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!!

Honestly we didn't have many options. We had 3 other options and the main reason we ended up here…read morewas because the prices per meal were a bit lower. We didn't learn until we sat down and read the menu that the prices were only lower because this was a 'tapas' style restaurant. Whoops. So we ended up spending a lot of money on a little bit of food. But since the food was good I left it a good rating. The drinks looked amazing but we were hungry and tired and not in the mood to add a hangover to our morning. Apparently it is all about their alcoholic milkshakes but the sugar would have kept me up all night and it was a freezing cold night and we didn't have a car and the hotel was a far walk from town. We ended up sharing the deviled eggs app, the Venison balls, and the sliders. We ordered 2 beef sliders and one chicken slider and both were good. The beef was better so just order 3 of those. Afterwards we weren't full but also weren't still hungry. Probably would go to the other restaurants next time.

Best food and cocktails in town with a great ambiance, music, etc. We were lucky enough to have the…read moreregular music line up followed by a great live band. Try the fried chicken and sweet potato salad, best this side is the southern US. Adorable bartender who knows his craft with delightful cocktails such as "Atticus Finch" and the "Scarlett O'Hara". We tried everything on the menu and were not disappointed. Even a pool table for those interested. Cheers to Boo Radley's for their clever name and charm!

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.

We had the 5-course degustation menu, which they happily modified for a vegetarian. Every dish was…read morephenomenal, perhaps the best I've had in Christchurch. The Jerusalem artichoke soup was particularly good.

PHENOMENAL first meal in New Zealand. We had the 7-course degustation menu with wine pairings and…read moreevery single dish was fantastic! Highlights include a perfect scallop, melt-in-your mouth salmon, amazing beef course, and the most wonderful apple dessert. I will highly recommend this restaurant to any of my friends who come to Christchurch.

Pomeroy's is an institution in Central Christchurch, a very traditional pub/ inn with this old…read moreworld feel. Inside, which is endearingly reminiscent of an old inn, could be a bit musty so the patio, which many a diner preferred during lunch, served beautifully on a sunny afternoon. If you're on the hunt for some local freshies, then stray no further with Pomeroy's dedicating up to 30 taps of the local suds, even a few handpulls/ on cask beers. They have a vast selection and even some that are brewed on-site with Pomeroy's and Beer Baroness branding. We enjoyed our pints outside with an order of crunchy Mac n Cheese Croquettes and sizeable Chicken Wings w/ IPA chipotle glaze. Comfort food at its finest all washed down with Pomeroy's Captain Garcia Hazy IPA. Delicious! A must for all beer lovers!

Traditional pub, decent food. Very noisy , filled with young families. If you want a relaxed…read moreatmosphere I'd try elsewhere. Decent pints.

Nice atmosphere. Good food. We had a very long wait for food (around an hour) and when we mentioned…read moreit (even though my initial estimate of the wait was even longer), the staff was argumentative about it. For me, friendly service makes up for mediocre food but not the other way around. Ultimately, still worth a visit but unfortunately our experience was soured.

No 4 is definitely a "regulars" type of crowd. During the summers, the patio is filled every night…read morewith loud laughs, a sporting event on the TV or live music on the weekends. The average age is around 40, but on Thursdays it does draw in a good young population. With various specials featuring every day, it's a great place to unwind after work. As it's located in the Merivale/Saint Albans area, except to drop more than a few gold coins for a drink or a bite to eat, but the food is pretty tasty (put the mango back in the mango chicken salad, please!) and the drinks are made with care. Most of the beers on draught are Monteith's, so if you fancy something different, try a different spot. What makes this such a great bar (besides the taxi stand out front) are the various rooms that available. There are two separate outdoor patio areas (a larger one where live music is played with high top and low top tables and a smaller more intimate area great for a small group gathering to watch a sport match or for a birthday dinner). Inside they have a more formal dining area, a high top area and a library with a large TV and tall top tables. This is where the hen parties can go wild. It's definitely one of the top choices if you're in the area.

