The Lane

About The Lane

The Lane is a modern, all-day Canterbury bistro on Salisbury Street in central Christchurch, serving relaxed, delicious fare from early breakfast through to late dinner. The kitchen's promise is reliable classics with a twist — bold flavours, generous plates and an unpretentious, comfortable room that still feels stylish enough for a occasion-worthy night out.

Local, seasonal ingredients are the headline. The menu heroes Canterbury and New Zealand produce wherever possible: Lake Ōhau wagyu in the house burger, Chatham Island blue cod with tuatua clams, Canterbury eye fillet, Barry's Bay cheese on the dessert board, and Christchurch's own Cassels beers behind the bar. Dietary needs are catered for properly rather than as an afterthought, with vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options marked across the menu.

The day runs in three acts: a buffet breakfast from 6am to 10am, lunch from 10am to 5pm on weekdays (public holidays aside), and dinner every evening from 5pm to 10pm. There's a kids' menu for diners twelve and under, creative cocktails with 0% versions, a New Zealand-focused wine list, and gift vouchers for anyone who'd rather let someone else choose. Christmas Day dining is offered each year, and bookings can be made online.

The Lane: All-Day Canterbury Bistro Dining in Central Christchurch

The Lane occupies 49 Salisbury Street in the heart of Christchurch's central city, and it runs on a simple idea: good food, done well, all day long. It's a modern, all-day Canterbury bistro — a stylish but unpretentious room where you can settle in for a buffet breakfast at six in the morning, a weekday lunch, or a leisurely dinner that stretches towards ten at night. The kitchen's promise is 'reliable classics with a twist': familiar plates rebuilt with bold flavours and local, seasonal ingredients.

That commitment to local producers runs right through the menu. Wagyu comes from Lake Ōhau, blue cod from the Chatham Islands, the eye fillet is Canterbury-raised, the cheese board stars Barry's Bay, and the beer list pours Cassels from Christchurch. Wherever possible, The Lane buys close to home — and the cooking lets those ingredients do the talking.

From Sunrise Buffet to Last Orders

The day starts early, with a buffet breakfast from 6am to 10am served daily. Lunch runs from 10am to 5pm on weekdays (public holidays aside), when the all-day menu covers soups with house-made focaccia, a proper club sandwich with house-made kettle crisps, a classic caesar you can dress up with confit garlic tiger prawns, and burgers with hand-cut fries.

Come 5pm the dinner menu takes over until 10pm, and the kitchen stretches out: margherita arancini and burnt-herb-butter focaccia to start, then parsley-crusted blue cod with tuatua clams, crispy pork belly porchetta, black garlic-crusted merino lamb shoulder, or a 200g Canterbury eye fillet with watercress béarnaise. Younger diners twelve and under get their own menu — eggs your way and blueberry pancakes in the morning, mini cheeseburgers and little margarita pizzas at night.

What People Come Back For

A few plates have quietly become The Lane's calling cards. The Lake Ōhau wagyu beef burger — stacked with bacon, cheddar, pickles and a fried egg — appears on both the all-day and dinner menus, which tells you something. The seafood chowder, loaded with Marlborough mussels, clams, prawns and smoked kahawai, is a bowl of the South Island in liquid form. And for dessert, the Basque cheesecake with saffron pineapple and salted caramel has earned its permanent spot.

Vegetarian diners are properly looked after rather than treated as an afterthought: there's a crispy cauliflower burger with cheddar and slaw, a caramelised onion and chilli bucatini with aged pecorino, and margherita arancini among the starters. Vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free options are marked right across the menu.

The Bar

The cocktail list has personality, including playful pours like Terry's Tipple — Baileys or hazelnut with house-made orange syrup, cream and chocolate — and a smoked Benriach whisky number, with 0% versions of several drinks so no one misses out. The wine list is a tour of New Zealand: Marlborough sauvignon blanc and pinot noir, Central Otago pinot gris and pinot noir from Gibbston Valley, and North Canterbury's Pegasus Bay, alongside champagne, prosecco and a non-alcoholic Giesen sparkling. Beer drinkers get Christchurch's own Cassels, Heineken on tap and a Greymouth cider, while the back bar reaches from single malts to local gins like Scapegrace and Little Biddy.

