The Food Guide to Queenstown: Places to Eat & Food Tours 🍽️ [2023]

© Destination Queenstown

The Best Food Tours in Queenstown

Queenstown is not just about the restaurants (which we’ll get onto that later), it’s about experiencing the food through hands-on experiences. Here are some of our top food tour picks for Queenstown…

Walter Peak Farm Tour and BBQ

Combine food, a cruise, history and Kiwi farming life on the Walter Peak Gourmet BBQ Lunch experience. Depart from Queenstown on the historic steamship, the TSS Earnslaw on a scenic cruise across Lake Wakatipu. You’ll arrive at Walter Peak High Country Farm to dig into a barbecue lunch of Central Otago cuisine at the homestead. Day-trippers also get treated to a sheep shearing demonstration or a sheepdog demonstration. Find out more about the trip, read reviews and book the tour for yourself on Viator, Tripadvisor, Klook or KKday.

Queenstown Winery Tours

Did you know that Queenstown is part of a wine region? Explore the Gibbston Valley wineries that follow the scenic Kawarau River on one of the many tours offered in the region. Ride to the wineries yourself on a self-guided tour with Around the Basin Bike Tours (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor) or join a small-group tour with Queenstown Wine Trail (on Viator, Tripadvisor and Klook), which also includes a traditional New Zealand-style lunch and cheese tastings. Learn more about the wineries and vineyards in the 10 Wonderful Wineries in Queenstown.

Craft Beer Tours

As well as wine, Queenstown is also home to a small craft beer community. Visit some of the local craft breweries and microbreweries with free beer tastings with Queenstown Beer Tours. The tour takes you through the scenic Gibbston Valley and includes lunch with specially-matched beer. You’ll also get a behind-the-scenes tour at some breweries to learn how they make the good stuff. Find out more on Viator, Tripadvisor or Klook.

More Food Tours in Queenstown

• Go on a progressive dinner tour with Alpine Wine Tours (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor)
• Browse the Remarkables Market in summer
• Try a famous oversized burger at Fergburger or (our favourite) Devil Burger
• Have a cocktail at the Below Zero Ice Bar
• Spin your own honey at the Buzzstop Bee & Honey Centre
• Have a private helicopter picnic or a pavlova among the peaks with Over the Top Helicopters (on Viator, Tripadvisor or Klook). 

For more information on each activity, check out 10 Best Foodie Experiences in Queenstown.

© Destination Queenstown

About the Best Places to Eat in Queenstown

The restaurant scene is almost as buzzing as the tourist activities available in Queenstown. In fact, choosing a place to eat is almost overwhelming. We’ll make things a little easier with some fine dining and cheap eat recommendations!

Fine Dining in Queenstown

For a more “upmarket” foodie experience, check out some of the fine dining establishments scattered across Queenstown and the surrounding area. For town centre fine dining, enjoy the rustic ambience and Kiwi cuisine of The Bunker (14 Cow Lane). This back-alley restaurant offers intimate dining beside a crackling log fire. Try The Bunker’s game meats, red meats and local specialities, as well as wine or a cocktail off their extensive drinks menu. Later into the evening, the bar transforms into a late-night venue playing house music.

For those wanting to escape the hustle and bustle of town, make a special trip to the Amisfield Winery & Bistro. The winery specialises in all things Otago, from its award-winning Central Otago wines to food made with only local and seasonal ingredients. We recommend the surprises in store on the “Trust the Chef” degustation menu…

A true foodie experience awaits at Rata, run in collaboration with a Michelin Chef and Celebrity Masterchef judge, Josh Emett. Rata’s ever-changing menu aims to showcase the best of Central Otago’s produce and vineyards, presenting international travellers with a chance to indulge in true New Zealand flavours.

And that’s really just the beginning. See our 10 Best Fine Dining Restaurants in Queenstown for more recommendations.

Cheap Eats in Queenstown

Queenstown might have a reputation for being expensive, but it doesn’t have to be thanks to the array of the more affordable eateries and street eats available. Head to the food trucks, such as Erik’s Fish & Chips on Earl Street for NZ$10 Kiwi fish, chips and soft drink meal deal. And don’t forget to try their deep-fried kiwifruit!

Treat yourself to the most insane donuts you’re ever likely to see at Balls and Bangles (62 Shotover Street), dishing out NZ$9 donuts with extravagant toppings and flavour injections.

Finally, while Fergburger gets all of the love when it comes to places to eat in Queenstown, its neighbour Fergbaker (40 Shotover Street) shouldn’t be skipped! Try a classic New Zealand savoury pie with an array of hearty fillings all for under NZ$10.

Check out much more recommendations in The Top Cheap Eats in Queenstown.

Queenstown Restaurants with a View

Get unbeatable views of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain ranges from atop the Skyline Gondola (end of Brecon Street). Dine at the Stratosphere Restaurant for an all-you-can-eat four-course buffet lunch or a six-course buffet dinner of local specialities, like prime meat and seafood, and a range of crowd-pleasers. The tiered seating arrangement ensures every diner gets a good view. Check out the Skyline Gondola’s buffet experience on Viator, Tripadvisor or KKday.

For more excellent Queenstown restaurants with a view, enjoy the elevated vistas from Nest Kitchen + Bar (139 Fernhill Road) along with fine dining degustation dinners. Take a water taxi to the True South Dining Room of The Rees Hotel (377 Frankton Road) for award-winning local cuisine. And for lakeside dining in town, choose The Bathhouse (38 Marine Parade) for lunch or Finz Seafood & Grill (88 Beach Street) for dinner. 

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Alternative Things to Do in Queenstown

There’s more to do in Queenstown than just eating! Be sure to complement your stay with some of the non-foodie experiences. Here are a few suggestions.

Other Things to Do in Queenstown

• Do a bungy jump
• Do a skydive
• Go skiing or snowboarding in winter
• Go on a jet boat ride
• Go white water rafting
• Visit the Lord of the Rings filming locations
• See native wildlife at the Kiwi Birdlife Park (more info on Viator and Tripadvisor)
• Party at the bars and clubs
• Do the Shotover Canyon Swing (on Viator, Tripadvisor, Klook and KKday)
• Cruise around Lake Wakatipu with Southern Discoveries (on Viator, Tripadvisor and Klook)
• Indulge in a soak at the Onsen Hot Pools (on Klook, Viator or Tripadvisor)
• Do a guided hike of the Routeburn Track (on Klook, Viator or Tripadvisor)
• Play golf…

And the list seriously goes on and on… Get more information in our 20 Queenstown Must-Dos.