Fishbone Bar & Grill

Extremely disappointed with all dishes, well below average food. Cold soggy fries, tough mutton bird , average oysters and absolutely tasteless fish main. Chewy abalone, ridiculous portions and way overpriced average menu. Very embarrassing experience, couldn't wait to get out of there. Trying to look the goods but fails miserably. Go back to basics and start again. If you can't do fries what does that tell you ? All dishes were tasteless and cold. Would definitely not recommend, there are better restaurants around town for half the price with loads more ambience and quality with people who know what they're doing. Read the reviews and keep walking ...

Our hotel recommended this restaurant but it was not what we expected. The foods are overpriced and the standard is pretty low. Would love to see improvements and if I could make a suggestion. Please perform QC for the food from time to time and ask the right question: Would I paid this amount of money for this meal? Does this meal make me feel want to come back eating here?? One good thing is the staff is very friendly and I would be sad if they have to go somewhere else to work.

Food taste over average below excellent. Place looks cozy and decorated well with seafood things. I felt little small portion and garnish comparing with 40 dollors. Highly recommend.

Came here last minute. Extremely happy to do so. Ordered the cod entree and uni pasta. The cod was cooked to perfection with extremely crispy skin and tender flesh. The pasta was creamy but not overly heavy. It had several large pieces of dark uni. Delicious.

Yar super scrummy food, that salmon steak was insanely good and I don't even like salmon usually! I had the white fish dish seen there in the photos... Can't remember what it was called but it was really cleverly done; super fresh and delivering tastes that I have never experienced before 🤤 It was really cool to see mutton bird on the menu as I had heard a lot about it (being a bird that is only available to eat on NZ's South Island) but you'll have to go and try it for yourself.

Try the pan fried blue cod with clam chowder sauce, its awesome! I had the cod wings as entree but was too spicy numbing the tongue to fully enjoy the mains' flavour. The tiramisu was so so..

This has to be the best seafood meal I've had in a long time. The crayfish though expensive was amazing. So tender and juicy. The Queensland prawn taco were also a hit. Even though there are thousands of kilometers between Queenstown and Queensland they still had the taste of the sea on them. The only down sides are minimal. We ordered the bread and were given plates but no knives. My crayfish could have used a finger bowl but as I say minimal criticisms.

We came here because my boyfriend had tasted it 15years ago here and he liked the salmon very much. BUT WE DON'T HAVE GOOD EXPERIENCE TODAY. We ordered medium well salmon but the staff served medium rare. One of the mussel in curry is not fresh. It ruined our dinner...The staff named Katy is unfriendly and when we said the mussel is bad she said she changed one piece of mussel for us???? And she will told the chef recooked the salmon. We don't want a recooked dish...

Ridiculously great seafood. The preparations are simple yet inspired. The menu changes a bit based on what's available locally but oh man do the chefs know their craft. This is what seafood should taste like. Fresh and full of flavor. We had the Lemon Sole. Perfect. Just perfect. Pan fried ever so effortlessly and full of flavor. The Blue Cod was divine. Flakey and perfect. The panko crusted oysters that accompanied the fish were a nice touch. Service was excellent. Great staff. Can't recommend this place enough. We will be back.

The food was good but the service was lousy!! Over 1 hr after ordering, we still had not been served our food. When we asked our waiter why the delay, she brushed us off by saying, it's on it's way. She did not check with the kitchen. Other customers who arrived after us were already eating their meal. We had to asked a man, presumably the manager who actually asked the kitchen. He came back with some excuse or other, but our meal arrived soon after. Today staff seem to take no responsibility. The mussels were expensive for a dozen but tasted juicy. Gone are the days when you order a pot of mussels, you actually get a pot brimming full of mussels. Now it is by the dozen! I liked the flounder and it was well prepared.

This trip to Queenstown has become a gastronomic delight too. Another brilliant find. A fair sized place but with fresh fish and passionate cooking. My pick is the Fish of the Day with salad and crude hand cut chips. Flavour overload. And if the day is a fine sunny day like mine, it's bliss doubled. Shout out to the friendly staff. And the decor / plating. (Sorry folks : was too hungry to take a full plate pic )

