If you’re looking for the best restaurants in Queenstown, good luck to you :p There are heaps of amazing places to eat in Queenstown.
So how do you figure out where to go first?
You could argue in any number of ways, but I’m simply going to list the ones I enjoy as I visit them.
I’ll describe bits and pieces about the restaurant and my experience at each. This will hopefully help you figure out which of the best Queenstown restaurants you should put at the top of your list.
If you want to find somewhere for lunch, these are five of the best lunch spots in Queenstown.
15 OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS IN QUEENSTOWN
1. Smith’s Craft Beer House
2. Margo’s
3. Sherwood
4. Fat Badgers
5. The Cow
6. Farelli’s Trattoria
7. @ Thai Cuisine
8. Tanoshi Teppan and Sake Bar
9. El Camino Cantina
10. Cargo at Gantley’s
11. 1876
12. Caribe Latin Kitchen
13. Bombay Palace
14. Kingpin
15. The Locker Room Sports Bar
Quick Tip: You can find several of these restaurants (and heaps more) on FirstTable.co.nz.
1. SMITH’S CRAFT BEER HOUSE
The jackfruit burger from Smith’s is the best vegan burger in Queenstown.
Price range: $15 – $25
Come here for: The burgers and fries. Stay for the beer.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Yes, Smith’s is known as one of the best places to drink craft beer in Queenstown, but people talk about the food just as much. In a glowing fashion.
It’s not one dish in particular either, everyone raves about something different. I’m a massive fan of the jackfruit burger…and like all meals at Smith’s you definitely won’t be left feeling hungry.
And with up to 36 beers on tap, the staff will help you pick the right beer to pair with your meal.
Address: 53 Shotover Street, Queenstown 9300
Online: Facebook | Website
2. MARGO’S
Price range: $20 – $40 (plus drinks)
Come here for: all the Mexican food and a fun time.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Margo’s is a newer restaurant in Queenstown that’s already attracted a following with its unique style, epic Mexican food, and fun touches. It’s like the owners have picked the best aspects of all of their previous restaurants to make their dream come true.
Some of the fun things they have going at Margo’s:
- If you’re celebrating your birthday, the staff will dance and sing Happy Birthday at your table.
- There’s a pool table upstairs.
- The walls are full of fun art by Deow.1.
- The menu option called, Trust El Jefe (Trust the Chef).
When you head upstairs to Margo’s, the atmosphere is buzzing as soon as you walk in.
The team is high-energy and helpful, which is great as the menu can be a little overwhelming…there’s so much going on. This might be a Queenstown Restaurant where you take a sneaky look at the menu before you arrive.
I did like that there’s a lot of options for vegans, and other dietary requirements (I’ve written some tips about being vegan in Queenstown here).
I was there to celebrate a birthday and across the board, everyone was stoked with their food, particularly with the presentation. For myself, I asked for the most filling meal and while it was tasty, was still not full.
Margo’s is definitely not the cheapest restaurant in Queenstown, so it was a little disappointing I felt the need to stop in at Domino’s on the way home.
But Mexican food is a favourite of many, and this is definitely a fun night out.
Address: 22 Ballarat Street, The Mall, Queenstown 9300
Online: Instagram | Website
3. SHERWOOD QUEENSTOWN
Price range: $25 – $50.
Come here for the locally sourced food and alround atmosphere.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Located halfway between Frankton and Queenstown, The Sherwood is not just a hotel with a restaurant and bar that guests staying at the hotel dine at.
This is a place where people head for a fancier night out at a location serving the community in a variety of ways.
If you take a look at these reasons to visit Sherwood Queenstown, a few of them relate to the restaurant, and I like this message on their website.
The menu changes throughout the year based on what ingredients they can source locally, and even every day as they harvest what they can from their garden daily.
A couple of fun facts:
- 75% of the food they serve is from the South Island
- And they collect honey from their own hives
- Some of the staff will harvest the grapes used to make wine they serve
Once at your table, the staff will take you through the menu and are great at making suggestions based on what you’re feeling. And they know what wines will pair well with each meal.
I went to eat at Sherwood for a work function and got to sample a main, and a host of side dishes. I left feeling super full but if I was to eat just a main, I would’ve needed more for sure.
The presentation is great and despite the restaurant being really busy, the service was prompt which is what you’d expect from a hotel that prides itself on everything they do across the board.
The Sherwood is one of the best restaurants in Queenstown for those who want to eat food with a low footprint. And with a touch of class.
