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.

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.

Very cool spot, great fixed price lunch on Saturday. Lovely ambiance, friendly staff, attentive…read moreservice. Delicious oysters appetizer, monkfish burger and salad, pair with a tasty white wine. Finished with a Campari Parfait. A real gem. Don't miss out! I came back for dinner. WOW!!! One the two best restaurants in the city.

...extraordinary culinary delight...what a supreme surprise this small gem was just steps away from…read morethe Mayfair Hotel...

Great vibes, loved the food, loved the idea behind "we don't do individual plates, only shared"…read more Great drinks. Lovely people too.

Very elegant and nice warm wooden interior, love all the plants and natural light!…read more Service was also great, waiter explained the menu and was very attentive in answering questions and refilling water Plating of food was beautiful! Great flavor profiles and ingredients felt high quality. The saffron cauliflower was perfectly warm and hearty. The cucumber salad was creamy and refreshing. And the lamb shoulder was sooo super tender, no knife even needed! The whipped labneh cream and zaatar flavoring paired so well w the lamb. Great meal, felt full and very satisfied after :)

The staff and the food were beyond amazing!! It was asparagus season and it was a must order! Would…read moreeat here everyday if I could!! The ambience is also really pretty and intimate with an open kitchen concept. I told all my friends they have to try it since it was new and they haven't been before. Cant say anything negative about my experience and would give them 6 stars if I could.

Beautiful environment, great food and service. I ordered the lunch salad with lamb. Delicious!…read moreBack for the chicken schnitzel sandwich!

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).

Delicious pizza & mouth-watering desserts. Definitely recommended if in the area…read more However, the restaurant can get a bit dark later as lighting is minimal.

In for an evening beer, most of the tables (but not all!) were reserved, so I was able to find a…read morespot with my pint and my laptop to watch the place slowly fill in with even more regulars. This is definitely the neighborhood watering hole and it's a friendly sort of place. Comfy vibe, I enjoyed my time here. [Review 396 of 2024 - 49 in New Zealand - 21429 overall]

Once a year when we head to Antarctica we have to stop in christchurch New Zealand to get our cold…read moreweather gear.. and this place has been talked about amongst the military every time we have a new group going with us. This place is a big hit for all us military Americans. So we always like to pass the word for the new guys to stop here. Trying different food we can't get in the states makes this worth it! Been here a few times. I wish this place was in the states and I could go all the time. We did the hot stone. I had the venison, kangaroo, shrimp and lamp. Fantastic!!

One of the best brewpubs I have been to in the world. Whatever else we may want to say about the…read moreEnglish, they understand the science of crafting a good pub, or at least they used to. Wooden tables and floors with a comfy interior that beckons you to sit, drink, think, and talk in a convivial mode. The twisted hop has all of this as well as great food and beer. They brew their own beer, or rather Jim brews it, and they specialize in English style "real ales" although they have other varieties of beer and wine as well. Real ales are ales that are cask conditioned, that is, they continue to ferment in the cask. They are also dispensed with a hand pump instead of a C02 tap. This makes them delicate and amazingly flavourful in a way that typical lagers and "bright" ales are not. The beers at the Twisted Hop are great and you will want to give yourself some time there since you will want to try them all, maybe more than once. The food, despite The Twisted Hop's English DNA, is really good as well. They have Scotch eggs (ask, or maybe don't ask, what is in them), excellent chips and fish, and everything else looked good too. If you live in Christchurch, you should be reading this while seated at the Twisted Hop. For those traveling to Christchurch, this should be on your list of stops.

We visited The Twisted Hop on the 4th of July. They were promoting a 4th of July celebration event…read morethat evening and we decided to check it out. The first small victory was the private parking the back. Though there aren't many spaces, it was nice not to have to fight street parking. We entered through the back patio door which leads onto a covered, cozy patio great for enjoying a beer with a friend on a warm day. The restaurant inside is dark and rustic, but the bar is aglow with the colorful chalkboard promoting the beers on tap that day. We spent some time with the bartender discussing the beers available and he helped us find the perfect fit for our palates (pilsner for me!). We sat at a four top table near the wall of books at the front where you can buy a book for a donation that benefits the Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund. I can get behind that! There is a spot for a stage and a counter full of board games. Awesome. For dinner, we stuck to the American-theme menu and ordered tacos and wings. They were delicious, but the tacos were definitely my favorite. Next time I would like to try something off of their real menu, which looked wholly filing and belly-warming. Do you have a favorite brew? They take special requests and will do their best to stock it for you! Definitely recommend this a top bar to spend the afternoon or the evening imbibing craft brews and devouring delicious snacks.