Curator's House Restaurant

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#37 of 1,106 Restaurants in ChristchurchMediterranean, European, $$ - $$$

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Curator's House Restaurant

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+64 3-379 2252Improve this listing

About

SPANISH TAPAS - LAMB - PAELLA and more... in a heritage building in the Botanic Gardens. Drop in for casual tapas in the sun in summer, or beside the fireplace in winter. Or a special occasion or group function in one of our intimate dining rooms. Beautiful garden views. Stroll through our demonstration fruit and vege garden. All right in the heart of the Botanic Gardens in central Christchurch. Simply too special to miss. Open 7 days for lunch, dinner and tapas.

Features

CUISINES

Mediterranean, European, Spanish, Grill

Meal types

Lunch, Dinner

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Full Bar

Highchairs Available

Mastercard

Outdoor Seating

Private Dining

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Table Service

Visa

Wheelchair Accessible

Wine and Beer

Location

7 Rolleston Ave Christchurch Botanic Gardens, Christchurch 8013 New Zealand

Is this restaurant good for business meetings?

Yes

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Hours

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Closed now

• Opens at 5:00 PM

Sunday

11:30 am - 2:30 pm

Monday

5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Tuesday

5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Wednesday

5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Thursday

5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Friday

5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Saturday

5:00 pm - 8:30 pm

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4.3

(640)

Excellent

356

Good

173

Average

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Terrible

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Yes

Jerry M

Los Angeles601 contributions

Great Food in a Great Setting

Jan 2024 • family

We started with a couple of glasses of Alba Martin Albarino which led to a bottle of the same to go along with our first round of Tapas. These were the Cured Ham Croquettes, Mushroom & Parmesan Cheese Croquettes, Polenta Fries, Chili Roasted Pumpkin on caramelized onion hummus with sesame and finally the Serrano Ham. Each item was delicious, and we could easily have just ordered another round and been satisfied with the result. For entrees we split the Slow Roasted Canterbury Lamb Shoulder served with freshly picked rosemary, red wine reduction, gourmet potatoes & seasonal vegetables and Fish of the Day and again were not disappointed. We finished a dessert, the Tarta Santiago (which my wife and I enjoyed many of during our trek along the Camino de Santiago in 2017) accompanied by a glass of the Grant Burge 10-year Port for me. The tab came to 357NZ ($232), less than $50 per person for a very nice meal that also included a bottle of wine and that glass of port.

Written 2 June 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Karen F

Christchurch17 contributions

An OK meal by a long established Christchurch institution.

Feb 2024 • friends

I was happy to return to this restaurant, for a birthday lunch with a friend, having dined here many times before over many years. Unfortunately, the quality of the food and service seems to have slipped since our last visit, with most dishes being “OK” and not “great”. The prawns were flavorsome but hard to remove from the shell (overcooked or old?) and the squid was cut up so finely and fried to death so it was crunchy, tasteless and unrecognizable. My companion ordered crème caramel for dessert and had I known that this was actually crème brûlée (an entirely different dish and a favorite dessert of mine) I would have ordered that myself! It was served with a wee bowl of raspberry sauce which I noticed she didn’t touch and a biscuit. I ordered the “Santiago” cake (torta caprese) which was served with raspberry sauce, chocolate flavored icecream and a dollop of a cream (not real cream). Unfortunately the meal ended on a low for me as the cake was dry and those flavors clashed and competed with each other, which spoilt every element. A scoop of vanilla icecream and a wee dollop of real cream would have been much better! And since you asked, when I booked online, if this was a special occasion and I noted a birthday, it would have been nice to have been wished a happy birthday by staff. Why ask, otherwise?

Written 17 February 2024

Philip_and_Honor

Brisbane57 contributions

Position great for visitors and the offerings superior

Feb 2023 • family

They fitted our family group in on our impromptu visit to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens, and gave us an attractive table next to their flower garden. The Spanish theme offered sufficient choices for our family needs (Paella and Tapas) but we saw the Botanical Gin on the wine list and chose that. They were delicious and refreshing, and we hardly noticed the 25 mins it took to prepare the Paella (and the wait staff helpfully pointed this out). The food was delicious and filling! It was a great choice.

Written 6 February 2023

grwpl

1255 contributions

Great location, disappointing Paella

Feb 2023 • couples

As many people note the location at the edge of the Botanical Garden is really good especially on a warm and sunny day. We ordered for seafood paella which is the speciality of the house. This is cooked to order and they advise that there will be a minimum 25 wait which is fine as you don’t want something that has ben reheated. When it arrived it was in a large paella pan and quantity wise and visually it looked good. The first clam was full of grit aa were the other clams, the mussels and other shell fish were OK. For me there was no depth of flavour and overall the dish had too much oil in it, I felt that some smoked fish would have helped. A real shame as a good Paella is always a delight but on this particular day we came away disappointed.

Written 27 February 2023

Mark T

1 contribution

Disappointed

Jan 2025 • couples

Chose this restaurant for our 25th wedding anniversary. I assumed, based on many different factors, including history and price point, that it was a high(er) end restaurant in Chch. Disappointed in several aspects. Firstly we elected to dine outside due to the mild temp and no wind. It was 7pm so expected usual dinner service. Did not expect paper napkins (they were served with cloth napkins inside), a double-sided A4 laminated menu, red wine served in a white wine glass (almost to rim as it was a "large") or the maître d dressed in shorts and a polo. Last issue is, if you ask in the booking if it is for a special occasion then the expectation is that it would be acknowledged. Otherwise why ask? Food was nice, hot and came in good time. But when you move from daytime dining to nighttime dining then some key aspects of your offering should also change (including the staff uniform).