Address: 554 Frankton Road, Queenstown 9300
Online: Facebook | Website
4. FAT BADGER’S
Price range: $15 – $30
Come here for: Pizza!
Takes reservations: Yes.
If you’re after some top-quality pub grub, ideally pizza, Fat Badger’s is a local favourite since 2008.
It was a couple of brothers who decided to fill a gap in the Queenstown restaurant scene with epic pizzas cooked in a wood fire oven. When you read their story you can see they’ve had plenty of ups and downs, but that’s only made the regulars feel more connected to them over the years.
Today they get friends who’ll make Fat Badgers a regular location when going out for dinner which inevitably expands to bringing out-of-town guests here.
They’ve got lots of pizza options, 20+, including those that fit all the dietary requirements of people these days. And they’re fun with names like The Arnold Schwarzebadger.
And when you order the massive 20-inch pizzas. They’re legitimately massive. If two of you get through one of these, that’s an impressive effort.
But they do more than pizzas if you’re struggling to encourage some of your mates to join you.
It’s crazy to think pizza restaurants in Queenstown weren’t readily available back in 2008. Today it seems every restaurant serves pizza…including the restaurant up next!
Address: 33 Camp Street, Queenstown 9300
Online: Instagram | Website
5. THE COW
Price range: $20 – $30 (most people can share a large pizza).
Come here for: Pizza.
Takes reservations: No (if you need to wait for a table, you can take a seat at the bar or by the fireplace).
The Cow might be located in a former milking shed, but this place gives me European Chalet vibes with its stone wall interior and exterior.
The Cow opened its doors in 1977 and if this is true like they say on their website, the menu hasn’t changed since opening day, that’s impressive!
There have been some ownership changes over the years, but The Cow is the longest-running restaurant in Queenstown. Also impressive.
The pizzas here are pretty good I must say, even from someone who is quite happy with Dominos.
I went here with a group of friends, and between the six of us got three large (14 inch) pizzas to share. They all went down a treat as we sat inside the dimly lit interior (dimly lit in a good way).
It would have been nice to have a vegan pizza, but I guess back in 1977 when the menu was created the vegan scene wasn’t as popular as it is today 😉 So we got the vegetarian pizza without the cheese.
There’s also a host of spaghetti options as well, but no one at our table tried that, you’re here for the pizza.
If there’s one thing I didn’t like about the experience, it was the waiter who was pushy in getting us to order sides. It didn’t sit well with me.
Wondering why the logo features her Majesty, Queen Victoria, and why there are photos of her around the restaurant? The Cow was a nickname during her reign after she compared breastfeeding to being a cow.
Address: Cow Lane, Queenstown, Otago 9300
Online: Facebook | Website | Instagram
6. FARELLI’S TRATTORIA
Price range: $25 – $40.
Come here for: Pasta.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Farelli’s is similar to The Cow in that the majority of the meals are pizza and pasta.
But rather than feeling like a European Chalet, Farelli’s feels like a more traditional restaurant tucked away inside the building that also houses Boardwalk and Atlas.
While it feels fancy in some regards, the red checkered table cloth keeps the relaxed feel, as are the staff who are chill but know their stuff.
The menu is extensive, and I love how they’ve got lots of vegan options on the menu!
I ordered the vegan Casarecce alla Norma (short twist pasta, eggplant, spicy tomato sugo, house tofu ricotta, fresh basil & cashew parmesan.). The reason being, it was one of the more filling meals on the menu according to the waitress (that was in addition to a couple of polenta chips and focaccia I had).
It did fill me up which I was pleased with, and was solid, but I wasn’t wow’ed. Not that I’m a big Italian fan. I was impressed by how similar the meals looked between the vegan and non-vegan options!
Everyone else was chuffed with their meals…and left happy as. There were zero complaints in the 15 minutes after leaving this Queenstown restaurant.
There’s not a tonne of beer options, but there’s a good variety of what they do have, including the alcohol-free Heineken.
We booked in for a group of 11 which was easy on a Tuesday evening. What I wasn’t a fan of was what seemed to be like the sparse service…we didn’t have our mains for about 75 minutes. The smaller tables were in and out a lot faster than us.
Address: Steamer Wharf, 88 Beach Street, Queenstown 9300
Online: Facebook | Website
7. @ THAI CUISINE
Price range: $20 – $30.
Come here for: Thai.
Takes reservations: Yes.
@ Thai Cuisine is a restaurant I never knew existed until I looked it up on Google Maps to try and find it too meet friends who had booked a table.
