Review Meshino - Christchurch

Service was quick, staff friendly and offered to put up sun umbrella for us. Only thing was my friend had booked but they said there was no booking. Didn't matter as there were plenty of tables free but I've seen a similar comment on their past reviews and wonder if this is an issue for them.

After coming here for over 3 months now, it's safe to say this is my all time favorite place to get a Mocha, Nothing else comes close in comparison! Always greeted by friendly staff with my drink waiting 🙏 please never change! Excited to try out the food when I have more time! Also literally less than a dollar more than a yucky BP coffee!

Came to Christchurch this weekend and found this little gem of a cafe! Great coffee and great cabinet food. Stoked with a 6.30am opening on a Saturday morning, perfect for an early bird like me. Go check it out ✔️

One of our favourites. Coffee is always good, and service friendly and efficient. The food never disappoints. We love being able to sit outside with the dog. Whenever we need 'time out' from life it's our 'go-to'. It's relaxing and kinda comforting as well

Super cute spot with yummy food and drinks. The barista even fixed my drink when I asked for more chai. She gave great recommendations for our roadtrip around NZ and was very friendly and sweet!

Had a great bagel and coffee, nice outdoor sitting area. Will be back

I'm a new customer, been a couple of times early in the morning. Staff are sooooo friendly, food is amazing and coffee has been awesome. No nasty bitter burnt carry on. Absolutely recommend. My scone was still hot from the oven this morning!

Very busy this morning with people eating in and take-aways. I had a delicious smoked chicken roulade and a gorgeous lemon tart both gluten free.

This is really one of the best cafe’s around Christchurch that offer a wide selection of food and drink with great value. The food is high quality and always comes out of the kitchen quickly. It has easy access for parking and central to the CBD. A great venue to bring clients and have relaxed meetings. Highly recommended!

Lovely presentation, great service. Finally staff. Gluten free/ celiac options. Lovely coffee

Quite a nice cafe. It has always got people in the cafe and is very popular. It has a great environment and hence a nice atmosphere. The food is fresh and there is a nice courtyard if it's fine and warm. Car parking is normally good but it Is on the street so if it fills up close to the cafe very quickly. Visited there today (21 March 2022) and I thought the carrot cake I bought wasn't that fresh nonetheless it was still ok and tasted good. It did come with cream. It hasn't changed apart from when I first wrote about the place, except for the covid signage etc.

Finally found a good local cafe..easy parking, quality food, friendly service...

I live in Wellington, every time I am in Christchurch for work, I come here, this is the best place to get a chicken salad. I leave talking about it for ages! Can’t wait for my next trip.

Consistently good food,coffee and service with a nice atmosphere. Building a little bit noisy but could be my age.

Went to Meshino Cafe for brunch last weekend. Got a table straight away and promptly ordered. Ordered a Meshino Breakfast and a salmon bagel, was very satisfying and filling. Would definitely return again.

Best place to have a coffee in st Albans. Setting, atmosphere, friendliness of the staff really made this experience good.

Love meshino. Love eggs on toast with bacon. Love the kids play area. Love the friendly staff that care about the customers. Love the fact it has been opened for over 10 years. 5 star all the way.

I ordered a full breakfast, wasn't bad but everything was very oily. while my friend ordered waffles with strawberries cream and chocolate sauce, sounds nice right? $18.50 for 4 of these things that look and taste as if they've been through a deep fryer a couple times. cream from a can. very disappointing, coffees alright. service is lovely.

Very disappointing. My partners parents have eaten here a few times and enjoyed the experience but after today safe to say none of us will be returning.<br/><br/>To be fair i will acknowledge that they did have a large booking of people - but clearly it was pre booked so they should have had adequate wait staff and cooks prepared in order to cater to a large group as well as everyday patrons. <br/><br/>We were a group of 5 in for breakfast. For whatever reason only 2 of the 5 meals came out, then after much prompting and following up with 3 different wait staff a 3rd meal of waffles came out. This was 30mins after the first two meals and an hour after the order was placed. <br/>The meal was cold and the waffles were very thin, tasting like crisp batter as there wasnt much thickness to it. We spent another 10mins trying to wave down another waitress to raise our concerns again, at which she then tells us she cant find our order docket and something has happened but she'll follow up on the remaining 2 meals. After a lot of passing back and forth between staff, we became fed up with the service and left. At the time of doing so another unhappy patron who was apart of the large group booking was at the counter requesting a refund as they too hadn't received their meal. <br/><br/>I hope your team learnt a lesson today. Clearly none of your staff were up for the challenge of catering to a large group let alone everyone else.<br/>The waitress who initially took our order was passing the blame off to another staff member when she really only had herself to blame. <br/>No wait staff demonstrated leadership, or took responsiblity for the mistakes and solved the issues. Just one big mess.

The food here is alway super yummy! The service is great here aswell :) the only thing I dislike is when they get busy there's not enough seating.

