Queenstown is New Zealand’s top location for major tourism. The access to impressive alpine adventures and snowboarding make it a playground for any winter enthusiast, or anyone simply wanting a winter getaway not far from their home in New Zealand. A city with an abundance of calorie-burning adventures like this needs the ability to feed the faces of tourists and locals; follow my list of the best Queenstown restaurants and you’ll devour enough calories that you won’t need your thermals.

I have been to Queenstown enough times that I now have my favourite places to grab a drink, a quick bite to eat, or a full meal for a date night. Queenstown has something for everyone, even the pickiest of eaters.

Where to find the Best Queenstown Restaurants

Majority of the best Queenstown restaurants are located at the lake front of Lake Wakatipu, or around Church Street, Rees Street and Beach Street. You will find some of the best hidden gems around Cows Lane or up on Camp Street like the Cookie Time Ice Cream and Cookie shop. Queenstown doesn’t have a shortage of great food and drinks so you shouldn’t have a hard time trying to find somewhere to eat whether it be a solo meal out or with the whole family.

Public Kitchen and Bar, Steamer Wharf

Type Restuarant – Dishes made from locally sourced ingredients
Hours Mon – Wed: 4pm – 9pm / Thurs – Sun: 1pm – 9pm

The Public Kitchen and Bar is a Kiwi take on a British pub; So if you’re from the UK and wanting to experience a little piece of home then hop into the pub that teeters on the edge of the lake and enjoy a hearty pub meal. Even fit with its red telephone box as an entryway, the Public Kitchen and Bar is the perfect place for an afternoon drink or to grab a meal that will surely warm your heart and fill your stomach.

Sitting on the edge of town on the side of Lake Wakatipu, and the large windows allow for views of the mountain ranges surrounding Queenstown. This popular Queenstown restaurant serves mulled wine in winter and have plenty of heating to make you forget about the snow outside. It’s the perfect place to sit and enjoy a drink or dinner with friends, or even by yourself.
For Public Kitchen and Bars menu click here.

Blue Kanu, Church St

Type Restaurant – Pacific/Asian style food.
Hours 7 Days: 5pm – 10pm

Blue Kanu is by far one of the best Queenstown restaurants I have been to and is one of my very favourite. The service at Blue Kanu is excellent with the bar staff and the maitre d’ ensuring a warm welcome in New Zealand’s native language, Te Reo. The best cocktails in Queenstown come from Blue Kanu, so if you’re wanting to start your night off a little fancy, book yourself a table and enjoy a lavish night out.

Blue Kanus’ menu blends two cultures boasting a menu they call ‘Polynesian’; mixing Pacifica and Asian style cuisines to create taste bud-tingling meals. Most of the dishes are tapas style and designed to be shared unless you live by Joey’s mantra and don’t share food.

Check out their website or book a table with Blue Kanu here!

Fergburger, Shotover St

Queenstown is popular for two main reasons: For it being the gateway to some serious snowboarding, alpine adventures… and Fergburger; the famous burger joint in Queenstown which has people queuing along the street. Fergburger is easily one of the best places to eat in Queenstown, and it’s very hard to find a day where there aren’t lines going out the door and down the street.

Fergburger began as a small operation out of a garage in Cow Lane, making it a novelty due to its hidden location and word of mouth being their only form of marketing. Now sitting almost in the centre of Shotover Street Fergburger is a requirement for anyone visiting the region.

As far as sit down restaurants go, Fergburger is not one of them, but due to it’s popularity and the burgers being a meal and a half for the average person, Fergburger is definitely one of the best Queenstown restaurants you must visit while you’re in town.

Fergburger

Type Takeaway burgers
Hours 7 Days: 8am – 4:30am

Fergburger burgers require the use of both hands and slow deep breathsto in order to be devoured. And as the half wrapper/doofer suggests; eating this burger naked (without a doofer) will leave you wishing you packed a second change of clothes. Fergburger is one of the most popular places in Queenstown to grab a quick and easy bite to eat. The lines are usually out the door and halfway down the street so it might pay to go early or in the middle of the week as opposed to on the weekend.

We ordered two burgers and a single side of chips between the two of us; I only just managed to finish my burger and the chips went practically untouched. I didn’t need dinner that night.

Fergbaker

Type Bakery Goods
Hours Sun – Thurs: 6am – 2am / Fri – Sat: 6am – 4am

A decade after Ferg realised he was onto something with his popular burgers he opened a bakery…right next door! Fergbaker has great coffees, delicious pastries, and savouries. The sweet smell of pain au chocolat in the morning transported me right back to France. Fergbaker is another great place to grab a quick bite to eat before you set off for the days activities or if you’re just craving something sweet for the day.

