5 Must Do Eats and Drinks in Queenstown

Queenstown might be the party capital of New Zealand, but it is also a hub for some really amazing eats and drinks.

Burger Eats at Fergburger

Anyone who has been to Queenstown has heard of Fergburger. Maybe you have heard of it because of how jaw droppingly good the burgers are or maybe you saw the enormous queue as you walked past on your way elsewhere. If the latter was you, then I am sorry to tell you it really is worth the ridiculous wait. The menu is so unique and with so much variety that I am unable to imagine someone not being able to find a burger they like. My brother’s best friend had Fergburger almost every day and tried majority of the menu. I think he was disappointed only once. Considering the alarming rate at which he was consuming these burgers, they must have been doing something right.

The side dishes on the menu were also pretty damn amazing. The onion rings were to die for.  We ordered one plate of onion rings to share between three people, and we all ended up fighting over the last one. I can honestly say I have never fought anyone for an onion ring before then. I think that fact alone speaks for the quality of the eats at this place.

Sweet Eats at Fergbaker

Right next door to the extremely popular Fergburger is Fergbaker, which has just as many amazing eats. As the name suggests, Fergbaker is all about baked goods and those delicious sweet items everyone craves after consuming their bodyweight in savoury eats. On one of the days when we were running late to catch the bus to the slopes we zipped in and grabbed a boston cream bun to share.

We waited until we were at the slopes to eat it, which was a mistake. Only having half each left us both wanting more, but we were all the way up the mountain with no Fergburger in sight. The cream was truly so creamy and you could taste and see the fresh vanilla. The bun itself was so fluffy and sweet; it was perfection. Needless to say we consumed a few more of these delicious buns during our stay to counteract all the hard work we were doing on the slopes.

I was also talked into trying the thick hot chocolates. They twisted my arm, ok? Again, this was just amazing. It was the perfect temperature to drink straight away, warmed us up to the core and was so thick it was almost like a heated chocolate custard.

Pub Eats at Speight’s Ale House Brewery

Let me take you back…

I have a confession to make; Spright’s Ale House Brewery was an addiction of mine long before I ventured to Queenstown. On my very first trip to New Zealand we took part in the Speight’s Ale House Brewery tour in Dunedin. During this tour I sampled, and for the first time ever, enjoyed beer. I am usually a strictly wine and spirits kind of girl but the flavoured beer they had on offer at the brewery were so unusual I was hooked.

The tour also came with a set dinner at the brewery’s tavern next door. The first eats to grace our table was the famous Speight’s Ale House loaf. Who would have thought that baking bread with beer could make something so fluffy and heavenly tasting?! Upon continuing our trip around New Zealand we quickly realised that Speight’s Ale House Brewery taverns were everywhere. Ever since, I have made sure I get my hands on some of that bread, and of course the beer.

This trip!

About halfway through this trip to Queenstown I had a craving for a crumbed steak and gravy. I reign from North Queensland where crumbed steak, chips and gravy is a normal staple at every pub. Apparently most other parts of Australia, and the world, have no idea what this is or why on Earth someone would want to eat a steak like that.

After wandering around Queenstown for a while, I thought to myself, that if any pub was going to have crumbed steak it would be Speight’s. My gut feeling was completely right; one of their regular menu items was crumbed steak, onion gravy and chips. I was certainly not disappointed; the crumbed steak covered the entire plate. The steak was succulent and juicy and the gravy was absolutely mind blowing. I may have even gone back again before we left, but that’s just between you and me.

Sneaky Cocktails at Little Blackwood

I have to admit, I got a little addicted to “The London” cocktail from Little Blackwood during my snowboarding trip. This bar is somewhat tucked away, along the waterfront in the heart of Queenstown. You could easily walk right past it. Once you open the door, you are engulfed by the warm aromas of mulled wine and spices. We initially only walked in to check out what eats they had on offer. Once we felt the warmth from the crackling fire and heard the good tunes they had playing we had no choice but to find a comfy nook.

The first night that we wandered into Little Blackwood, I was overwhelmed by the vast menu of cocktails and drinks. I can be somewhat indecisive when it comes to eats and drinks, so I tend to seek advice from the staff who live and breathe the menu on a daily basis. I am a huge gin fan, and a sucker for something a little unusual so when I asked the bar tender to make me something gin based that was a bit spicy, but still sophisticated he made me “The London”. It was the perfect balance of cucumber, gin, and chilli and I could not get enough. I sampled a few others too, of course, but always came back to this genuis creation. The mulled wine in this place was good too, but their cocktails were better. Trust me. 

Chilled Eats at Coronet Peak

Let me start by saying that I am not usually the biggest hot dog fan. I can attest that when you serve a hot dog in a fresh crusty roll on top of a mountain it far surpasses the average hot dog. There was just something about this bar that had me mesmerised. Maybe it was the view, or it could have been the super chilled “eats and beats” vibe they had going. Either way, we spent a fair chunk of time just chilling out on a bean bag that was nestled into the snow at the top of the mountain. 

- Girl Seeking Purpose