The restaurant got its name from the building's former life as a milking shed for cows. I think they added the likeness of Queen Victoria to their logo because said milking shed was established during her reign in the 1860's. The restaurant itself opened for business in 1976. Atmosphere is amazing. Sort of reminded me of the Forge in the Forest Restaurant in Carmel, Ca. Loved the cozy stone building. The place is small but the dining room has a huge fireplace, wooden beams, rustic trestle tables, copper urns and milking stools. On the day we were there, the weather was fair but chilly and the roaring fire was a welcome sight. The room is a little dim but contributes to the ambiance. As the full name indicates, The Cow Pizza & Spaghetti House, they only serve spaghetti and pizza. They serve about 6 different kinds of spaghetti and 8 kinds of pizza. You can augment you meal with a salad, garlic bread and soup. Our group shared a large 14" pizza called Her Majesty's Pleasure. It was generously topped with mushrooms, ham, pepperoni and onions. But I didn't care for the crust. It wasn't an ultra crispy, thin crust, nor was it a dense, deep dish but somewhere in between. Loved the garlic bread. Ultimately, while the food was OK, I wish the menu matched the uniqueness of the place. I wanted more iconic dishes that reflected Kiwi cuisine. read more

This is the first place we ate out at when we first came to Queenstown over 20 years ago! And it never disappoints!! It's always a must go to when I'm here!!! Love it!! read more

Have been here several times and still stays as good as every time. The old style decor, tables, ornaments etc and that log fire inside all help to give it a great ambience to relax and eat in. It can get busy so there may be a little wait at times. There is seating outside as well so dress up warm in case you do have to sit out during winter.Have tried their mushroom soup, garlic bread and one of thier great pizzas which is very tasty , and the service is good too. Can highly recommend . read more

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When you find this hidden gem in downtown queenstown you'll be quite happy you did. It has a very simple menu spaghetti choose your sauce or pizzas. The pizzas you can order half and half no problem which is nice. The service here was fantastic and friendly, the food came out in a very timely manner. All of our entrees were cooked perfectly and tasted good. Definitely order the garlic bread it's fantastic and worth it. This place is a great value for the price and a gem in queenstown don't miss it! read more

We went there on our first day in Queenstown, a lovely old stone building in a lovely quiet spot. The restaurant is not big some people happily share tables. There's a great fireplace in the middle that you can just enjoy a drink around. The waitress asked if we wanted to start with a garlic bread... Of course we did, little did we know it's HUGE! It's literally a whole loaf of freshly baked bread with crumbled garlic on the outside, with generous garlic butter on the side. It was great! But just a few slices and we were already half full. That garlic bread can feed a family of four! Btw, while I am not a big fan of bread it's certainly on par with real German bread. Main course was also suitably generous in proportion and excellently prepared. The bolognese pizza was indeed different in a good way, spicy and rich in a tomato base. There's none of this thick pizza craziness here, this is traditional Italian thin crust pizza. Spaghetti was also excellent and (of course, large), creamy mushroom sauce paired very nicely with the pizza, and again rich. Overall, great hearty meal in a really excellent setting and won't ruin your wallet. Get there early as it gets busy!! read more

Best pizza in queenstown!! Like ferger burger, my family and I are here two nights in a row. Pasta is great, but Her Majesty's pizza is what I had both nights! Bartender was awesome! He let us taste the mulled wine. The environment is very unique! If you don't enjoy this place, there must be something wrong with you! I will definitely come back here when in Queenstown. read more

Worst service Told us a table would be a half hour wait so we sat at the bar and they sat 2 couples before they seated us. read more

This place really hit the spot. In town for the Kepler Challenge and needed some pasta. The veggie pizza and spagbol were great as was the green salad. The place reminds me of a scene in the Hobbit. Wooden interior and cozy. read more

The Cow - Dave at the Cow - Italian Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

A little pricey, but the overall feel of the place kind of preps you for that. Hard to find, we stumbled upon it while wandering some back street. We had the portions pizza. They are thincrusted, very good but not incredibly filling for what you spend. A large fed the three of us with no leftovers, and we are not big eaters. read more

Wow! Had a really great pizza with really fresh ingredients and great waitresses and a lovely conversation with 2 wonderful New Zealanders and their niece at a shared table!! read more

The cow is pretty good. We came in on a Friday night pretty late. The wait staff is very helpful and nice. The pizza we ordered was cooked perfectly and we even had them remove a couple things and add one. We did not however enjoy sharing our (booth) table with strangers. It's weird. Thankfully the guys we shared with was cool and solo. read more

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Fantastic pizzas and service. No beers on tap, but a good selection of bottled beers and wine. Very cozy and warm on a winter evening.

Husband and I were feeling like pasta so we came here; 4 stars for ambiance (rustic lodge-type vibe with nice fire and candles!) but only 3 for the pasta--although spaghetti was thankfully not overcooked, my mushroom pasta sauce was a little glue-y. Flavor was OK though. Husband's bolognese was serviceable but nothing stellar. The garlic bread however was indeed amazing, fresh, crusty, hot, and delicious. Service was friendly. Would come back for the garlic bread but not the pasta. read more

For us, going off the beaten path, or in this case lane, is always the most rewarding. The Cow has a eclectic atmosphere and the pizza to back it up. We were seated right away and proceeded to order the Her Majesty, This pizza stands up to any pizza I've had from the Boston MA area. The crust was unusually tasty and the toppings were very generous. If, - no - make that when, we come back to Queenstown, The Cow will be our first stop for good pizza. read more

juat so so,I would give 50 scores if full score is 100, the chowdee is too salty,not taste giid. the pizza is too sour as too much tomato saurce,don't recommend. read more

