Our last meal in Queenstown was here. We had reservations (and it was busy) and were seated…read moreimmediately. We had the back of the restaurant, corner table. Not much to look at but it was a little quieter and away from the ovens back there. Husband had the fettuccine carbonara and I had a margarita pizza. Both were excellent. We started with a Caprese salad which was also excellent. My pizza had homemade crust with the bubbly burnt edges that happens in a woodfire oven. So good. Service was excellent. Parking on street is less than rare so we parked in a lot for roughly $10USD. Great experience.

Like everywhere in NZ, make reservations…read more I'm staying in Queenstown for a few days, and booked this reservation a few nights prior. The restaurant itself is long and narrow, so tables on one side and servers and the kitchen on the other. I ordered bruschetta for my starter & spaghetti bolognese for my main. The bruschetta came out with sliced prosciutto on top which I could have done without. I wished for more tomatoes, onion, and oil. The spaghetti bolognese was flavorful but just ok? Like, I'm not Italian but can make a better version of that at home. Although it's a simple dish, that probably not something you want to hear when you're selling it for $36 NZD. So the overall dining experience was a bit meh. I went to a pizzeria in Te Anau with better flavors. It might be a nice dinner date because the ambiance is lovely, if a bit loud. The service was fine, if a bit on the slow side.

Unfortunately, wasn't quite as impressed with the food at The Cow compared to some of the other…read moremeals I had in Queenstown. Pizza was okay, I didn't love the crust or the sauce, but was pleased with the amount of toppings. The pasta was good but nothing special. Service was nice though!

Queenstown is only so big, so it's only time that you venture into the corners of random alleys and…read morestumble upon new restaurants... and for my friend and I that was The Cow! The waitress shared that The Cow is the oldest restaurant around and shared some interesting history with us. The ambiance is quite rustic, log cabin-esque with a bell, Wi-Fi, and some other modern updates. For food, we started with their zuppa with an extra loaf of bread. The creamy tomato was good, boasting perfect texture, thickness, and seasoning. The garlic cheesy bread was toasted well, not too hard or soft, just right with some give in the middle. However, the zuppa did get saltier at the end. We also shared a half sized Seafood Spaghetti, which was lightly flavored. The sauce itself was not too thick and rather fairly watery. The cheese was amazing, but the texture needed some work. Overall, our meal here was enjoyable, made even better by the staff. Would recommend a visit either for the history or for a cozy log cabin dining experience.

There were many great options and I had a hard time picking what to order. I ordered the oysters…read moretempura which were delicious. I thought the lamb rack could use more seasoning and was a bit too bland for my taste. Love the outdoors and the lake scenery which made my experience more enjoyable.

Fabulous Italian food with a beautiful view of the water. We had the Fruiti de Mare and Bolognese…read more Delicious!

One of the best pizzas I've ever had in my life (and I'm from New York so that says a lot). Funny…read morecreative Signage and good chill vibes. Fast service. Loved it! 10/10 recommend the Montonara!

So nice, we ate there twice…read more When researching 'must-try NZ Eats' (yelp, tripadvisor, & lonely planet), we kept getting referred to Winnie's and thought, 'do we really want takeaway pizza versus finding something 'special/fancy' but after perusing the menu, we quickly realized Winnie's was special. Their signature pizzas offered unique flavor combinations, most highlighting a NZ specialty- super hard to decide, we opted for 3 small pizzas to try variety. First visit, we tried: Moroccan Lamb- large chunks of well-marinated fresh NZ Lamb Rump, smothered with fresh zucchini thinly sliced & a creamy minted yoghurt Pescara-large green-lipped mussels, hearty prawns, flaky smoked salmon, and zesty pesto Tandoori Chicken- a work of art pizza, as the creamy curry sauce base is covered with massive amounts of well balanced toppings-a crispy papadum, & pour your own mango chutney (our favorite was the tandoori chicken, because the blend of flavors was unlike any specialty pizza we've ever had- the pop in the zest was irresistible.) Size-wise, three small pizzas was a good amount for the two of us sharing- there were so many toppings packed onto each pie two would have easily been a hearty meal, but after hiking all day (eating lightly) three hit the spot. The topping flavor combinations were what made the pies delicious, the crust was nothing special (I honestly think it may have been frozen pre-made pie crusts-super thin, not enough oven baked char), but overall very delicious, bringing us right back the next day. Day Two in Queenstown, we did attempt to obtain a special/fancy meal, but while trying to dine at one of the local seafood restaurants, we learned most places were either unexpectedly closed due to staffing shortages or required a reservation. So we decided why not go back to Winnie's making 'add-on' tweaks to the pies we liked..so we found ourselves back for round two- ordering a Tandoori Chicken adding lamb chunks..delicious enhancement! If we lived in Queenstown, I know I would run through the entire menu, trying every pizza to discover my favorite pie. Highly recommend for takeaway (grab a pie (or two) grab beer to go, and enjoy on the water)

Good pizza. Great atmosphere. Lots of vegan and gluten free options. I had the vegan la fiesta…read morewhich has a hot sauce base. My wife had the vegan princess. You order at the bar, so I can't speak to the service though the food came quickly. Overall, recommended for a good pie.

We were a group of 12, my brother in law called and made a reservation over a month before, then…read morecalled to confirm a few days before. They confirmed the reservation with him. We arrived after a long day of traveling and they had no reservation for us and said they had no room for us . This was pretty frustrating, especially since we had 4 kids under 6 with us. So then we decided we will just order take away and eat it at a park. When we went to order our food the staff said to wait and they would make sure they could get us seated. They worked super fast and got a table from a large group that just left ready for us. We really appreciated that. Pizza was excellent, drinks were excellent. We had full bellies and happy kiddos!