Ferg‘s Bar

The ‘Ferg’ brand has you sorted for every possible meal of the day. Fergs Bar is a dine in restaurant and bar sitting on the corner of Shotover Street and Rees Street. Serving everything from breakfast to pub lunch and dinners. Fergs bar is a great Queenstown restaurant to visit if you’re wanting a simple home style meal cooked but you don’t have to worry about the dishes.

The World Bar and Restaurant, Church St

Type Pub Food
Hours Thurs – Sat: 6pm – 2:30am / Sun – Wed: CLOSED

We only popped into The World Bar and Restaurant for a drink after our dinner at Blue Kanu, but it seemed like the place to be if you wanted a drink, dance or socialise. There is plenty of space to dance with a DJ covering the dance floor, and an outdoor patio if you want further privacy, less noise, or just generally enjoy the fresh air. The staff provide table service even during late-night drinks.
Check out World Bar and Restaurants’ menu here.

Patagonia Ice Cream, Rees St

Type Ice Cream and sweet treats
Hours Mon – Thurs: 8:30am – 8pm / Fri – Sun: 8:30am – 9pm

Patagonia stocks almost every restaurant in the lower South Island with their ice cream and chocolate. Their large waffle cones are a delectable challenge even for the most seasoned ice cream eater. Their Queenstown café has an upstairs lounge that looks over Lake Wakatipu and towards the mountain ranges of Walter and Cecil Peak. Did you even travel to the South Island if you haven’t tried Patagonia ice cream?

Related: South Island road trip itinerary

Taco Medic, Searle Lane

Type Takeaway Tacos
Hours 7 Days: 12pm – 8pm

Taco Medic in Queenstown is a great place to grab a quick bite if you’re strapped for time or don’t want a full pub lunch. Taco Medic serves exactly what the name states; a menu full of delicious tacos all for a reasonable price and drinks to match.
Taco Medics’ menu is what makes them one of the best places to eat in Queenstown because of its simplicity, serving 11 taco options ranging from fish, cow, and bird to vegetarian. Several side dish options are available and tequila or Carona are included in your beverage options.

Taco Medic is located in Searle Lane which is an alley way weaved between the main streets in Queenstown, which is easy enough to stumble across during a late night drinking session.

Remarkable Sweet Shop, Beach St and Queenstown Airport

Type Sugary goods
Hours Closing times vary, check their website here.

The Remarkable Sweet shop may not be a restaurant to eat in Queenstown, but most children or anyone with a sweet tooth could probably prove you wrong. The Remarkable Sweet Shop is a place where you can fulfill your childhood desires with the freedom of eating your weight in sugar and nobody telling you otherwise. The Remarkable Sweet Shop is like something imagined out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory; the small shop is filled floor to roof with every lolly, candy, or chocolate in every colour shape, or size you could imagine.

The Remarkable Sweet Shop is most famous for its mouth-watering and super smooth fudge. With flavours like Jelly Tip, Tiramisu, and lemon meringue, it’s worth gaining weight over.
There are 3 shops located in and around Queenstown; one at the airport, one on Beach Street, and the other in Arrowtown. So, there isn’t any excuse to pass up a visit. If however, you do happen to miss out, a select few flavours of their fudge are available online.

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Because Queenstown is a great city to visit during summer, and even better during winter. The restaurants and cafes are all geared up for visitors all year round. Their menus slightly change during the colder months to accommodate for cold hands by serving mulled wine, and the majority of outdoor seating areas have plenty of outdoor heaters to keep the chill off.

So whether you’re wrapped up with 4 layers of clothing, or enjoying the sun streaming down on your face, visit any of these great places to eat in Queenstown and start your afternoon or evening off right!

Other Things to do in Queenstown

Skippers Canyon

Skippers Canyon sits slightly north of Queenstown and is the only road in New Zealand where rental car insurance is not honoured. The road was carved into the mountain sides during the late 1800’s and teeters on the edge of cliffs and ravines. We explored the canyon with Skippers Jet Boat tour company and had an amazing jet boat experience on the other side of the canyon. I would strongly recommend that you do not drive this road yourself, book a tour with a well experiences driver and let them take the stress out of the drive for you.

Visit Arrowtown

A short drive to Arrowtown is where you can visit the old gold mining town and historic Chinese settlement. Arrowtown is popular for it’s old buildings and rich history of goldmining during the late 1800’s. From here you can explore the Arrow river and even cycle the track to Gibbston Valley where wineries and pubs are waiting for you.

If you’re visiting the south island of New Zealand, then check out my road trip itinerary for the West Coast, or my 10 day itinerary for Queenstown and beyond!