Christchurch guide
The best takeaways in Christchurch
Christchurch does a serious takeaway. Not just the Friday-night fish & chips by the beach, but proper kebabs, fried chicken worth crossing town for, banh mi, and the kind of hole-in-the-wall spots that build a queue on reputation alone.
30 of the best across the city, ranked by the ratings locals give them — strongest through Riccarton and the inner suburbs, with the classic chippies out at New Brighton and the eastern beaches, and standouts dotted through Woolston, Sydenham and Sumner.
Takeaway hours are their own thing — a lot run dinner-only or shut an extra day midweek, and the busy ones cash up early when they sell out. Worth a quick check before a special trip.
Venue data checked weekly · Updated October 2026
The picks
- 01Kebab bites · Takeaway · Riccarton
A Riccarton kebab joint built for the student belt — doner, HSPs and the late-night staples, piled high and easy on the wallet.
- 02The Chicken - Korean Fried Chicken · Takeaway · Central City
Korean fried chicken in the central city — double-fried and extra-crunchy, plain or sauced.
- 03C&C Chicken & Cornbread · Takeaway · New Brighton
A soul-food truck out east doing one thing with conviction — spicy dry-rubbed fried wings and cornbread 'gold nuggets', with Cool-Aid by the cup, run by Bobby…
- 04Crispy Chicken · Takeaway · Riccarton
Korean-style fried chicken on Riccarton Road — light, crisp and tossed in flavours from cheesy 'Prinkle' to fiery Buldak.
- 05Flame5 · Takeaway · Central City
Halal Indian street food crossed with burgers, off Tuam Street — the Delhi-6 butter chicken burger, crispy momos and vada pav sit alongside smash burgers and…
- 06Simply Delicious · Takeaway · Hornby
No-frills Indian curry takeaway serving the Hei Hei end of Hornby — order online for pickup or delivery.
- 07Bird in the Hand · Takeaway · Sydenham
Rotisserie chicken done cheap and well from a container kitchen in Sydenham — birds brined and cured for 72 hours, then slow-cooked over flame.
- 08Gussys pizza · Takeaway · Sydenham
New York-style pizza from a stone deck oven on Sandyford Street — 16-inch, cold-fermented biga dough, crisp with a real chew.
- 09Aroma Delight Indian Takeaways Hornby · Takeaway · Hornby
Halal Indian takeaway with a Hornby shop on Witham Street and a sibling in Edgeware — kebabs, biryanis, curries and grills to order, with veg and vegan options…
- 10Bamboo Asian Express · Takeaway · Central City
A quick pan-Asian counter on the New Regent Street laneway, pulling Thai, Malay and Japanese into one menu — smoky pad thai, chicken katsu curry and Thai-Malay…
+ 20 more on the map below ↓
Keep exploring
Common questions
- What are the best takeaways in Christchurch?
- The top-rated right now are Kebab bites, The Chicken - Korean Fried Chicken, C&C Chicken & Cornbread, Crispy Chicken, Flame5. It's a real spread — fish & chips, kebabs, fried chicken, banh mi and a few hole-in-the-wall gems — pulled from across the city rather than one strip.
- How is this list ranked?
- By the ratings Christchurch actually 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 spots locals keep going back to, and it updates as the ratings move.
- When's the rush?
- Friday and Saturday evenings are the crunch — the well-rated shops build a queue and the popular ones can sell out. Ordering ahead by phone, or going early, beats standing in the shop watching the fryer.