Perched on Level 7 of 159 Manchester Street, Pink Lady Rooftop is the highest restaurant in Christchurch, set on top of the heritage-listed former Canterbury Terminating Building Society in the central city. From up there the room takes in sweeping views across the city and Canterbury's landscape, with a Miami-rooftop look and a European fusion kitchen built around tapas and share plates — everything from platters for two to pasta to share.
The bar is a draw in its own right: a cocktail menu curated by some of the best mixologists in Christchurch, with the namesake Pink Lady alongside martinis, margaritas and spritzes, plus tap beer, mocktails, and glass-pour wines from New Zealand and abroad. Tuesdays bring free-flow Pasta Night, with three pastas cooked to order over 90 minutes and a scoop of the venue's renowned tiramisu to finish.
Open from midday every day and running late on Fridays and Saturdays, Pink Lady also hosts events like its Cup Week Brunch and sells gift cards online. It's an R18 venue.
Pink Lady Rooftop sits on Level 7 of 159 Manchester Street, in the heart of Christchurch Central City, and it holds a claim no other venue in town can match: it is the highest restaurant in the city. The room is perched on top of the heritage-listed former Canterbury Terminating Building Society, and from up there the outlook runs across Christchurch and out over Canterbury's sweeping landscape. The styling borrows from a Miami rooftop, the kitchen works in a European fusion register, and the bar behind it has built a genuine reputation of its own.
Part of the appeal is simply being up here. Heritage fabric below, bright social rooftop above — the city changes character as the day rolls on, from lunchtime light to golden hour to the full evening glitter. Doors open from midday every day, so it works as easily for a long lunch as a late one, and on Fridays and Saturdays the room runs through to 1am — one of the few spots in the central city where a night can end with the same view it started with.
The menu is tapas and share plates — European fusion meets Miami rooftop, from platters for two to pasta to share. For the table there's fried calamari with tartare and lemon, buttermilk fried chicken with sriracha mayo, mozzarella-topped nachos, Kentucky fried cauliflower with sweet chilli, and marinated olives. The baked brie with hot honey and zaatar, served with grilled ciabatta, and a four-way run of Pink Lady Fries (truffle, peri peri, lemon pepper, zaatar) are the kind of plates that get reordered.
Lighter starters lean coastal: Marlborough oysters, ginger cured salmon with nori and furikake, burrata with basil and pinenuts, grilled sweet chilli prawns, and a beef carpaccio dressed with truffle mayo. Mains step things up — a beef brisket burger on a brioche bun with fries, sous vide pork belly with apple syrup, panfried groper with creamy polenta and yuzu beurre blanc, venison stew with red wine poached pear, and a slow-cooked lamb shoulder with couscous and hasselback eggplant. A chargrilled scotch fillet anchors the grill, while roast pumpkin orzo and a courgette herb cake look after vegetarians and vegans. Desserts run to a white chocolate mousse with tonka bean and cherry, a frangipane with macadamia ice cream and waffle, and crème caramel.
The cocktail list here is carefully curated by some of the best mixologists in Christchurch, and the venue has a reputation for the top beverage offering in Ōtautahi to live up to. The namesake Pink Lady mixes Absolut vodka, dry vermouth, strawberry purée, lemon and egg white. Around it sit the Don't Text Your Ex (gin, blackberry vermouth, egg white), a Lemon Meringue Martini, and the Dubai Chocolate Martini with pistachio cream. There are five margaritas, four spritzes, and classics from negroni to espresso martini — plus a proper mocktail list with the Piña No-lada and No-Jito. Beyond cocktails there's tap beer, a broad bottle fridge, and glass-pour wines from New Zealand and abroad, from Marlborough sauvignon blanc to Central Otago pinot noir, with a small reserve red list for long nights.
Pasta Night is the weekly ritual: a free-flow evening where three types of pasta are cooked to order across 90 minutes, with each week's line-up announced on social media. It finishes, as tradition demands, with a scoop of the venue's renowned tiramisu.
The rooftop leans into the city's calendar — recent happenings include a Cup Week Brunch before the races, with food, cocktails and good vibes. Upcoming events are posted on Instagram and the events page, and gift cards can be bought online for someone you'd rather see drinking one of the best cocktails in Ōtautahi.
A few practical notes: it's an R18 venue. Hours are 12pm–10pm Monday to Wednesday, 12pm–11pm Thursday, 12pm–1am Friday and Saturday, and 12pm–10pm Sunday. Book a table online, or call (03) 365 0373 or email [email protected].