Lamb ribs were excellent, soft and nicely seasoned. Black curly hair found in salad was gross, waitress said she'd tell the manager but otherwise they seem unconcerned. Water glass had some kind of milky residue inside. read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - Salad and lamb ribs lunch. - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

See all

Lovely dinner here on the pier! I went a bit early before it got busy with the dinner rush and had the venison and the potatoes in duck fat. Really tasty. The portions are small, so make sure to get a side dish to go with your entree. The service staff were great. I happened to be in a bit of a rush, and they really tried to accommodate me. I'd go here again. read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - Venison and duck fried potatoes with a glass of local wine. Yum! - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

See all

Totally OK. Friendly service, nice ambiance and mediocre food. Tried cheese roll, crispy cauliflower, wilted spring greens, and nana Margs chicken. All were decent, but nothing to write home about. If staying for awhile in town, would probably try again. If you eat here get coupon card from most tourist sales sights for free house drink. read more

Decent food. A bit overpriced but nice atmosphere and lots to look at. Very busy so suggest making a reservation. Staff was speedy and helpful with selections. read more

We ate twice here while in Queenstown and have zero regrets. Really great service and delicious food with a view for the gods! There is quite an array of different things on the menu and we tried quite a few. The churrasco (skirt steak) was delicious. The cous cous absolutely phenomenal. Their fried chicken is also pretty tasty as well as their potato hash with corned beef. Nice beers and wine at reasonable prices. This place is awesome! We will miss it dearly when back home. read more

See all

Such a great spot in Queenstown! Wonderful service, views, and food!! A must while visiting!!! read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Based on earlier reviews and a personal recommendation, we made Public our choice for a casual dinner on our first night in town. I love tapas and wine, so it wasn't a difficult decision. Everything about our experience was perfect. The waterfront location and cozy, casual ambiance is spot on. The service was top-notch, thanks to Lucy, who took amazing care of us. The food, and we tried a lot of it (garlic bread, fried chicken, short ribs. chicken spätzle, fried fish. carrots & parsnips, duck fat potatoes, etc.) was all, without exception, delicious! Nice wine selection, too! read more

Best lunch deal! Burger and bevvie (NZ craft beer, wine, or pop) for $12 NZ. We had the beef burger and pork belly burger. I had coffee (flat black) and hubby had a beer (lager). Both meals were great! Love the pickled veggies on the burgers. Our waitress, Gracie, was amazing; friendly with lots of great recommendations for things to do, see, and where to eat! We liked it so much, we came back twice during our short time in Queenstown. read more

See all

We went here because the dishes looked good on the menu and the place got good reviews. But the food was a bit bland and underwhelming. The meatballs were woefully underseasoned. The venison was just ok. I don't think I would have been able to tell the difference between that and a slow cooked goat dish. The service was excellent though. read more

After dining here nightly the last four nights, I must post how thrilled I am with this restaurant. Lucy sorted us out each night brilliantly!!!! We have a tremendous list of food allergies and everyone served us perfectly. If you want excellent food, or if you want excellent service, or if you want people fanatical about food allergies, come here!!!!! read more

This was a great place to eat the service was excellent right from the beginning. They keep your drinks full and cold. The food was quite good as well we had the cheese rolls, duck fat potatoes and prime rib of beef and it was all very good. The price was quite reasonable for the level of service as well. read more

The food is really really good! The view on the lake is amazing ! I had a really good lunch! It is maybe a little bit expensive, but still the food is good! read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Had the salmon and beet root salad. Salmon preparation was adequate, but was lacking seasoning. A little salt and pepper would have helped tremendously. The aioli with capers was unremarkable, and flavorless. The salad was fresh and beets were good and walnuts were fine. However, the dressing was sparse and added nothing to the salad. Our waitress was singularity unhelpful and unseen for long stretches. Tell me about the calamari I asked, well it's calamari she replied. Indeed it was and also unremarkable. Many better options are available in the area. I will not return. read more

