Dux Dine

We love this place. Every time we are in NZ we have to go here. A wonderful throwback to the earthquake-​destroyed duxe deluxe. The breakfast is incredible and the norwester beer is a must have!

Lovely ambience in this converted villa. Great range of food. I have a delicious pizza while my table mates had excellent seafood and vegetarian options.
uPDATE: Came for a second visit. 3 people had crusted fish which was delicious. I had pea & haloumi fritter which was tasty but why too much. Good meal but service appalling. Late lunch on a Saturday but no excuse for being left with dirty plates for over 15 minutes after leisurely eating. Had to ask for dessert menu. Never offered more drinks — disappointing so have downgraded previous review.

Pretty awesome place to go for a brunch and no doubt most other types of meal — they make a good espresso martini to go with your crabcakes or egss benny too

Although I used to frequent Dux de Lux a lot, I hadn’t yet been to Dux Dine. I had been missing out! On a recent trip home to New Zealand I met up with a friend at Dux Dine. Having only recently just started eating fish, I would only eat fish when I absolutely had to, and had never once ordered it as a first choice when there were other things on the menu I could have. I also have a number of food allergies — gluten, onion etc… but there were so many options for me on this menu! It was so hard to decide! The staff were very attentive and knew the menu and the ingredients inside out. I was very impressed. In the end I decided to order the fish of the day (Gurnard) with the crumbed coating and it was absolutely delicious. I was blown away actually! It came with polenta fries which were also very good. The setting is wonderful too, although it’s right by the railway line so can be a bit noisy at times. The atmosphere is lovely and the garden area is perfect on a summers evening. I’ll definitely be back!

Have been in NZ just one week (Nelson, Queenstown) and hands down this was the best meal we’ve had to date. Not easy to find a restaurant that pleases both an omnivore and a vegetarian but Dux Dine more than succeeded. Place was packed when we arrived and we were happy to be offered seats at a comfortable two top in bar. Outstanding beet salad starter was fresh and flavors balanced. Catch of the day and tofu curry were excellent. Friendly, knowledgeable waitstaff. We’ll be back.

Dux Dine is one of the finer restaurants in Christchurch. This also means the restaurant gets pretty crowded even during week days and you need to make advance reservations.
Luckily when we came in for dinner on Monday without reservations, we got seated immediately by the fireplace. Loved the ambiance — cozy, comfy with fire places in every room. It is like a little cottage turned into a restaurant.
There was a steady flow of patrons coming in through the night and for a Monday night, I’d say it was a full house.
Here’s what w ordered.
— Potato Arancini Balls for appetizers — Delish
— Gnocchi for entrée — served with home made tomato sauce, sprinkled with a little bit of cheese and slivered almonds, this dish is mouth watering
— Date cake with caramel sauce (this is not the exact name) — yumm yummm…
Great service; delicious food and romantic ambiance. Highly recommend.

Once a beautiful cottage, now artfully converted into a restaurant. The locals seem to have taken to this place like dux to water! Why, I cannot fathom? Is it the décor or the warm, cozy fireplaces that draw them in? It most definitely, isn’t the food.
The prawn and crab dumplings were actually wontons and nothing to quack about for $ 17. The aubergine presse was ghastly! This over baked and completely tasteless dish cost us $ 28. The tuna was beautifully cooked. Wait for it though, here comes the BUT… it was drowned in an overpowering sauce and topped with crumbed prawns that looked like they had been to hell and back a few times. The prawns were beyond redemption. Its fate, most cruelly sealed by the chef. We did however, have some success in rescuing the tuna from its ocean of misery! That mission cost us $ 38.
The polenta fries were delicious but I’m pretty certain that even Pollyanna would have frowned, if she was made to pay $ 100 for a feed that even the dux would refuse to dine upon!

