The Cheesecake Shop Sydenham is the local branch of the long-running Australasian bakery chain that began as a single bakery in Rozelle in 1991. Today the brand operates more than 250 cake bakeries across Australia and New Zealand, and the Sydenham store on Colombo Street carries on that tradition, baking cakes and desserts fresh in-store.
Each product is handcrafted on site by skilled bakers and decorators, using premium ingredients such as real cream, chocolate and locally sourced fruit. In November 2023 the brand rolled out a fresh store design that opens up the kitchen, so customers get a front-row view of the bakers and decorators at work as cakes and cheesecakes come together.
The Cheesecake Shop positions itself as part of the community it serves, supporting life's celebrations big and small - birthdays, weddings, milestones and everyday treats - and works with local suppliers and franchisees rather than a single centralised kitchen.
Tucked into Shop 5 at 300 Colombo Street, The Cheesecake Shop Sydenham is the Christchurch outpost of a bakery brand with over three decades of history. It began in 1991 as a single bakery in Rozelle, Sydney, and has since grown into a network of more than 250 cake bakeries across Australia and New Zealand - but the Sydenham store keeps the same in-store baking approach the brand started with.
Every cake and cheesecake sold here is handcrafted on site by trained bakers and decorators. In late 2023 the brand refreshed its store design nationwide, removing the walls around the kitchen so customers can watch the baking and decorating happen in real time rather than seeing a finished case only. It's a small change, but it turns a quick stop into a bit of theatre - you can see the piping, the layering and the finishing touches that go into each cake before it reaches the counter.
The bakery leans on premium, trusted ingredients: real cream, real chocolate, and fruit sourced locally where possible. The focus stays on consistency - the same exacting standards applied at every one of the brand's stores, so a cheesecake picked up in Sydenham should taste as good as one from any other branch.
While the exact in-store range varies day to day, two products get called out by name within the wider Cheesecake Shop team: the Creamy Caramel Cheesecake and the Belgian Marble Mudcake, both singled out as personal favourites by senior staff at the brand. They're a good starting point if you're not sure what to pick from the cabinet.
Beyond the everyday range, the store also does custom cakes - made to order for birthdays, weddings and other milestones, tailored to the occasion rather than pulled straight off the shelf. Custom orders are one of the services the brand promotes nationally, alongside its core cabinet range of cakes and cheesecakes.
The Cheesecake Shop describes itself as belonging to the communities its stores sit in, not just operating within them - from the local suppliers it buys from to the bakers who work behind the counter. That community focus shows up in how the brand talks about its purpose: helping people mark life's moments, from an ordinary Tuesday treat to a wedding cake, with something made close to home rather than shipped in.
The Sydenham store keeps long, consistent hours - open every day of the week from 9am to 8pm, including most public holidays (with adjusted hours on some, and closed on Christmas Day). That makes it an easy stop whether you're picking up a last-minute dessert on a Sunday evening or planning ahead for a celebration during the week.
For anyone with dietary questions, nutrition and allergen information for the range is published on the brand's website, so you can check what's in a slice before you order. And if you're after something bigger than what's in the cabinet, staff can talk you through custom cake options for your next occasion.