Neat in the Neighbourhood: Your Guide to Sydenham

Sydenham runs on good beans, so start where they're roasted. Prima Roastery spent a quarter of a century in Woolston before shifting its green Petroncini roaster to a light-flooded warehouse on the corner of Brougham and Brisbane Streets. Here, every step from sack to cup happens in full view. The cabinet leans proudly local (Bellbird pastries, Fairlie pies), and bringing your own cup is practically house religion. Single-use went in the bin years ago, and a refilled bean container earns you a dollar off.

Over on Montreal Street, Allpress Espresso has turned an old mechanic's workshop into a sleek cafe and barista training facility. Order a piccolo and watch the city's next baristas learn their craft through the glass.

When a takeaway cup won't quite cut it, Hello Sunday awaits just off Colombo on Elgin Street. Spread across a former church and post office, this beloved brunch institution has been a national hospitality awards finalist for a few years running. Within the old weatherboard walls they brew Allpress, bake legendary cinnamon scrolls, and serve a menu that nudges brunch toward fine dining. Settle into a softly lit nook and lose half a day to comfort; the more dogs and toddlers, the better.

Tucked inside homeware store Addy & Lou on Battersea Street, Little Battersea pours seriously good coffee alongside Grizzly Baked Goods pastries and fresh toasties, with sun-drenched streetside seating and free parking for the laptop brigade.

While you’re there, you might as well check out Addy & Lou. Alongside florist A Little Bit Floral, they arrange their homewares, gifts and statement furniture, very satisfyingly, by colour, and stock Australian furniture-and-linen makers Hello Trader (a New Zealand rarity).

A few blocks over, Sophie Divett Jewellery inhabits a teal-walled cottage that feels lifted from a bygone era. Sophie handmakes rings at a desk in the back, drawing on ancient jewellery and New Zealand flora, naming each piece from Greek mythology, and favouring reclaimed stones and recycled metals throughout.

Finish with The Fabric of Society, who boast two decades in the designer-fabric trade and call Carlyle Street home. Emily and her team will happily talk you through everything from a single cushion to a whole house.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite again, all roads should lead to the Sydenham Underpass. This converted joinery factory on Sandyford Street is inspired by the third spaces abroad where community simply happens, and they’ve no doubt nailed it.

The first delicious spot to grab your eye will certainly be Grumpys, who trade North American-style treats from a hot-pink shipping container, glowing neon donut and disco balls to boot. Their Old Fashioned, a sour-cream donut that's cake-tender within and shatteringly crisp on the outside, is approved by the city's expat Canucks, too.

For something more hearty go for Papa's Smashies, though be sure to check their hours and get down pronto. Truly a grease-powered star of the 03, Papa’s began as a wildly popular North Beach driveway pop-up before finding a permanent grill at the Underpass. The menu is simple: cheeseburger, fries and a can of Coke, and it regularly sells out within hours.

Gussy's Pizza rounds out a trio of good eating spots, with 16-inch New York-style pies on long-fermented dough, sold whole or by the slice. Order online, because small batches disappear fast.

The Spirits Workshop began in 2015 when four Canterbury friends split the cost of a still, parked it in a garage and set out to make a true Canterbury single malt. Gin arrived first in the form of Curiosity Recipe #23, named for the 23 attempts it took to perfect. Their whisky, Divergence, ages for seven-plus years on-site, made entirely from Canterbury-grown barley. Book the distillery tour for the stills, the barrel-room air and a guided tasting. If you can't make it out here, their Curiosity Cocktail Bar pours one-of-a-kind G&Ts at Riverside Market.

Nearby on Orbell Street, Renegade Brewing Co is run by husband-and-wife team Thomas and Amy Deverson and brews in 600-litre batches with no cans, no bottles and no distribution beyond Christchurch. Everything pours fresh by the pint or take-home rigger. Kids and dogs welcome, food trucks on rotation, family behind the bar.

Pop into Two Thumb on Colombo for a tipple or two. At this craft brewery, housed in a former bank, you'll find 4,000-litre tanks gleaming behind glass and cheery staff working hand-pull taps. You can enjoy a house Yorkshire bitter or milk stout from the festoon-lit beer garden.

Sydenham saves its finest for last, and sends you back to Elgin Street to find it. 5th Street, set in a former fruit-and-vegetable warehouse a few doors from where your day's brunch began, has grown into the southside's big night out.

Greenery cascades from the black rafters over navy velvet banquettes, and the best seats in the house sit right at the open kitchen's counter. The menu roams from stracciatella with jalapeño agrodolce through kūmara gnocchi in miso butter to Speckle beef done two ways. Or, simply surrender to Trust the 5th, a shared menu built for the whole table.

Watch the espresso martinis arrive by the handful, raise a glass, and toast the southside. Sydenham has most definitely earned it.