Deep-fried pie sandwiches, 10,000 glizzys and $6 chips: your guide to eating and drinking at Te Kaha this weekend

Thursday, 23 April 2026

After years of roadworks, earthquakes and liquor licensing battles that once threatened to shut bars at midnight on opening night, One New Zealand Stadium is finally open for business — and Christchurch’s food and drink scene is ready to make up for lost time.

From deep-fried pie sandwiches and 10,000 glizzys to $10 kebabs and feijoa doughnuts, here’s what’s on the menu before, during and after Super Rugby Pacific’s Super Round.

Before the matches

For those heading in from the bus exchange on Lichfield St, Rambler bar and restaurant — on the ground floor of the Drifter hotel-hostel — is hosting its own stadium opening festival from Thursday. Free tattoos, drink deals, live music and DJs run each night, with a free Rambler season pass offering exclusive offers and giveaways on future event nights.

Just 150m from the stadium’s eastern entrance, Mediterranean Foods Trattoria & Deli is extending its hours on event days. The Tuam St spot usually closes at 5pm on weekdays, but manager Angelo Maggione has built a garden bar kitted with heaters and blankets for the occasion. Pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches are on offer, with $10 beers, $15 Aperol and limoncello spritzes, and olives or bread from $9.

To the west of the arena, Dux Central and Smash Palace will feed and pour drinks for the masses, and there’s Robbies Sports Bar next door on Lichfield St for those wanting to watch from outside.

A wide variety of culinary options will be available inside the stadium.

Half-time munch spots

Smokey T's award-winning pitmasters Nate and Tristin Anderson’s Cashel St restaurant has been renovated with bi-folding doors to handle the stadium crowd this weekend.

Some 80% of food inside the venue is from Canterbury, with 11 local restaurants operating across the arena — from Sheffield Pies and Arbour Woodfired Pizza to Pedro’s Lamb, Black Burger and Korean Fried Chicken. Chips are available for about $6, and punters can buy up to four alcoholic drinks at a time, averaging about $12 each.

The pick of the weekend might be found on level 3. In the Co-Lab space — a kitchen rotating local eateries on event days — award-winning Inati head chef Simon Levy is aiming to shift 1000 deep-fried pie sandwiches. His creation, a self-described “Kiwiana classic with a UK twist”, slaps a deep-fried pie between fresh bread, cut in half and served with cheese sauce and tomato sauce. Dishes range from $10 to $17, with mini doughnuts dusted in feijoa sherbet and topped with aerated chocolate sauce also on the menu.

Social media favourite Glizzys - the New York-style hot dog vendor run by the same team behind Papa Smashies and Bones Pickles - has earned a permanent spot at Te Kaha after starting life as a pop-up. The team is gunning to sell 10,000 hot dogs during the opening weekend.

Multiple award-winning pitmaster Smokey T’s has a barbecue outlet inside the stadium, with stadium-only specials including $16.50 smoked meat subs, $15 pork belly mac and cheese, $10 sweet waffles and $12 hot dogs. The full low-and-slow menu remains available at their Cashel St restaurant, which has been renovated with bi-folding doors to handle the flow of hungry fans.

When the Crusaders play, a special Crusaders Pie will be available — filled with Canterbury lamb shoulder and leg, kūmara and capsicum in a tomato-based gravy.

Basel Al Zuhlof, left, and Amr Alkarati from Stadium Pirate Grill on Madras St say they can have a kebab in a punter’s hands within two minutes of ordering.

Those wanting to bring their own food are welcome to, but nothing commercial — such as McDonald’s, Venues Ōtautahi chief executive Caroline Harvie-Teare said.

The after party

Galaxy Bar owner Matthew Glanville, who previously ruled out screening rugby, is now showing all Super Round matches live — with street food, $8 happy hour drinks and post-match karaoke on offer on the east side of the stadium.

For those too engrossed in the match to leave their seats — or unwilling to tackle the 111 stairs more than once — there’s plenty waiting on the doorstep.

Pirate Stadium Grill, just 150m from the western entrance, promises a fresh Middle Eastern kebab in as little as two minutes. Owner Basel Al Zuhlof — whose son chose the stadium-themed name — said the small, family-run business specialises in fresh, flavourful Middle Eastern food that’s quick and satisfying. He’s not yet sure how late he’ll stay open on weekends, but one thing is certain: “We’re very excited.”

Duck Island on the corner of Tuam and High streets will be open until 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday for those whose prefer a nightcap in a cone.

The Kebab House on Lichfield is offering any regular kebab or meat on chips for $10, and is open until 1am on weekends. Owner Gurpreet Singh, who also runs Sals pizza next door, is offering a 10% discount to stadium event ticket holders, excluding special deals.

But the party doesn’t have to stop at kebabs.

Despite owner Matthew Glanville previously declaring there was “zero chance” his venue would become a sports bar, Galaxy Bar on Barbadoes St — directly opposite the stadium — has had a change of heart. The venue is screening all Super Round matches live, with street food vendors on site, $8 happy hour drinks leading up to each game, and post-match karaoke and retro arcade games for those wanting to keep the night going.

Dux Central, Earl, the Church Pub and bars along The Terrace are also licensed until the early hours — and for the first time, venues won’t have to turn punters away after midnight on Anzac Day morning, after decades of archaic holiday liquor laws were scrapped just weeks before opening night.

For those whose prefer their nightcap to come in a cone, Duck Island on the corner of Tuam and High streets will be open until 11.30pm on Friday and Saturday, while Rollickin Gelato branches on both New Regent St and Cashel St will be scooping until 11pm - with Anzac bikkie flavoured gelato on the menu.