Francesca's Italian Kitchen opened its Christchurch dining room in 2016, bringing the restaurant group's Italian cooking to Gloucester Street beside the Isaac Theatre Royal. The location makes an obvious pre-theatre stop, but the room is equally geared to family meals, business dinners and celebrations. Seasonal New Zealand produce sits alongside Italian ingredients and technique, giving the kitchen room to respect familiar dishes while changing details as the year progresses. Set-menu functions can extend that approach to groups of up to 50 people.

Small plates establish that seasonal rhythm before the pasta and pizza arrive. House-made focaccia is served with olive oil, vincotto, confit-garlic butter and sundried-tomato pesto, while polenta fries bring Grana Padano and truffle aioli. A bruschetta of balsamic-roasted grapes, whipped goat's cheese and hot honey balances fruit, tang and heat. Beef carpaccio with anchovy and capers and burrata with berries and blood orange move the opening course in two very different directions. A fennel-and-orange salad supplies a fresher bridge into the larger plates.

Pasta is made fresh daily, and the current combinations favour slow cooking and bold sauces. Potato gnocchi is paired with braised beef cheek, gremolata and pecorino; lamb ragù folds olives and spinach through pappardelle. Artichoke tagliatelle takes a vegetarian route with toasted almonds and truffle oil, while Roman-style gnocchi comes with tomato sugo, mozzarella and basil crumb. Beyond pasta, roasted salmon with orzo and calamari risotto sharpened by nduja show how comfortably the kitchen moves into seafood.

Wood-fired pizza gives the menu another strong centre. Margherita is finished with rocket pesto, tartufo combines roasted mushrooms and truffle oil, and a white-base mortadella pizza adds stracciatella, lemon oil and pistachio. Pepperoni and anchovy-caper Napoletana cover the more robust tomato-based choices. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free markers help diners navigate the menus, with the restaurant careful to note that its flour-heavy kitchen cannot eliminate cross-contamination. Children's dishes, highchairs and set menus for larger groups make the restaurant useful well beyond a dinner for two.

Address: 149 Gloucester Street, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch 8011, New Zealand

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Francesca's Italian Kitchen Menu Menu updated on 17 Sep 2026

Dinner – Small Plates

Potato skins

$18

with truffle oil, truffle salt, pecorino, aioli (limited availability) *V *GF *DFA

