C1 Espresso

Top marks for effort. The vibe is really cool and I love the idea of the Pneumatic Tubes, secret doors and the sewing machine water dispenser. I came on a mid week morning so it was only a quarter full.
The coffee gets 5 stars too. Where it falls down though is in the food. It’s not bad. It’s good actually but not up to my expectations of a place this cool.
The staff were all really pleasant and friendly but a little too eager to clear the tables, this probably isn’t so much of an issue when they’re busy.
All in all, well worth checking out but there are definitely better brunches to be had in ChCh.

Upon entering the restaurant, you’ll notice the ceiling will have a couple of those vacuum tubes. Some food will actually get delivered in these tubes, but only between 3−9pm. I came in at around 12 so I was a little disappointed I couldn’t order anything besides fries that would be delivered from the tubes.
The environment was quite cozy. Water needs to be filled yourself via this hand crank thing that was hard to control. I ordered the Corn and Coriander Fritter that came with bacon, salsa, guacamole and sour cream. I also had an iced coffee. My brother ordered the Super Choice Bro breakfast I think it was called and my cousin ordered fries just to see it be delivered from the tubes.
My meal was quite delicious! The fritter was made pretty well and it wasn’t too cooked or anything, same with the bacon. The iced coffee was interesting as it used ice cream as the sweetener. There were also mini marshmallows and a marshmallow fish that was coated in chocolate. It wasn’t strong on the coffee taste and was quite light, I felt that it would be better suited as a «coffee milkshake». When my cousin’s fries arrived at the tubes, a bell would be struck at the appropriate tube indicating that the food has arrived. Then you must check if the canister has your name on it to make sure it’s yours.
Overall the food was quite good and I’d definitely come back to try the items on the dinner menu that better utilises the vacuum tubes.

Incredible food & atmosphere. Had a delicious lunch with generous portions, lots of choice and fresh ingredients.
Loved how the fries were delivered to the table via an old fashioned tube system — ingenious. Bathrooms hidden behind sliding bookcase & water from an old sewing machine. Quirky & fun.
Outstanding service. Very busy but staff delivered food fast & efficient without even needing table numbers. Awesome example to other cafes.

The atmosphere here was nice and the concept innovative. If you aren’t interested in experiencing new concepts then this place isn’t for you.
The food quality was good although the portions were nothing substantial. I wouldn’t come here if I was really hungry but I would come for a light meal or to show friends a new experience.

C1 is listed in travel books and websites countless times as one of top coffee shops in Christchurch. With advertisements like this, how could the unknowing tourist not stop by? I arrived for brunch on a Saturday with my husband around 9:30 am and there was quite a crowd. There were still tables both inside and outside but a line was beginning to form at the counter. The line moves very slowly as there are many options and people stand in line without knowing what they want to order first or are holding spaces for 5 other people who are already sitting at a table somewhere. Our order is finally placed for french toast, eggs benedict, a coffee and a cappuccino and we sat against the wall to the bathroom and kitchen.
Looking around the room, it is clear that the appeal of C1 is the atmosphere. There are pneumatic tubes that send orders of chips and sliders zipping across the room, old video game machines and a «secret door» disguised as a bookshelf leading to the bathroom. My personal favorite was the sewing machine water dispenser. The building architecture is beautiful and the tall ceiings with plenty of windows makes the place seem bright and cheery despite they old paraphernalia. I get the appeal of having your food delivered to you in an interesting and high pressure way, but unfortunately, the food isn’t quite up to speed. We found our brunch a little bland and uninventive. We were extremely disappointed as we had such high hopes from the cool atmosphere. Stick to this place for the coffee and the pin ball.

The freshly squeezed orange juice is great. And even better is the oolong tea. Being a serious tea drinker you frequently get disappointed by the way tea is generally served, but this place really know how to do: a proper iron tea pot with the lose tea in a small box on the side for you to add yourself and with needed brewing instructions. Wish there was more places that understood what teas to have on the menu and how to serve it!

Wandered here to visit the vestiges of the art gallery, and ended up having a bite to eat. I was pleasantly surprised — the huge slice of sausage roll I received was delicious, and apparently made on the premises. The atmosphere and furnishings were cool, but the music was even better — finally, a café that puts on good alternative music like deep cut Radiohead! Easy to recommend.