Just coming back to update that my spouse and I are still thinking about this dinner in NZ! We…read morereally enjoyed each dish we had & we enjoyed looking over the menu to reminisce. Our menu: Piccolo- kika fried chicken with gochujang dressing, lime mayo & picked daikon Grande- lumina lamb shoulder, ras el hanout, & date chermoula Contorni- roasted carrots, whipped tahini, puffed grains, lemon dressing

One of the best meals I had in my entire trip to New Zealand. Starting with the restaurant itself,…read morethe ambiance was beautiful. The staff was incredibly friendly, it was just a very comfortable environment to eat in. And of course, the food. Every single thing was delicious. In particular, this was one of the best tartares I've ever had, but again, there were no misses on this menu. Even the desserts were great, the Pavlova in particular was a standout. Absolutely highly recommended!

Based on our experience of trying to get a reservation at one of the nicer restaurants in…read moreQueenstown and what our Airbnb host told us of her previous tenants' experience of looking for a place for dinner (they ended up getting pizza late), we were proactive regarding finding a place for dinner. My fiancé made the smart decision of looking at areas outside of downtown and found this restaurant. It's a little on the outskirts of downtown but not too far (via car). Our reservation was for 9 but we got there almost an hour earlier yet managed to get a table. The owner/manager (?) welcomed us and sat us himself. As for tables for dining, this place is pretty small so it makes sense to make a reservation for dinner during the busy seasons. This is definitely a local place and the service shows that. We ordered the tomato and basil bruschetta to share and a glass of Riesling, we enjoyed both. Like most places in NZ I've been to, they have one vegetarian option in their mains so I went with it: house-made gnocchi with tomato, chili, basil, olive & caper sauce with ricotta and Parmesan cheese. It was absolutely delicious, after having Italian at several places in NZ, this dish felt the most authentic and was hands down the best. I've enjoyed every part of the dish and wanted more. The fiancé ordered the Fiordland wild venison, seared on mushroom risotto and steamed green beans and liked it a lot. The service was pretty good, I've learned to lower my expectations regarding service when outside the US but our waitress was sweet and personable. The owner/manager also checked on us several times throughout the meal. We had a little issue with some items being wrong on the check itself and getting the check (but I assume they simply didn't want to rush us) but all in all, I truly enjoyed this place and it was probably the best meal we had on our trip.

While staying in Queenstown on holiday our AirBnB was just down the road so we called in a takeaway…read moreorder because we consistently saw the restaurant packed with patrons. We ordered a Mediterranean pizza and garlic bread. Although it wasn't 100% authentic Italian it was the best pizza we ate while in New Zealand. The toppings had great flavor and the crust wasn't too crispy, hard, or floppy. Give it a try!

After a failed attempt to dine at Flame (two hour wait), we wandered around and stumbled upon…read moreAvanti which looked and smelled legit. We walked in and were warmly welcomed by an adorable waitress who let us take our pick of the empty booths :) We had two waitresses who helped us and they were both super nice and awesome! One really looked like Anna from Downton Abbey, and the other was really pretty and bubbly so they definitely contributed to the warm and welcoming environment. I ordered the spaghetti with meatballs with a side salad, my mom had the green lipped mussels, and my dad had the ribeye. We received a bottle of water for the table which I LOVE because then I can drink as much water as I want without having to find my waiter when my cup is empty. The spaghetti was great and covered with a deliciously chunky tomato sauce, but the meatballs were super tough and dry.. Thankfully when my dad asked the waitress if she could swap them out for some fresh ones she quickly did so, and the new meatballs were much tastier! My dad enjoyed his ribeye which came with potatoes and green beans, and my mom liked the mussels although she did think it strange it came in a tomato sauce instead of a cream based sauce. I'd definitely come back here because the food was good and the service was excellent :) They have plenty of space too so if you find yourself waiting hours for a table at a popular joint you should pop over here and feast on some delicious Italian food :D

We stumbled across this cafe by accident and were delighted by it cozy atmosphere and authentic…read morelook. The booths were generous and the atmosphere was lovely. We started sharing the soup of the day, a potato and leek soup that was creamy and delicious and had a lovely garlic taste which was just right. I had the chicken risotto and it was seriously good and generously sized, I shouldn't have eaten it all but couldn't stop. Hubby had the Lasagna and although it was good it didn't wow like the risotto and the bottom was slightly burned. We added a side of seasonal vegetables and these were delicious! We saw a few other meals come out that had our taste buds watering so this place has a great food selection. The wait staff were lovely, the atmosphere cosy and the food was good. We would come back.

This was hands down the best restaurant that we visited during our time in the North and South…read moreIsland. My wife and I visited with our 7 year old daughter and we both did a tasting menu and our daughter ordered a la carte. To start the service was superb our server was so sweet and had such great energy and everyone else that helped us from the wine pairings to the kitchen were very interactive and friendly. By the time we left we felt like we were family. Now on to the food. We had venison, lamb, seafood pasta, and a wonderful dessert prepared table side. Each entry was better than the last and prepared on point with quality ingredients and wonderful presentation. Each plate we tried was an experience and the quaint ambiance added to the experience. We would travel back here just to go and eat here again. Do yourself a favor and go eat here!

Hands down the best meal my husband and I had in Queenstown this past week. The attentive service,…read morethe quality of ingredients, the intimate ambience--everything was truly top notch. We had the gnocchi, focaccia, salmon, potatoes, lamb, and salad. All of it was superb and I loved the thorough explanation that came with each course. Oh and the tiramisu was divine!! I will be thinking of this meal for years to come.