cafe valentino

we are a quantity surveying firm that have decided to visit a new restaurant each month, that has either re-located or recently opened due to the earthquakes and our first restaurant to visit was cafe valentino, most of the staff gave it between an 8-10 rating out of 10.

we visited on a thursday for dinner and sat at the bar for a bit and didn't seem busy at all which was lucky as it approached 6.30pm the people rolled in, was very busy but the head waitress was amazingly helpful and accommodated our extra guests (plus children) at the last minute and even got them colouring books etc.

selection on the menu was astounding... was very hard to chose! most people got pasta and were pleased with this and i got the lamb salad... which was missing the feta but still very good, the roasted pecans were delicious.

price was reasonable, decor was great, service was excellent and food amazing

only negative was the lack of space between tables.. i could barely walk between my table and the one behind as the chairs were back to back.

just revisited cafe valentino tonight. service from sophie was amazing....i hope she gets paid loads of money....food from the chef was outstanding. i had the ravioli special and my husband had the lasagne. it was busy for a tuesday night as the buskers are on but the service was attentive, wine list is great and the buchetta still devine!! will be back!

we had dinner at cafe valentino on tuesday night. we had to wait for over 20 minutes for our booked table. the head waitress said she would ask the other diners to leave as they had been there over 2.5hours. we were asked to wait in the "bar" area, where we waited a good 10 minutes to get served for drinks. it was cramped and awkward standing amongst people at the tall tables waiting. when we finally got our table, we ordered quickly as we were all very hungry and we waited over an hour for any food to arrive. it is easy to see how the last diners were taking so long to leave - they were just waiting on their food most likely! admittedly it is two weeks before christmas, but this was unacceptable service. it was incredibly loud, the tables are far too close together, making it difficult to even get to your table and conversation with anyone except the person beside you is just not going to be possible.
the food was ok - i had the chicken and cream sauce pasta. there was far too many sundried tomato's in it, but other than that, it was fine. the other four people i was with said their meals were fine, nothing outstanding. one diner had the fish of the day which was on mashed potato with prawns and a wasabi sauce which she said was delicious.
overall, i would not go back to cafe valentino in a hurry.

the food and service was outstanding, but the noise was so great we couldn't hear the people on the other side of the table.
we were eating at 7.30pm on a friday evening, and the restaurant was full, but the acoustics are terrible.

me and my partner split a large pizza of san marco and patata and the pizza was very authentic and delicious!! the dessert of creme brulee and strawberry sundae was both delicious and just the right size after a big main! very classy and authentic, will be back. however only rated it 4 stars (very close to 5 though), was that they forgot to put olives in my san marco pizza and when i asked the waitress she flat out said san marco doesn't come with olives even though it says it does on the menu?!! and the place is very loud, which is alright but would be perfect if it was a bit more quiet and intimate.

cant believe the one star review...3 of us dined there last week, totally impressed...the service was faultless, very attentive staff, best lasagne ive ever had and the bruschetta is still as good as it was at the old place. my 2 friends also really enjoyed their pasta. the decor is fantastic love the huge vase on the counter with the huge array of fresh flowers in matching colours.the only negative comment would be it was a bit noisy but it was full which was great to see for a start again business. will definitely return soon.

appalling service and management. such a shame after reopening post earthquake. building is good, menu looked extensive but 2 of the 4 main orders were wrong. waitress was new but when approached, the maitre d' was confrontational and never even offered an apology!

advertised as gf but after being open 2 weeks still no gluten free pizza bases, some italian ! our wine order was forgotten and meals were slow.

after 25 years in hospo i cringe at poor service like this and even worse care from management. i recommend avoid as there are many better outlets opening up in the city.

i ate at cafe valentinos last night (31st october 2012) they have moved to 168 st asaph street - it was amazing - the food the wine, the service, the building. i highly recommend this restaurant for lovers of real italian food....

had a beautiful meal when we came here. very nice environment.the food was fresh,absolutely delicious and there was plenty of it! one of the best meals i have had out in my life

this is the third time we have been to this restaurant and every time the service has been fantastic and the food amazing.

be warned the meals are large! if you are into seafood try the seafood pizza!

a cold midweek night in christchurch and we felt like italian food. cafe valentino had been recommended by a number of our friends so we decided to give it a go. driving into the city we past many empty restaurants and we wondered what we might encounter. we needn't have worried, the place was humming!and beautifully warm. we were quickly seated and a drinks order taken. we decided to forgo starters and my wife ordered a pasta, i can't remember the name but it had smoked chicken sundried tomatoes and it was delicious. i had a margherita pizza. the base was thin crispy and it was one of the best pizzas i have ever had. too full for dessert we left vowing to return soon

food, ambiance, value - it was all good, but the service was the worst i've encountered in years.

i have a medical condition and i have to drink special herbs a few times a day, so i asked for a cup of hot water. not only i had to wait for it for half an hour, but five minutes after i got my water the waitress came back and looked over my shoulder to see what i was doing with the water. she saw my herb tea bag and left. a few minutes later she came back and brought the manager with her, the manager told me that i would be required to pay for the hot water a full price of their tea.
what's interesting is that on their menu they encourage patrons to bring their own wine to the restaurant, however they found a problem with my water.
we also had to wait additional 40 minutes for our check.

i found the whole experience to be ridiculous and humiliating and do not recommend this restaurant to anybody, they have no respect for people.

the service is worth a tip,ive only had dessert an it was average, would go back

i usually dine at cafe valentino every time i am working in christchurch, either individually or with a group of colleagues. the food is always exceptional and the menu extensive. the restaurant is always busy, even on weeknights, but the staff will try to find a space for you, even at short notice. one of the best!