Terra Viva Cafe and Delicatessen is a long-running cafe in Burnside, Christchurch, established in 1997 and describing itself as Christchurch's favourite dining and retail experience. Breakfast, brunch and lunch are served until 2:30pm, alongside a dedicated kids menu, a wine and beer/cider list, high teas, and cakes.
Beyond the cafe itself, Terra Viva also runs a Home and Garden retail store, and offers gift vouchers, functions and out-catering — including canapé, street food and sit-down menus for events — making it as much a destination for entertaining as for a casual meal.
The kids menu leans into a playful, personality-driven format, naming dishes after a child's mood rather than the dish itself, while the wine and beer list draws on well-known New Zealand producers, from Marlborough sauvignon blanc and riesling to Central Otago pinot noir.
Terra Viva Cafe and Delicatessen has been operating in Burnside, Christchurch since 1997, and the cafe describes itself as the city's favourite dining and retail experience — a claim backed by nearly three decades in the same neighbourhood. That combination of "dining and retail" isn't just a slogan either: alongside the cafe, Terra Viva runs a Home and Garden retail store, and sells gift vouchers for those wanting to share the experience with others.
The cafe serves breakfast, brunch and lunch until 2:30pm daily. Among the dishes on offer is a Rhubarb & Custard Porridge topped with crumble, and a Toast & Preserves option with a choice of white or multigrain bread — a simple, comforting start to the kind of menu you'd expect from an established neighbourhood cafe.
One of the more distinctive things about Terra Viva is how it treats its kids menu, aimed at children 12 and under. Rather than naming dishes after the food itself, each item is labelled with a kid's mood or attitude: "I want to go to McDonalds" gets you chicken nuggets with chips and tomato sauce, "Whatever" is pancakes with maple syrup and fresh banana, "I don't know" is fish nuggets with chips, "I don't care" is a ham and cheese pizza, "I don't want that" is sausages and mash with gravy, and "I'm not hungry" is simply a kids bowl of chips with tomato sauce. It's a small touch, but one that gives the cafe's family dining experience some real character.
Terra Viva's drinks list draws heavily on well-regarded New Zealand producers. On the wine side, there's Prosecco Canti by the glass or bottle, an Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, a Wither Hills Riesling also from Marlborough, an Oyster Bay Chardonnay from Hawkes Bay, and a Wooing Tree Blondie from Central Otago — rounded out on the red side by a Rabbit Ranch Pinot Noir, also from Central Otago.
The beer and cider list runs from craft options like Panhead Supercharger APA and Parrotdog Hazy IPA through to more familiar names like Asahi, Emersons Pilsner, Macs Cloudy Apple Cider, Stein Lager Light, and a non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0 for those not drinking.
Beyond its everyday breakfast and lunch service, Terra Viva has built out a broader offering that includes dedicated high tea menus (with a version for kids too), a cakes selection, and a full functions and out-catering arm. For events, the cafe offers canapé menus, a street food function menu, and a sit-down menu — giving hosts a few different formats to choose from depending on the occasion, whether that's a casual gathering or something more formal.
Terra Viva Cafe and Delicatessen is located at 242 Roydvale Avenue, Burnside, Christchurch, and can be reached by phone at 03 358 5565. The cafe is open Monday to Friday from 8am to 4:30pm, and Saturday and Sunday from 8:30am to 4:30pm — though the cafe notes that hours may differ on public holidays, so it's worth checking ahead if you're planning a visit around one. Bookings can be made online, and the cafe maintains a presence on Facebook for updates.