Great spot for Asian fusion cuisine. We shared several dishes, including the Rakiura salmon tataki, tempura eggplant, and the Kaimoana boil-up. My favorite was definitely the boil-up, which featured soft shell crab, mussels, prawns, fish, and mushrooms in a rich, savory coconut broth that was packed with flavor. The interior is nicely designed. The service was prompt and attentive throughout. Overall, a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience. read more

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Some dishes were good some were lacking. Overall I feel like the execution/cook on the dishes were great but the flavors were a bit off. I may be biased because I'm coming from San Francisco where we have really good Asian food and fusion food. But I felt like the shaking beef sauce was way too sweet and overpowering, but the cook on the beef was amazing. the curry was a little bit, lacking in flavor and the chicken just seemed like grilled chicken thrown into the sauce rather than cinnamon within the sauce. The tuna and the nachos was really good, but the sauce is overpowered the taste. The kokoda was actually one of my favorite dishes though. Service was good overall. You go up and pay at the end. Ambiance is a little bit of a tiki scene - dark and a bit loud read more

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What an experience this place was! Went with a big group of about 12 of us so we made reservations and were seated immediately. We ordered basically all the apps and a few entrees and they were all hits! I really enjoyed the poke nachos and battered fried shrimps! The drinks were awesome! I had several margaritas and the sever basically refilled them without asking which I told him to do lol. Give it a try! read more

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This place was good - really cute and pretty spot in Queenstown. It's been recommended a bunch of people. The service was super quick and the bartenders were so nice. I thought the food was good, mushroom bao was yummy, slightly too much hoisin foe my liking. My husband loved the lamb curry read more

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Bluekanu in Queenstown I was most excited for. Bluekanu is a feast for the senses. It has Pacific and Asian influences and all the dishes I had were very bold on flavor. The Kadoko was a citrusy crisp that I loved. I also had the salmon cones which were beautifully presented. I then go the spicy calamari and it was the perfect ending. Every dish is artfully presented, and the vibrant, tropical atmosphere makes it a dining experience you'll want to linger and hang out over. read more

Blue Kanu - Asian Fusion Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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I loved the decor and ambience in this space. It serves asian fusion and the walls are all painted with tropical birds and leaves. The music was perfect for a weekend night out. Do yourself a favor and try he Fijian fish kokoda, with sago and squid ink crackers. Its like a creamy ceviche and mine was made with a gurnard local fish from marlborough. I am definitely coming back aqain to try. Reservations recommended like all other spots in queenstown. read more

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This is an attractive space with delicious food and attentive service. The food was very flavorful. read more

Blue Kanu - Lamb Curry - Asian Fusion Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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We ate at several Queenstown restaurants and this was the only one that disappointed. Slow service was disappointing. Food was disappointing. We had four starters to share : ceviche, dumplings, bao and calamari. The ceviche was tough and in a bland sauce; dumplings were good; bao was not bao, more like a sandwich between steamed bread and the calamari looked great, but was in a sweet sauce that did not go down well. Anyway, I see people like it a lot. Maybe it is just personal taste. read more

Best overall meal in New Zealand hands down. Gen ribs are to die for and chicken was also terrific. The service was top notch along with spacious seating to set the mood for an awesome last dinner in Queenstown! read more

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On first glance, this seems like a super touristy place. Great location just by the waterfront, in a very popular tourist area. However, the food here is good, and the pricing is reasonable! This place does seafood well. Atmosphere - it is very dark inside. Good if you're into that whole romantic, dark places thing. But I'd suggest to consider the outdoor tables, al fresco dining style. Especially during the summer! Two dishes I highly recommend. - Fish kokoda. Its like a ceviche. From the starters. So good. - Market fish (monkfish on our day) tempura/fritters. From the mains. So good too. read more

Do NOT book a table here. We booked a table for 6 people, but two people in our party got sick, we canceled the morning of our reservation and they wouldn't make an exception and charged us a $25 per person cancellation fee. There are many other just as good places to eat than taking a risk on booking a table for 6. Stupid thing is that if we had booked a table for 2 and another one for 4, we could have cancelled both and not been charged. read more

