From Italian dishes to Royalburn's best to-go lamb, Arrowtown is a hub of gastronomic adventures. Photo / Supplied
From Italian dishes to Royalburn's best to-go lamb, Arrowtown is a hub of gastronomic adventures. Photo / Supplied
Welcome to Arrowtown. Where there’s wonderful food, nationally acclaimed restaurants, and you can even take some of its flavours back home with you, writes Anna King Shahab.
Despite its small population, Arrowtown is a hub of gastronomic highlights, enjoyed by locals and visitors alike. Though it has always been a go-to spot for tourists, Arrowtown’s residents are fiercely loyal at supporting their local businesses. Whenever I’ve dined out in Arrowtown, be it on a balmy, still-light summer’s eve, or an inky, chilly midwinter, the eateries and bars have all been humming with locals having a great time.
Though we can’t list all the amazing restaurants and bars, here are four of the best places to eat and drink in Arrowtown right now.
If you’re craving a little slice of Italy in Aotearoa, Little Aosta is your Arrowtown go-to.
As owner chef Ben Bayly perfectly described it, Little Aosta is “simple, delish Italian food with zero faff”, taking Aosta’s well-loved flavours in Arrowtown, and offers a more casual, family-style offering. Dine on the best of Northern Italy-inspired dishes mixed with Aotearoa’s southern flare. Diners can expect Arrowtown’s freshest produce prepared with the best of Northern Italy’s cooking techniques, creating delicious homemade pastas, pizzetta (small pizzas) and more.
Taste a slice of Italy with Arrowtown's best produce at Little Aosta. Photo / Supplied
Executive chef Steve Sepsy was in house when we visited, and we were beyond excited to start tasting the whole menu.
We started with sourdough and cultured butter and fritto misto – winter veg from local Nevis Garden, lightly battered, perfectly golden-fried, and served with tartare sauce, before a procession of hearty dishes filled the tabletop – chargrilled octopus, the signature PPL pizzetta (pāua, purple potato, lardo), handmade bucatini aglio e olio with Nevis garden elephant garlic, whole Bluff sole topped with woodfired kohlrabi, ice plant, crisp capers and seaweed butter. Stuffed full though we were, Steve brought over a wee taster of a pig’s cheek dish he was keen for us to try – it was meltingly tender; if you spot it on the menu, order it!
Indulge in the best food and wine pairing offerings at Amisfield Restaurant and Cellar Door. Photo / Supplied
Amisfield Restaurant and Cellar Door
10 Arrowtown-Lake Hayes Road, Frankton,
Fancy a ‘Trust the Chef’ dining experience? Enjoy Amisfield’s elegant selection of carefully curated food and wine pairings.
At the other end of the ambience scale, Amisfield embraces fancy in more than one sense of the word – both in the fanciful creativity behind each dish, and in the otherworldly way it’s presented. For any diner remotely on social media, the food turned out by executive chef Vaughan Mabee and team is preceded by its Instagram fame (particularly that famous camouflaged “stone” of butter). The remarkable thing for me is that the “IRL” experience surpassed my expectations. I dined alone but felt anything but lonely as I seemed to always have a server, sommelier Marek Przyborek, manager Tony Stewart, or Mabee himself at my table, unfolding the leather-strapped trestle table on which to present yet another elaborate dish, or pouring yet another great wine match.
Among the many highlights for me was the seafood-focused canapes course – the prettiest teeny farmed pāua you ever did see, poached for a precise eight seconds, Mabee told me, with an impeccable beurre blanc to dunk it into; Alexandra kōura brushed with kōura garum; a sea tulip – the latter one of many things I found myself discreetly Googling under the table, and “eel on Vogel’s” which came under a cloche filled with mānuka smoke. I also dearly loved the moist piece of South Island greenbone (also known as butterfish) topped with a school of whitebait – a beautifully clean, yet wonderfully rich, taste sensation, and the quail and harakeke – covered in pastry “pebbles”, over which Chef shaved truffle. A 2008 pinot noir was amazing alongside. The degustation clocks in at $240 with wine match at $120 – this is a Lakes District adventure you don’t want to miss.
Start your day right with Arrowtown's breakfast offering at The Dishery. Photo / Supplied
The Dishery
4 Buckingham Street
Of course, it’s not a proper ‘best restaurants list’ without a meal with a view recommendation. Take in the beauty of The Arrow River Reserve while feasting on some hearty breakfast staples at The Dishery.
We decided to visit The Dishery for some well-needed breakfast to fuel up for a half-day of E-biking at the Arrow Bridge Trail (bike hire place Better by Bike is right beside The Dishery). The inviting smell of the fire crackling away in the front courtyard gave way to the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans as I settled into a table inside by the window. By the window, you will see people gearing up to start their walking or cycling sesh alongside the beautiful scenery. There is a sense of calm here and the aromas wafting in from the kitchen fill the entire restaurant. It’s a sensory overload that will soon see you salivating.
Most of the menu is available all day and although I was quite tempted to dig into some Royalburn lamb shank for the first meal of the day, I was very satisfied with my eventual selection of cured salmon, avocado mousse, poached egg, pickled onion, and greens on top of rye bread.
Royalburn's signature lamb is the best souvenir from Arrowtown. Photo / Supplied
Royalburn Shop
1 Merioneth Street
Don’t leave Arrowtown without taking a piece of it home with you. Stop by at Royalburn Shop to grab a slab of takeaway lamb.
Royalburn’s signature lamb can be bought in the Royalburn Shop – along with a bounty of other goods, most from Central Otago, and plenty direct from Royalburn Station, Nadia Lim and Carlos Bagrie’s farm on the Crown Terrace just above Arrowtown. The lamb is processed in the farm’s micro-abattoir and butchered onsite – the pave cut (inside upper leg) that I brought home and cooked was tender, with amazing natural flavour. Another great item to bring home is the fill-your-own sunflower oil, pressed from the seeds of the almost one million sunflowers that graced the farm over summer.
CHECKLIST: ARROWTOWN
GETTING AROUND Arrowtown is a 20-minute drive from Queenstown Airport, but you can also take the public bus, a shuttle, a taxi, or ride-share from the airport.
The public bus going to and from the airport costs $10 per journey. If you plan on taking the public buses when exploring Queenstown, get a Bee card (available from the bus driver or Queenstown iSite) so you can commute around town easier.
Shuttle services are very popular in Queenstown. If you don’t mind being dropped off last, or better yet, if you are going with a group, you might want to consider booking a shuttle service. Price starts at $24.
Taxis and ride-sharing apps (Uber and Ola) are the most expensive options on the list, ranging from $25 to $30.
