This café is housed in an old central post office building. The interior has a touch of the 1970s with gold and mellow earth tones. High ceilings with large windows fill the café with natural light. The graffiti on the walls and wooden tables create a casual and friendly vibe.

On this sunny Saturday, we ordered a sandwich, which is superb. The toasted sourdough bread is lightly crisp and carries the fragrance of sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sesame. The eggs are fried perfectly with crispy edges, and although the bacon isn’t crispy, it is of higher quality, with a certain thickness, unlike cheaper versions that are overly salty. This sandwich exceeded our expectations.

When the Savoury Crumpets arrived, we didn’t expect them to look like this and thought it was a mistake order for us. After confirming, I hesitated about their taste. However, it turned out to be a pleasant surprise for us – we loved the idea of the crumpets being battered with jalapeno and egg – delivering an exotic flavor profile. The crumbs of halloumi cheese and avocado added another level of tastiness. If you’re a vegetarian, I reckon this will be your first choice.

The burger and fries are actually the main reason for coming here. While we were waiting for the food, we were watching the tubes moving around the café in the ceiling. It’s fun to see people’s happy reaction when the food arriving their table. For my son, while he’s still looking up and puzzling how these tubes are working, and all of a sudden, a food tube arrived at our table, he was jaw-dropping. When he was looking around who this tube’s belonged to, surprisingly it has his name written on, and his eyes and mouth opened wide, “Is this really for me? How did they know my name? ”

It takes a bit of time for him to figure out how to open the tube in order to get the food out. And of course he was happily enjoying the food, it was a really experience for a boy! The fries were crispy, and the burger was delightful – a very satisfying meal.

The service is good, the food is excellent, the interior is charming, so the overall experience is great. It’s a memorable experience for my son!

C1 Espresso
Address: Old Post & Telegraph, Office building 185 High Street, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8142
https://www.c1espresso.co.nz/