The Brewers Arms

Three and a half.
This tired, Merivale staple is a great spot for locals to hang out after work for a beer and watch the rugby. There are plenty of beers on tap and a pretty nice selection of wines, though it’s a limited list. This whole spot needs a facelift and most importantly, fresh carpeting. You’ll be hard pressed to find a clean table on a clean patch of carpet here. Fortunately, this mal-​up keep is no bearing on how the food tastes. I am a big fan of the stone grills as it’s a fun experience to cook my food but also because there are lots of exotic options to try out. I love to have the Wild stonegrill or choose my own and pick Lamb, kangaroo, beef and ostrich. Their chips are thick cut and delicious and their seasonal vege and salads are great healthy options. The stone grills come with your choice of sauces as well and I recommend the garlic butter and aioli, but truly they all sound delicious. Try their pavlova for dessert, too, if you have space. I would love to see the Brewers Arms incorporate a quiz night or some event during the week and I’d be more inclined to come more often. This is primo real estate and I feel like it’s not living up to its potential.

Cosy pub with an open fire, perfect for those not accustomed to Christchurch weather. Come here pretty much every work trip. The stone grill is great, I thought the novelty would have worn off by now.
Staff are friendly and efficient.

3.5 Stars.
Brewers Arms is a Merivale staple. It’s large, very friendly, easily accessible for big groups and has a varied menu. Since it’s never full to the brim, it’s typically pretty easy to get a table. That being said, it has its flaws. The décor is quite dated with gross green carpet and perpetually unwashed tables. The service is also non-​existent unless you continually go to the bar to put pressure on the staff to get your order in. And everything on the menu aside from the hot-​stone meat grill is bland and unappetizing. But that stone grill! The wild game is damn tasty and pleases both tourists and locals alike. Wash down some kangaroo or ostrich with a few beers, and that’s quite a dinner!
Come here if you’re craving a casual meat and beer feast.

I’ll be the first to admit, it’s not always easy being an American overseas. However, while both en route and on the way home from Antarctica this year, Brewers Arms made me feel more than welcome in NZ. I could almost write a book about how great this place truly is.
First you have to consider the ambiance. Now, I’m not familiar with pub life overseas, but when first walking into this place, its almost like walking into someone’s living room, albeit a large one, with a bar. The fireplaces only add to the charm.
The menu is fantastic, and varied as well. I enjoyed both the Wild Game Platter, which is a very unique experience, if you aren’t accustomed to that sort of thing. On the way back home, I had the mussels, which were quite tasty. The selection of beer and other spirits, while not overwhelming, offers a lot of variety to people of differing tastes.
Finally, the staff & locals are what really makes this place special. The owner & management are both professional and friendly, and are not above getting into the mix with guests. The girls working the bar are very pretty and helpful, and have a great attitude in general. The locals are also very welcoming to just about anyone who walks in the door, and I got a huge laugh when one of the old men saw my group of Antarctic Personnel walking in, bellowing «Well it must be summa, th’ Yanks are in town!»
I love this place and can’t wait to go to Antarctica again, because it means I get to come back here again.
Oh, and, careful with the Scrumpy’s.

neat new zealand style experience !
We were recommended to brewers arms by the camelot inn owner. This place is mainly a bar but they have a few interesting dishes, one dish in particular is the hot rock special to cook an assortment of meats. Similar to chinese hot pot but hot rocks. We tried a variety of meats and sauces, everything was top notch! would definitely go back for the hot rock experience.

If you want a taste of true New Zealand food and atmosphere, Brewers Arms in Christchurch is the place to go. At the recommendation of our hotel, we stumbled onto this little gem.
Easily the most interesting food we had our whole trip, it’s worth it to splurge a bit on their hot rock dishes. We ordered the wild trio of kangaroo, venison and ostrich. Sadly, they were out of ostrich but the meats were still good.
Here’s the low down. 3 half fist sized portions of raw meat come out on a 400 degrees slab of rock. You slice the meat into tiny chunks to cook it to your liking. The meal also comes with 2 sides and your choice of 2 sauces. The best sides we had were the salad and fried potato wedges (chips).
We also tried the beef and venison combo which was equally good. The steamed vegetables were the only thing I disliked since they were slathered in some kind of sauce.
This is a great experience not to be missed while in chc. Even if you are traveling alone, the way the meal is served is still doable.

Once a year when we head to Antarctica we have to stop in christchurch New Zealand to get our cold weather gear. and this place has been talked about amongst the military every time we have a new group going with us. This place is a big hit for all us military Americans. So we always like to pass the word for the new guys to stop here.
Trying different food we can’t get in the states makes this worth it! Been here a few times. I wish this place was in the states and I could go all the time. We did the hot stone. I had the venison, kangaroo, shrimp and lamp. Fantastic!

Cosy pub restaurant. Try the stone grill meats. Kangaroo, ostrich, venison etc. Enough to share between two.