Let me just sun this up- we were in Queenstown for 3 days, and we went here TWICE. The first night was planned. The second time was because I had to return for what I called the single best bite of food I've ever had- their version of shrimp toast. I know what you're thinking...shrimp toast, really? Yes, really. It's coated in sesame seeds and pan fried and OMG IT'S SO GOOD. But hey, maybe bread, shrimp, and sesame seeds don't sound like your perfect trifecta, in which case there are other delicious plates to choose. We also loved their version of Korean fried chicken, shaking beef, and the spring rolls. They had fun drinks as well! As we experienced at most places in Queenstown, service was on point! read more

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The ahi nachos made with rice wrappers was so delicious! We shared the pork sliders and dumplings as well. It was a lovely day to dine outside. The establishments music next door did compete with the swanky ambiance but we made the best of it! read more

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Fun colorful restaurant with interesting dishes very flavorful knowledgeable waiters and great wine list.

We went to this restaurant because of the good reviews. Then we found out that they were accurate. A very interesting fusion among several types of food. We requested the Tuna nachos, the eggplant, the noodles with chicken, and the Monk fish. The latter two were the entrees, and had a very interesting combination of flavors and spiciness. Planing to come back! read more

The food was delicious. We got the half chicken, which came with bones in (which makes sense). It was a great dish to split between two people. We each got a good amount. We started with the prawn toast which was great. The service was wonderful, they were welcoming and warm as well as timely. We recommend! read more

Blue Kanu - Prawn Toast shareable and the mint mojito - Asian Fusion Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

This place was out of this world. We got the "Trust the Wok" and every dish was fantastic. I feel like we got way more than 4 courses. Amazing Deal. They were fully booked, but still seated us outside! read more

Super delicious- do not miss this place! Make reservations early. There was four of us so we bought a big array of menu items and shared. Every single thing was was delicious. Like lick the plate kind of good. read more

Amazing and creative food! Waited at bar for table, worked out for us. Cocktails were fantastic and bartenders friendly.

Back in Queenstown for 20+ times. Have been to Blue Kanu before. This was a bad experience. We ordered 3 small plates and a fourth which we asked to have as a second main. Within 20 minutes of sitting down, all of our food except the one main was on our table. Within 45 minutes our entire meal was served. Manager came over and she was at best, disinterested, not helpful and faulting us for how we ordered. The food was delicious and the table service fine. If I wanted speed eating I would have gone to KFC or McDonald's. Totally unacceptable experience. The kitchen needs to slow down. There are too many other restaurants in Queenstown where what we experienced would never happen. Choose wisely. read more

This was one of our favorite meals during our New Zealand trip. Food: BBQ Pork Slider, Sticky Ribs, Huli Huli Chicken. All of it was good. Service: Service was welcoming and friendly Ambiance: Tropical island read more

Blue Kanu - Pork Slider - Asian Fusion Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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We had 6'people at our table. We shared 8 small plates. The shrimp and the calamari were the favorites. They even have a gluten free menu for a friend who is gluten free read more

Stumbled upon this place accidentally during our visit to New Zealand about a month ago, but so glad we did! Being from Hawaii, it seemed silly to try a restaurant that served food so similar to what we eat at home. But this was easily one of my favorite meals during our visit! We walked in about 6pm with no reservation, and the place was pretty packed. The hostess was able to get us a table but did warn us that she had a reservation coming in at 8pm so we'd have to make it quick. This wasn't a problem though, the waitress was quick but not pushy, and the food came out pretty quickly. I had the duck nachos, my husband had the mussels, and our friends had the fried snapper. Everything was reasonably priced and the portions were pretty big. Would definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area! read more

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This was my wife's favorite dinner in Queenstown. We did the "Trust the Wok" dinner for 2. The chef will serve a selection of Blue Kanu's favorite dishes. 4 courses which were all huge. $65 per person. Really impressed by the service here too! I'd recommend a reservation, we were lucky to be seated without one. This place gets packed! read more

The salmon poke was outstanding, we then had the market fish kokoda that was even better, followed by the Tahitian prawn curry that was also otherworldly. Two big thumbs up read more