Now you know when a place has been listed in the book, "1000 foods to eat before you die" that it must have a pretty loyal following! Well such is the case at Fishbone, a seafood restaurant that is a 21 year institution in this town and that I heard about through some traveling Americans who had traveled to Queenstown just to eat at this restaurant. (Turns out they are making their way through the aforementioned book . . . Sounds like a goal!) Open for dinner only, this place serves up some of the freshest seafood in a casual, relaxed environment. Make a reservation as this place gets busy fast and you don't want to have to wait! While there is both inside and outdoor seating, we chose to sit indoors and had a great booth right across from the open kitchen where we could watch Darren, the owner and chef, and his team, make the "magic happen. The menu changes daily from what fish they can get from the fishermen that day so check on line to see what they are offering in terms of fresh fish. Also know that most of the veggies and tomatoes are grown at the family farm and you can really taste the freshness of the ingredients so be sure to order something with tomatoes on it! I started with some of their raw oysters which were so fresh and delicious! We also split the shrimp tacos (2 to a order). If I had known how scrumptious those tacos were going to be, I may have just ordered two more and called it a day! Think freshly grilled whole shrimp (2 to a taco) on a soft corn shell, served with crunchy corn relish topped with guac and spicy mayo. I am going to try to replicate these when I get home but I'm quite sure I will fail in my attempt to even make them half as good! For my entree, I went with the butterfish. This fish was wonderful, perfectly cooked and served with buttered potatoes, green beans, and little clams. A wonderful dish! My friend went with the spicier Tarakihi fish served with shrimp. And we split a side salad as our side dish which was the perfect complement to our dinner. In addition to the fish of the day, the menu boasts other local favorites like the fish and chips and the seafood chowder. The service was terrific, ( thanks Nicole and Katy) and I loved the friendliness of the entire place. Even Darren, the owner, engaged with us . . .telling me of a recent visit to Chicago! There is a small bar upfront but know that the bar is really strongest on beer and wine . . .complicated cocktails are not going to be able to be accommodated here. Dinner with drinks for two ran about $168 which was a great deal given the quality and freshness of the food we enjoyed. And the funny thing? We had been talking to some people we had met earlier about this restaurant and the recco we had from the people working their way through that crazy book. I must have done a great job selling them on it, for as we were walking out, they were walking in. If you like fresh fish, this has to go on your list when visiting Queenstown! Now if only I can get that shrimp taco recipe. . . . .

I'm ashamed...I should have taken better notes, but I didn't. After consulting menus in our Airbnb, we came here for dinner, and were not let down. I had a really nicely cooked piece of fish with peas and broad beans and gnocci...but I can't remember what kind of fish it was! I remember thinking it was really good, a nice solid meaty whitefish, but cannot for the life of me remember what kind. I liked the peas and beans along with it, but the gnocci honestly were a little boring. We started the meal with a charred octopus starter - really nice and tender. I love that preparation. Everyone else really enjoyed their meals, and this was maybe one of the better examples of how cheap we felt the food was in New Zealand - a full seafood dinner for 4 people plus alcohol I think came out to around $30USD a head - that's...absurdly reasonable for a vacation dinner, if you ask me.

I was not impressed. I tried the seafood green curry. It was lacking in flavor and the portion was small and not filling. Service was spotty.

Well maybe dinner is better than lunch but we had a great experience there. It was an awesome place to try the local seafood. Just loved the whitebait. A local small fish. And the scallops and octopus as well. The final course was a braised lamb which was very nice although I'd have to say the seafood is really the stand out here It has a great atmosphere as well. Really a cute little spot and the staff is great. Of all things we met two of the servers who were from Boston and enjoying then

Need a better chef. My husband order a salmon steak that we had to send back 3 times because it was raw every time. You could tell the first time just by looking at it that is was raw. Then after it came back the second and third time it kept getting smaller and smaller- finally he just said to take it back and he would eat someplace else. They should have just refired a new one all together! My steak was supposed to be medium rare but was actually well done. Not a place I would recommend or return as the food wasn't great and it's high priced. They didn't even offer to correct his meal. A chef in any restaurant should be able to cook all types of protein to the order of the customer. Don't waist your hear earned money on this place!

Probably 3.5 stars. Had the fish and chips for lunch. Only 15NZ which is pretty good for the neighborhood. On the other hand, the fish was tasty, but the breading was a bit soggy and the chips were just ok. Overall good quality was average at best. Service was good, as they were slow that day for lunch. Worth the money, as I paid a lot more for fish and chips by the water earlier on this trip.

If only the ambiance were better! Chose this spot for our one dinner out in Queenstown, but were immediately disappointed being stuck in the back of the restaurant squeezed between another couple (who awkwardly eavesdropped on our entire meal) and a family with a rowdy kid. Sadly, there isn't really a good table in the place as it doesn't have a view, being stuck on a side street. However, the food was delicious, which partially saved our experience. Ordered the mussels to start with bread & smoked butter. The lemon sole with "crazy water" was to die for, but when we asked for the ingredients, the waiter had no clue how it was made. Staff definitely needs better training. Overall, recommend dining elsewhere.

