Breakfast in Christchurch

I've wanted to do this post for a while. I enjoy eating breakfast at diners and I believe it started with attending the Diner Tour run by the Cabin and Trail club at Dartmouth. In college, we'd eat a different diner in the Upper Valley each week. I've continued the tradition in Christchurch. Each weekend, I try a different restaurant but recently I've settled on a couple of places. Here are my rankings of breakfast in Christchurch.

1. Drexels – Their subtitle is "All American Breakfast" and it's the closest I've come to an American diner in New Zealand. It's even more American than the Denny franchises here. Their breakfast is the best. The waffles can't be beat and the sausages are closest to the American style. They are the only place that features filter coffee and they constantly refill your cup. The photo is of their exterior.
   
   
2. Megawatt Cafe – It has the largest selection of breakfast foods of any restaurant in Christchurch. I particularly like their German breakfast with a pretzel and spaetzel. I haven't braved the Japanese breakfast with teriyaki fish. I guess they cater to the international crowd being across the street from a large hostel. My first time the water that’s served in bottles was frozen. My other gripe is that they are closed on Sundays. They have a good mixed drink menu that I want to try during some happy hour.
   
   
3. C1 Espresso – Their food and coffee quality should qualify them for second best in Christchurch. However, I've had problems with the kitchen being closed or not working properly. Two times I've walked out without ordering. They have the hippest clientele. They serve the best breakfast burrito and it's vegetarian. Plus, they subscribe to cool magazines, and I get my monthly Wallpaper fix there.
   
   
4. Vivace Café – The coffee is the best. Vivace is a brand that served at many places around town and the roast is not as severe as Starbucks. They are the best at brewing this brand. They have the widest selection of espresso drinks. I like the corn fritters and the chocolate covered espresso beans that are served with the espresso drinks.
   
   
5. The Herb Centre Café – It doubles as an herb and vitamin store and it's the closest eatery to my apartment. The baristas are extremely friendly. I had pancakes with yogurt and honey that were very good. When the weather warms, I want to try their pasta with dried tomatoes and basil.
   
   
6. Mondo – Half of the eating area is in a furniture store. I had eggs benedict with smoked salmon.
   
   
7. The Globe Cafe – It's next door to Mondo and I might have confused the two names. It's busy and cosy.
   
   
8. The Bohemian Café – It's the second closest to my apartment. I had orange flavored French toast that was good. I also watched the quarterfinal of Germany versus Italy and the finals of the World Cup there.
   
   
9. Victoria's Cafe – It has the second largest variety of breakfast food. I had two massive sausages that weren't very good. It has a lot of kitschy items such as inflatable furniture and velvet wall hangings. I was the only one eating there and the sun shines brightly through the big windows making reading a chore.
   
   
10. Stir – It's not great but not bad. I had eggs benedict.
    
    
11. The Java Cafe – Again, it's mediocre. I had the Kiwi Big Breakfast, which is a standard breakfast item on most menus in Christchurch. It consists of eggs, toast, hash browns, bacon, and sausage. It's too much breakfast meat and I don't like the typical kiwi sausage. Also, the hash browns are like tater tots, which, again, is standard.
    
    
12. The Cathedral Cafe – I ate another Kiwi Big Breakfast here. The food is bland and they cater to the tourists. It's attached to the Cathedral.
    
    
13. The Honey Pot Cafe – This was my only truly awful breakfast experience. I had a Kiwi Big Breakfast and tasted like methane. They need to fix their stove. It's been recommended to me as a place to go. Maybe, I'll give it a second chance but probably not. There are too many other places to try.