025 Guide To Christchurch’s Riverside Market

So you’re heading to the beautifully designed, immensely functional, vibrant and deadset loveable Christchurch City Centre. You’re hungry, you’re thirsty, you’re in desperate need of some retail therapy, and, most importantly, you’ve got all day.

Do I have the perfect place for you...

Boasting a rich trove of producers, eateries, bars and boutiques that rival any premier dining precinct in the country, if you're looking for one of the best things to do in Christchurch, this is it: here’s the ultimate 2025 guide to the exceptional Christchurch Riverside Market.

Need the d-low quicksmart? Here's what we're covering today:

• Riverside Market Overview
• Riverside Market 2025 Opening Hours & What's There
• Key Info
• Parking At Riverside Market
• A Local's Guide To The Best Food Stalls At Riverside Market
• Riverside Market Food & Drink Vendors List
• Riverside Market Laneways Directory

Riverside Market Overview

Image credit: Riverside Market | Website

One of Christchurch's most impressive projects of the rebuild and a symbol of the city’s flourishment post-quakes, the Riverside Market is a crown jewel of the city centre.

Back in 2011, the Re:Start Container Mall acted as a temporary solution, injecting some much-needed life into the heart of the city. Seven years later, the precinct was improved to what we now have today.

Immaculately presented day in day out, Riverside offers seven-day trading, an indoor market, an eclectic mix of boutique retail, and like any bazaar worth its Himalayan rock salt, a butchery, bakery, delicatessen, and fishmonger.

But the real attraction of Christchurch's Riverside Market has to be the binge-worthy food options.

We’re talking (and let’s just take it alphabetically, aye), Bellbird Baked Goods, Charing Cross Cheesery, Empire Coffee, Fritz’s Wieners, Gelato & Tea, Hanoi Alley, Hikari Sushi Train, Kaiser Brothers Brewery, Midnight Shanghai, Shaka Bros, and that’s not even half of them. 

Once you’ve demolished your body weight in delicious eats, have someone roll you down the adjacent Riverside Lanes for a bit of retail therapy.

Riverside Market 2025 Key Info, Opening Hours & What's There

Image credit: Riverside Market | Website

First things first, you'll need the latest info on hours and the like. Seeing as the market operates seven days a week, it makes for an easy visit, regardless of schedule.

Skip to the bottom for a full list of food and drink vendors, as well as a laneway retail directory.

Key Info

Address

96 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch

Hours 

• Monday-Wednesday: 7:30am - 6:00pm
• Thursday-Saturday: 7:30am - 9:00pm
• Sunday: 7:30am - 5:00pm
• Eateries, Bars & Restaurants: Open ‘til Late
• Is Riverside Market open on public holidays? Yes, including Easter.

Keep in mind that while the market's general hours are listed above, the eateries, bars, and restaurants often stay open until late every night. Many of these fine establishments are located on the market's upper levels, offering quite literally an elevated nightlife atmosphere, allowing you to grab a bite or drink after hours in style.

Parking At Riverside Market

Car

There are 3,000 car parks within 500 metres of the market, so cruising in is no sweat. In fact, Christchurch is one of the easiest big cities in the country to drive in, get around, and find a park. (I'm looking at you, Auckland).

This uncovered Lichfield Street parking is super handy and located just behind the market, but it's often full. That's why the Central Car Park at 33 Lichfield Street next door is your surefire option.

I always find the paid parking down Cashel Street—if you turn off Cashel Street at the PWC corner—is handy for a quick spot if you're coming from that side of town.

However, if you want to plan—maybe you're dragging along the sprogs or need to confirm accessibility—then this live parking map offered by Christchurch City Council is simply fantastic.

Bike

The Lichfield Carpark building features covered bike parks on its ground floor. There are outdoor bike stands on Oxford Terrace, as well as other options you will come across when approaching the markets in and around the area.

Here's the Christchurch City Council's bike map and cycleway network.

Bus 

Christchurch’s central bus interchange is a five-minute walk down Lichfield Street. You can find it here.

Tram

Even the iconic tourist tram stops at the Riverside Market. Really, there's no excuse not to get down there.

Riverside Live

Every second Thursday is Riverside Live jazzes up the third-floor mezzanine. It's a live music night featuring local musicians for only $15, and you can sit back and enjoy the tunes while wining and dining at your choice of eatery.

Pro tip: Tickets are limited, so the Riverside Market advises pre-purchasing via their event page.

Local's Guide To The Best Food Stalls At Riverside Market

Image credit: Riverside Market | Website

Okay, so now down to the real nitty-gritty—the scoop on where's best to eat and drink. There are so many tasty-looking vendors at the market, the choice can be pretty overwhelming. That's where I come in with my absolute must-visits, for each time of the day.

Morning

Doors at Riverside Market are 7.30am, so those who are ready to trade from the get-go really come in clutch. For your morning brew, look no further than Christchurch institution Underground Coffee. They'll be slinging a good cup of joe from the moment you're let through the door on weekdays, but opt for a slightly more relaxed start from 9am on weekends and public holidays. With three punchy blends, as well as a rotating menu of special single origins, roasted just down the road at their HQ, they're a no-brainer for caffeine connoisseurs.

But if you're just passing by and don't want to check out the market's interior, then the hole-in-the-wall Espresso Studio and its triple-shot standard espresso is your answer.

But because I know you'll linger, I think what you need is a wee pastry paired with that delicious coffee. Another local hero in Bellbird Bakery is open from 8am weekdays and 8.30am weekends, while mother-daughter-owned Great Pastry Co. is open from 9am daily.

Day

Indonesian cuisine is seriously underrated. You don't come across many establishments offering the genuine article in New Zealand, so it's too good to pass up on when you finally find it. Indo Tempeh House are legends of the game, offering their vegan, nutritionally dense, deliciousness daily from the market. Family-owned and operated, this is authentic as it gets.

Jet-setting to an entirely different area of the world, Dimitris Greek Food offer some of the best, if not the best, Souvlaki in the city. Shaka Bros—bought to you by the icons behind the famous Bacon Bros bacon butties—offer a diverse, binge-worthy array of options for any time of the day (including breakfast, if a pastry doesn't hit the spot), but their burgers are worth the visit to the market alone.

For something, perhaps a little lighter, you've got Little Fish Co. They offer some of the freshest fish around, grilled, in bowls, in tacos, sashimi trays and, of course, as a high-quality fish and chips option.

Otherwise, The Butcher's Pie Shop offer some of the softest pastry-filled excellence in all Canterbury—big fan of the pork and apple sauce. If you're on a budget, they offer yesterday's pies at a decent discount, and there' nothing wrong with that. They bang either way.

Night

Keeping up the theme of eating our way around the world, you can have yourself an authentic experience of modern yum cha at Midnight Shanghai. I mean, the name alone is worth a visit. They offer the very best of Chinese cuisine, and you can round up your crew and have your eats (don't miss the eggplant fries) with a side of karaoke and happy hour drinks. They also offer a high tea, with a spiffy new riff, from Friday through Sunday, putting lush, Asian-style flavours at the fore.

If it's a decent session we're contemplating, then I'm a big fan of Kaiser Brew Garden. Admittedly, it's because they serve steins. Part of me just can't look past 1L of the frothy stuff, and with 157 years of Bavarian brewing excellence behind each one of their expertly crafted drops, there's no chance it's getting warm. Down the hatch she goes.

Riverside Market Food & Drink Vendors List

Image credit: Riverside Market | Website