Planning Your Visit

The Lane takes bookings online, and dinner service especially rewards planning — as does its Christmas Day dining, which the team puts on each year. Gift vouchers are available for anyone who'd rather let someone else choose. If you have allergies, flag them with your server: the kitchen caters to vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free diners, but can't guarantee an environment free of all allergen traces.

One quirk to remember: lunch is weekdays only. If you're visiting on a weekend, aim for the breakfast buffet in the morning or settle in for dinner from 5pm — and if you're an early riser, a 6am buffet breakfast in the central city is a rare and welcome thing.

Signature items

• Lake Ōhau Wagyu Beef Burger
• Seafood Chowder
• 'Chatham Island' Blue Cod
• 200g Canterbury Eye Fillet
• Merino Lamb Shoulder
• The Lane Basque Cheesecake

Menu

Sides

• Honey Roasted Baby Carrots — Caraway seeds, tahini coconut yoghurt, dukkah, coriander.
• Garden Salad — Slaw, heirloom tomato, cucumber, roast sesame dressing, mixed seeds.
• Charred Broccoli — Butter, cranberries, garlic, almonds.
• Crushed Truffle Potatoes — Grated pecorino, black garlic aioli, chives.
• Hand Cut Fries — Grated pecorino, chipotle tomato relish, aioli.

Cocktails

• Raspberry & Rhubarb Sour — Rogue Society gin or a 0% botanical with raspberry, rhubarb, lemon, aquafaba.
• Passionfruit Caiprioska — Vanilla vodka or prosecco (0% sparkling option), passionfruit, lime.
• Terry's Tipple — Baileys or hazelnut, housemade orange syrup, cream, chocolate.
• Ambre Orchard — St Remy VSOP, apple, caramel.
• Smoked in Fashion — Benriach 'The Original Ten' whisky, sugar syrup, bitters.

Beer & Cider

• Cassels Lager (5.2%) — Christchurch-brewed lager.
• Tuatara Regenerate Pilsner (5%) — Kāpiti Coast pilsner.
• Cassels Light Owl (2.5%) — Low-alcohol Christchurch brew.
• Tuatara Hazy Pale Ale (5.5%) — Kāpiti Coast hazy.
• Cassels Milk Stout (5.2%) — Christchurch milk stout.
• Sol (4.2%) — Mexican-style lager.
• Heineken on Tap (5%) — 350ml or 500ml pour.
• Heineken Silver Low Carb (4%) — Low-carb lager.
• Heineken 0.0 (0%) — Non-alcoholic option.
• Monteith's Crushed Apple Cider (4.5%) — From Greymouth.

Dinner Mains

• Caramelised Onion & Chilli Bucatini — Artichoke, heirloom tomatoes, aged pecorino, rocket.
• Classic Caesar Salad — Cos lettuce, grilled streaky bacon, anchovies, soft-boiled egg, parmesan, croutons; add prawns or chicken.
• Seafood Chowder — Mussels, clams, prawns, smoked kahawai velouté, herb oil, seeded sourdough.
• 'Chatham Island' Blue Cod — Parsley crust, tuatua clams, velouté, agria & parmesan hash, confit leek.
• Crispy Pork Belly Porchetta — Kūmara & almond purée, apple gel, pomegranate, Chioggia beets, jus.
• Merino Lamb Shoulder — Black garlic & charcoal crust, potato fondant, crème feta, coated eggplant, Madeira jus.
• Lake Ōhau Wagyu Beef Burger — Bacon, cheddar, cos lettuce, pickles, fried egg, relish, aioli, hand cut fries.
• 200g Canterbury Eye Fillet — Truffle dauphinoise potato, crispy kale, burnt cauliflower purée, watercress béarnaise.

Kids' Dinner

• Cheese & Pineapple Toastie — Toasted and kid-sized.
• Fried Chicken — Shoestring fries, garden leaves, tomato ketchup, aioli.
• 8-inch Margarita Pizza — A little version of the classic.
• Mini Cheeseburger — With shoestring fries and ketchup.
• Shoestring Fries — Tomato ketchup and aioli.