Written 27 February 2025

aussiecatherine

Melbourne94 contributions

Very ordinary

Jan 2023 • couples

We booked months ago for an anniversary celebration at this restaurant. We were on holiday from Australia. Yes the location is lovely but the restaurant is very outdated. Cafe style tables and chairs outside, hideous carpet and old blinds on the windows inside. I thought the service might make up for it but unfortunately not. Waitresses were not friendly and we had to get their attention the entire time to get drinks and food. I’m sure there must be nicer restaurants in Christchurch. Don’t let the location fool you into booking. Eat somewhere else and take a walk around the gardens.

Written 16 January 2023

Angela C

25 contributions

Great!

Oct 2024 • family

Super appreciated The attitude of the shopper is very good The food is especially delicious Especially duck legs I strongly Recommendation Very delicious! Sheep shoulders are also very good but really duck legs are best eaten really a must! This seafood snack we drank is also very delicious. Highly Recommendation that snack super sweet eggs super delicious! The dish is also very delicious. Personally, I liked that long one piece of white sauce. That one is really delicious. I really like the water here Very good drink I drank four glasses of water Really good drink Overall I highly Recommendation 5 stars!

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Written 2 October 2024

Andyroogolf

Christchurch166 contributions

Could not have been bettered elsewhere

Jul 2023 • friends

Having been several times before I needed a suitable place to celebrate a surprise anniversary dinner. I booked well in advance and then called in to discuss my requirements, Yin was on hand and all I can say is she did evrything I asked and more. Despite my obvious apprehension as to how the surprise would go I need not have worried. Everything went to plan and the meal was fantastic as were the wines. The tapas for starters with bread was just enough and the mains of Ribeye (each one cooked as requested), Pork Belly and Lamb shoulder were top notch, all delivered together at our fabulous table by the fire. Deserts were equally delicious (they even wrote Happy Anniversary on the desert plate) so all in all a fantastic night that could not have been bettered elsewhere.

Written 30 July 2023

Tour61649511898

27 contributions

Atmosphere of Spanish cuisine

Jan 2025 • family

It is a Spanish restaurant with an atmosphere. Tapas, paella, lamb shoulder and drinks were all delicious. Especially the lamb shoulder is soft and tastes like something you want to eat again without the smell. Paella is quite large, so be careful

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Written 4 February 2025

Bri

New Zealand16 contributions

Great Tapas and Gorgeous Location!

Jan 2023 • none

The staff here were friendly and helpful, and the scenery is perfect, especially if you sit outside, as looks directly onto the Botanic Gardens. I definitely recommend the tapas from here, which are flavourful and delicious. We ordered the Vegetarian Tasting Platter, and the Calamari- which provided a great selection of dishes. Great venue for larger groups!

Written 24 January 2023

Emilie1Love

Rotorua98 contributions

Garden delights at Curator's House restaurant!

Dec 2024 • solo

What a marvel this address! Finally a nice table in a very nice place located just at the entrance of the Botanic Garden of christchurch. I enjoyed a wonderful salad with good fresh, healthy and balanced products! Vegetables and fruits from the garden, from their own vegetable garden! The salad is divinely prepared and decorated with fresh herbs and small surprises of the day depending on what is available in the garden according to the seasons! As a side dish, delicious roasted potato pan! A treat! Ambient music, pleasant terrace and flowers, to discover!

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Written 28 December 2024

Julia M

1 contribution

Food and service as tired as the decor

Oct 2023 • friends

The food was cheap (not in price, but in product) , unimaginative and bland. The calamari tasted like oil. The tomato salad was a bit of tomato, cubed ?mozarella and some store bought (I imagine) pesto . Potato bravas was undercooked potato with some sort of tasteless tomato sauce on top. Prawns were poorly cooked, bland and tasteless. Chirizo was just that – fried chirizo, oily and flavourless. Food cannot be described as Tapas, The rose wine I wanted was not available and the waitress told me not to drink the “spanish” jumilla rose, as it tasted like sherry. Waitress addressed my friend and I as “darlings”. Not appropriate or professional. She couldn’t remember the fish of the day, although she had just been informed. Knelt at our table and was overly familiar/relaxed. There was nothing Spanish about it. Over priced, flavourless and poorly cooked. A gorgeous location and building to do something special with, yet not. Very disappointed. E-mailed owner to complain who was sorry that I felt that way, did not apologise for the poor service or food.

Written 3 November 2023

wigsNZ

Christchurch283 contributions

Beautiful place

Dec 2024 • family

We had our Mum's 80th birthday here in a private room. It's an amazing building with a wonderful garden. The service team was really great. The food was ok. The Vegan Zarzuela was very hot, but when it cooled down, it was lovely. Happy to go back if we get the chance. Looks like a coffee sitting at the tables outside would be nice.

Written 29 December 2024

Chris S

Christchurch49 contributions

Fantastic food!

Apr 2022 • family

We've been here a few times - this time as a larger family group. The food is outstanding. All of us, including the very young ones, enjoyed all courses and variations. We weren't sure if the service staff were fully up to speed, with uncertainty about some of the dishes, and very staggered meal delivery (one couple finishing theirs before any other main was delivered). The key word when returning to a favorite is "expectation", and although the food lived up to this, the overall experience was just a little disappointing. Regardless, we highly recommend this place.

Written 23 April 2022

606rick

Tauranga23 contributions

Great food, great service,great drinks. I couldn't fault it

Jan 2024 • couples

This has to be one of the best Restaurants in Christchurch. The menu caters for every one from seafood,steak, and chicken. The service was great, and the waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu. The staff even made a spritz drink that wasn't on the menu. Highly recommended this restaurant