The Lotus-Heart Restaurant and Tea House

Had the vegan Curry Dosa and a Kim Chi and absolutely enjoyed it! Price was really ok for what I got.

Nice atmosphere and nice music! Restaurant seems to be very popular! :)

I found it really cool that they offer home made cashew nur milk and it doesn't cost extra 50 cents!

We ate main courses and desserts, and drank chai coffee. Food was really tasty and fresh. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and furnished, and atmosphere is peaceful. Service was friendly. I strongly recommend this place for everyone. :)

I absolutely love Lotus Heart, they have a huge range of vegan breakfasts, lunches, dinners and deserts. They also have a cute wee shop area aswell which always makes me so excited to look around.

This is a cute little cafe with a very friendly staff. It's a nice place for a bit of breakfast before exploring Christchurch.

We had a bit of a mix-up involving ingredients, as it turns out a lot of their breakfast foods involve cashew milk (a no-no for me, according to my doc). We didn't realize that until after we'd ordered, but they quickly and happily sorted everything out.

They are in the process of updating their menu to specify ingredients (or, at the very least: GF, NF, SF, vegan, etc.), so until that is done, be sure to ask if you have allergies or restrictions.

We'd highly recommend the Green Power Smoothie and the Dosa (filled with caramelized bananas and vegan honey). And, basically, any tea you can imagine...

such a beautiful place! the food was to die for, and the tea selection is just out of this world! I would absolutely reccomend it! definitely going to go back! :D

This place is awesome. They have an amazing vegan chocolate cake and great pizza. They have a cute little shop that sells food, supplements, gifts, etc as well. The prices are good and the service is always friendly. I go there often.

An amazing vegetarian cafe with vegan alternatives! The cafe has an amazing atmosphere, decorated beautifully and friendly, attentive staff. We had a cashew milk chai, masala dosa and nachos made vegan with vegan cheese and aioli. Wverything was delicious, not too oily either!!

If you live anywhere in the south island and have an interest in any vegetarian lifestyle, then this is the place you have to try at least ten times. I have tried just about every vegan option on the main menu and they all taste delicious.

I have been there a few times and have loved it every single time, the burgers are amazing, with vegan cheese and mayo options available. If you are in Christchurch this is a must visit (I recommend the burger wrap).

Best goddamn vegan food there is. If I go to bed hungry, it's the Lotus Heart burgers and fries I'm thinking of. Vegan cheese and Mayo option. Goddamn. So good.

Lotus Heart was such a great visit after traveling in NZ for a couple weeks, without many vegan options. All vegetarian restaurant, with lots of vegan options. Very friendly staff. I ordered lunch and a dinner for take-away since they closed early (3 pm) on Sunday. (They are closed Monday's.) They also have a few delicious vegan desserts. They also have various free classes / lectures / demonstrations if you're lucky enough to join one. I happened to visit the day they were offering a free Tea Tasting and Discussion class which was really great.

Incredibly tasty food in a beautiful restaurant. Try their ice cream, or one of the many interesting drinks!

In two months of traveling NZ and Australia, and often seeking out "fine dining," this restaurant stands out as one of the top 3 during the whole trip! A sanctuary inside, beautifully decorated, super clean, you walk in and immediately feel good. Vegetarians will be in absolute heaven, and meat eaters "should" really like the food as well. Everything I tried was delicious, so you probably cannot go wrong. Particularly, I remember liking the soups, the veggie burger was really good, and a couple of their baked goods were super delicious. Don't miss this restaurant, especially if you are open to veggie food.

Last week was my first visit to the new Lotus-Heart and I was so pleased to see that they have recovered and rebuilt a new restaurant - it is clear to see that they have worked very hard after losing both their former cafe and former restaurant too in the earthquakes and there is a lot of attention to detail and love shining through those efforts. Although there is nothing much around them in the new location, the new restaurant shines alone almost like a temple, and is unique and beautiful. The food is just as good if not better than before. This restaurant is definitely unconventional but that is what I love about it. If you prefer a mainstream, conventional environment and food, then The Lotus-Heart may not be for you ;)

Previous review on Monday July 20, 2009
The Lotus-Heart is a real sanctuary in the heart of Christchurch City. Beautiful atmosphere, beautiful food, beautiful people. The staff are sincere and friendly. I have sampled the breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Breakfast offers some unique and healthy options. Lunch is more simple and reasonably priced. The dinner menu is lovely. They have an amazing selection of drinks including superfood smoothies, a great selection of quality white, green and black tea, mate, herbal coffee...the list goes on. Clearly a lot of thought and energy has gone into offering a lot of healthy, yet delicious options. Keep up the good work!

the food at the lotus heart is excellent. their dosas are delicious and super huge. as far as their food goes, i have not been disappointed yet. unlike other reviews, i find the atmosphere a bit creepy. it's super clean though and very well presented. their vegan chocolate cake is highly recommended.

This is a great restaurant. The food is always of a high standard. It's very good for creative and tasty vegan options. They do a wicked chai and a yummy vegan cheesecake. The service is always beautiful and the atmosphere is always serene and peaceful.

I went here with my dad for a lunch out and I really enjoyed it. Not only is it difficult to find vegetarian food, let alone vegan food, in a city that has been ravaged by earthquakes, but also good tasting food!I found it here. We ordered ourselves garden salads and they had a lovley tahini sauce, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, celery, carot, cucumber, lettuce, and shredded cabbage. For quite a decent sized dish they only charged $6, and it tasted amazing! I also ordered a green lemonade,which really alerted the senses with a stingy ginger after taste-so good.
A group next to us were celebrating a birthday and a large vegan chocolate cake with candles and sliced almonds ontop arrived, then the Sri Chimonoy cafe staff sang happy birthday and it was very nice.
They also have an adorable wee shop, which sells books, sweets, drinks, packaged foods, clothing and small and pretty knick-knacks.
For my birthday I would like to go there with my friends and book one of the little side rooms and eat some delicious food. I reccommend trying this place out, it's gorgeous, the inside and outside decor is palace-like. Make sure you book in advance, because it can get pretty full on weekends!

Had a wonderful dinner with my wife, and we loved it they were happy that we only wanted to share our dessert and starter, which meant that we could have a full meal without being to full:-) Nice selection of food for all from Raw to vegetarian and its not just from one culture, the place has a really nice feel to it. We considered having coffee after our meal but when we saw the tea menu had tea. Its a real treat the whole thing we had no complaints. If you visit Christchurch and you are looking for something good to eat you will not be disappointed, if you are vegetarian/Vegan this is a great place to eat with non veg friends the food and service stand out. We thought it was very good value we had two mains a starter, starter and 4 drinks and it came in at NZ$70. You need to book for dinner our you may well be disappointed, they must have turned away as many as they served while we were there, with most agreeing to come back at a later time of settling for take away!