Non-Alcoholic

• Coffee — Short black, long black, americano, macchiato, flat white, latte, cappuccino.
• Tea — English breakfast, earl grey, jasmine green, berry sensation, peppermint with Ceylon cinnamon.
• Iced Tea — Peach or lemon.
• Juice — Apple, cranberry, pineapple, orange, tomato.
• Sodas & Mixers — Soda water, tonic, wild raspberry tonic, ginger ale, ginger beer.
• Soft Drinks — Coca-Cola Classic, Coke Zero Sugar, Sprite.
• Energy Drinks — Red Bull or Red Bull Sugar Free.

Wine & Bubbles

• Jeanne De Coste Blanc De Blanc Brut — French brut, by the glass or bottle.
• Louis Roederer — French champagne by the bottle.
• Canti Prosecco DOC — Italian prosecco, by the glass or bottle.
• Giesen Sparkling (0%) — Non-alcoholic sparkling from Hawke's Bay.
• Rose & Rose Pinot Gris — Marlborough, by the glass or bottle.
• Gibbston Valley 'Gold River' Pinot Gris — Central Otago, by the glass or bottle.
• Rose & Rose Sauvignon Blanc — Marlborough, by the glass or bottle.
• Matawhero Sauvignon Blanc — Gisborne, by the glass or bottle.
• Rose & Rose Chardonnay — Marlborough, by the glass or bottle.
• Te Mata Chardonnay — Hawke's Bay, by the glass or bottle.
• Pegasus Bay Chardonnay — North Canterbury, by the bottle.
• Rose & Rose Rosé — Marlborough, by the glass or bottle.
• Whispering Angel — French rosé, by the glass or bottle.
• Rose & Rose Pinot Noir — Marlborough, by the glass or bottle.
• Gibbston Valley 'Gold River' Pinot Noir — Central Otago, by the glass or bottle.
• Pegasus Bay Pinot Noir — Canterbury, by the bottle.
• Te Mata Estate Merlot/Cabernets — Hawke's Bay, by the glass or bottle.
• Babich 'Black Label' Merlot — Hawke's Bay, by the glass or bottle.
• Elderton Estate Cabernet Sauvignon — Australian red, by the bottle.
• Babich Syrah 2022 — Hawke's Bay syrah, by the glass or bottle.
• Pegasus Bay 'Encore' Riesling — North Canterbury dessert wine, by the glass or bottle.
• Quinta Ruby 'Reserve' Port — Ruby port by the glass.
• Quinta De La Rosa '10yo Tawny' Port — Aged tawny port by the glass.

Dinner Starters

• Soup of Today — Served with The Lane focaccia.
• The Lane Focaccia — With burnt herb butter.
• Margherita Arancini — Fresh mozzarella, Romesco, pecorino, basil.
• Confit Garlic Tiger Prawns — Cherry tomato, white wine sauce, salsa, sourdough.
• Chilli Fried Chicken — Sesame 'Kewpie' mayo and pickles.

Cheese & Desserts

• Barry's Bay Canterbury Cheese Selection — Sesame lavosh, crackers, grapes, wild thyme honey, almond brittle.
• Glazed Mango & Passion Fruit Mousse — Mango gel, almond biscuit filling, berries, dark chocolate soil, snow dust.
• The Lane Basque Cheesecake — Saffron pineapple, salted caramel sauce, chocolate soil.
• Dark Chocolate Fondant — Biscuit crumb, vanilla bean gelato, snow dust, berries.
• Gelato or Sorbet of the Day — Ask the friendly team for today's flavours.

Spirits & Liqueurs

• Rouge Society Gin — NZ gin pour.
• Damson Plum Gin — NZ gin pour.
• Scapegrace 'Classic' Gin — NZ gin pour.
• Little Biddy 'Classic' Gin — NZ gin pour.
• Rouge Society Vodka — NZ vodka pour.
• Broken Shed Vodka — NZ vodka pour.
• Mount Gay 'Eclipse' Rum — Barbados rum.
• Black Magic 'Spiced' Rum — Spiced rum.
• Diplomatico 'Planas' Rum — Venezuelan white rum.
• Gosling's 'Family Reserve' Rum — Bermudan rum.
• Old Forester — Kentucky bourbon.
• Woodford Reserve — Kentucky bourbon.
• Benriach 'The Original Ten' — Single malt Scotch whisky.
• Laphroaig 10yo — Islay single malt.
• The Balvenie 'Caribbean Cask' 14yo — Single malt Scotch.
• Whyte & Mackay — Blended Scotch.
• Gentleman Jack — Jack Daniel's American whiskey.
• Monkey Shoulder — Blended Scotch.
• Johnnie Walker 'Blue' — Premium blended Scotch.
• St-Rémy VSOP Brandy — French brandy.
• Rémy Martin Cognac — Cognac pour.
• Herradura 'Plata' Tequila — Blanco tequila.
• Herradura 'Reposado' Tequila — Rested tequila.
• Baileys — Irish cream liqueur.
• Campari — Italian bitter.
• Cointreau — Orange liqueur.
• Disaronno Amaretto — Almond liqueur.
• Dolin 'Dry' Vermouth — French dry vermouth.
• Dolin 'Rouge' Vermouth — French sweet vermouth.
• Frangelico — Hazelnut liqueur.
• Quick Brown Fox 'Coffee' — NZ coffee liqueur.

