The Publican Prestons is a neighbourhood bar and kitchen in the Prestons precinct at Marshland, Christchurch, built around a simple promise: great food, excellent service, live sport on the screens and a cold brew in hand. The kitchen runs a new menu described as a blend of favourites and the classics, available all day from midday — small plates like buttermilk fried chicken and harissa carrot skewers, burgers and sarnies served with fries, hearty large plates from crispy pork belly to a 300g ribeye, plus desserts and a kids menu for the little legends. The team takes pride in supporting local suppliers.
The week has its own rhythm here. Wednesdays bring quiz night from 7pm with free entry and a $100 voucher for first prize, Sundays bring open mic from 4pm, and the screens carry live sport in between. The mezzanine floor suits small functions of 20-40 people and is free to hire with a food preorder, while tables can be reserved for gatherings of up to 20.
Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12pm until late — call, email or reserve a table online.
The Publican Prestons sits in the Prestons neighbourhood of Christchurch at Marshland and keeps its promise simple: great food, excellent service, live sport on the screens and a cold brew in hand. It is a proper local — the sort of place where a long lunch rolls into the afternoon, where Wednesday means quiz night, and where the mezzanine upstairs regularly belongs to someone's birthday or work do.
The team takes pride in supporting local suppliers, and the kitchen has launched a new menu the bar describes as a blend of your favourites and the classics. Everything is available all day from midday, which makes it as easy to arrive for a twelve-o'clock counter meal as it is to drift in for dinner.
The small and medium plates set the tone. Buttermilk fried chicken comes with your choice of beer BBQ sauce or chipotle mayo, calamari fritti pairs crispy squid with house tartare and grilled lemon, and chicken wings come tossed in beer BBQ or house-made chilli sauce. Vegetables hold their own here too — roasted broccoli with leek labneh and garlic oil, harissa-and-honey carrot skewers with tahini and dukkah, and house focaccia with garlic herb butter and basil pesto. Fries arrive in two forms: kumara with chilli mayo, or beer-battered with house gravy.
Burgers and sandwiches all come with fries. The John Cross stacks a brisket and chuck smash patty with smoked bacon, cheddar, fried onion, pickles and beer BBQ sauce on a potato bun; The Hennez is buttermilk fried chicken with slaw and chipotle mayo; The OG doubles down on smoked bacon and cheese with bacon jam; and The Mick puts pork belly front and centre. Lighter hands might go for the fish finger sarnie with tartare, or the open steak sarnie — ribeye, rocket, bacon jam and a fried egg on sourdough.
Large plates run from a parmesan herb crumbed chicken schnitzel with chips and fried egg, to crispy pork belly with house gravy, lamb rump with romesco and roasted yams, and a roasted vegetable salad with goats cheese and leek labneh. Fish and chips comes battered or crumbed, and the 300g ribeye lets you choose your side and your topper — gravy, garlic butter or bacon jam. Desserts are short and sweet: sticky date pudding, banana split, tiramisu and an affogato made with Baileys. There is a kids menu too, with fish fingers or chicken tenders and chips for the little legends.
Wednesdays are for the quiz. It kicks off at 7pm, entry is free, and first prize is a $100 voucher — a favourite on the local calendar. The team also helps groups set up quiz-based fundraisers, so it is worth asking if you need an easy one. Sundays turn the floor over to open mic from 4pm: come down, have a go, and if the crowd loves you, a regular slot may follow. In between, live sport keeps the screens busy.
The mezzanine floor is The Publican's answer to small functions. It suits groups of 20 to 40, accommodating up to 40 standing, and it is free to hire when you preorder $299 worth of food. Got something bigger in mind? The team invites you to email and talk it through. For everyday occasions, tables can be reserved for small gatherings or events of up to 20 people.
The Publican Prestons opens Tuesday through Sunday from 12pm until late and closes on Mondays. You can reserve a table online, ring the team, or email [email protected]. Whether it is a midweek quiz, a Sunday open mic session, or simply fish and chips and a cold one while the sport plays, this is a neighbourhood pub that keeps the week well catered for.