Portal Bar & Eatery - Christchurch Airport

Have a coffee and breakfast here on my way to Auckland every week. Staff are very sweet even when busy. The barista Vienna makes very good coffee and I’ve never had to wait. She remembers my order and I feel like a regular even though many people probably pass through each day. The Portal breakfast is good as well.

I've had a nice breakfast there and recently a early dinner of fish and chips. Fish was nice, reasonable thickness with nice crispy batter. 1 large size fish and one medium. They have the orange panhead craft beer on tap.

Unfortunately my order for food got lost in the chaos one it was realised it is addressed IMMEDIATELY. I can’t fault the service and the young lady couldn’t have been more accommodating. Mistakes happen but once addressed it was superb

Had late lunch/early supper with a long lay over. Fish and chips were very good. The sirloin steak was very delicious, perfectly done and no fat or gristle. The sauce that came with was quite spicy, and caught me off guard as someone who can’t handle a lot of spice with digestive challenges. Ordering is all done by QR codes on the table, so very little interaction with staff other than their delivering the meals. Efficient, but the human interaction is missed. The location on Google Maps is misleading because it doesn’t show it as in the airport but rather at a roundabout somewhere, therefore we just kind of stumbled upon it rather than seeing it as an option when looking for meal options.

Ignoring the service, food is simply amazing. One of my friends ordered the plant power burger (vegan) and it was the best burger she ever had - made us doubt whether it’s even vegan! We also had the 3-cheese pizza and sirloin steak. Cooked to perfection - it was the best meal we had in Christchurch! Staff and service however, is terrible. Really disappointed considering how this is a restaurant located in the airport and could essentially be the face of Christchurch. It was really busy today and the kitchen bell was going off but the staff were just talking and ignoring it. This is the first time I’ve seen customers coming up to the kitchen and collecting their own food… FOH staff really needs to improve on their menu knowledge. Before dining here, we saw a few reviews saying that the burger is not vegan. False advertising would be an issue under Free Trading Act if the menu is claiming to be vegan when it’s not. Concerned, we personally asked one of the chef that was out making pizzas. He said that they use vegan cheese and the yogurt they used is coconut-based (we tried it and can confirm that it is). So disappointingly, staff have been spreading false information.

Not bad, it was average. Had fish and chips with a drink. Bit expensive but okay, due to being at AIRPORT - June 2025 Ended up with Portal again and this time had Chicken Pizza with a drink - Nov 2025 I will not mind to try something new again next time

Staff very charismatic and friendly - very hospitable - good was a little expensive but you could tell was high quality ingredients. Best airport feed we’ve had thank you! (Eggs bene and portal breakfast)

I dropped by early morning for a coffee during flight transit. The coffee is excellent and perfect. Friendly smile from the staff taking my order and making the coffee. Comfortable seating with power plugs.