Valentines Hornby

About Valentines Hornby

Valentines Hornby is a buffet restaurant in Christchurch, part of the Valentines chain, serving lunch and dinner buffets alongside a separate takeaway menu with delivery available through Uber Eats. The lunch buffet runs from 12pm to 2.30pm and the dinner buffet from 5.30pm, with live cooking daily at both sittings and around 20 extra dishes added for dinner on top of the lunch spread.

The buffet covers hot dishes, a grill station where chefs cook meat fresh to order, a cold seafood section with items like ceviche, shrimp cocktail and oysters when available, a salad bar, a soup station, and a dessert spread that includes a chocolate fountain and soft serve ice cream. Some dishes, such as BBQ pork spareribs and vegetable moussaka, are available at weekend lunch and dinner, while others like beef sirloin, lamb chop and the cheese board are dinner only. A gluten free and allergen free menu is available on request at reception.

For those wanting food without the sit-down buffet, Valentines Hornby also runs a takeaway menu covering signature burgers, gourmet pizzas, mac and cheese dishes, value combo feasts, and a range of desserts, available for pickup or delivery via Uber Eats. Pricing for the buffet varies by day, age group and time of sitting, with weekend and public holiday lunch pricing higher than weekday lunch, and infants eating free at both sittings.

Valentines Hornby: Christchurch's Live-Cooking Buffet Restaurant

On Chalmers Street in Hornby, Christchurch, Valentines Hornby serves up one of the city's more extensive buffet spreads, running two sittings a day with live cooking built into both. It's the kind of place designed for people who want choice — hot dishes, a grill cooked to order, cold seafood, salads, soup and a proper dessert table — all in one visit.

Two Buffets, Two Different Experiences

Lunch runs from 12pm to 2.30pm, while dinner starts at 5.30pm and adds around 20 more dishes on top of what's served at lunch. Weekend and public holiday lunch pricing runs higher than weekday lunch, reflecting the bigger crowds and, often, a slightly bigger spread. A handful of dishes are reserved for specific sittings — BBQ pork spareribs, vegetable moussaka, lamingtons, lemon roll and brandy snaps show up at weekend lunch and dinner, while beef sirloin, lamb chop and the cheese board are dinner-only additions.

What's on the Buffet

The hot buffet covers a wide spread, from macaroni and cheese and butter chicken through to seafood provencale, BBQ chicken wings and freshly baked pizza. At the grill station, chefs cook to order from a rotating selection that includes satay chicken, pork loin, beef meatballs and sausage kebabs. Cold seafood is a clear focus, with ceviche in coconut cream, shrimp cocktail, half shell mussels, blue swimmer crab and oysters when in season, plus a seafood griddle where fresh seafood is cooked to order with a choice of sauces.

The salad bar runs from a Japanese wakame salad and sesame and edamame salad through to more familiar options like coleslaw, potato salad and garden salad, with build-your-own options also available. A soup station rotates between pumpkin, cauliflower and beetroot soup and the restaurant's own seafood chowder.

Dessert, Done Properly

Dessert isn't an afterthought here — the buffet includes a full spread of tiramisu, panna cotta, mousses, cakes and puddings, alongside a chocolate fountain and soft serve ice cream station. A Kids Corner is set aside specifically for younger diners, and infants eat free at both lunch and dinner.

Takeaway and Delivery

For anyone not after the full buffet experience, Valentines Hornby also runs a separate takeaway menu, available for pickup or delivery through Uber Eats. It leans into a different style of eating altogether — signature burgers like the Smokey Truffle Burger and Seoul Fire Crunch Burger, gourmet pizzas such as the Seafood Marinara Melt and Meatstorm, mac and cheese dishes, and value combo feasts built around BBQ ribs or chicken wings, plus a dedicated dessert line-up including Nutella Oreo mousse and molten rocky road.

Catering to Dietary Needs

A gluten free and allergen free menu is available on request at reception, and diners with dietary requirements are encouraged to speak to the Duty Manager before eating.

Between the buffet's breadth and the separate takeaway menu, Valentines Hornby is set up to cover a lot of ground — a family buffet dinner, a quick lunch, or a Friday night takeaway order, all from the same kitchen on Chalmers Street.