Nice place just off the main drag in Queenstown. Service was excellent. Good wine list. Food was very good. The muscles were, well, only like you can get in New Zealand. Excellent! And fish tacos made grilled on request. I'd go back.

1. Food: fresh seafood, daily menu based on fishermen's catch. Ordered the raw oysters, the Coromandel scallops, green-lipped mussels, and the takahiri fillet. Everything was tasty and fresh. The fillet was indeed very ocean-tasting, too much so for my taste personally, but my partner loved it. The mussels were juicy, plump, succulent and sweet - stewed in a salted and flavorful broth. Scallops would have been better off simply seared and salted, but were instead paired confusingly with fried lamb bits, and set over a heavy gravy. 2. Service: friendly wait staff. Sporadic flow to food arrival from kitchen. Appetizers arrived promptly, but were separated by about 45 minutes from the entrees. 3. Atmosphere: cheery bustling spot, flooded with natural light from the skylights in the back. Eclectic and random marine decor. Largely couples or groups of friends with very few children.

+ fine (sea)food + extraordinary dishes (muttonbirds) + fair prices - noisy Seafood restaurant in the middle of Queenstown. When I went there, the restaurant was always full of people. With a reason. The food is excellent and it's always a friendly, although noisy, atmosphere. I especially like that they regularly serve muttonbird, which is rather difficult to get. Nice place for a cheerful evening with friends. Don't forget to book a table in advance.

overpriced fish & chips the fish was bland - super bland even the tartar sauce couldn't save it had to ask for ketchup - uh, i mean, tomato sauce the fries were ok and is it just me or is the shape of the fish a little... inappropriate? (i wasn't the only one who noticed!!! even the waitress laughed)

5 different dishes between 5 girls and you got a happy group that can say 'that was an awesome dinner!' We wanted to try everything on the menu so we all tried each others dishes. We all ended up getting the hake fish, oysters on the half shell, lamb, mussels, and fish n chips. They were all outstanding! Everything tasted fresh. Yes it's a little pricey but having a good meal while you're visiting the beautiful country is well worth the experience and price.

We really enjoyed this dining experience for our first meal in Queenstown. They came highly recommended by our hotel concierge and did not disappoint. We had Bluff oysters, prawn tacos as appetizers and two different preparations of blue cod for our mains. Mine included a delicious squid ink arancini and was pan seared served over roasted cherry tomatoes with "crazy water". It was so delicious that we are going back tonight after our 3 days in Fiordlands Nationl Park.

Looking to eat some fresh seafood around Queenstown, NZ... then don't look any further!! Fishbone Bar and Grill is where it's at! It's an elegant dining area and bit on the pricy side; however, it's completely worth stopping here and giving it a try. When I first came to QT, NZ I had no idea where to get fresh seafood, until a visitors guide points me here and recommended me this place. I was not disappointed!!! I ended up ordering the Green Lip Mussel, and MAN I WAS PLEASED! I recommend getting a white wine to go with this dish!!

We thought this place was super. Fresh fish and friendly service. The ambience is storefront and simple, but comfortable. Great choice.

Came in for an early dinner one day and was immediately seated. I was excited to try out some of their fish dishes. We ordered the Turbot for our main and the special appetizer--White Baitfish as well as the Octopus tacos (two tacos). The Baitfish was a bit pricey for what it was, of course it was a small serving since it was an appetizer, but I thought it wasn't really worth it. We ordered this since they said it was recently in season. The Octopus tacos were probably my favorite of the three. It was nice and flavorful, and again petite in size. The Turbot was just okay to me, I think maybe it was because I thought the fish was a bit bland and strange in texture, it sat on a bed of smashed peas. I wish I had tried the Lemon Sole instead. I was hoping that Fishbone would be the best meal we had for our last meal in Queenstown but I was definitely a little disappointed. I left still feeling hungry. The service was kind but a bit slow. Overall, mixed feelings about this place.

I had the fisherman's stew which was tasty. The crawfish gravy was really good and all the seafood was well cooked. My wife ordered braised lamb which was just average. Service was good.

Flounder and a beer. $48. Was pretty good. Typical prices for Q-town. Nice waitstaff. Good vibes. Nice wine list.

Casual seafood restaurant. We really liked the tarakahi. The octopus salad was light and tangy although I thought the inclusion of anchovies was unnecessary as they dominated the taste of the overall product. We were not fans of the blue cod. It was rather bland, even smothered in sauce.