The Cow is tucked away in cow lane and can be very very busy, however the food is seriously good, Pasta and Pizza. I eat here early, hopefully before the rush. Has an indoor and outdoor area for dining and open fire in the winter. Not the cheapest but ok read more

Remind me of an old stable inside. The fire was lovely on colder fall evening. Staff was kind. Enjoyed the unique atmosphere. Food was good. Good for anyone especially if you want good food but not formal dining experience. read more

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The Pizza is very good. We like the thin crunchy crust and plenty of sauce. The spaghetti was served hot and fresh but with too much garlic. Often times places who offer seafood spaghetti will overwhelm the consumer with garlic to mask the poor quality seafood. The service was awesome and very friendly. Except for the community seating, we really enjoyed our visit... read more

Some of the best pizza I have ever eaten - and I have eaten a fair share of pizza around the world. The crust was just right - not too thick or too thin, and not too soft and had a good crispness to it, but was not overdone. The sauce, cheese and toppings, along with the crust were very tasty. I would recommend this restaurant to others and will revisit when I am ever in Queenstown. read more

We did takeaway from the Cow, but the interior of this restaurant is really interesting. It reminds me of an old barn, perhaps a Swiss barn where you'd expect to get fondue. The barn aesthetic matches the bovine name, even if that comes from the street its on, not the decor. This places does a very simple menu and does it well. We only did pasta which travels better to our place in Arrowtown, and it was good. While bolognese was fine, the standouts for me were the "di Pollo"which was a nice spicy chicken caccatiore like recipe and the chicken livers, which was unique and delicious. One note, we also ordered garlic bread loaves, and the garlic was not cooked enough, leaving it bitter and and too spicy (you all know that undercooked garlic flavor!). But overall a solid place we would return to. read more

The best garlic bread in the world. The cutest place in the world. Come on a cold day and warm up. This place will change your life.

Great little nook for a dinner out. The ambiance was great, pasta was delicious, wine was amazing, and bread was fresh baked just for us. On a busy night they share tables but we got lucky enough to keep our table to ourselves. Would definitely go again! read more

This little gem is not easy to find, but well worth making the effort. I love the ambiance. It takes you back in time and makes you feel welcome. The menu is small, but that just means they do a few things very well. We had pizza, which was delicious! With a roaring fire and a glass of wine, it was difficult to leave. read more

This place has phenomenal pizza with wonderful, fresh ingredients. I came here in 2015 and I still think about the pizza Her Majesty's Pleasure from time to time. If you are so lucky to be in Queenstown, GO HERE! read more

My father and I ate at the Cow over 10 years ago, it was so good we still talk about it. We were in town for a week, ate there twice. I recommend his place to anyone who is in the area! If I'm ever back in NZ I will make it a point to stop. read more

So good. They don't do a lot - its pizza, spaghetti, bread, and booze. But it's delicious.

Fantastic restaurant in Queenstown. Decided to stumble in one afternoon for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. The place was wonderfully warm due to a fireplace and service was fantastic. Ended up getting "Your Magesty's Pleasure" and garlic bread. Everything was wonderfully delicious. Wander down here if you are craving pizza. It's totally worth it. read more

The ambiance is absolutely lovely but sadly, I was not impressed with the the food. I had the mushroom spagettis which were pretty average. Maybe the pizzas are better... read more

Food is solid here. We got the garlic bread, bolognese and di pollo. Would come back if we are ever back in Queenstown. We got take away but they had no utensils or take away bag so I would suggest eating there only. read more

Food 's amazing and they have a sharing table system therefore you end up meeting heaps of new people there.. if you go in winter time don't forget to order a mulled wine.. read more

Do not understand what the hype is about. Good decor but basic, borderline poor service, "world famous" garlic bread - famous for its rock-like consistency? - and an afterthought of a vegetarian pizza, with an incongruent tasteless bunch of veggies and a burnt crust to top it off. read more

I have lived in the States in Providence, Rhode Island, New Haven, Connecticut and New York City (The holy triumvirate of pizza havens) so it is from a place of authority that I say this place makes damn good pizza. read more

We tried to eat here but left because of the service. We got seated and then waited for 15 minutes with out anyone taking our order. The server came by twice and looked at us but didn't acknowledge us or even bring us water. read more

A wonderful small restaurant in the centre of Queenstown. I've been there several times each visit was excellent. The garlic-bred or the pizza everthing is fine an fresh. read more

The food here is great and the atmosphere could not that've been better. Warm fireside glass of red with the snow falling outside.

We ordered a Vegetarian Annie pizza as well as the Napolitano spaghetti. The pizza was great and the pasta was excellent. Good thing is this place is open quite late at night. We went on the gondola to see sunset (in late Dec) and then ate around 10:30pm. The location and interior ambience are average but the food is what's more important. read more

The atmosphere here is fantastic. Great place hidden way. Service is excellent and food outstanding.

Love this place - delicious food, funky atmosphere and great service. Loved the half-door and the Italian food and wine were superb. The fire was a lovely touch. read more

As good a wee spot as you can find in Queenstown, we have been dining here when ever we visit (over 20 years) and every time we have walked away full and happy - the spaghetti bolognaise is a firm favourite as is the fresh baked bread served with loads of garlic butter ...... Just good honest tucker read more

The food and service was the worst I've ever experienced. The waitress was rude and forgot our drinks and after asking for them she was angry. Once we got our food it was cold and poorly made, we complained again and she said she'd get her manager, instead she put her gym clothes on and went home. We talked to the manager and she said sorry she's new and there's nothing she can do. We said that's no excuse so she said she'd take $10 off our bill, we said okay and once we gave over the cash she said we were $10 short. We told her she said we could take $10 off and she she said no and yelled at us to pay and leave. Absolutely horrible. read more