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We called day of and was able to secure a 9PM reservation. Our hotel even told us it's a very popular restuarant in town. The staff are nice and our server was helpful in providing suggestions and quantity of dishes. The selection of wine is also great - we found our favorite, which is also the Reese Witherspoon favorite! We tried several dishes including: sticky pork ribs (seasoned well, the spicy mustard cuts into the tangy sweetness just right), poke (this was just ok, we've had much better poke in other places), fried whole fish (was a little dry but otherwise good and the papaya salad was refreshing), curry mussels (the sauce and the prawn toast in this was so yummy). We also tried the fried ice cream which was done well with a slice of brownie and brulee banana. Just a heads up everything here is on the sweeter side, all sauces, etc. Presentation was creative and done well but not overdone for the establishment. read more

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Absolute garbage, ordered the chicken and fish, both very soft and unflavored. The sauce seasoning they had on it overpowered the chicken and left a aftertaste. Rice was stale and crunchy, would not recommend. read more

Food category: Polynesian, reported to have opened in the last 7months. Rating: 3.5 stars Ambiance: hip, Polynesian theme, with indoor/outdoor seating. Food location near lake. Service: welcoming, friendly, but slow. Table did not cleared in timely manner. Food: Polynesian influenced with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai cooking. 1. Dumplings, $15- minimal stuffing, thick wrapper. Black vinegar/soy/ginger dip was good. 2. Chicken karage, $14- not that spicy. Well done. 3. Special small dish squid (not on menu- stuffed with meat, rolled in banana leaf and grilled), $24- well flavored meat, lacked a binding agent in meat, so it fell apart easily. Relish atop was delicious. Red capsicum coconut dip did not appear to tie in with the dish well. 4. Side of sautéed veggies, $9- Bok Choy, snap peas, bean sprouts, cilantro. Veggies were bland, liquidy sauce was good but flavor was not infused with veggies. 5. Tuna tatake, $31- ponzu pearls were different, delicious and gave character/flavor to the dish. Average tuna tatake, nothing exciting. 6. Basil Breeze, $18-delicious, had lychee, white rum, Thai basil and lemon...would reorder. Value: appropriate for ambiance, but for volume and quality, over priced. read more

Blue Kanu - Special, not on menu (yet) squid stuffed with meat, with red capsaicin/coconut sauce, small plate, $24 - Asian Fusion Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Incredible experience. Everyone absolutely should visit those place. We tried probably 10 of their dishes and all were amazing, very unique taste and beautiful presentation. Those drinks were great as well. The ambience and interior is 5/5. I highly recommend this place. read more

This place was great! Asian-flare food right near the water in Queenstown. They have plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is decent sized with plenty of options. They even have a vegetarian Bi Bim Bap option with tempeh! We got the Goat Rendang Bun and it was very tasty. I got the Lamb Jungle Curry and it was good. Not nearly spicy enough though. If you like super spicy foods, you can ask them to kick it up a notch. When I see that things are super spicy, I expect to sweat it out. Not even a little - it had some kick at the end but nothing what I would expect for a spicy dish. My dining partner got the Sticky Pork Belly dish and that was delicious, even the Spam fries (I'm not even a fan of Spam but they were good!) Also, the drink Ginger Colada was really tasty. Probably not very alcoholic if that's what you're looking for, but it was really delicious. read more

Polynesian themed tastes with Thai and Hawaiian influence. Tiny (average $12) and larger dishes (average $35) available. On another note, my blue flowy dress with white Hawaiian print on it, which I had not planned to wear, made it feel like this restaurant was meant to be for the night.. A mixture of tiny dishes could easily make your dinner experience turn into a tapas night, as this is what my friends and I did. We ordered the following: Kokoda fresh market fish with rice crackers - sauces have a spicy kick to them, market fish tasted like chewy scallops, and rice crackers are similar to thin crispy/airy pork rind chips. Steamed pork and smoked eel dumplings - thick wrapping, the eel definitely provides a different tangy flavor, tasted great Wok fried Asian greens - nothing special but nice veggie dish Special pork ribs (half) - if you love BBQ this is for you. A little spicy but not too much. Comes with enough for one person or to split if you are getting more dishes. Roasted duck - Great although the duck could have been juicier. Still fab and would have to say is my favorite. The staff was incredibly friendly and the food came out quickly. I was starving so I was glad the food came out at such a fast speed although my friends felt a little pressured to finish food. The restaurant was also not so busy when we were there so that could be the reason for the speed. Four stars for great food and friendly service. Not beyond incredible, although would return. read more

