Christchurch's bar scene has always been good at the informal end — outdoor spaces, converted buildings, places that feel like someone's idea rather than a formula. The earthquake accelerated this tendency by demolishing the licensed premises that were not anyone's idea in particular, and what replaced them skews independent. The area around Victoria Street and the Avon has the densest concentration. Coffee standards across the city are high; New Zealand takes flat whites seriously and Christchurch is no exception.