Walking up the stairs, the place is stunning once you make your way through the door. And the staff with smiley faces are there to greet you. This felt as closest to Thailand I’ve been in a long time.
The menu isn’t massive, but there’s more than enough options…though I found it strange you can scan a QR code to see more menu options?
Anyhow, there was no mention of vegan options on the menu but the staff was great at letting me know what could be made vegan. That meant the massaman for me as there are no seafood ingredients in the stock. Don’t forget to order your rice.
The meal was massive. I often leave restaurants hungry after a meal…this wasn’t the case here. And the side of rice cam in a teddy bear shape, that’s exciting.
Everyone in our group of 11 was stoked with the food…and everyone was stuffed. The meals are legitimately big…if you don’t have a big stomach, you’ll have a meal for the next day.
Drinks-wise, the beer and wine list aren’t crazy with no outlandish craft beers n the menu which helped make the dinner cheaper.
I’d highly recommend a dinner here…that wait time for the meals to come out wasn’t long.
Address: Level 3/8 Church Street, Queenstown 9348
Online: Facebook | Website
8. TANOSHI TEPPAN AND SAKE BAR
Price range: $25 – $40.
Come here for: All the Japanese food (but not sushi).
Takes reservations: Yes.
Tanoshi is a restaurant you’ll hear locals raving about. If there was a poll for the best Japanese Restaurant in Queenstown, I feel like they’d win in a landslide. I was here for dinner with my workmates and we ordered a host of tapas and side dishes.
The service was solid, and the dishes came out fast despite the busy restaurant. It’s not a big place, but there’s a good energy about the place I found. As a vegan I couldn’t eat many dishes, but the tofu dish (atsuage-tofu) was a massive hit with me. Adding in a few sides was nice, and I like that they don’t overcharge for the rice.
My boss is a big fan of the food here, ordering takeaway every week.
Drinks-wise, they’ve got a few Japanese beers and whiskey options (and the sake of course) to keep you happy.
Quick tip: If it’s a busy time, definitely book ahead!
Quick tip: If you’ve got lots of vegetarians in your group, you’ll be good to go here…but if there’s a few vegans, there are better spots as a vegan in Queenstown.
Address: Skyline Arcade, Queenstown 9300 (they also have two other locations nearby)
Online: Instagram | Website
9. EL CAMINO CANTINA
Price range: $9 – $25.
Come here for: Tacos!
Takes reservations: Yes.
Margo’s is a fun place, but El Camino Cantina might well have them done for the classic loud Texmex kind of place…which is exactly what they’re trying to be.
Located in Queenstown’s Upper Precinct, this is a new spot that’s going to attract a lot of people in general, and those who are looking for food and drink after coming off the Tiki Trail or Ben Lomond Track, and this tickles their fancy.
I love how they describe themselves on the website:
- a large & loud Tex-Mex bar
- The food menu is unashamedly Tex-Mex
In short, if you’re looking for a good time with friends you’ve got a good chance of finding it here with 100+ types of tequila, sombreros, and free chips and salsa. This place isn’t a place where you won’t get the best Mexican food in town, but that’s not exactly what they’re going for.
I did get stoked on the cauliflower tacos, which at $3 (for all tacos) a pop on Tuesdays, go down an absolute treat with a 500ml goblet of Panhead.
Address: 35 Brecon Street, Queenstown 9300
Online: Instagram | Website
10. CARGO AT GANTLEY’S
Price range: $20 – $30.
Come here for: Burgers & beers.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Cargo is a beautiful spot in Arthurs Point with plenty of seating both indoor and outdoors. In the winter I like sitting out on the patio, right under the heaters drinking one of their own brewed beers, and in the summer I’ll hang out in the grassy areas sipping away. But I have tried the food at Cargo too, and it’s great. The chef is always looking to mix up the menu.
The burger above is a vegan Bhaji burger, made of crispy courgette bhaji, fire-roast eggplant, rocket, tomato, aioli, and pickles on a Tumeric bun. It was as epic as it sounds, which in addition to a healthy-sized serving of fries kept me happy. My friend had a meat-filled burger, and he was plenty happy too.
Cargo isn’t a restaurant I’d go out of the way to visit if you’re staying in Queenstown, but if you’re coming down from Coronet Peak, driving back from Arrowtown, or chose Arthurs Point as the best place to stay in Queenstown then definitely give this a whirl.