Signature items

• Valentines Seafood Chowder
• Valentines Kokoda (GF)
• Live Cooking Grill Station
• Seoul Fire Crunch Burger
• Chocolate Fountain
• Cold Seafood Selection

Menu

Buffet - Salads

• Japanese Wakame Salad — Seaweed salad, Japanese style.
• Potato Salad — Classic potato salad.
• Tangy Coleslaw — Coleslaw with a tangy dressing.
• Sesame & Edamame Salad — Salad with sesame and edamame.
• Garden Salad — Fresh garden salad.
• Italian Pasta Salad — Pasta salad, Italian style.
• Ham & Corn Salad — Salad with ham and corn.
• Assemble Your Own Salad Options — Build-your-own salad bar options.

Buffet - Desserts

• Tiramisu — Classic Italian tiramisu.
• Hazelnut Sponge — Hazelnut sponge cake.
• Mixed Berry Panna Cotta — Panna cotta with mixed berries.
• Caramel Mousse — Caramel-flavoured mousse.
• Berry Mousse — Berry-flavoured mousse.
• Lamingtons — Available at weekend lunch and dinner.
• Lemon Roll — Available at weekend lunch and dinner.
• Mango Chia Pudding — Chia pudding with mango.
• Assorted Jellies — A selection of fruit jellies.
• Meringues — Classic meringues.
• Chocolate Cake — Rich chocolate cake.
• Banana Cake — Moist banana cake.
• Red Velvet Cookie Dough — Red velvet flavoured cookie dough dessert.
• Apple Crumble & Custard — Apple crumble served with custard.
• Brandy Snaps — Available at weekend lunch and dinner.

Buffet - Hot Dishes

• Macaroni & Cheese — Creamy baked macaroni and cheese.
• Marry Me Chicken & Prawn Pasta — Chicken and prawn pasta dish.
• Butter Chicken — Classic creamy butter chicken.
• Creamy Garlic Chicken — Chicken in a creamy garlic sauce.
• Beef & Bean Pot Roast — Slow-cooked beef and bean pot roast.
• Seafood Provencale — Seafood in a Provencale-style sauce.
• BBQ Chicken Wings — Chicken wings in BBQ sauce.
• Crunchy Chips — Crispy hot chips.
• Spring Rolls — Classic spring rolls.
• Chicken Nuggets — Kid-friendly chicken nuggets.
• Fish Goujons — Crumbed fish goujons.
• Mixed Chunky Vegetables — A mix of chunky cooked vegetables.
• Lyonnaise Potatoes — Pan-fried potatoes with onion, Lyonnaise style.
• Champagne Ham — Sliced champagne ham.
• Freshly Baked Pizza — Pizza baked fresh in-house.
• BBQ Pork Spareribs — Available at weekend lunch and dinner.
• Vegetable Moussaka — Available at weekend lunch and dinner.

Buffet - Cold Seafood

• Ceviche in Coconut Cream — Marinated raw fish in coconut cream.
• Shrimp Cocktail — Classic chilled shrimp cocktail.
• Half Shell Mussels — Mussels served on the half shell.
• Seafood Salad — Mixed cold seafood salad.
• Sweet Chilli Basa — Basa fish in sweet chilli.
• Vannamei Prawns — Vannamei prawns.
• Blue Swimmer Crabs — Blue swimmer crab.
• Oysters — Available when in season/stock allows.

Buffet - Soup Station

• Pumpkin, Cauliflower & Beetroot Soup — Rotating vegetable-based soups.
• Valentines Seafood Chowder — The restaurant's signature seafood chowder.
• Pumpkin Soup — Classic pumpkin soup.

Buffet - Grill Station

• Fresh Vegetables — Cooked fresh to order at the grill.
• Satay Chicken — Chicken skewers grilled to order.
• Pork Loin — Pork loin cooked fresh to order.
• Beef Meatballs — Beef meatballs cooked fresh to order.
• Sausage Kebab — Sausage kebab cooked fresh to order.
• Beef Sirloin — Dinner only, cooked fresh to order.
• Lamb Chop — Dinner only, cooked fresh to order.

Takeaway - Hearty Eats

• Smokey Truffle Burger — Beef patty with melted cheese, caramelised onions, crispy onion rings, smoky BBQ sauce and creamy truffle mayo on a toasted brioche bun.
• Seoul Fire Crunch Burger — Crispy Korean fried chicken glazed in smoky-sweet Korean BBQ, topped with crunchy slaw and tangy bread & butter pickles on a soft brioche bun.
• Cream Of The Coast — 800g of Valentines' signature creamy seafood chowder.
• Valentines Kokoda (GF) — Half a kilo of Island-style marinated raw fish in coconut cream, with spring onion, capsicum, cucumber and tomato.
• Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese — Buffalo-style crispy chicken served over rich, creamy mac and cheese.
• Butterchicken Mac & Cheese — Creamy mac and cheese topped with tender butter chicken.
• Lil Bites Box — 5 chicken nuggets, 5 fish bites, and a large side of golden chips.
• Mac & Cheese (V) — Traditional creamy macaroni and cheese.
• Burger Bros Combo — A combo deal on two signature burgers together.

