Christchurch guide
The best bars in Christchurch
Christchurch drinks well. The rebuild filled the city with bars — laneway cocktail spots, craft-beer taprooms, old brewery pubs that outlasted the quakes, and neighbourhood locals worth the walk. These are the ones the city actually rates.
29 of them, ranked by the ratings locals give them — thickest through the Central City and its laneways, with standouts over the hill in Lyttelton, out in Addington and Woolston, and the odd gem tucked into the southern suburbs. Beer, cocktails, wine, or just a good room — there's a spread.
Bars keep their own hours: most warm up later in the week and run late on a Friday and Saturday, while a few do an afternoon in the sun better than a midnight session. Worth a quick check if you're heading out early or chasing a particular vibe.
Venue data checked weekly · Updated August 2026
The picks
- 01Punky Brewster - Bar and Fillery · Bar · Addington
A craft-beer bar and 'fillery' in Addington — a rotating tap list, growler fills to take away and a laid-back feel.
- 02Smoke 'n' Barrel · Bar · Woolston
A Woolston smokehouse from chefs Chris Geary and Cory Blackburn — barrel-smoked brisket, pork and lamb done low and slow, with the salads and sides to match.
- 03Dice & Slice · Bar · Central City
Christchurch's board game bar — 250-odd titles on the shelves, New York-style pizza, and cocktails to play over.
- 04Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn · Bar · Central City
A family-run craft-beer pub on Kilmore Street since 2001 — taps from far and wide, scratch-made pub food and a snug for the cold months.
- 05Kaiser Brew Garden · Bar · Central City
Upstairs at Riverside, a Bavarian-style beer garden brewing its own on site — and it took out best bar in the country in 2023.
- 06MOON UNDER WATER · Bar · Beckenham
A Beckenham craft beer pub named for Orwell's ideal-pub essay — 18 rotating taps, 70-plus small-batch gins and a community streak with weekly fundraisers.
- 07The Last Word · Bar · Central City
A snug whisky and cocktail bar on New Regent Street — 600-odd whiskies, well-made cocktails and a low-lit, unhurried mood.
- 08Scoundrel · Bar · Central City
A converted east-end warehouse — couches, vintage clutter and a 1950s Austin truck parked inside — pouring craft beer and tap wine, with soft-corn tacos from…
- 09The Loft Bar · Bar · Central City
An NYC-loft-style sports bar upstairs at Riverside Market, built around a 167-inch LED wall for the big games.
- 10Austin Club · Bar · Central City
An underground cocktail bar beneath 236 High Street, tucked into a disused station space — vintage fit-out, swing-era sing-alongs and properly made cocktails.
+ 19 more on the map below ↓
Keep exploring
Common questions
- What are the best bars in Christchurch?
- The top-rated right now are Punky Brewster - Bar and Fillery, Smoke 'n' Barrel, Dice & Slice, Pomeroy's Old Brewery Inn, Kaiser Brew Garden. It's a real spread — craft-beer taprooms, cocktail bars, old brewery pubs and neighbourhood locals — ranked by the ratings Christchurch actually gives them.
- Where are the bars in Christchurch?
- The Central City has the densest run — laneway cocktail spots and rooftop bars — but plenty of the best sit out of the centre: over the hill in Lyttelton, and through Addington, Woolston and the southern suburbs. The map shows where each one is.
- How is this list ranked?
- By the ratings Christchurch gives them — weighted so a long track record of reviews counts for more than a handful of five-stars. No editor's thumb on the scale and no pay-to-play; it's the rooms locals keep going back to, and it updates as the ratings move.