Cuisine for those with Dietary Restrictions!

Cuisine

Food in Christchurch, New Zealand doesn’t differ massively from home when it comes to options. However, they are far more dietary restriction friendly when it comes to gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan. Since we are closer to Asia there are many more Asian restaurants here such as Chinese, Indian, and Thai. These are great for vegan and vegetarian options especially. My dad would be in vegan heaven when it comes to eating out here. On the other hand, vegan food eaters may struggle with the change in certain vegetable prices since New Zealand is an island. For my carnivores, steaks are far cheaper here (I am not promoting being a carnivore but I know some of the people out there would consider themselves to be). For example, there is a wonderful Indian restaurant a quick walk down the street from the university apartments, Zyka. As well as a quick bus down to Banh Mi, a Vietnamese restaurant for vegetarians and vegans. There is also Riverside Market that has cuisine for everyone and anyone.

Bakeries + Gluten Free

An important note is the sheer amount of bakeries and cute cafes here in Christchurch. I find it amazing that there are so many small locally owned cafes rather than a million Starbucks because there is so much more menu diversity and options. Secondly, these cafes often offer gluten free items. Some don’t still but the odds are good considering about one out of the three bakeries on a random street will probably have it (this is a made up statistic but my gluten free friend was almost guaranteed to find something rather quickly here). A few cafes that had gluten free options include Coffee Culture Bush Inn which is a 10-15 minute walk from my apartment. Another would be Therapy Cafe on campus which has a variety of low cost drinks and treats. I personally am not gluten free but Therapy Cafe had a fantastic chocolate Danish. Another was Cocoa Black which was a cute cafe a group of girls and I stopped at after our hike on Mt. Vernon Farm Track. They had some wonderful hot chocolate as well and banana bread. 

Continuing my gluten free options for food at restaurants there is BurgerFuel down the street next to Coffee Culture Bush Inn. They offer gluten free buns for an additional dollar or two so if you are really missing an American burger I highly recommend it. Secondly, Riverside market is an amazing place to eat because it offers so many food options in one building and has seating on the upper floors (This is pictured above). My friend found some fantastic gluten free breaded chicken here and homemade gluten free pastas for sale. Lastly, we went to a gluten friendly pancake and waffle place called Drexels. I had a regular pancake and a blueberry pancake that was super filling. 

Riverside Market

This deserves its own section because the options are endless. There is Mexican food, Thai food, Indian food, pasta, crepes, candies, you name it. So far I have tried Kathmandu MOMO House for some Nepalese dumplings 10/10.  I also have tried Roti Joes, a mix of Asian cuisine which was also a 10/10. Lastly, I had some ice cream while I was at the riverside market; a milkshake and ice cream cone. There were also many candy and sweet shops there with dietary options!