Where to Find Cheap Food in Queenstown
The tourist hotspot of Queenstown is widely known for being kind of expensive. But when it comes to food, you don’t have to break the bank. We know the best way to save money on food is to cook for yourself in your accommodation – we have heaps of cooking tips and tricks for hostels in our Travel Recipes and Food sections – but sometimes you just want a break from battling in your hostel‘s communal kitchen for the best knives and frying pans! Sometimes you just want to treat yourself to eating out. We’ll help you with that by listing some of the best cheap eats in Queenstown!
From oversized burgers that everyone knows about to the cheap backpacker bar deals, we’ll list all the cheap food deals in Queenstown that we know about! Find some of the hidden gems of culinary delights in Queenstown, as well as which restaurants and bars have deals.
For more thrifty Queenstown advice, check out The Guide to Queenstown on a Budget or Queenstown – Guide for Backpackers. In the meantime, let’s go over the best Queenstown food experiences on a budget.
Cheap Eats Tip!
Keep an eye out for local meal deals in the Queenstown Weekly Bulletin which can be found in most liquor and convenience stores around town.
5 Cheap Food Experiences in Queenstown
There are many ways to go beyond the best restaurants in Queenstown on a budget and experience food in Queenstown on a whole new level. A way of combining hunger-beating and activities is to go on a foodie experience! Here are some food-related activities you can do in Queenstown.
- Take a self-guided tour of the Queenstown wine region by renting a bike with Going Blue Queenstown (get a good deal on Viator, Tripadvisor or Klook)
- Taste some craft beer at Smiths Craft Beer House (53 Shotover Street)
- Try local produce and artisan goods at the Remarkable Market (23 Hawthorne Drive, Frankton) every Saturday in summer from 9am to 2pm
- Do some free fudge tastings at The Remarkable Sweet Shop (39 Beach Street)
- Join a cruise on the TSS Earnslaw to Walter Peak Farm for a barbecue and more – all-inclusive for a very reasonable price (get the best deals on either Viator, Tripadvisor, Klook or KKday).
For more details on these experiences and more, see the 13 Things to Do in Queenstown for Foodies.
© PixabayCheap Eats in Queenstown – $10 and Under
Keep your Queenstown experience to an uber-tight budget by checking out these eats for NZ$10 and under. You might want to pair them with the 20 Free or Cheap Things to Do in Queenstown. Plus, see more stuff for under NZ$10 in the 10 Activities Under $10 in New Zealand.
$10 Breakfast in Queenstown
The perfect hangover cure can be found at Red Rock, 48 Camp Street, with their famous long-running NZ$10 all-day breakfast. But they’re not the only one serving affordable hangover cures, as Brazz Steakhouse & Bar, 1 Athol Street, also offers a pretty mean NZ$10 breakfast with eggs, toast, bacon, hash brown and baked beans.
$10 Lunch in Queenstown
For lunch, check out the $10 options at Wild Thyme, SKYCITY 24 Beach Street, including bangers and mash and fish and chips. You can get NZ$10 tacos from Caribe Latin Kitchen, 36 Ballarat Street, or try St Pierre Sushi, Cnr State Highway 1 and Grand Road, for their $8-$10 sushi lunch packs. Every day for lunch, Searle Lane, 15 Church Street, offers NZ$5 pizzas and a decent $10 lunch menu.
Cheap New Zealand Food
Head to Fergbaker, 40 Shotover Street, which is open till late serving a selection of classic New Zealand savoury pies for under NZ$8. Alternatively (or additionally), ask at Lord of the Fries, 27 Brecon Street, about their sweet potato fries for only NZ$9 to try New Zealand’s kumara.
Cheap Food Deals in Queenstown
Have some cheap bar snacks during Fat Badgers’, 33 Camp Street, appetiser/après-ski happy hour every Wednesday and Friday from 9pm to 11pm with delights such as half-price appetisers (fries, garlic bread, poutine, pou-thai, etc.) and 50c hot wings! If you’re more into Mexican food, head over to Taco Medic (3 Searle Lane) for NZ$7 tacos, which includes five tacos, every Tuesday from 3pm to 6pm.
