Dear friends,

Our hearts and prayers are with the city of Christchurch following the impact of the February 22nd and June 13th earthquakes. We offer our heart’s sympathy and oneness to our beloved community with tear-filled eyes.

We are grateful to advise that all diners and staff at both our cafe and restaurant were able to vacate both premises without injury and that all members of The Lotus-Heart and Sri Chinmoy Centre are safe and well. Sadly The Lotus-Heart cafe is no more but The Lotus-Heart restaurant in Cathedral Square at this stage appears to be structurally sound but it is still unknown at this stage when the Central Business District will re-open.

The Lotus-Heart new restaurant and tea house opened on 27 July 2011. Read More...

You can also find us in our mobile Juice Bar at the Christchurch Farmers Market on Saturdays from 9.00am to noon and the Opawa Vegetarian Market on Sundays from 9.00am to noon. We will not be at the Markets over Labour Weekend.

We would love to hear from anyone who was on-site on February 22nd, or from any of our dear friends and customers. Please use this contact form. If you need to contact us directly please phone 377 2727 or 021 256 6702.

W are open 27 & 28 December and closed for the New Year from 29 December, re-opening 3 January.

If you would like to dine with us on Christmas Day kindly make a reservation on
377 2727. Our hours for Christmas Day are 10.00am to 4.00pm.

Welcome to The Lotus-Heart vegetarian café and vegetarian restaurant where we strive to provide a unique and peace-filled inner-city dining experience.

The Lotus-Heart is independently owned and operated by students of Sri Chinmoy. We aspire to create a small corner of the world that is inundated with the spirituality and philosophy of our meditation teacher and to offer a peaceful oasis with music and videos to inspire the heart.

The Lotus-Heart was established 13 February 1996 as a small café at 595 Colombo Street, Christchurch. On 7 January 2008 The Lotus-Heart restaurant opened its doors in the heart of the city in the historical original Chief Post Office building (built in 1879) in Cathedral Square on 7 January 2008. You will find the entrance beneath the Clock Tower. The Lotus-Heart new restaurant and tea house opened on 27 July 2011.

The Lotus-Heart is dedicated to conscious living, healthy eating and strives to create a global cuisine naturally. We use the freshest ingredients, locally grown and organic where possible, pure vegetable oils, vegetarian cheese, avoiding the use of microwaves unless specifically requested due to time-constraints. Whilst our restaurant is pure vegetarian, we respect and honour the choices and requirements of others and offer daily options for vegan, gluten-free, onion garlic free and raw food diets. 

We serve a wide-ranging selection of drinks par excellence. We are continually researching, trialing and discovering high quality, nourishing beverages that soothe the mind and delight the palate. Our resulting drinks menu is extensive, comprised of unique and hard to find teas and tisanes, freshly squeezed juices, fabulous smoothies, superfoods, tonic elixirs, fairly traded coffee, organic herbal coffees, cultured drinks – kombucha, ginger beer and kefir – prepared on site, specialty drinks from around the globe, and much more. We make our own almond milk in support of our vegan friends. With over 120 choices you are sure to find a beverage to suit your taste, temperament and mood.

Enter the heart of the lotus, a vegetarian haven where we sincerely hope your meal will not only satisfy your tastebuds, but also nurture your heart and soul.