Where to eat and drink

• Jack's Point
• Walking distance
• Coffee, breakfast, an hour with a view

Host note: Our nearest good coffee and a lovely place to spend an hour or two with a stunning view. They do meals too, though it's a limited menu and they close early: around 6 or 7pm most nights, with a locals night on Fridays running to about 8pm.

• Hanley's Farm and Jack's Point
• A few minutes
• Hanley's Farm Facebook ↗

Host note: Low-effort dinner close to the house and our default suggestion for tired late arrivals. They're around most days, not every day, so do a quick Facebook search for the current Hanley's Farm food trucks.

• Hanley's Farm
• A few minutes
• Cafe brunch and a few groceries

Host note: The cafe at the other end of the suburb. A good cafe with a small selection of groceries, and they can pour you a beer at the end of the day.

• Frankton
• 8 to 10 min
• Chinese

Host note: To be clear, it's a Chinese restaurant, and a favourite Chinese restaurant in the area. It's pretty good.

• Frankton
• 8 to 10 min
• Chinese noodles

Host note: Our go-to for Chinese noodles.

• Frankton
• 8 to 10 min
• Breakfast and brunch

Host note: Our breakfast pick on this side of town. There's often a queue, so put your name down about half an hour before you want to eat, or phone ahead.

• Five Mile, at the Sudima hotel
• An underrated dinner

Host note: Quite underrated. It's attached to the Sudima hotel at Five Mile, and being a hotel restaurant there's a lot of good food but it's often quiet, which means it shows up on First Table more than most.

• Kelvin Heights, at the Hilton
• Waterfront dining on this side of the city

Host note: At the Hilton in Kelvin Heights, between us and Frankton. Nice dining on the waterfront without going into town.

• Queenstown CBD
• 20 to 25 min
• The classic Queenstown feed

Host note: They are good burgers. Julian's a burger snob and reckons he can make a better one himself, but everyone will tell you that in Queenstown you "have to get a Fergburger".

• Queenstown CBD
• 20 to 25 min
• A special dinner

Host note: We've been before, and it's our pick for a special dinner in town.

• Ayrburn
• Making a day of it

Host note: There's a lot here: multiple restaurants, some of it fancy and expensive, plus a golf course. The easy option is the Bakehouse cafe: no booking needed, just rock up for a cafe brunch.

• Arrowtown
• Indian

Host note: Good Indian in Arrowtown. Pairs well with an Arrowtown wander.

• Gibbston
• A big occasion
• Amisfield ↗

Host note: We highly recommend it. The food is amazing and so is the experience. It is very expensive, so save it for a big occasion and book well ahead.

• Fine dining on First Table

Host note: A fine dining experience that's worth it on First Table, where they appear regularly.

• Gibbston
• A wine afternoon
• Bookme ↗

Host note: Make an afternoon of the cellar doors. You can self-drive, or take the hop-on hop-off wine bus that loops the wineries; it's on Bookme. There are other tours too, but the hop-on hop-off is enough for starters.

• Cromwell (industrial area)
• Pies, if you're passing through Cromwell

Host note: Amazing pies, but the shop is in Cromwell's industrial area, so realistically it's a Monday to Friday, middle-of-the-day stop. You can buy Sangas pies elsewhere, but they're just not as good as fresh from the source.

• Frankton, the big red barn near Remarkables Park
• 8 to 10 min
• Saturday browsing and food stalls
• Remarkables Market ↗

Host note: Saturdays at the big red barn near Remarkables Park.