We check out the standout restaurants helping shape Christchurch’s evolving dining scene — from vibrant city bistros to vineyard-views.
There are meals you enjoy, and then there are meals that recalibrate your expectations. Christchurch dining has entered its recalibration era, grounded in confidence around local produce, inventive flavour combinations, and thoughtfully designed dining rooms.
As the city’s hospitality scene continues to mature — with growing attention from national guides like the Good Food Guide — these four restaurants offer a clear snapshot of where Christchurch dining is headed.
ODEON
Set between the gleaming new Court Theatre and the Isaac Theatre Royal, ODEON’s urban dining room softens its industrial bones with warm globe lighting, spongy booths and solid timber tables. The soundtrack is confident and clearly curated — breakbeat rhythms sliding into vampy jazz.
The drinks set the tone early. Oversized wine glasses, Mediterranean-leaning cocktails, and a house-made ‘orangecello’ instantly transport the table. “I feel like we’re in London,” my dining partner beams.
Food here is bold and playful. The house-cured lamb pastrami earns its reputation — deeply savoury with house pickles and a punchy mustard made with Three Boys ales. Kingfish crudo provides contrast: delicate and fresh, dressed not with citrus but a summer berry gazpacho and savoury fennel — unexpected and mouth-watering.
Beef manti dumplings arrive gloriously over-the-top, swimming in hung yoghurt and chermoula. It’s winter comfort food with swagger. An absurdly indulgent bowl of crispy potato skins with egg yolk emulsion is the kind of dish no one ever finishes — but everyone orders again.
Twenty Seven Steps
Climbing the stairs above New Regent Street feels like entering a secret hideaway — though judging by the packed room and international accents, the secret is very much out. Tables are tight, and the energy is gloriously chaotic.
Twenty Seven Steps is intimate, bustling, and unmistakably loved. Auckland friends tell us they book every time they’re in town, and that loyalty makes sense.
Run by former couple Emma Mettrick (front of house) and chef Paul Howells, the restaurant carries the lineage of their much-loved Little Bistro in Akaroa.
The menu champions local ingredients, especially Canterbury meats, with dishes that feel generous and complete. Charred octopus arrives smoky and tender alongside sherried cannellini beans — a dish that momentarily transports you to Spain. Eye fillet melts under the fork, and the venison is paired with cooked berries that lift its richness beautifully.
The wine list leans Waipara, with rare vintage options available by the glass or half-glass — a gift for diners who love great wine without committing to a mortgage-sized bill.
Finish with the legendary crème brûlée: darkly caramelised, impossibly creamy, and worth every spoonful.
Tussock Hill
Tussock Hill begins with a view that quietly takes your breath away. Set in Cashmere, it overlooks Chardonnay vines and the sprawl of the city below.
Having previously worked at Queenstown’s acclaimed Amisfield, Head Chef Adam Harrison brings a forager’s sensibility and meticulous technique. The influence is unmistakable. This is full commitment to local produce, with an onsite vegetable garden doing much of the heavy lifting and aesthetically pleasing plating that adds a subtle touch of theatre.
The hay-smoked tomato tartare with buffalo curd, chervil and sourdough crackers is inventive, beautifully balanced, and something I’d never think to order — yet it immediately blows me away. The New Zealand king crab that follows, pickled in Chardonnay vinegar and paired with fermented tomato sorbet and pink peppercorns, is equally impressive. Finished with elegant touches of dill, it looks like Christmas on a plate.
Earl
Earl doesn’t announce itself as the best — it simply behaves like it knows it is.
Lively, central and buzzing, the room recalls Ponsonby’s early-2000s SPQR energy: loud enough to feel electric, warm enough to feel welcoming. With the stadium opening nearby, this place is only going to get busier.
Owner Tom Newfield has cultivated something rare: a collaborative kitchen where staff help shape an ever-evolving menu, and vegetarians are genuinely well looked after. The wine list is deliberately tight — twelve wines, six white and six red — handpicked by the team, with a preference for Italian varietals grown in New Zealand.
We dine on Tuesday’s weekly pasta night, where our casarecce with slow-braised lamb is stunning — and a steal at $28, including a generously poured glass of wine.
Earl feels confident and completely at ease with itself — unmistakably the one to beat.
So book your tables now
Christchurch’s dining scene no longer needs to prove itself. These four restaurants represent a city that’s found its voice, trusts its talent, and continues to grow in confidence.
