No, Smash Palace doesn't take reservations because it's a courtyard bar at the mercy of the weather. Walk-ins are welcome and they'll do their best to fit you in.

Where is Smash Palace located?

172 High Street, Christchurch, Canterbury, 8011, New Zealand.

Yes, pub dog Graham is on site four days a week and dogs are welcome.

Smash Palace's own house-brewed beer, made fresh and local, with a full range on tap and a tasting paddle available.

Do they have vegan or vegetarian options?

Yes, a Vegan burger made with spiced fried tofu and kimchi, and a Vegematarian burger made with falafel.

Is there anything happening during the week?

Thursday night is motorbike night, and on weekends DJs spin vinyl from the workshop container.

Smash Palace

bar — Christchurch CBD · Christchurch

About Smash Palace

Smash Palace is, in its own words, "a bar in a bus, a burger joint and the home of Bodgie Beer" on High Street in Christchurch. Born out of the rubble of the Christchurch earthquakes as a once-temporary boozer, it has since become a permanent fixture of the city's drinking culture.

The venue is a courtyard bar where cold beer is served in real pints and burgers are cooked fresh and hot. It brews its own house beer, Bodgie Beer, with a full lineup on tap and a sampler tray for the indecisive. Beyond the beer, Smash Palace has its own regular rhythm: Thursday night is motorbike night, where Greg can sometimes be spotted working on a motorbike, and on weekends DJs spin vinyl from the workshop container on site.

Pub dog Graham is on site four days a week, and as Smash Palace puts it, "dogs are welcome." The wine list draws entirely from Waipara, sourced from family owned and run vineyards, reflecting a preference for supporting local producers.

Smash Palace does not take reservations due to being at the mercy of the weather in its courtyard setting, but says there's heaps of space and they'll do their best to fit walk-ins in.

Smash Palace: Christchurch's Bar in a Bus, Home of Bodgie Beer

On High Street in Christchurch sits a bar that describes itself, quite literally, as "a bar in a bus, a burger joint and the home of Bodgie Beer." Smash Palace emerged from the rubble of the Christchurch earthquakes as what was originally meant to be a temporary boozer. Years later, it has become a permanent and well-loved part of the city's drinking culture.

A Courtyard Built From the Rebuild

Smash Palace's identity is tied directly to its origin story - born in the post-earthquake landscape of Christchurch, when temporary and improvised venues sprang up across the rebuilding city. Unlike most of those pop-ups, Smash Palace stuck around, evolving into a courtyard bar where, as they put it, "the beer is cold and sold in real pints while the burgers are hot and cooked fresh." The bus, and the workshop container that doubles as a DJ booth on weekends, are part of the physical fabric of the place rather than just branding.

Home of Bodgie Beer

At the centre of Smash Palace's drinks offering is Bodgie Beer, its own house-brewed beer. It's made fresh and local, and always flowing at the venue, with a full lineup covering styles from a Brown and Pale Ale through to an IPA, Pilsner, Hazy, and a nitro Dark, alongside rotating tap drinks like boozy lemonade, sours, cider, and boozy ginger beer. For anyone who can't decide, there's a tasting paddle to sample the range. Beyond Bodgie Beer, the bottle and can selection includes Heineken, SOL, Pals and Speights Summit Ultra, while the wine list is sourced entirely from Waipara, drawn from family owned and run vineyards that Smash Palace says they like to support as friends of the business.

Burgers Cooked Fresh

The food menu is built around burgers, split into Beef, Chicken, and Other categories. The Beef range spans a straightforward Cheese burger through to the Blue (bacon, onion ring, BBQ sauce and blue cheese) and the Hot (harissa, chipotle and jalapeno sauce). Chicken options include a Hawaiian with pineapple and bacon, a Grilled version with chipotle and cream fraiche sauce, and a classic BBQ. The Other category covers a Fish burger, a Vegan burger built on spiced fried tofu and kimchi, and a Vegematarian option using falafel. Most burgers can be made gluten-free on request, with a gluten-free bun available for an extra charge, and a side of chips can be added to any order. Beyond burgers, the snack menu covers fried chicken, jalapeno poppers, chips, wedges, cheerios, and Kentucky Fried Tofu for something lighter or shareable.

A Regular Weekly Rhythm

Smash Palace has built in its own recurring events rather than relying purely on the food and drink to draw people in. Thursday night is motorbike night, and regulars might spot Greg working on a motorbike on site. On weekends, DJs spin vinyl from the workshop container, giving the courtyard a different energy than a typical weeknight. Pub dog Graham is on site four days a week, and the venue is upfront that dogs are welcome.

Visiting Smash Palace

Smash Palace is open from midday Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays. Because the venue is a courtyard bar and therefore "at the mercy of the weather," they don't take reservations - but say there's heaps of space, and they'll do their best to fit walk-ins in. You'll find them at 172 High Street, Christchurch, or reach them by phone at +64 3 366 5369.

