Crazy Horse Hammersley is a bar, grill and fusion restaurant on the corner of Hills and Shirley Road in Shirley, Christchurch, open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, dine-in and takeaway. The menu ranges freely across Kiwi classics, tasty Thai dishes and fusion delights — from steak, eggs and fries to a fragrant orchid salad, spicy drunken noodles and a slow-cooked beef cheek that reviewers have ranked among the best they have had anywhere. There is also a buffet the team proudly calls the best new one in town, plus beverages from the bar including Crazy Horse Lager, brewed by the restaurant itself.
The name comes from a climbing adventure. In 2014, two close friends — a Kiwi and a Thai — were climbing at a crag near the little town of Mae-On, an hour north of Chiang Mai, named Crazy Horse after a 50-metre, horse-like rock formation with two unmistakable ears. After getting lost in the bamboo jungle on day three, they found their way back by spotting those ears in the last of the light — and the name stuck. Three years later, Jules and Jummi took over the iconic Thai Orchid and its little-brother restaurant, which they named Crazy Horse.
The building has its own story. The corner of Hills & Shirley Road was once home to Hammersley Engineering, one of Christchurch's early and famous engineering businesses, with workers arriving — many by horseback — from 1896. The office block later became the well-known Hammersleys Bar, then Hammersley Thai, then ErawanThai. Bringing back the Hammersley name honours more than 120 years of local history.
Beyond the food there is plenty to pull people in: live music (a jazz trio has featured on a Friday), fun Friday nights for meeting new friends, and Saturday parties spanning Latino, Thai and Bollywood. Functions and special events are welcomed, bigger groups are well looked after, and the self-styled Crazy family — known for friendly hospitality and smiles — invites everyone to come and share their adventures over a great feast.