Had a half duck with lentil sauce, and eggplant with roasted pumpkin salad along with some garlic bread. We were told that this was a share dish so anticipated a generous size but was shocked to see only two pieces of cm cubed pumpkin pieces. Would have been good if we were advised that our food wasn't enough for two eating adults. Our kids only ate the garlic bread. In a way they charge you for your mains and then expect you to buy the sides but disguise it by saying it's share dish and allows flexibility. On the the service and taste was good....but it's not enough to bring me back when you feel ripped off. We wanted to stay for dessert but felt the serve sizing might have catch as well... So went to the Atlas next door for dessert. It's for someone who wants to pay full price for the mains and then pay full price for the sides separately for average portions. If you can see beyond this, it's a great place.... read more

My husband and I had dinner here during our honeymoon, and it was our favorite meal in Queenstown! Everything here is tasty, so you really can't go wrong. We loved the duck fat potatoes, the short rib (the BEST!), the duck confit pancakes, and the lamb. You should definitely make a reservation, as the space is a bit small and fills up fast. Public Kitchen was much better and even cheaper than Botswana Butchery, which we were disappointed with. read more

Perfect setting on the water and terrific service. We ordered the duck, pork loin, strip steak, chicken schnitzel, and braised pork ribs to share along with a few starters. Everything was delicious, but don't expect your entrees to be any larger than a typical appetizer. In fact, most of our starters were just as tasty and just as large as our entrees for half the price. So don't come here hungry, and if you are, double down on the starters and skip the entrees. And plan on spending much closer to $$$ than $$. read more

Slow food service but great food. A bit too rich but a great place to finish the day in Queenstown. Definitely pricy but a nice place on the waterfront read more

See all

Super disappointed in the food. Not very appealing presentation, and simply not delicious. I was expecting to love this place, but just didn't like the food. One possible problem; it was quite clearly a spring/summer menu - in late May. Spring greens, aubergine, capsicum and courgette were featured. Still, even the lamb and rabbit weren't very good. read more

My husband and I were passing through Queenstown for some dinner and found this cute little place tucked away in the back next to a quite dock overlooking the beautiful mountains. We got the pork Belly and Short Ribs, and omygosh, wow! End of story. read more

Fabulous hidden spot right on the wharf. The food is outstanding & you can't beat the view! Portions are huge & meant to be shared. The staff was very attentive & friendly making great recommendations on the meal selections. Everything we tried was delicious! We definitely had to take some home though because the portions were huge. Consider sharing a protein & splitting a couple sides. read more

The food is designed for sharing and every single dish we ordered was delicious, we were 6 people, ordered 5 starters and 4 mains and was just perfect. I recommend the baked Camembert and the short rib, both amazing. Also great drinks and good service, nice people attending. read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - Baked Camembert - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

See all

Excellent view, service and food. We had the leg of lamb and the braised beef cheek for mains. Both were cooked to perfection. They have several other dishes that looked enticing enough for us to go back sometime during our stay in Queenstown. read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - Loved the Founders Pilsner. #nzbeerrocks - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Wow. I was really skeptical with "restaurants with view" in a popular tourist spot. The pictures on yelp looked good so I decided to give it a try for lunch. Omg. The food is amazing. Duck pancake is like a Peking duck fusion, grilled carrots was full of flavors and not the typical bland grilled veggie dishes, then, the skirt steak and lamb stew with pasta...made me felt like I've never tasted good skirt steak and lamb stew before. I love NZ meats. read more