Buffet - Treats & Sides

• Freshly Baked Foccacia — Foccacia baked in-house.
• Buffet Rolls — Fresh bread rolls.
• Garlic Bread — Garlic bread.
• Soft Serve Ice Cream — Self-serve soft serve ice cream.
• Chocolate Fountain — A chocolate fountain for dipping.
• Kids Corner — A dedicated section of kid-friendly buffet items.
• Cheese Board — Dinner only cheese board.

Buffet - Seafood Griddle

• Griddled Seafood — Fresh seafood cooked to order with a choice of sauces and flavourings.

Takeaway - Sweet Endings

• Nutella Oreo Mousse (V) — Chocolate mousse layered with Nutella, cream and crushed Oreos.
• Biscoff Berry Bliss (V) — Creamy cheesecake cup with berry coulis, Biscoff drizzle and crushed Biscoff biscuits.
• Berrylicious Cheesecake (V/GF) — Creamy cheesecake cup topped with a vibrant berry coulis.
• Triple Treat — A trio of the cheesecake cup flavours together.
• Brandy Snaps with Chantilly Cream (V) — Crisp golden brandy snaps filled with silky vanilla Chantilly cream.
• Molten Rocky Road (V) — Warm chocolate cake with gooey marshmallows, maraschino cherries and crunchy chopped nuts.

Takeaway - Gourmet Pizzas

• Green Goddess (V) — Napolitana base with cheese, onion, capsicum, mushroom, olives and pineapple, finished with Green Goddess dressing.
• Seafood Marinara Melt — Garlic aioli base loaded with cheese, seafood marinara mix, shrimp, tomatoes and spring onion.
• Meatstorm — BBQ sauce base topped with champagne ham, grilled chicken, sausage and salami.

Takeaway - Value Combos & Sides

• BBQ Rib Feast — Half a kilo of slow-cooked BBQ pork spareribs with a choice of side and a drink.
• Wing Feast — Half a kilo of crispy chicken wings tossed in a choice of sauce, with a side and a drink.
• Chips (V) — Seasoned chips.
• Garlic Bread (V) — 9-inch garlic bread roll.
• 420ml Drink — Choice of Coke, Coke Zero, L&P or Sprite.
• Sauces — Tomato, garlic aioli, BBQ or sweet chilli.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Valentines Hornby located?

7 - 11 Chalmers Street, Hornby, Christchurch 8042.

What are the buffet times?

Lunch buffet runs 12pm to 2.30pm, and dinner buffet starts at 5.30pm.

Does the buffet include live cooking?

Yes, both lunch and dinner include live cooking daily, with a grill station where chefs cook meat fresh to order.

Are there gluten free or allergen free options?

Yes, a gluten free and allergen free menu is available on request at reception.

Is takeaway or delivery available?

Yes, Valentines Hornby has a separate takeaway menu available for delivery through Uber Eats.

Is the buffet pricing different on weekends?

Yes, weekend and public holiday lunch pricing is higher than weekday lunch pricing.

Are some buffet items only available at certain times?

Yes, some dishes such as BBQ pork spareribs and vegetable moussaka are available at weekend lunch and dinner, while others like beef sirloin, lamb chop and the cheese board are dinner only.

Tips

• {"body":"A separate gluten free and allergen free menu is available at reception if you need it.","title":"Ask for the gluten-free menu"}
• {"body":"Lunch buffet pricing is higher on weekends and public holidays than on weekdays.","title":"Check weekend vs weekday pricing"}
• {"body":"Beef sirloin, lamb chop and the cheese board are only available at the dinner buffet.","title":"Go for dinner to try the dinner-only dishes"}
• {"body":"The full takeaway menu, including burgers, pizzas and desserts, is available for delivery.","title":"Order via Uber Eats if you'd rather eat at home"}

Good to know

• {"family":"Infants eat free; children's pricing tiers and a dedicated Kids Corner in the buffet","dietary":"Gluten free and allergen free menu available at reception"}