All Day (10am–5pm)

• Soup of the Day — Daily soup served with house-made focaccia.
• Caramelised Onion Focaccia — House-baked focaccia, saffron honey butter, dukkah.
• Classic Caesar Salad — Cos lettuce, grilled streaky bacon, anchovies, soft-boiled egg, parmesan, croutons; add confit garlic tiger prawns or grilled chicken.
• Seafood Chowder — Marlborough mussels, clams, prawns, smoked kahawai velouté, sourdough.
• Sticky Chilli Fried Chicken — With sesame 'Kewpie' mayo and pickles.
• Club Sandwich — Grilled chicken, bacon, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, Swiss cheese, aioli, house-made kettle crisps.
• Crispy Cauliflower Burger — Cheddar, slaw, relish, pickles, hand cut fries.
• Lake Ōhau Wagyu Beef Burger — Bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, pickles, fried egg, relish, aioli, hand cut fries.
• Hand Cut Fries — Grated pecorino, chipotle tomato relish, aioli.
• Basque Cheesecake — Saffron pineapple, salted caramel sauce, chocolate soil.
• Gelato of the Day — Rotating scoop — ask the team for today's flavours.

Kids' Menu (12 & Under)

• Cereal — Coco pops, fruit loops or weetbix.
• Toast — With a choice of honey, jam, peanut butter or vegemite.
• Eggs Your Way — Scrambled, poached, fried or boiled, with brioche toast.
• 'Sweet as' Waffle — Berry compôte and whipped cream.
• Blueberry Pancakes — Berry compôte and whipped cream.
• Hot Chocolate — Topped with marshmallows.

Frequently asked questions

What are The Lane's opening hours?

Buffet breakfast runs 6–10am daily, lunch is served 10am–5pm on weekdays only (excluding public holidays), and dinner runs 5–10pm every day.

Is lunch available on weekends?

No — the 10am–5pm lunch service runs weekdays only, excluding public holidays. Breakfast and dinner are served daily.

Can I book a table?

Yes, reservations can be made online via the booking page on The Lane's website.

Are there options for dietary requirements?

Yes — the menu includes vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options. The kitchen can't guarantee an environment free of all allergen traces, so tell your server about any allergies.

Is there a kids' menu?

Yes, for children 12 and under — eggs your way and blueberry pancakes in the morning, and cheeseburgers, margarita pizza and fried chicken at dinner.

Does The Lane sell gift vouchers?

Yes, gift vouchers can be purchased online.

Is The Lane open on Christmas Day?

The Lane offers a special Christmas Day dining experience — check the website and book ahead.

Tips

• {"body":"The 10am–5pm lunch service runs Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays. On weekends, come for the breakfast buffet or dinner instead.","title":"Lunch is weekdays only"}
• {"body":"The buffet breakfast runs from 6am to 10am daily — one of the earliest seats in the central city.","title":"Start early"}
• {"body":"Several cocktails come in 0% versions, and there's Giesen 0% sparkling and Heineken 0.0 for non-drinkers.","title":"Zero-proof, full flavour"}
• {"body":"Reservations are available online, and Christmas Day dining is on offer — secure a spot ahead of time.","title":"Book for dinner and Christmas"}
• {"body":"Look for Canterbury and NZ produce on the plate and in the glass: Lake Ōhau wagyu, Barry's Bay cheese, Cassels beer and Pegasus Bay wine.","title":"Go local"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Kids' menu for children 12 and under, from breakfast through dinner","dietary":"Vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options; tell your server about any allergies"}