The restaurant has the ambiance of a cafe. Although we had early reservations and the restaurant was essentially empty we were placed in a booth by the kitchen. The bread ($9NZ) was a small loaf of Italian bread, barely warm, served with butter- aka very plain. We each had beef and reef - steak and prawn. Notice I said "prawn" in the singular since there was only one prawn. We ordered our steaks rare and med rare. Both over cooked and mine was charred to the point I could only eat half. I pointed this out to the waiter and he apologized but didn't offer any compensation. Wine: there was not a by the glass offering for a Cabernet. Just one option for a Malbec. This restaurant was recommended by our hotel. Very disappointing. I would not return.

This is an exceptional restaurant. Incredibly good food delivered with elegant yet simple presentation. The environment is relaxed and comfortable and the service spot on. If you want to experience the phenomenal seafood available in NZ, don't miss this one. You do need to book ahead as this is a very popular place.

This is no ordinary seafood restaurant. First of all, Mark Godden the co-owner of Fishbone is of course brilliant! That's based on my impressions of this unique, seafood heavy resto in Queenstown, but also due to his great hospitality and bubbling personality. Making each and every customer feel like they are the only ones in the room. The bounty of sea creatures are all sourced from around the South Island. You can truly taste the freshness. I've lived by the sea all of my life. I know! There's also plenty to keep a landlubber happy. Char grilled grass fed beef and from their very own Fishbone Farms, Cardona Merino lamb. Which is also where the free range eggs used in their Happy Hen Pavlova come from. Their produce is farm fresh! I started with the prawn cocktail. It was however unlike any prawn cocktail that I've ever had. The prawns came with Cloudy Bay clams that were both in a tasty tomato sauce with avocado and tortilla crisps. Every bite a delight. It was paired with a Mondillo Riesling 2013 (a beautiful year with ideal conditions) from Central Otago. It happens to be from the highest vineyard in elevation in all of Central Otago. Followed by a 2012 Carrick Pinot Gris. My whole flounder arrived. It was oven baked with herb & lemon butter, "real" chips with a pickled onion mayonnaise. Having displayed less than enthusiasm for a Sauvignon Blanc, Mark brought over a glass of Saint Clair "Wairau Reserve" 2012. I did in fact became more enthusiastic about Sauvignon Blanc. However, I did follow it up with a very nice 2011 Grasshopper Rock Pinot Noir also from Central Otago. Strong aromatics with cherry and floral notes. Clean flavours supported by nice tannins. Then a 2010 Mount Edward Pinot Noir Morrison's Vineyard from Central Otago which was beautiful. Burgundy-like notes of wet earth and dark berry. Soft and round in the mouth with a long finish. Suffice it to say that they have a great, well thought out wine list. Finally, I had their heavenly Happy Hen Pavlova. As I said from the outset, this is a very unique seafood based restaurant with something for everybody. Their focus on quality and service, coupled with Mark Godden's spirit and passion are what sets Fishbone apart from the rest.

Fresh, fresh, fresh, everything we ordered was good. Flavored just right. Excellent service. Dishes came separately, not piled on the table at once, we ordered quite a few items to try, each was well prepared. We could not find fish in the 'fisherman's stew', but our favorite was hands down the fried flounder. We liked the place so much we came twice in the two days that we were there.

Delicious food in an unpretentious environment. Great beer selection as well as wines and the food is top notch. Had the freshly shucked oysters, Southland stew and the fish and chips and everything was great. Not too fancy, so no need to dress up but you'll definitely walk out having had an upmarket meal and a full belly!

Very bad experience. The seafood was not fresh, one of my Friend feel uncomfortable after the dinner. Not recommend.

We dined here last evening and found it to be a difficult experience. We ordered 3 different fish dishes that were not available. There were 5 fish offerings on the menu. We also ordered their bread, which they charged for. Problem was, they were also sold out of BREAD! Further, we asked our server to reserve pavlova, a common dessert in this area, only to find out that they were also out of THAT! The manager came to our table to hear of our concern about so many of our requests couldn't be filled. He was very defensive and stated the obvious, that as a fresh seafood restaurant, they often "sell out" of menu items that are ordered more than they have on hand. DUH! We must have entered the "perfect storm" on this, our first experience at this place when FIVE of our requests couldn't be available. The dishes that we did order were good. Not GREAT, but good. The manager did comp our bread, after he offered to go to a market and buy bread for us. Pretty sarcastic. Eat here early, or expect to be disappointed with the response to your requested items.