Strange Bandit by Luciano is a cafe on Roydvale Avenue in Burnside, serving northwest Christchurch every day of the week with award-winning coffee and a kitchen full of cafe classics — plus a few twists of their own. Behind the bar are two award-winning baristas: Luciano Marcolino, who rebuilt Luciano Espresso Bar in the city after the Canterbury earthquakes, and Zhen Xu ('Q'), who learned the craft in Luciano's team before Strange Bandit became his dream cafe come true.
The drinks list is built around a full espresso lineup — from ristretto and macchiatos to flat whites and lattes — with oat, almond, soy and coconut milk available, alongside a dedicated matcha range, real chocolate hot chocolates, iced coffees, smoothies and milkshakes. Later in the day there's beer, Caythorpe wines, sparkling prosecco and ready-to-drink options, with the cafe staying open until 6pm on Fridays.
The food menu covers breakfast through late lunch: free-range egg classics like the Big Breakfast and Eggs Benedict, buttermilk waffles, matcha French toast, a vegan-friendly nourish bowl, tacos, burgers, burrito bowls and a loaded Brazilian hotdog. Snacks favour sharing — the secret-recipe fried chicken, polenta chips and loaded kumara chips among them — while a chef special and soup of the day rotate on the blackboard. Tables can be booked through the online form on their website.
On Roydvale Avenue in Burnside, Strange Bandit by Luciano has made a name for itself in Christchurch's northwestern cafe scene. The premise is simple: two award-winning baristas running a neighbourhood cafe where the coffee is treated with real dedication and the kitchen turns out breakfast, brunch and lunch with genuine flair, every day of the week.
Luciano Marcolino is a well-known figure in Christchurch coffee. After rebuilding Luciano Espresso Bar in the city following the Canterbury earthquakes, he continued to build a reputation that has earned him award after award from his peers. Alongside him is Zhen Xu — 'Q' — who started out on Moorhouse Avenue working with Luciano's team and quickly racked up his own line of awards for barista skills and coffee art. Strange Bandit is Q's long-held dream of running his own cafe come true, with his mentor and business partner beside him.
The pair put that experience to work on every cup. As they put it themselves, great coffee isn't rocket science — but it does take dedication and passion, backed up by years of making thousands of coffees. The full espresso lineup runs from ristretto and macchiatos to flat whites and lattes, with oat, almond, soy and coconut milk on hand, plus flavoured syrups for anyone who likes a little something extra.
Breakfast is served until 3pm every day, and it covers all the classics plus a few surprises. The Strange Bandit Big Breakfast stacks free range eggs, streaky bacon, spicy chorizo, fried halloumi, mushrooms and a homemade hash brown. Eggs Benedict arrives on toasted Turkish bread with a choice of bacon and hash brown, fried chicken, cold smoked salmon with capers cream cheese, or a vegetarian pumpkin, parsnip and beetroot hummus with fried halloumi. For something sweeter, the Matcha n' Nutella French Toast comes filled with Nutella, topped with vanilla matcha mascarpone cream and finished with pistachio candy glass, while the buttermilk waffles can be paired with bacon and grilled banana or the house secret-recipe fried chicken with chilli maple.
Healthier starts get real attention too. The Winter Nourish Bowl layers buckwheat, parsnip, pumpkin, pickled cabbage, beetroot, corn and peas under two poached eggs — swap the eggs for falafel and it becomes fully vegan — and the buckwheat porridge is cooked in coconut cream and served with peach compote, blueberries and pistachio candy glass.
From 8am the lunch menu takes over, with double or triple tacos, the signature Strange Bandit Burger in pulled pork, fried chicken or vegetarian black bean versions, a Mexican-style burrito bowl and a gloriously overloaded Gourmet Brazilian Hotdog. The chef special and soup of the day change regularly — they're written on the blackboard above the kitchen, so it pays to ask.
Non-coffee drinkers are looked after properly. There's a full matcha range, from hot matcha lattes to iced strawberry, mango and passion fruit versions, alongside real chocolate hot chocolates, chai lattes, affogato and the classic iced coffees. Smoothies, milkshakes, an energy slushy and a plant-based protein shake round out the cold list, and once the afternoon rolls around there's beer, Caythorpe wines by the glass or bottle, sparkling prosecco and ready-to-drink options — with the cafe staying open until 6pm on Fridays for anyone after a late-week drink.
Snacks are built for sharing: five pieces of the secret-recipe fried chicken, fried cauliflower with sriracha mayo or chilli maple, polenta chips, crispy teriyaki pork belly bites, and kumara or waffle chips — both of which can be fully loaded with pulled pork, cheese, sriracha mayo, sour cream and spring onion.
Regulars are known fondly as 'Loyal Bandits', and the team keeps them in the loop through Instagram, whether that's holiday trading hours or a heads-up about changes around the cafe. Tables can be reserved through the simple online booking form on the website.
Strange Bandit opens every day: 7am to 4:30pm Monday to Thursday, 7am to 6pm on Friday, and 8am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday. Whether it's a flat white and a bagel on a weekday morning, a long weekend brunch or a Friday afternoon drink with friends, this Burnside cafe has the range — and the awards on the wall to back it up.