Not really sure why there's so many negative reviews? Came here with my mum, as she really likes the place and suggested we go in. <br/><br/>I had a Spinach & Cashew Pinwheel and a White Choc, Nut & Berry Brownie. My mum had a Salmon Frittata and a Date Crumble. I've read negative comments on the food here and we thought the food was amazing! The date crumble was so good!<br/><br/>Service was nice and it was quite busy but everyone who served us was really lovely. Coming from a hospitality background I enjoy good service and the girls working there were great! Unfortunately they forgot our coffees and I had to chase them up, the girl at the counter was very apologetic and they were made right away for us. <br/><br/>I would definitely go back here, I don't understand all the hate!

We went on a Saturday evening 3 weeks ago. The food we were served was very good however the restaurant was very busy. We knew that would be so because they told us on Thursday when we booked. What we didn't know was they would run the place short staffed and we would wait for ages for everything. My wife visited a few days later to discuss our disappointment and the owner was defensive and indifferent to my wife's polite comments

We went here this morning for breakfast and it was the pits ... We ordered fried eggs and bacon and scrabbled eggs and bacon ... the fried eggs were all gristly and over fried coated in oil , the toast wasn't properly toasted and the bacon looked raw .. Sent it back ... Then my scrambled eggs arrived on burnt toast looking anaemic with raw looking bacon .. How hard is to do eggs and bacon ?? We complained about the scrambled eggs too and the waitress looked disinterested , in fact all the staff looker very unhappy and disinterested, we decided we'd cut our loses and leave. We were refunded our meals with no apology or explanation of why we were even served such atrocious food. We left vowing never ever to return to this so called restaurant ... Who's cooking the food there, perhaps the dishwasher, who knows, certainly not a chef ? !

Despite the negative reviews here we still went with a group of friends for an evening meal. This was a mistake. Several of us had the same meal but it eventually arrived it came in a range of very different portion sizes for each of us. Also why charge extra for a few vegetables - what a rip off!

I don't understand why this cafe has had such crap reviews. I actually found it very pleasant. I went there twice in one day as I had an appointment nearby.<br/><br/>I had a decaf mocha and gluten free choc treat first. The coffee was good and the GF treat was excellent, moist, rich with a molten choc centre. I was intending to share some with my son but ate it all while he was playing :/<br/><br/>Came back later and had a delicious kumara, cream cheese and caramelised onion tart with a nice green salad which was piping hot (I am pregnant and it is always annoying to have to send something back to be reheated because it comes out luke warm and isn't safe to eat). Summer lunch menu was very appealing and reasonably priced - all mains were $25 including the steak meal.<br/><br/>The environment was lovely, light and airy with heaps of windows, but enough exposed wood, funky artworks and black accents to avoid being washed out. nice outside table area with plenty of seating. Staff were friendly and service quick.<br/><br/>It was really child-friendly. There was a sofa area with a box of toys, two good quality high chairs and a gated outside area with a mini table and chairs and small plastic fort.<br/><br/>The only bum note, which was a major one unfortunately, was that the environs needed a thorough clean. My son went for a 30 second crawl inside and when I picked him up afterwards the tops of his feet had gone from pasty white to charcoal!! There were a few too many deceased flies on the windowsill, the toys were very grubby (with soil in some, even though they were inside toys??) and both high chairs needed a clean, even when we first came in at before 8am, so it was unlikely they had been used that day. After feeding my son I gave the chair a thorough wipe with wet wipes and it was visibly cleaner than when we started the feed - not usually the way that goes!<br/><br/>Apart from the cleaning, this is a great cafe and I would be keen to try a meal there.<br/><br/>

This cafe/restaurant has garnered some exceptionally negative reviews. So it goes. Those most aggrieved are often very few, but readily, vociferously proffer scathing words. Its so easy to do so whether justified or not. The odd negative experience loudly voiced readily assumes a weight over and above many unvoiced positive experiences. On the other hand, Kiwis don't habitually complain even when more than justified and whilst remaining silent after a bad experience simply won't return. So what to make of this place? Its hard to say but its not as if Meshino looks like it is going out of business any time soon.<br/><br/>From my experience Meshino is OK. The service is good and responsive, at least, and very importantly, once one gets how it works and engages appropriately. Appropriate engagement absent you will likely find it wonting. <br/><br/>Overall, the food is entirely average. Being generous its more average in some instances than others when price is considered, meaning some dishes are relatively reasonably priced whereas others are egregiously overpriced considering the ingredients and quality. Not to be unduly unkind to this establishment alone, this is par for the course, more or less. The gargantuan bowls used to serve some dishes made to make some dishes appear larger than they are should be dispensed with. <br/><br/>A fine local cafe or bistro this would make if only it could make up its mind. I cannot but be left with the impression that this is an establishment trying to do too much all at once (especially during lunch service) but not doing as well as it might with anything in particular as a result.

