Blue Lake Eatery & Bar

Upon arriving mid-week, the establishment was relatively quiet. However, the service was exceptional, with the staff being both courteous and engaging, sharing recommendations as they went. The menu is relatively limited, but the quality of the dishes is outstanding, regardless of the choice made. We opted for the lamb and beef cheeks, which were presented beautifully and served in generous portions. We also indulged in several cocktails, which were expertly crafted by the bar staff. The dessert menu arrived, and we naturally sampled it as well. The establishment offers ample parking, which was unnecessary for us as we opted to stay in town and walk to the restaurant. After dinner, we moved to the bar, where the fire and bar staff continued to be friendly and accommodating. Overall, this establishment is an excellent choice for both food and drinks.

Ordered the Alpine Salmon Fillet Sharing plate for 2. The grilled Salmon was good in its own without adding sauce. Awesome 😎 Had olive oil Pistachio Gelato. Yummy 😋 Nice Alpine Restaurant with rock music.

Best meal I ever had since landing in NZ! We had the cauliflower and the baby octopus, the cauliflower was just divine. And I mean it when I say I wasn’t always a fan of cauliflower. But the chef just make this cauliflower so so good!!! The affogato was also supreme! The dishes really balanced the different nuances and layers of flavor! Just so great! And also a shoutout to our server, James! He was so friendly and helpful! Best dining experience I’ve had in NZ! Will definitely recommend to friends and will be back if I’m ever in the area again!

We arrived in Tekapo this afternoon looking for somewhere nice to eat, and the Blue Lake Eatery & Bar immediately caught our eye. The menu looked inviting, and the Mt Cook Salmon Fillet for Two sounded promising — but what we experienced was far beyond “promising.” It was outstanding. The salmon was perfectly cooked — tender, rich, and so fresh it simply melted in our mouths. The accompanying greens and sliced potatoes were beautifully balanced, and the side of carrots, dressed with an exquisite topping, lifted the entire dish to another level. Every bite was a delight — elegant, vibrant, and full of flavour without being heavy. The atmosphere was relaxed yet refined, and the staff were genuinely warm and attentive, making the experience even more enjoyable. We came expecting a pleasant meal — instead, we found one of those memorable dining experiences that stays with you. If you’re anywhere near Lake Tekapo, do yourself a favour and try the Mt Cook Salmon. Absolutely fantastic — 10/10.

I had an amazing experience at your restaurant today! I tried the shawarma, steak, and dessert, and everything was incredibly delicious – the flavors were truly outstanding. I’d like to thank the entire team: the front staff for their warm and friendly service, and the kitchen staff for preparing every dish so perfectly and with great presentation. Thank you for the excellent service and the lovely atmosphere. I’ll definitely be coming back and recommending your place to all my friends! 🌟

Amazing experience at Blue Lake Restaurant! Beautiful place, super friendly staff, and outstanding food. The gelato with olive oil was a brilliant idea, the shawarma had a tasty Arabic touch, and the seafood soup was incredible. The steak was perfectly cooked and full of flavor. Highly recommend — the chefs are truly creative! 🍽️✨

One of the most tender lamp rump I’ve ever eaten. Super yummy. Scallop and black garlic are really match. Love the bread side of the soap. Fair price in tekapo and the atmosphere is really cozy. Nice service.

We had steak sharing platter and the crunchist triple cooked potatoes ever. Best chocolate pudding plate too. Canned beers bit pricey but worth a try for special treat Lovely meal, great service too

All dishes were quite good. Cod was excellent. Slaw was food but could have used some dried berries. Kale salad was lovely and healthy. We got the potatoes, very good but we were jonesing for the show string fries.

Staff is very kind, place is very clean. Interesting menu, we ordered the chicken special. Perfectly cooked chicken with roasted green grapes, kale, softened dried cherries. Very good. Would give 5 stars if they offered some Non-Alcoholic wine/mocktails.

The food is ok but not meet the expectations, and it's expensive. But the beer is quite good and staff is friendly.

Yep, yep and yep. You need to eat at Blue Lake. Even if you are here for just a stop, check out Blue Lake. You walk in, it has a pretty modern feel for a pub. Nothing crazy. Nothing to complain about. Solid. Walk into the right and you have the bar, take a seat and wait for goodness. When you are in New Zealand, order the local dishes. I orginally ordered the lamb and they were out. Man, was I so happy when my second choice came out. I ordered the beef ribs and they were phenomenal. Like Emeril would say, "BAM!" The ribs came with balsamic drizzled on top, au jus on the side, potatoes and a wicked salad. Ribs were of course fall off the bone, so I had fun cleaning up my plate. I wanted more, but my belly told me enough was enough, so I held off on ordering another helping. Blue Lake is a pub. They had good beers. Solid work as a pub. Check out Blue Lake. They get swamped at times, so there might be a bit of a wait, but it is well worth it.

What a surprise. We came here scrambling to find a place to eat since everything was closing and we got into town late. It was one of 2 places still open. It looked a little pricey for a late dinner but we said eff it we're on vacation let's go. The food wow. I'm a big foodie and was pleasantly surprised with every dish we had. Great flavor combinations everything was in perfect harmony. The risotto with bonito dashI as a base with blue cod was a revelation. Delicious. Risotto cooked perfectly. Blue cod tender and perfectly prepared. The duck was moist and the pairing with blueberries and crispy oats was perfect. Sweet crunchy rich and juicy. The lamb with the jus was fantastic and the fettuccine was hand made well prepared with a great interplay of the smoky chorizo and the walnuts really worked well. The cheese plate for desert was amazing. The cheese was paired perfectly with a feijoa jam and the bread was fresh baked and exceptional. All in all service food experience was amazing. Definitely recommend!

We came here as a last resort. Everything else was closed at 2:30pm! They had a small selection of food and snacks to satiate us though. Gorgeous location to look out at the stunning lake as you sit and eat some food. My garlic black bread was really great (and very photogenic) though not exactly filling. My mother had a falafel wrap that she felt wasn't really good. But we were happy to get some food especially in such a stunning location. Their full menu might be better!

Blue Lake crafted an amazing salmon quiche for breakfast. Honestly, there was no point during my trip where I had salmon that was anything less than outstanding, but Blue Lake went above and beyond by giving their quiche the texture of slightly fluffy air, wrapping the 'skin' with spinach, threading it with dill, and topping it with a refreshing salad that really cut the oil. The portion was also massive, and they packed it to go for me in a paper bag, which made the leftovers impossible to eat, but even squeezed out of a bag directly into my mouth 4 hours later, the quiche still managed to be good!

The food and service were both excellent . My husband and I had a delightful meal of chicken wings, fish & chips and gnocchi, and all three dishes were delicious. We were kept entertained by a funny and helpful 34yo (sorry to call you out I didn't catch your name!) Chilean bartender who has lived in the area for several years. Highly recommend for an all around great experience.