I love the style and décor of the building and was super excited for something new and interesting to be up and running in Christchurch. Making it my usual place each week to catch up with the GF, s was an easy choice as it’s in the city-​central the coffee is good and the food is good most of the time, also they are always super busy and sometimes could use more staff on other than that it’s a great café. I wish they had more clean eating, sugar free and organic type of meals but that’s just me being picky

Just had lunch here for the second time and it reminded me of why I don’t come more often. Apparently I have the misfortune of timing my outings with terrible weather, meaning the outdoor seating is available only for masochists. So everyone is crammed inside, fighting desperately for a table and perfecting the art of the «hover» in which you casually, and not-​so-​subtly linger beside the table of someone who may or may not be making an imminent departure.
The best thing about C1 is having food delivered by the pneumatic tube system. Unfortunately the only thing you can order is the curly fries (which are delicious). You can also order sliders (which I really REALLY want to try) but they are only available after 3pm which is unfortunate.
The menu is of a medium size. Today I had the big bro breakfast because I was really hungry. The hash brown thingy was probably the best thing, it has some nice herbs in it instead of just a boring potato taste. My poached eggs were slightly overdone and missing a lovely runny yolk. Other than that the bacon/​sausage/​muchrooms/​tomato were well cooked but nothing special. My friend had the vegetarian nachos which she only ate half of as she said they were to salty.
Service is basically non existent. You stand in a long line to order food. And water is help yourself and difficult to find. Sitting on the small stools available at some of the tables is not the most comfortable experience.
Overall I would give this place 3.5 stars. I don’t think it lives up to its reputation. However I don’t drink coffee which I hear is really special here, which may be why other people are able to rate it higher.

Lovely space, very friendly staff, and good coffee. I had pancakes with bacon which quite honestly weren’t as mindblowing as I’d expected after reading earlier reviews, but still satisfying and hearty. My husband had a lovely bagel with sides of hash brown and poached eggs — and the hash brown was undoubtedly the winner with a subtle herby flavour, crisped to perfection. Will definitely pop by whenever I’m in christchurch.

What a great space — large indoor and outdoor area, with herbs and plants softening the fact that its in the city. Coffee was fantastic, as was the buttermilk pancakes with bacon, banana and maple syrup. A perfect breakfast!

This café had very interesting décor. It looks like it was a bank a one time with a vault in one corner and vacuum tubes along the ceiling. The dining room was quite large and they had a nice seating area outside. The coffee here was ok, but not great. The food was actually better than the coffee. No free WiFi which was a bummer.

The best damn café south of the equator, ya heard.

Great coffee and place to sit in the sun. Awesome décor, especially finding the toilets which are hidden behind an opening bookcase door!

C1 is an excellent, spacious café — complete with good opening hours and free wifi.
What more could you want?
Well there is also delicious food and great coffee.
You can even order three sliders and curly fries straight to your table in a pneumatic tube (for the grand total of $ 20 — well worth it). The beef burger was my stand out.
C1 is definitely one of Christchurch’s shining lights. You should really visit.

Most awesome and creative coffee shop I’ve been to. Stopped in for a coffee, ended up feasting on gourmet sliders shot out of a pneumatic chute. Yup, you read that right… little tiny burgers that made their way to me by travelling through a tube criss-​crossing the restaurant. Oh, I had the coffee too, and it was good, but the sliders were better. Although I enjoyed the food and coffee, the décor of C1 is what makes this place so special. It’s so creative and interesting, full of vintage icons all over the place, with something to marvel at with every turn of the head. It’s a rather large coffee shop, with plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. If you’re in the area, you will not be sorry for checking this place out!

Coffee is good. Could be hotter and stronger but definitely a good enough effort. It is a very cool venue. Kitchen gardens, sliding bookcase door, singer sewing machine dispatches water and audio books playing in the bathrooms. Genuine kiwi imagination gone into this and its s winner. Free wifi zone from city of Christchurch. Love the concept of this one.

C1 Espresso is a Christchurch institution, and this latest installment brings a healthy dose of normalcy to the substantially-​less-​than-​intact CBD. Don;t worry if there is a line at the counter, it moves swiftly and vanishes from time to time.
Having migrated across High Street since the earthquakes, C1 is in a familiar place, and for mine, a better venue. It was col before, but this café now has a maturity about it that wasn’t there before. It probable caters to a wider market.
The Coffee is still great, I had three flat whites in less than 2 hours and didn’t encounter a hint of bitter or burnt. The food looks amazing, but I didn’t eat as my companion wasn’t up for a meal; I probably missed out.
Watching people try figure out how to make the converted Singer sowing machine water tap work is a highlight for the people watchers.