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Definitely Make a reservation! I went with my husband on a Monday at 7pm in January and they were booked until 915 with reservations. We decided to wait the approximately 20 minutes for a seat at the bar and got lucky because someone didn't show up for their reservation. We'd rate this place a 4.5 but because she offered us the bar and a table rounded up to 5. We got 3 starters and one main and that was more than enough, we were stuffed. The pork dumpling starter was very gamey and sort of tasted like lamb with mint jelly instead of pork - the least favorite of the food but not bad. The Vietnamese Salad was fantastic, al dented glass noodles and very large- must share! Our favorite of the food was the Korean fried chicken. It was crispy but the sauce was so flavorful and the mayo dipping sauce had lots of cumin but complimented very well. The beef cheeks main dish was large and very tender and flavorful. After sharing 3 apps and a few beers, we shouldn't finish this late because it was very heavy and savory but extremely tender and delicious. Would recommend this place to anyone visiting Queenstown and the prices are reasonable too! read more

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3.5 stars raised from 3 because they took us in for a late dinner right after they had decided to shut down the kitchen without hesitation. That speaks a lot about the service and dedication they put into serving customers. The food, though, is mediocre. It's all roughly served tapas style / sizes, so you have to order several items to get full. The best dish was a fried tofu with coconut schmear, which tasted vaguely South Indian. The salmon sashimi item was very plain, but the quality of the salmon was good. The pork bun was flavorful, but we're generally not fans of fatty meat, so it didn't hit the mark for us. Bottom line, the food was okay and the service was very nice. read more

Love it! Amazing food, very clever and modern Asian fusion. Great service and beautiful setup.

Had high hopes for this place but it didn't live up. The ambiance is great as its trendy and inviting; the Polynesian theme was there but could have been played up more. Service was fine in terms of our waitress but it was really slow, not sure what was happening in the kitchen. The food was mediocre. We got the market fish and rice cakes which is ceviche (fish was decent but a really tiny portion, even for tapas, and the rice cakes were good), the maori bread (don't even both, it was pretty tasteless and dry) the tempeh noodles (noodles were good but the pieces of tofu mixed in were better than the tempeh) and the firecracker chicken (only dish that was truly enjoyed). Also, I noticed that there weren't a lot of vegetarian options in the entree section (I got the only one available) so look out for that if you're a vegetarian. read more

Wife and I ate here tonight and loved it. Great atmosphere. Yummy food. Outstanding, friendly staff. Can't say enough about Larry or Oxana (spelling?). Highly recommend. read more

Great place for a great meal. We ordered "Trust the Wok" and it definitely did not disappoint. Our server was fantastic and they gave as an ice cozy spot and complimentary champagne for our anniversary. We highly recommend this trendy Polynesian fusion restaurant to anyone willing to try something adventurous. My tastebuds were in heaven after this delicious meal. read more

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Great place!! We had the "just eat" chefs special and it was flawless!! Loved it all!

Spicy, slow, and expensive... If you like very spicy food and have plenty of $ you may like this place. The milder food was mediocre and overpriced. The service was slow with food arriving sporadically. I wouldn't go back. read more

One of the best meals I've ever had. We went here on a recommendation from a friend, got a reservation for 8:30pm. Staff were extremely friendly and polite, and we were seated at a nice table when we showed up 15 minutes early. Chose to do the "trust the wok" option, with wines. The wines came a few minutes before the courses, which worked perfectly (4 wines in all: a white, a rose, a red, and a dessert wine). They brought appetizers (bluff oysters and a kind of ceviche dish), a second course (delicious ribs and THE MOST AMAZING nachos), a main dish (lamb curry that we hardly made a dent in because we were getting full, it was amazing though), and dessert (panna cotta, cookies, and blondies). We were so full I could hardly make the walk back to the car! The pacing of our meal was perfect; the waitress could tell we were getting full and held our main dish back for about 10 mins after chatting with us about it so we had some time to settle before the next course. Wonderful restaurant we'd definitely go back to when in town. read more