For the last 18 months, Beat Street Cafe has been welcoming patrons with great coffee and excellent, reasonably priced food. For coffee drinkers jaded by too many shiny surfaces and fancy prices, Beat Street creates an eclectic mix of quality, friendliness and street culture in a way that invites people in, and encourages them to return.

The coffee is a secret blend of organic, free trade beans, roasted especially for Beat Street away out in a seaside suburb. Once it arrives at the cafe, the staff know what to do with it, and take pride in preparing it well.

The food is reasonably priced, amply portioned, and delicious. It’s also prepared daily in the smallest cafe kitchen in Christchurch, you’ll be amazed at what they turn out there. The breakasts, in particular, are becoming popular with locals - as Beat Street becomes a weekend walk-to destination. An extra effort has been made to source the freshest local ingredients. New items and changes are a weekly event. One week it will be jars of little treats, the next a fancy cheesecake towering sky high.

The atmosphere encourages lingering and saying hello to people. There is plenty of reading material, art and craft on the walls, and little toys in jars to play with. The music is always interesting, the staff love and know their tunes. Sometimes you’ll even get to witness the real old time stereo turning it’s old time vinyl records. A great talking point with your children. Most importantly, you won’t have to shout to place your order, unlike many cafes where “cool” equals music too loud to have a conversation.

Having become acquainted with Beat Street, you’ll likely find yourself returning, as do an increasing number of locals. The combination of good coffee, satisfying food and a welcoming atmosphere make it a sort of ‘village square’ type environment, perfect for our inner city community. We can be proud to call Beat Street our local.