Address: 172 Arthurs Point Road, Arthurs Point, Queenstown 9371
Online: Instagram | Facebook | Website
11. 1876
Price range: $10 – $20.
Come here for: Cheap bar food.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Once 5 pm hits, you’ll start to see 1876 fill up most nights of the week, especially in the sun. It’s primarily known as a bar, and the cheap drinks ($5 beers) are what draws most people. But they do a solid bar menu as well, and at great prices.
Most nights you’ll be able to find specials, and after grabbing the vegan cauliflower steak and chips, for $10 this has to be one of the best cheapest restaurants in Wellington.
The portion is relatively small, so you may want to have some snacks later on…but it’s definitely a filler!
Address: 45 Ballarat Street, Queenstown, Central 9300
Online: Instagram | Facebook | Website
12. CARIBE LATIN KITCHEN
Price range: $15 – $25.
Come here for: Different flavours you won’t find anywhere else in Queenstown.
Takes reservations: No.
If you’re looking for a relaxed restaurant setting in Queenstown, Caribe Latin Kitchen is the place to go.
There’s not much in the way of Caribbean food in Queenstown, so that makes Caribe Latin Kitchen stand out right away. The food is good though, and despite the small size, you have a large menu with many of the Latin food options you love to see.
This is a great restaurant in you’re looking for a dinner that won’t take all night yet has lots of things to look at. And given the Ballarat Street location, you’ve got prime people watching seats.
This is one of the best restaurants in Queenstown that’s underrated.
Address: 36 Ballarat Street, Queenstown 9300
Online: Instagram | Website
13. BOMBAY PALACE
Price range: $20 – $30
Come here for: The best Indian food in Queenstown.
Takes reservations: Yes.
They’ve got a couple of restaurants (Queenstown and Frankton) so depending on where you’re staying, you’ll want to choose the one closest to you.
The menu doesn’t cover every single Indian dish under the sun, but there’s plenty to chose from as well as a lot of vegetarian dishes and some for vegans.
The service has always been solid here, and it feels like the usual Indian restaurant. Though I like sitting upstairs in the Queenstown restaurant with a group of friends, it’s less chaotic than being downstairs I find.
The meals are sneaky big, keep that in mind when you choose your level of spice (team hot). And they aren’t shy on the rice which is included. I’d hold off on dessert because by the time you’ve had some naan you might well be stuffed.
p.s. Wednesdays are curry night where yo get a curry and naan for $20.
p.p.s. They do charge a 15% surcharge on public holidays which I don’t like.
Address: 66 Shotover Street, Queenstown 9300 &
Online: Facebook | Website
14. KINGPIN
Price range: $15 – $30.
Come here for: Eating while playing tenpin bowling. Yes please.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Kingpin Queenstown is fast becoming a popular place to visit on a bad weather day in Queenstown, well even a sunny one given there offerings. All of the offerings are what makes Kingpin one of the top restaurants in Queenstown.
You’ve got a wide variety of options, from burgers to salad, and Pizzas to Shakes, and a bunch more. Its’s a fun menu, and while I’ve only ever had the salads, I can say that all the meals they serve are of large portions.
The best part is you can order food to your table right behind the bowling lane allowing you to eat while doing on of the cool sports…please don’t get the bowling balls greasy with your fingers though!
Address: 35 Brecon Street, Queenstown 9300
Online: Facebook | Website
15. THE LOCKER ROOM SPORTS BAR
Price range: $15 – $25.
Come here for: A solid meal while watching sports.
Takes reservations: Yes.
Yes! Queenstown now has a genuine sports bar, and The Locker Room does serve solid food!
Making sure there are plenty of TV screens is always going to of priority, but the fact that they’ve created a menu and an entire vegan version of the menu shows that they care about the food here too.
It’s all of the American diner-type meals as you’d expect at a sports bar. Think dogs, burgers, and mac’n’cheese. But the food is good quality and priced well.
And while it’s super cheap, make sure to have a pint of Locker Room Lager…I enjoy it, and some friends say it’s nice for a change-up from all the hazy’s, etc.
p.s. Get the waffle fries. They’re delicious.
Address: 10 Brecon Street, Queenstown 9300
Online: Facebook | Website
I’ll continue to add to this list of Queenstown restaurants as I get to them whenever I’m in town 🙂
What do you think are the best restaurants in Queenstown? Leave a comment below, and let the debate begin. Just remember, there are more things to do in Queenstown than eating and drinking 😉
WHAT TO READ NEXT: WHERE TO STAY IN QUEENSTOWN
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.