Café Valentino is an Italian restaurant at 168 St Asaph Street, Christchurch, on the southern edge of the central city and within easy reach of the inner-city hotel and conference precinct. It is a long-standing Christchurch dining fixture, having served customers since 1991.
### History
The restaurant began life on Colombo Street, around the corner from the Town Hall, and relocated to its current St Asaph Street premises following the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. Its proximity to the Town Hall in the original location gave it a strong association with touring performers, and the restaurant is known for the collection of signed show posters from visiting artists that covers its walls. The business describes having built a devoted international customer base and states that it has won awards, although the specific awards are not itemised on its website.
### The offer
The kitchen serves Italian food, with wood-fired pizza the signature: the restaurant describes its oven as the only authentic wood-fired pizza in central Christchurch. Alongside pizza, the menu covers pasta and house-made desserts. The current menu is credited to chef Karren Gray. The dining room is described as warm, colourful and busy, with the poster collection giving the space a distinctive character that works well for visitors being shown the city.
### Practicalities
Café Valentino is a dinner-only operation. It is closed Mondays and opens Tuesday through Sunday from 5.00pm until late. Reservations can be made through an online booking system on the restaurant's website or by phoning (03) 377 1886. Gift cards are also available.
### Group and event suitability
The restaurant does not publish private dining rooms, function packages, seating capacities or set group menus, so organisers planning a larger booking should contact the restaurant directly to confirm what can be accommodated. On the published information, Café Valentino suits team dinners, delegate dining and social evenings for conference groups staying in the central city: shareable Italian food, an established reputation, a central location and online booking make it a practical choice for informal corporate hosting, while dinner-only trading means it is not an option for daytime meetings or lunch functions.
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