dux dine

just got home from a wonderful meal at duxdine. we were greeted as soon as we walked in the door and taken straight to our table . the restaurant was warm and the atmosphere was alive . i was tipped from a friend of mine to order the calamari entree , followed by the groper with salsa verde on white bean mash , everything was perfect . my partner shared the calamari and had the papadelle pasta with clams , scampi , local fish , parmesan as her main .she described it as one of the best pastas she has had in years . the service was excellent and i could not fault anything apart from being to full for dessert . we will be back !!!

on of my favourite restaurants in christchurch- hands down!! i always love coming to duxdinebecause i know that the drinks will be tasty and the food will be top notch. my go-to food choices are always the "red tofu curry" and the "margherita pizza" however the last time i went i ordered the "pasta of the day" which on the menu said salmon carbonara however the dish i got was actually cod carbonara- it was very tasty but i was still slightly disappointed as i was looking forward to eating some salmon. every person at the table loved their food and we all had a really good dining experience in the semi-outdoor conservatory area of the restaurant, which is really pretty in the evening sunset! the only small problem here would be parking as although they do have their own carpark, there is sometimes not enough room and the roadworks on riccarton road make for a really inconvenient parking experience - @gastrogeeny

a great place todine. i visited this beautiful place recently with my indian friends .food and surroundings both were great except for the blue cod was little undercooked for one of my friends but another curious and first time visitor friend was very delighted with his experience. surely would visit this happy place again:)

a partial successor to the famous dux de lux restaurant that was damaged in the christchurch earthquake, duxdineis situated in a restored historic villa in riccarton. the villa provides a variety of different spaces so whether you’re after a romantic different for two, brunch with a big group of friends or even a lazy beer in the courtyard, there is something suitable for any occasion.

consistently excellent food and presentation. great service. beautiful renovated villa with open gas fire places for cold winter days, and a spacious outdoor patio area todineon hot summer days.

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 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 duxdinefor 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.

duxdineis a family friendly, homely type establishment. it feels like the kind of place you want to go on a cold wintery day. the dishes i ordered are kind of in that keeping. hearty food.

things that were good.... good wine and beer selection, perfectly cooked grouper and terikihi and calamari
things that wern't so good..... floury tasting coating on calamari, general lack of seasoning in just about everything, grotty truck stop salt and pepper shakers, dirty beer glasses, staff in dirty shirts and aprons and iodised salt instead of some nice flaked sea salt.
in summary the experience was disappointing and could have been a lot better with a little attention to detail. the new duxdinehas the potential to be a great dining location and as we get more choices in christchurch places that don't hit the mark won't survive. i hope that with the history that dux has it doesn't become one of those places that we used to go to.

really don't understand the poor reviews below - went to duxdinethis evening, and it was the best meal ever! arrived at 8pm and without a booking managed to get a seat - usually this is a bad sign in chch, but the person who greeted us was friendly and gave us a good table.

while the waiters took a while to take our orders after handing over the menu, the entree was worth the wait. recommend the flat breads and spreads - soooo good! loved the option of a small or large glass of wine.

we both ordered fish dishes as mains and the were fantastic!!
no complaints about the meals, but they did takes ages to come out ...1.5hrs after we sat down. bit annoying, but the meals were so good we forgot about the wait straight away. meals looked small, but were deceiving! we shared one dessert - the chocolate mousse cake was fab, and the raspberry sorbet great!! yum.

very clean premises. i watched the waiter clean a table while i sat there and he did a brilliant job - sounds stupid but so many times i see a half arsed attempt, and it's no wonder everything ends up grubby. kitchen very clean too.

very good service. nice young bloke was very good. nice to be served correctly, and new napkins after each course. very good.

lovely atmosphere. lovely meal. thoroughly recommend. (and i usually complain about everything!!)

i'm confused by the poor ratings below. i have breakfast at duxdinemost mornings. fantastic. very comfortable, great food, great service. have had dinner quite a few times with friends and occasionally big groups....never disappointed. had dinner last night with several others. fabulous blue cod. oysters were said to be terrific and fresh. four desserts shared amongst us...none disappointed. this place is a favourite and with so many new places opening in christchurch, it has to be to deserve my loyalty. sorry some of you have had bad experiences but i think that is not the norm.

this is my third visit to the dux dine. on previous visits i was very happy with the food & service. the thought the decor and layout well done.
hostess and staff friendly and helpful.
on the down side, i felt that their policy on having to get your own water and take your orders up -if dinning outside, was odd. half of the veranda area was included in thedinein area and 1/2 the outside! we felt that the outside area was close enough to be serviced. it makes no difference to the number of patrons for staff to take orders from outside. as guests will leave an empty table in side. maybe they need to increase staff levels? however there appeared to be plenty. (i have worked in this industry for many years on the floor & management)
my seafood chowder was nice but had been sitting prior to being brought out to the table. the soup had a skin on and was just hot! yes i could have sent it back and next time i will.
these are just little things that can be easily fixed and hope you think about our comments, with a positive approach. i would give the duxdineanother go - if joining others but won't rush on my own accord.

we used to be regulars at the dux de lux. duxdinewas very disappointing.

paid too much for food which was bland and disappointing. eg, flat bread was 18 dollars, for that price you would expect more than what was presented as a pizza base with some butter, garlic and a few dips in ramekins.

table service non-existent, except if you are sitting at the staff table. who were enjoying fantastic service while the rest of us went to the bar to order.

we won't be going back, and recommend staying away until they get some good management.

there's no place like home!

was really looking forward to my dining experience at the 'new' duxdine- it did not disappoint!
from the fabulous decor which i can only describe as a breath of fresh air, to the amazing food.
first time i have ever eaten mushrooms in a croquet form and really enjoyed it. the fish dish was wonderful and enjoyed by at least 6 in our party of 12.
once a local of christchurch and now living in auckland i would say that the duxdinewould certainly give a lot of auckland restaurants a run for their money.
keep up the good work guys - i will be back with friends :)

being an "old school" dux diner" i was waiting with baited breath for the duxdineto reopen its doors so i could once eat the wonderful aquatarien food that i fondly remember.
this beautiful old house now holds one of christchurch's iconic restaurants, every room is beautifully decorated and the garden would make many a gardener envious.

the group i was with ordered oysters, bread and dips, polenta chips and a range of salads and everything was washed down with the dux beers and everything was amazing!

the dux now do table service and the menus have beautiful old christchurch on them, many a tourist will be slipping it into there bags to take home i think.

well done team dux you must be very proud .