We actually went to the location on Colombo since Manchester St was having their ticketed Fresh Hop…read moreFestival. We did debate on attending that, but the offerings and accompanying special event glassware didn't look that appealing. Manchester St looked to be more a typical brewery, housed among some warehouses, while Colombo was more a bustling beer bar with an energetic atmosphere (as a live music venue) and adjoining outdoor beer garden. We ordered a flight offered with 5 tasters. Other than the Fresh Hop which was a Pilsner, the other beers were lackluster at best, especially after already traversing the South Island for many a fresh hop and IPA. Just very dull in flavor, not as bright, and almost old and creaky-like. I was more entertained by the stag party shenanigans outside which the staff were in good spirits about -- cheehoo! Chill brewery, nonetheless, and beers did seem a little cheaper... despite their foot print across the South Island, though, know that you will find significantly better beer at the smaller breweries!

After a long day being shown around Christchurch and the countryside, all I wanted was to quietly…read moretry some new beers. Thankfully Two Thumb was right around the corner from our hotel, so I braved the frigid air and walked there about half an hour before closing. The brewery was easy to find at the back of a small business plaza down a private driveway; they have free parking here and the entrance to the brewery. Inside it was warm and cozy. It felt like a cross between a barn, working brewery, stage, and living room. They had plenty of seating of various types for groups of all sizes. Offices were along the left, with the brewing equipment in the dark behind the bar. The bar had a selection of all their beers offered on draught, as well as glass case with bottles to-go. Be sure to check this out as some of the offerings are bottles only. Two Thumb has a unique distinction for breweries on my trip: they offered 4 of their UK-centric beers on hand-pulled beer engine. This serving style physically pulls the beer from the kegs into your glass instead of using gas. Carbonation is lower leading to a creamy mouthfeel and clean full head. This isn't for everyone, but it went well on a cold night. I had a flight of beer; the glasses were generous and prices were low. I explained why I was there and disappointed it was so late, but the bartender graciously offered to let me try all their beers and said I could stay as long as I wanted. These little things mean so much. I enjoyed their beer, and took one special bottle to-go. I recommend coming here if you love beer and are in the Christchurch area!

Avoiding Asian food due to visiting there the next week, I found this restaurant within walking…read moredistance of my hotel. Inside was cozy, as the fireplace was decorated for Christmas. How pretty! I told the waitress to "bring me something sweet and white," for a wine, and that she did. There are two sizes of wine offered (see lines on your glass), and I chose the smaller one. I was brought riesling (see photo), which was light, sweet, and had a clean finish. It was just what I wanted! I give 3 stars because of the spaghetti carbonara. It was quite oily, and the balance of pasta vs the mushrooms and bacon was not correct. My bowl was still 1/3 full of the other stuff even though I'd finished the pasta. Furthermore, the top layer of parmesan melted and hardened, to the point of being inedible. If you're Italian, you may want to ask for no cheese on top since this isn't done in Italy (at least where I was in Rome, Florence, etc). I also ordered the side of salad greens. I wasn't told it came with dressing or what kind (normally don't eat dressing), so I was surprised to see a brown gravy-like substance on top. It turned out to be a balsamic vinegar based dressing, but be sure to specify if you're particular about dressing. I wouldn't mind coming here again but also wouldn't mind skipping this place next time. My whole meal cost $42, including the wine. On to the next!

Got off train in Christchurch at just after 7pm, Saturday evening. This place had high reviews on…read moreTrip Advisor. We were not impressed. The service eh, we have had better. Trust me we have eaten at quite a few places since we have been traveling. We ate outside and the manager couldn't get the heater to work so no heat. The Long Island Ice Tea didn't do the trick either!! I mean so people get heated up when drinking. It didn't happen for me at all. We were served our food and the waitstaff person did not even check on us. We had to chase her down for our dinner tab. My husband had the spaghetti and I had the ribs.

Great food, great service, and great venue for sports or a pint. Stopped there randomly for a late…read morelunch while visiting, and was thoroughly pleased. Even had wifi so I could work a bit.

Service was great Atmosphere was very nice and location…read moreeasy to get to Food was good Had the Kilkenny beer

Went there for my birthday dinner again and had an amazing experience again. The pork belly starter…read morewas a winner and between us we had the fillet and some T-bone steaks. The meat was perfectly prepared and extremely tasty! Although they were challenged for staff during Covid, the service was friendly and accurate. The food took a while to arrive, but it was more than worth the wait! I will go back for the creamy spinach side on its own!! Thank you for making the day special

Relaxed bar fitted out with pioneering decor like old axes and maps. Quick service and good food -…read morea slightly upmarket spin on the usual pub fare. We had a great time.