Dined here for dinner with a group of friends, we dine out regularly and enjoy discovering new restaurants and an opportunity to catch up with each other over a meal. Five of us were satisfied with our meal, but one member of our party was not. She ordered the Blanquette of Rose Veal, disappointingly what she received did not reflect the description on the menu. The potatoes were not the small gourmet potatoes as expected, the croutons were not croutons, they were hard melba toast, the onions were missing, the mushrooms were overly firm and the sauce was bland. She said the veal was nice, however the plate was returned with the 'toast' and potatoes untouched. She was offered a free hot drink or dessert by way of compromise after querying the meal. She was informed that the onions had 'disintegrated', no explanation for the 'toast'. In my opinion this entire dish should be taken off the menu, it earns this restaurant no kudos. One very disappointed diner at our table, and that is not acceptable. I was quite taken aback at the total lack of interest on the part of the chef, as to why the meal was returned virtually untouched. Not good enough Meshino, I certainly had high expectations as I was the one who recommended we dine with you. You need to be consistent, all your dishes should be of the same high standard and quality and the menu reflect what the diner receives.

We went today for lunch and it was awful. My husband had the seafood chowder which was oily and quite bland. But the worst thing was my risotto. There was cream then far too much cheese then covered in oil. It said truffle oil in the menu but I didn't realize it meant half the bottle. By the time I got home I felt so sick I thought I would throw up and that's only after eating a fifth of my meal. Unfortunately, we won't be back.

Had a dinner here at 6pm on a Saturday night. Service was very good, waitress was very friendly and attentive, in fact quite switched on. We shared an entree of terrain which was excellent, toast was slightly too crispy and hard. Husband had rabbit risotto which he said was good, rabbit could have been a little larger but it tasted great. I had the salmon and it was delicious. All in all, it was very good and any criticisms we had were very small and did not impact on our whole experience. Certainly was good value for money considering the meals we had. Will be back.

I took a friend for dinner one night this week and the meal was excellent. Beautifully cooked monkfish and apricot crumble. So when some other friends wanted to catch up for dinner later that week I thought we would support our local and went again to Meschino. Most of the meal was again lovely but my veal was very tough. When the waitress asked if our meals were ok I told her the meat was tasty but very tough. She didn't respond so when we paid the bill we asked if she had done anything about my comment. Her reply was that she had told the chef who said the menu didn't say how the meat was cooked. I never realised that if a menu doesn't say the meat will be cooked tender it can be tough?????? Pity because everything else was lovely.

Somewhat disappointed. My wife and I went there on Saturday for brunch/lunch. My wife's granola and fruit was delicious. However, I opted for the lamb's liver, crispy bacon and caramelised onions on wholemeal toast. Unfortunately, the bacon was limp and certainly not 'crispy'. The liver, on the other hand, was grey (no hint of pinkness), grainy, and definitely overcooked - to the extent that the thinner edges of the liver slices were actually quite hard. The sauce, whilst flavoursome, had soaked into the toast so that the latter had taken on the texture of porridge or wet weetbix. It might be better to serve the toast on the side, so the diner can use it as a base for the dish but avoid this unpleasant sogginess? We also did not see any sign at the counter when we first arrived that we had to go up to the counter to order. As a result, we remained seated at our table for nearly 20 minutes, with no wait-staff enquiry, before I headed to the counter to see if we could place our order. This could have been my oversight, but, once at the counter, I still could not see any information relating to ordering. I had heard good reports of Meshino and we have friends in the area who have enjoyed their experience there. Maybe this was an off-day. We shall probably give it another try, but I hope the chef does a much better job on the liver and bacon - not overcooking one and undercooking the other!

We had lunch here last week and what a disappointment. We both had the chicken something. (Chicken thighs wrapped in bacon and served with mash and asparagus) The mash was fine - nothing special - just mashed potato. The asparagus was fine - nothing special - just boiled within an inch of its life. But the chicken, that was something else. Definitely precooked - probably microwaved. The texture was something I have never tasted before and I cook with chicken thighs a lot. The bacon was soggy and fatty - no thanks to the microwaving. For $18.50 for lunch I would have been better off with a Big Mac and getting change. Never again. One star for the service.

I recently visited your cafe with children with me. They ordered pancakes and one child was asked if she'd like fruit or bacon (savoury)with them, she chose fruit.<br/>This kid loves fresh fruit, but the pancakes arrived swimming in passionfruit syrup and maple syrup.<br/>Consequently she did not eat much at all. And we paid adult price at $16.50. Could you not have charged children's menu prices?Both kids were under 5. There didn't seem to an option for child menu. Could this be something they could think<br/> about. I won't be recommending the cafe for anyone with children. Lynne

We meet friends here and none of us had been before. They didn't have any tea!!!!! Ok the snow had stopped their order but HELLO there are supermarkets, a teabag is better than no tea. So we ordered a hot chocolate and an iced chocolate, both terrible, iced chocolate was like flavoued milk. We wanted to order food and it was hard to find something nice as it all looked old and dried up. We both wanted a sweet muffin, none left, unbelievable, so we had to have a cake, that was actually nice. Our friends arrived and found the food just as bad and the lady who served them was really rude. It was also very over priced.<br/>We will call the manager and complain and try again in a few months....maybe!