See all

Great service and ambiance. Tables were all reserved, but we grabbed a seat at the bar that gave you a fun view of the fast paced kitchen. Food came out speedy and portions were quite sizeable. POTTED RABBIT: Well flavored, slightly dry. Delish chili/cranberry-like sauce. Served with yummy toast with olive oil drizzle. HONEY PARSNIP/CARROT w/ALMOND DUKKAH & YOGURT: Dukkah was the star of this dish- hands down. Yogurt was a good touch to provide a tangy twist. LAMB BELLY: Well executed belly rolled with a light herb stuffing. Nice and crispy on the outside, soft and juicy on the inside. MILK BRAISED PORK SHOULDER: Pork was well cooked but under seasoned. But if eaten with the apple and bacon, it became a perfect bite. Desserts LOOKED fantastic, but were ginormous. Really wanted to try the pavlova or trifle, but doubt the 2 of us could even finish half! Hope we get a chance to try another day. Thanks Public! read more

Delicious salads & burgers, I had the vegetarian burger which was fantastic and I'm generally a carnivore. Others in my party had the classic burger (pretty good but I wouldn't say 10/10), the Mac and cheese gratin (9/10) and the roast of the night. We also ordered a medium salad which was fresh and tasty and turned out to be a very generous portion. Service was pleasant altho as they were busy not the most attentive. Make sure to order the potatoes! so tasty and the aioli was excellent. read more

Small plates but tasty. I ordered the mussels and clams which came in a cool pot with a tasty wine sauce. I wish it came with noodles or some type of starch to help sop up the delicious sauce. Mussels were really fresh and were great. The only thing I would say is that the sauce was a little on the salty side but I would still order it again. Boyfriend ordered the lamb ragu over pappardelle which had a lot of lamb but not a lot of pasta. The ragu sauce was good and the noodles were al dente but the dish just needed some more noodles. Overall the place was ok. Great view over the lake with the alps in the background, but the food was alright. read more

Just finished the "Big Bowl" of green lip mussels and clams. Absolutely fantastic. I've never seen mussels so large no eaten any so delicious. Very friendly staff and a view of the lake that can't be beat. Highly recommended. read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

We were pretty excited for a nice birthday dinner in Queenstown while on holiday, but were sorely disappointed. The location is great and the view is beautiful, which is absolutely the only reason they get an extra star. As for the food and the service--go elsewhere. We placed our order for a big group with kids and waited, and waited, and waited. Our kids lost their minds as we waited nearly an hour for our food. Partway through, our waitress apologetically explained that there had been a "computer glitch" that had resulted in our order not getting in. She then asked if we'd like another round of soft drinks since ours had been drained while we waited forever. We gratefully accepted, and another 20 minutes later finally started receiving our mains. The portions were more tapas than main--certainly way less than you'd expect for the price. We got the duck confit pancakes and had enough meat for two pancakes, though 7 were brought out. Flavours were only so-so. The steak fillet was ordered medium rare and came out about three minutes from well done, with a shockingly small cut of meat for the price and a flavour that approximated a boot. For the trouble of our wait we received a complimentary garlic bread. It was dry and bland. Eventually we made it through the meal, and when we received our check, we were shocked to see we'd been charged for the second round of soft drinks, so we got to spend $30 for soda despite waiting so long we exhausted our 120 minute parking metre. While the people and the view were nice, there are much better options. SKIP THIS PLACE!! read more

After enjoying the lamb rump here, we proclaimed it may be the best lamb dish we have ever had. We enjoyed starter and a local wine - everything was scrumptious. Beautiful views and Best service ever thanks to Sabrina S read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

See all

We had a marvelous meal here. The cocktails we ordered were a bit unusual and tasty, and we got good guidance about them. We ordered a salad, which was light and fresh. We also had the venison leg, which was grilled, and it was excellent. We had a fried fish dish that also was great. We closed out the meal with the trifle dessert, which was one of the best desserts I've had in months. I want to go back just to get that trifle again! Highly recommended. read more

This place is a tourist trap guys, avoid as much as possible. The amount of food is very small, and expensive. The food was decent and somewhat good but still doesnt worth the price we are literly going to get some pizza after. read more

Location is amazing but so overly expensive. Lamb rack was $45 for four pieces, pork was so over cooked and tasteless and the only taste on any of the vegetarian meals was spice. However, service was incredible and the vibe was amazing :) read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

