Frances Nation Café
Monday8:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Tuesday8:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Wednesday8:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Thursday8:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Friday8:00 am – 3:00 pm.
Saturday9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Sunday9:00 am – 4:00 pm.
Frances Nation Café is a go-to in Christchurch for superb coffee and delicious food. Located directly opposite their homewares store Frances Nation Home, within The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, the café carries the same values as its sibling: showcasing quality and local at its best.
Step inside, and be greeted with a smile and an abundance of eye-pleasing goodness to fill your pantry and gob with. The daytime offerings include freshly made sandwiches and toasties created with Bellbird Bakery bread. These are classics done well, such as an egg sammie using Lamond free-range eggs and homegrown chives or a ham sammie using Peter Timbs ham, Maasdam cheese and Canterbury pickles. It’s simple, honest food that is oh-so-tasty.
The coffee here is again about quality ingredients, using Prima Roastery’s beans – a roaster dedicated to fair trade, organic beans. The cafe is also known for its real-fruit ice-cream, which is created with award-winning New Zealand vanilla ice cream and fresh berries. Dr Feelgood ice blocks are a hit too, especially during the warmer months.
Words by Petra Nyman & Photography by Nancy Zhou
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Location
28 Worcester Blvd, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch
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The Volkswagen Polo is returning to New Zealand, so we’re teaming up with the Volkswagen Polo to meet some little legends of our own: the people behind the places that make Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch special. We handed each of them the keys and asked for their favourite spots.
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It’s been such a joy building something that feels fun and alive. I’m the ‘creative’ and ‘vibes’ guy, so I get really into everything from the social content and music to books and all the little aesthetic details that influence how the space feels. Ultimately, we want Rook to create some kind of community, even if someone’s only there for a short coffee or bite to eat.
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These are some of the places I love to visit.
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