Captains Restaurant — Restaurant in South Island

We arrived in Queenstown on a cold rainy end of afternoon and were dying for a nice substantial warm meal. As we didn't have much time to look around we googled highly rated places to eat and this place came up amongst the top few. What a disappointment! My husband and I are accustomed to eat/dine in many different places around NZ and internationally. This was one of our worst experiences ever. The menu is overpriced and totally disproportional to the size of the meals. My teenage boy left the place hungry and so did my husband. My son's baked potatoes weren't hot, more on the warm side and he found a long strand of hair battered and deep fried with his whitebait, that was absolutely disgusting and utterly unacceptable, specially considering the price of his meal. That's the most revolting sign of lack of hygiene in a kitchen's standards. His meal had to be returned and remade. I ordered my youngest's meal with baked potatoes and steamed vegetables and it was served with hot chips and salad instead, which had to be returned and brought out again with the correct order. The waitress who took our order checked that my salmon would be warm when added to my salad as I ordered it. Another disappointment, my salmon was stone cold and it hadn't been even warmed up in a microwave, let alone being freshly cooked as promised. The staff was expressionless, lukewarm, unfriendly, not a single smile on anyone's face at all times. This is a place in our black list, we'll make sure to NEVER go back there. We felt unwelcome the entire time and couldn't leave the place...

It is apparently the rules that you cannot dine here unless the server gets the approval from their superior although there are plenty of obvious empty seats(Reserve Note unplaced). Wondering what is the purpose to have reservations prior then - nonetheless to say, it is purely to know the seating availability and why would you not know it and have to get an approval ? We could not help to think that they are rejecting us while there were seats available. It became certain when other customers have settled down into the table without being asked anything. What is truly regrettable that our children had to experience this rather selective way of people would treat others. To be frankly, we wish we would know beforehand foreign travelers are not welcome to dine so that we could safe guard our children from this disrespectful experience - This is at lease how we felt.

*This was extended by one particular waitress who sounded not local. We suppose to hear from her if we could go ahead to dine however she never returned to give us any reply. There were an another waiter showed up and started to take order as if there was nothing. So we were “approved” to dine in the end.

Side note :- Steak was grilled as to how it was requested. Lobster seemed a little undone but we liked the tenderness so it nicely settled in our tummy without request re-do. Kitchen team did...

I discovered this restaurant 12 years ago, and I always make sure to visit every time I come to Queenstown. I'm not sure if the chef or owner has changed over the years, but their dishes have definitely improved and have become more and more delicious.

I highly recommend the seafood platter, which I order during every visit. This time, we were advised to upgrade to the fresh and large crayfish for an extra NZD 120, and it was definitely worth it! The taste was amazing, and you could really savor the freshness!

We also ordered pork belly, risotto, seafood chowder (forgot to take a photo), and some beers.

One thing worth mentioning is that I love this restaurant not only for its delicious food but also because of its wonderful staff. I always leave feeling cheerful and look forward to coming back when I stay in Queenstown for a few days. However, this time felt a bit different. The reception staff seemed tired and lacked a smile, possibly because they were very busy.

Despite that, we were served by a waitress who was incredibly patient and helpful. She shared the chef's recommendations with us and was considerate enough to provide us with shared plates and utensils since my family prefers to share dishes.

Overall, I highly recommend this restaurant. The food is delicious and great value for money. It never disappoints during any...