Signature items

Bodgie Beer
Blue Burger
Hot Burger
Smash Fried Chicken
Tasting Paddle
Vegan Burger

Smash Fried Chicken — Served with BBQ mayo
Jalapeno Poppers — Served with sweet chilli sauce
Chook 'n' Chips — Lil chicken, lil chips, and aioli
Chips — Potatoes chopped up and cooked for your pleasure
Wedges — Served with sour cream and sweet chilli sauce (add aioli $2, add gravy $2)
Cheerios — Served with tomato sauce
Kentucky Fried Tofu — Served with BBQ sauce

Beef Burgers

Cheese — Beef patty, chutney, gherkin, cheese, mayo (GFOA)
American Cheese — Beef patty, tomato sauce, gherkin, red onion, cheese, American mustard (GFOA)
Blue — Beef patty, bacon, onion ring, BBQ sauce, cheese, mayo (GFOA without onion ring)
BBQ Bacon — Beef patty, caramelised onions, blue cheese, lettuce, chutney, mayo (GFOA)
Hot — Beef patty, harissa, lettuce, chipotle and jalapeno sauce, mayo (GFOA)

Non Alcoholic

Soft Drinks — Juice, Coke, Sprite, Ginger Ale, L&P, Coke Zero
Karma Drinks Range — Non-alcoholic drink range
Heineken Zero — Non-alcoholic beer
0% Cans — Non-alcoholic canned drinks
French Press Coffee — Filter coffee
Tea — Hot tea

Other Burgers

Fish — Fried fish, tartar sauce, gherkin, lettuce, lemon mayo
Vegan — Spiced fried tofu, kimchi, BBQ sauce, lettuce (GFOA)
Vegematarian — Falafel, cheese, kimchi, lettuce, mayo

Burger Add-Ons

Gluten Free Bun — Swap to a gluten free bun
Patty Swap — Swap any burger for a different patty
Side of Chips — Chips added to any burger order

Wine (Waipara)

The Boneline Sauvignon Blanc — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
Main Divide Chardonnay — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
Main Divide Riesling — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
Black Estate Pinot Gris — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
The Boneline Sauvignon Blanc (glass) — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
Georges Rd Rose — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
Main Divide Cabernet Merlot — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
The Boneline Pinot Noir — From a family owned Waipara vineyard
Little Lindauer Brut Bubbles — Sparkling wine
Little Lindauer Prosecco — Sparkling wine

Chicken Burgers

Hawaiian — Fried chicken, bacon, cheese, lettuce, pineapple, mayo (GFOA)
Grilled — Grilled chicken, harissa, chipotle and jalapeno sauce, red onion, lettuce, aioli, cream fraiche sauce (GFOA)
BBQ — Fried chicken, bacon, cheese, bbq sauce, mayo, lettuce

Bottles And Cans

Speights Summit Ultra Big Bots — Bottled beer
Heineken — Bottled beer
SOL — Bottled beer
Pals — Bottled beer

Bodgie Beer On Tap

Tasting Paddle — Selection may vary depending on what the brewer has on
Brown — House brewed Bodgie beer
Pale Ale — House brewed Bodgie beer
Lager — House brewed Bodgie beer
Low Alc — House brewed Bodgie beer
Dark (Nitro) — House brewed Bodgie beer
Pilsner — House brewed Bodgie beer
IPA — House brewed Bodgie beer
Knucklehead APA — House brewed Bodgie beer
Boozy Lemonade — Tap drink
Boozy Ginger Beer — Tap drink
Turbo Shandy — Tap drink
Hazy — House brewed Bodgie beer

Spirits - House Pours

Bodgie Gin — House pour spirit
Jamesons Whisky — House pour spirit
Jim Beam Bourbon — House pour spirit
Havana Club Rum — House pour spirit
Absolut Vodka — House pour spirit
Olmeca Tequila — House pour spirit
Hand Pulled Cocktail — House cocktail

Frequently asked questions

What are Smash Palace's opening hours?: Open from midday Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Can I book a table?: No, Smash Palace doesn't take reservations because it's a courtyard bar at the mercy of the weather. Walk-ins are welcome and they'll do their best to fit you in.
Where is Smash Palace located?: 172 High Street, Christchurch, Canterbury, 8011, New Zealand.
Are dogs allowed?: Yes, pub dog Graham is on site four days a week and dogs are welcome.
What is Bodgie Beer?: Smash Palace's own house-brewed beer, made fresh and local, with a full range on tap and a tasting paddle available.
Do they have vegan or vegetarian options?: Yes, a Vegan burger made with spiced fried tofu and kimchi, and a Vegematarian burger made with falafel.
Is there anything happening during the week?: Thursday night is motorbike night, and on weekends DJs spin vinyl from the workshop container.

Tips

{"body":"If you can't decide on a Bodgie Beer, the tasting paddle ($22) lets you sample the lineup.","title":"Try the tasting paddle"}
{"body":"Thursday nights are motorbike night at Smash Palace.","title":"Catch motorbike night"}
{"body":"On weekends, DJs spin vinyl from the workshop container on site.","title":"Weekend vinyl DJs"}
{"body":"No reservations are taken - Smash Palace says there's heaps of space, so walk-ins are the way to go.","title":"Just show up"}

Good to know

{"dietary":"Most burgers can be made gluten-free on request (GF bun +$4); vegan and vegetarian (falafel) burger options available"}