See all

Great restaurant for interesting locally sourced food. The menu features a lot of locally sourced meat and seafood as well as numerous vegetable options. All of the food is a la carte (protein and sides are separate) and it is supposed to be for sharing. Since I tried many things, I'll go one by one. Mushroom and cabbage gyoza- the low point of the meal. Mushy and squishy with little flavor. Garlic bread- toasty and buttery, not a strong garlic flavor but delicious in a simple way nonetheless Kumara salad- nice mix of flavors and textures with fried crispy shallots, stringy leeks, crisp arugula and soft kumara. The kumara chunks were a bit large but otherwise this dish satisfied. Braised Pork shoulder- super tender, with a good flavor. It comes with a lump of bacon which was very smoky and contrasted the stewy meat nicely. Grilled apples rounded out this comforting dish. Lamb leg with white beans and tomato- this dish was very French in flavorings. The white beans themselves were a bit dry. However, this may have been the best lamb I've had, ever. The meat flavor was so intense and multifaceted and the cooking enhanced it well. Additionally, the lamb was fork tender and still a bit pink inside- perfectly cooked. Dessert- Pavlova- the dish was definitely sharing sized, 2-4 servings. The crunchy merengue and the fluffy whipped cream paired well. The fruit on top was fresh and the mango sauce was nice and refreshing. Service was friendly. Food is not served all at once or in courses, but rather as it is cooked. The scenic waterfront location rounds this 4.5 up to a 5. read more

Public Kitchen & Bar - Pavlova - New Zealand Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

We went here for a snack the first night we arrived in Queenstown. Super fun vibe, right on the water. We had the the chicken schnitzel, lamb meat balls, quinoa salad...all very tasty. Of note, food comes out when ready, so it was hot when it arrived to the table! We don't mind that style, but just a heads up. I recommend this place for sure! read more

Fast service with an amazing view of the Queenstown Lake. I had the duck confit pancakes which was really crepes with a shredded duck, an asian slaw and hoisin sauce on the side to stuff the crepe. It was an appetizer but a moderate size to fill me up. It was a slow day when I went but the waitress said the restaurant can fill up really fast read more

Super cute restaurant. We ordered the cheese rolls that were delicious and the mussles & clams which were also great. I wasn't obsessed with the meatballs but, we also ordered a bottle of the Mondillo wine and that was great too. If you're looking for a nice casual dinner with a wide range of menu - this place was just that. read more

Service was awful, slow, and server was inattentive. The food was bland, and over priced. Very disappointing! We had the carrot and spinach salad, and a chicken dish. The meat quality was great, but the dish itself was lackluster. Beautiful views of the water, but I won't return. read more

What a mistake to walk in the door. Do not eat here, you are just another tourist that they don't give a s**t about and will never see again. You are paying for the view, because the food and service suck. The calamari tasted like raw flour, we had to send it back. We both agreed that it was nasty, and when I tried to tell the manager that it tasted like raw flour he wanted to argue with me about it. I'm a trained pasty chef, I know what flour tastes like and you calamari is it. I did get to eat my duck, but they never brought out my side order of potatoes that I ordered to go with it. Yes that's right, you have to order and pay a lot, separately for sides. And it wasn't that good. So I paid nearly $40 for duck with nothing to go with it other than a bad taste in my mouth because I never saw any servers again after our food was brought to the table. I ate protein and nothing else for dinner. I had to order a pizza when we got to the hotel because I was still hungry. The only reason they have a second star is because my wife's seafood dish was worth 3 stars, it wasn't good, but better than mine. read more

This is a great place to grab some small plates and people watch on the waterfront. It's a bit heavy for lunch but still good.

This place is amazing, the staff were great all night. As a large group we could not complain about a thing, trust the chef is the only way to go with a taste of everything. The oysters were so fresh even had a live baby crab hahaha But really this place was a great night out with marvellous food. read more