Polenta fries

$18

grana padano, truffle aioli *V *GF

Grilled focaccia bread

$18

olive oil, vincotto, confit garlic butter, sundried tomato & walnut pesto *V

Marinated olives

$12

olive oil, garlic, chilli, orange zest *V *GF*DF

Fennel and orange salad

$24

baby cos, sunflower seeds, sherry vinegar, grana padano *V *GF

Beef carpaccio

$30

grana padano, lemon aioli, capers, red onion, white anchovies, ciabatta *GFA

ViaVio stracchino

$30

chilli-infused honey, pistachio, basil oil, ciabatta *V *GFA

Dinner – Large Plates

All pasta made fresh daily

Potato gnocchi

$43

braised beef cheek, gremolata, pecorino

Lamb ragu

$43

pappardelle, olives, chilli jam, lemon, baby spinach, grana padano *GFA *DFA

Tagliatelle di carciofo

$41

artichoke hearts, artichoke cream, toasted almonds & truffle oil *GFA

Gnocchi alla Romana

$40

tomato sugo, mozzarella, grana padano, basil crumb *V

Roasted Salmon

$40

orzo, spinach, cherry tomatoes, mandarin gremolata, grana padano *DFA

Risotto

$43

with calamari sauteed in n’duja, capers & lemon juice *GF *DFA

Dinner – Pizza

Gluten-free base $4; Vegan Mozzarella $4

Margherita

$32

tomato base, fresh mozzarella, rocket pesto *V

Mortadella

$34

white base, mortadella, stracciatella, lemon oil, pistachio

Tartufo

$32

white base, roasted mushroom, garlic, truffle oil, shaved grana padano *V

Pepperoni

$34

tomato base, mozzarella, pepperoni, roasted red onions, rocket, chilli oil

Napoletana

$32

tomato base, mozzarella, black anchovies, capers, kalamata olives

Lunch – Small Plates

Grilled focaccia bread

$18

olive oil, vincotto, confit garlic butter, sundried tomato & walnut pesto *V

Polenta fries

$18

grana padano, truffle aioli *V *GF

Marinated olives

$12

olive oil, garlic, chilli, orange zest *V *GF*DF

Fennel and orange salad

$24

baby cos, sunflower seeds, sherry vinegar, grana padano *V *GF

Green salad

$15

balsamic dressing *V *GF *DF

Lunch – Focaccia & Panuozzo

Proscuitto

$18

provolone dulce, pesto Genovese *DFA

Mortadella

$18

mozzarella, lemon aioli, pistachio, rocket *DFA

Pepperoni

$18

smoked provolone, chilli oil, rocket *DFA

Roasted veg

$18

ricotta, Sicilian pesto, spinach *V *DFA

Lunch – Pizza & Calzone

Gluten-free pizza base $4; Vegan Mozzarella $4

Margherita

$32

fresh mozzarella, tomato base, rocket pesto *V

Mortadella

$34

white base, mortadella, stracciatella, lemon oil, pistachio

Tartufo

$32

white base, roasted mushrooms, garlic, truffle oil, shaved grana padano *V

Pepperoni

$34

tomato base, mozzarella, pepperoni, roasted red onions, rocket, chilli oil

Napoletana

$32

tomato base, mozzarella, black anchovies, capers, kalamata olives

Dolci

Tiramisu

$18

Sponge fingers soaked in espresso and Marsala with house-made Mascarpone *V

Affogato

$13 / $19

add a shot of liqueur *V *GF

Gelato & Sorbet

1 scoop $7 / 2 scoops $12

(Please ask for today’s flavours) *V *GF *DFA

Cannoli

Fried pastry shell filled with traditional chocolate ricotta cream *V

Non-Alcoholic

Sparkling Water 1L

$12

Soft Drinks 250ml

Coca Cola, Coca Cola No Sugar, Lemonade, Tonic Water, Soda Water, Fanta Orange, Ginger Beer/Ale, Orange Juice, Apple Juice, Grapefruit Juice

‘Make Your Own’ Mocktail

Choose up to two of the following syrup flavours, served over ice, topped with a soft drink of your choice: blood orange, elderflower, peach tea, passionfruit, pomegranate, vanilla, watermelon; add fresh mint, fresh lemon or fresh orange slices

Beer & Cider

B Effect ‘Poppin Pils’ 420ml

$13.50

Brewed in Wanaka, NZ

Cassels Tap 425ml

$13.50

Brewed in Christchurch, NZ

Peroni Nastro Azzurro

$13

Refreshing Italian Lager

Cassels & Sons Milk Stout

$13

Smooth with roasted chocolate malt

Cassels & Sons Nectaron IPA

$13

Tropical fruit IPA

Cocktails

Porto Tonico

$14

Torlesse white port, tonic water

Aperol Italian Spritz

$18

Aperol, Prosecco, soda water

Espresso Martini

$21

Allpress espresso, Blue Duck vodka, Tia Maria or Baileys

Negroni

$21

Campari, Scapegrace gin, Vermouth Rosso

Limoncello Mule

$19

House-made limoncello, Scapegrace vodka, ginger beer, mint

Sparkling by the Glass

120ml – Bottle

La Gioiosa Prosecco DOC

120ml $14 / Bottle $65

Veneto, Italy

Bandini Prosecco DOC

120ml $15 / Bottle $70

Veneto, Italy

Jansz Brut

120ml $15 / Bottle $70

Tasmania, Australia

Spirits

Finlandia

$12

Vodka

Scapegrace

$13

Vodka

Blue Duck Rare

$14

Vodka

Hayman's London Dry

$12

Gin

Black Robin Rare

$13

Gin

Wines by the Glass

150ml – 250ml – Bottle

Summerhouse Sauvignon Blanc

150ml $14 / 250ml $23 / Bottle $65

Marlborough, New Zealand

Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc

150ml $15 / 250ml $25 / Bottle $70

Marlborough, New Zealand

Saddleback Pinot Gris

150ml $15 / 250ml $25 / Bottle $70

Central Otago, New Zealand

Pegasus Bay Riesling

150ml $16 / 250ml $26 / Bottle $75

Waipara, New Zealand

Man ‘O War Chardonnay

150ml $18 / 250ml $29 / Bottle $84

Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Wines by the Bottle

Quartz Reef Brut NV

$90

Central Otago, New Zealand

Louis Bouillot Grande Reserve NV

$95

Nuits-Saint-Georges, France

Veuve Cliquot Brut

$130

Reims, France

Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc ‘25

$75

Marlborough, New Zealand

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Margherita pizza Typical in Christchurch: $26.00 $32.00
Tiramisu Typical in Christchurch: $16.00 $18.00
Pepperoni pizza Typical in Christchurch: $26.00 $34.00

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Francesca’s Italian Kitchen Menu

Francesca's Italian Kitchen Menu Menu updated on 17 Sep 2026

Dinner – Small Plates

Dinner – Large Plates

Dinner – Pizza

Lunch – Small Plates

Lunch – Focaccia & Panuozzo

Lunch – Pizza & Calzone

Dolci

Non-Alcoholic

Beer & Cider

Cocktails

Sparkling by the Glass

Spirits

Wines by the Glass

Wines by the Bottle

From Happy Menu members

How prices compare

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