Lokal Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in South Island

Staying about a 10-minute walk away in Fernhill (about a 2-minute drive), this neighborhood restaurant is tucked away off a main road, but should be considered a centerpiece of Queenstown's culinary highlights.

With limited tables, an advance booking is suggested, but we didn't know this and just showed up on a Friday night. Rookie mistake in a foreign country,

My two teenagers and I were able to grab a table outside but it was far from ideal as it was on a fairly steep incline. However, we couldn't complain as walk-ins and the placed was packed. On a windy night, it wasn't the ideal situation but I didn't want to try to find parking in Queenstown and didn't want to cook.

However after getting our drinks a better table opened up outside and as I was asking to move, the server told me a table opened up inside and quickly ushered us to our new and improved dining situation.

Relatively small, the kitchen is even smaller and on a busy night, be prepared for a wait as the freshly cooked food doesn't come out quickly. This wasn't a worry on this night.

Ordering garlic bread as a starter, this freshly baked loaf was served warm and Instagram worthy. The taste was even better. It was one of the best garlic bread starters ever as the warm bread coated in butter, olive oil, and herbs made for the perfect bridge to what was to come.

For my son, it was ribs smoked right out front that were tender and tasty. Lathered in a tangy, smoky sauce, the ribs could be eaten by hand (multiple napkins may be required) or by fork they were fall off the bone tender.

For my daughter and I, it was the Meaty Goodness pizza, the best pizza I have ever had. Ever. Like the best pizza to ever be shoved down my pizza pie hole.

Liberally covered with brisket, pulled pork, and chicken cooked on the smoker grill out front ordered from Texas, BBQ sauce, the thin crust was firm and crispy while still being able to support the weight of the hefty toppings.

Both dishes were absolute culinary perfection and the type of food you keep eating even when full, because it's that good.

A short drive from the heart of Queenstown, Lokal Kitchen & Bar isn't going to pop up on many searches for best food in town, but search it out as the food is heavenly and the prices won't put you in...

Food was terrible. We arrived with a reservation and after a long wait our server notified us that it would be a while until we got our food as they were working on an influx of takeaway orders (odd that these were prioritized over those of us in the restaurant eating). After 40 mins our appetizer of wings came out soggy and spongy. We were starving so we ate them. We then wanted to cancel our mains because of the terrible appetizer, as we weren’t comfortable eating what came out of the kitchen. We were happy to pay for what we ate and leave. We were told by a manager that the food was fine and she had no idea why we had an issue, and if there was an issue we should have said something (which we were). I informed her no one checked in on us after we got our appetizer to which she said I had 2 beers, inferring that we had an opportunity to say something. I then explained that I had the 2 beers before our appetizer was even served. She wanted to argue saying that several people had the wings that day and enjoyed them. That’s fantastic if they enjoyed them! We, however, didn’t. No apology was offered, just an argument was started that we didn’t want to participate in. After we said we didn’t want to argue, the manager reluctantly refunded us for our mains and didn’t acknowledge us after the refund...

My partner and I got takeaway pizzas last night and we both agreed they were absolutely delicious. Like really really good. We even got 20% off for ordering on a Thursday which was a nice surprise. We love pizza and these just hit differently. Even down to the pizza sauce, the tomatoes were bursting with flavour. I asked for extra pizza sauce and I got it! Normally at other pizza places I would ask and not receive so even that was a bonus in itself. The dough was perfect, the ingredients just divine and the customer service when I went to collect was top notch - super friendly and welcoming. Couldn’t fault this place at all. The ambience was amazing too, it had this cool, calm and collected vibe going on. Everyone was enjoying themselves. Some people had their dogs inside, others playing connect 4 at their table while drinking their wine, lots of smiles and laughs from everyone inside. Just wish we knew about it sooner as we are visiting from Australia. Thanks so much, you’re next...