Not quite the experience I had prepared myself for, but maybe it’s my fault? I don’t eat fish, but had rather hoped the vegetarian side of the mains would be a little more extensive. There were really only two items on the menu for me, spanakopita and aubergine, so I ordered the one with the least amount of mushrooms: spanakopita. I must say, it was quite tasty and I am not a big fan of spinach. Definitely not a meal for someone counting calories, but the filling was delicious and the puff pastry was cooked perfectly. We tried the cauliflower and cheese balls as a starter, which were also delicious. My husband ordered the blue cod, which he enjoyed very much.
I love that this restaurant operates in a small cottage-​style home. The rooms are bright and flow easily into one another. I was a little disappointed as the reviews mentioned «ducks everywhere» and I only counted two. The decorations were more reminiscent of the olden days in Christchurch with old tyme photographs and foggy mirrors on the walls. The atmosphere was more casual and group friendly and less romantic. Not necessarily a bad thing, but again, not what I was expecting. We were initially placed at a table practically touching the hostess stand and in direct line of the door. We quickly asked to be re-​seated as many people coming through the door meant many drafts and noisy people listening in our quiet conversation. Not much of a date night feel. We were re-​seated in the corner next to a group of 10 (guess we weren’t going to get that private date night atmosphere afterall) but we were much warmer and enjoyed the ambiance just as well. We were served by 3 different people throughout the meal. There was no consistency nor communication between the three. It didn’t matter much as our food was served quickly, but it was hard to know who to flag down for a refill. Overall, while I wouldn’t recommend Dux Dine for a date night experience, I can see why this restaurant has survived over the years from the old student union to this casual, group dining experience. Next time we’ll remember to bring 8 friends.

This inviting little cottage set back from the main road houses a wonderful restaurant whose focus is on locally grown produce. Friendly staff were able to fit me in at a lone table despite walking in without a booking on a busy Wednesday night. Beautiful fish cooked perfectly in garlic and herbs, fresh salad, a slice of sumptuous chocolate tart and a couple of pints of house beer left me stuffed but satisfied. The warm hum of a full house provided a happy atmosphere, and despite the throng the staff were never anything but attentive and conversational to this tourist passing through. Thanks for a lovely night.
(Try to book if you can — you may not be as lucky as I was with getting a table.)

We decided to try this place after seeing numerous positive trip advisor reviews, and the place itself looked very cosy and welcoming on a cold winters night. We sat next to the fireplace and the ambience of the restaurant is lovely.
No complaints about service, our server was friendly and attentive. We ordered the seafood chowder with garlic bread and it was delicious, large bits of seafood, and very nice to eat when you’re feeling a little cold. We also ordered the scallops, since they’re usually one of my favourite types of seafood, but unfortunately I didn’t pay attention when I ordered them, since if I had, I would’ve realised that they’re deep fried in batter. They were sill tasty, however I much prefer scallops to be seared on a BBQ or lightly pan fried, since battering and deep frying masks their subtle flavour. This was no fault of the restaurant, but be aware that they’ll arrive deep fried.
For mains we ordered the special of the day which was yellow fin tuna, covered in sesame seeds and served with garlic mashed potatoes. It was nice, however I thought it was a little overcooked and too firm for my liking. We also ordered the blue cod which was served with a garlic and spinach sauce and scalloped potatoes. I preferred this over the yellow fin tuna.
Overall we were both happy with our meal, and completely satisfied. The portions were very large for a fish restaurant, most of which leave me feeling hungry after I leave, but not at Dux Dine.

I ordered a Blue Duck beer with the salmon. The beer was definitely good. Not quite the type the waitress told me it was though.
The Akaroa Salmon was great. I prefer my salmon a little bit less cooked but it was not too cooked for common standards. Everything in the plate was mixing very well together.
I had a lemon tart to finish the meal. The dessert menu had a lot of desserts I love. The ice cream was coupling pretty well with the lemon but the tart itself was pretty basic. A bit disappointed on that point.
Service-​wise, it was good. Not outstanding but nothing serious to complain about. The restaurant atmosphere is nice with a garden and interesting decorations inside.
Generally a good experience. This is a solid 4. Could have been a 5 if only the dessert was as good as the salmon.