Street Food in Queenstown
Pick up a Kiwi classic with a NZ$10 fish and chips meal deal available at Erik’s Fish & Chips, 13 Earl Street – try their deep-fried kiwifruit too! While not exactly the cheapest donuts, you might also want to fork out the NZ$9 for an epic Instagrammable donut from Balls and Bangles (62 Shotover Street).
Fast Food in Queenstown
There’s fast food in Queenstown too! Pick up a NZ$5 pizza from Domino’s, 19 Shotover Street, or there are plenty of deals under NZ$10 in KFC, 27 Camp Street. There is also a McDonald’s in the food court of the O’Connells shopping centre. For more fast food, head to Frankton for McDonald’s, 1063 Frankton Road, and Burger King, 1092 Frankton Road.
© NZPocketGuide.comCheap Eats in Queenstown – $11-$20
If you have a little more dough to spare, check out these cheap eats in Queenstown for under NZ$20. Oh, and you might also like the 20 Activities Under $20 in New Zealand.
Cheap Pizzas in Queenstown
The snack-sized pizzas at Hell, 3B Searle Lane, are only $12. For a funky street eat vibe, head to Rakau, 170 Arthurs Point Road, for their NZ$14-$18 “selfie” pizzas. If you just fancy a slice of pizza, albeit a huge slice of pizza, then don’t miss Sal’s Authentic New York Pizza, 36A Shotover Street. Regular pizza slices from their 18″ pies are NZ$6 or make use of their NZ$10-$18 slice deals for more of a meal.
Cheap Burgers in Queenstown
Gourmet burgers seem to be a thing in Queenstown. If you want to jump on the bandwagon, head to Fergburger, 42 Shotover Street, with a selection of oversized burgers between $12-$20. Alternatively, there is Devil Burger, 5/11 Church Street, offering more choices in regular and large options in the $10-$22 price range.
Dinner Meal Deals in Queenstown
Looking for the best restaurants in Queenstown on a budget? 1867, 45 Ballarat Street, might be famous for serving the cheapest beers in town, but their weekday meal deals (usually after 5pm) is a good drawcard too, including Monday’s 20% off all mains, Wednesday’s $20 steak, fries, salad and drink, Thursday’s $20 chicken, fries, coleslaw and drink, and Friday’s $15 burger and fries. We also list 1867 in our 5 Best Bars in Queenstown.
Looking for more awesome nights’ out? Don’t forget to check out The Guide to Queenstown Nightlife, as well as 10 Things to Do in Queenstown at Night.
More Cheap Eats in Queenstown
Now that you are satisfied that you are going to be well-fed in Queenstown without spending too much money, here are more things to do, places to stay and more things that will keep the costs in Queenstown to a minimum.
- 20 Free & Cheap Things to do in Queenstown
- The Travel Guide to Queenstown on a Budget
- The Food Guide to Queenstown: Places to Eat & Food Tours
- Queenstown – Guide for Backpackers
- 10 Best Budget Accommodations in Queenstown
- 10 Best Backpacker Hostels in Queenstown
Finally, take a deep dive into planning your entire trip to QT using The Complete Travel Guide to Queenstown.
Sources:
The information in this guide has been compiled from our extensive research, travel and experiences across New Zealand and the South Pacific, accumulated over more than a decade of numerous visits to each destination. Additional sources for this guide include the following:
- Tourism New Zealand (General travel advice - Updated [2024])
- Adventure Mark (Health and Safety Audit - Updated [2024])
- Work Safe NZ (Adventure Activities Guidelines - Updated [2024])
- Department of Conservation (Tracks, hikes, campsites and more - Updated [2024])
- AdventureSmart (Know before you go - Update [2024])
- NZ Māori Tourism (Official Māori Tourism platform - Updated [2024])
- Tourism Export Council New Zealand (Tourism trade association - Updated [2024])
- TIA (Independent tourism association - Updated [2024])
- Tiaki Promise (Care for people place and culture - Updated [2024])
- Council websites and freedom camping maps (Local travel advice region by region - Updated [2024])
Our editorial standards: At NZ Pocket Guide, we uphold strict editorial standards to ensure accurate and quality content.
