Speight's Ale House — Restaurant in South Island

Mixed Experience – Amazing Food, But Evening Service Needs Work

We stopped in for lunch and were the first to arrive. We were greeted by a gentleman who seemed to be running the show — he was extremely friendly and polite, guided us through the menu and specials, and gave us a very warm welcome. The $20 lunch special was fantastic — great value and super tasty!

Because of that great experience, we decided to return in the evening. Once again, the food and atmosphere were excellent — hats off to the chefs! Unfortunately, the service in the evening really let the experience down.

We were greeted (if you can call it that) by a young blonde English girl who asked if we had a reservation. There were only two of us, 3 people alreadtly dinning, and just four people sitting at the bar (who were clearly her friends), so it wasn’t busy. Before we could even finish responding that we didn’t have a booking, she walked off mid-conversation to continue chatting with the group at the bar. She then turned around and told us to "just take a seat," before loudly yelling "two walk-ins" to the kitchen. This shouting continued for every new customer that arrived and honestly made the whole experience feel awkward and unwelcoming.

It felt like we were being talked about or judged just for being there. We considered leaving and heading across the road to the pub, which was packed — and now we can see why.

Again, the food was fantastic and we would have stayed for dessert, but the off-putting service made us decide otherwise. It’s a real shame because this place has so much potential — great food, nice vibe — but it’s being let down by uninterested and unprofessional staff in the evenings.

Recommendation: Definitely try it for lunch — the daytime service was warm and welcoming. But if you’re planning to go for dinner, maybe check who’s...

What is there to be said about this place. Absolutely ridiculous garlic bread. ‘Ever had I had the likes of this before. My tour manager ordered for the table as she loves garlic bread and now I do too but I don’t think I’ll ever have anything like it again. Absolutely insane! Then we ordered 4 different dishes, portion sizes are biiiig! I loved my full calf ribs. Not like 6 ribs but a rack! With coleslaw and Mac and cheese, ordered an egg too for the laugh. Freaking brilliant. And delicious wine our bus driver commented. Our server was truly an absolute gem! There’s a reason she’s hired. She is so lovely and chatty and happy and really just a great person in general. Her name was Maddie. She made our experience that much better. Whoever she is needs a raise for her enteusiasm for chatting to us all and taking time out to converse. And the food again Massive, tastey, value for money for days. And just insane garlic bread. Honestly. I’m annoyed cause I don’t think I’ll find any again. More like garlic with some bread on it. In every crack and crevice. Super fresh light fluffy. Truly made my night in queenstown so much better. Thank you maddie and the kitchen staff. Also the coke ain’t a glass. It’s a big Jug of it! Aaaarh this was on the 22 April at 7pm. 4 of us by the window across from the fireplace. One Irish and 3 kiwis. Maddie might...

In a seasonal town such as Queenstown (QT), the service levels can sometimes be somewhat lacking due to the large numbers of staff turnover. In many cases in QT this is the case. However this season it would seem that Speights Ale House has found the perfect balance of service levels to compliment its excellent menu quality and environment.

A tastefully designed theme bar/diner that has an extremely well priced and varied menu awaits you. The staff were very welcoming on the two occasions that we visited in August 2014, regardless of how busy they were. The portion sizes are very generous.

We tried the Sausage and Mash, the Beef Schnitzel and also the Fish of the Day, We also tried the house garlic loaf to start which is delicious. All meals were faultless given the price tag and plate size.

Being from Perth, Western Australia, bars and restaurants (especially the ridiculously overpriced bar/diners) could well learn a good lesson from paying a visit to Speights. they'd see how things should be done and note what is reasonable to charge for what is good old fashioned pub grub, accompanied by a variety of beautiful locally brewed and also reasonably priced ale.

5 starts Speights, keep up...