The food was spectacular. Started with 6 Bluff and 6 Marlborough oysters. Some of the best oysters I've ever had. Moved on to the Deviled Duck Livers and Venison Tartare. Main course was Venison loin. I can't say enough about how good the food was. Epic cheese platter with a Kiwi dessert red to pair for dessert. Our waiter, Sam, was everything you would want in a server. Knowledgeable, helpful, and gracious. It's a large place. We sat in leather upholstered wingback chairs -- very comfortable. My only criticism is that there isn't one in the U.S. read more

Based on the reviews, I expected quite a lot. In reality, this was just a good meal. In Queenstown for a few days so I booked a reservation at Botswana Butchery because it polls highly on the review sites. I ordered the French onion soup for an entree, the venison for the main plus the duck fat potatoes. Hands down the French onion soup was the most delicious thing I had all night, and probably in my two weeks in New Zealand. It was fantastic. The venison came out. Great presentation. But even with the sauces that it came with--the exception being the *two* bits of onion that came with the meal--it was very average. Not bad. It was cooked well. Rare as the chef suggested. But there was little there there. Definitely not as flavorsome as the French onion soup which set my expectations really high. Then the duck fat potatoes--are just potatoes? Like, literally chucks of potatoes (cooked well) but without any seasoning. No sauce. Nothing. Very bland potatoes. So in the end you had this really clunky meal that wasn't overwhelmingly delicious. It was just good. But this is meant to be a bit of an upscale joint for Queenstown, so it misses the mark. The exception to all of this mediocrity was the service. The service was impeccable. I should note there was a bit of time between the starter & the main but that's probably more of a back of the house issue. They do know how to cook things well, so I think if you come here for a steak, you probably won't be terribly disappointed. I expected a bit more. All that said, I would come back and drink gallons of that soup. read more

Botswana Butchery - Hard to see the potatoes but they're just plain, unseasoned potatoes - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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A fantastic meal. We got the venison as well as a lamb, both were cooked, absolutely perfectly. The ambiance was incredible, and the service was very courteous and friendly. Would absolutely come back! read more

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While we did a walk in service, reservations are strongly recommended & we wished we had. The seating available to us was the bar top. Normally, this is fine, however I found that the chairs to bar top ratio were a bit off. The bar counter itself sat at my chest level once seated so the food was very much in my face. Despite that, we had a delicious meal. I had steak and my spouse had lamb. The accompaniments were equally delicious & we had a rather nice meal. Nice staff, nice restaurant! Just make a reservation so you're not bar top like us. read more

Fine dining in NZ. We got steak and it was delicious. Honestly probably one of the better steaks I've had. I wasn't a huge fan of the appetizer, which was an Asian dish, but I think that was my mistake in ordering that at a steak restaurant. The only thing that was annoying was that I booked the reservation for an anniversary dinner as it turns out the table next to us did. I don't expect to get a free dessert for that purpose, and we ended up buying our dessert as planned. But it was very strange that the table next to us was also celebrating their anniversary and got a complimentary dessert. For that reason of feeling a double standard with the service we received I wouldn't necessarily recommend the place nor will I be back. read more

Botswana Butchery - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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This place was pricey but amazing food. Service was also attentive. We went upstairs to finish our second bottle of wine by the fire.

Botswana Butcher is a Queenstown favorite and classic. I had the tuna tartare which is my go-to at a steakhouse. Each bite was a burst of freshness. Pro tip: don't miss the cozy cocktail bar upstairs by the fire. I paired my meal with another perfectly crafted Old Fashioned on a cube and soaked in the mountain-town charm by the cozy fire. We came here twice for the drinks. read more

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We have been to this restaurant many times over the last 10 years. The food has always been excellent in both quality and presentation. This time some of the dishes were not really restaurant quality. I had scallops at around $30+ - I received 3 small (size between a 10c & 20c piece) and whilst the accompanying sauce and decoration was delightful- all three scallops tough and over cooked. My main was duck leg- which was over cooked and 'stringy'- but the accompanying sauce and vegetable purée was enjoyable. My partner had crab risotto for entree and Venison for main- both his meals were acceptable for him. The wait staff were excellent, very friendly and accommodating. So maybe the kitchen just had a chef problem that evening. I certainly wouldn't return there particularly because of the high prices they are charging for the inconsistent quality of the meals. read more

Service is great, ambience was lovely and romantic, food was also phenomenal. Really enjoyed the lamb, the prawns, and even their wine selection was amazing read more

When I made the reservation, it said private room, and it really was our own room. It was wonderful! The food and service were excellent.

Seated in back room. Restaurant crowded. Party of 6 seated immediately next. So loud and boisterous we requested our table be turned sideways so we could hear each other. Still impossible. Food ... Ordered blue cod 4 overcooked thumb-sized white filets. Nothing else on white plate.... no seasoning treatments described on menu. Grain salad undercooked. Too chewy to eat. Bad experience read more

The food was amazing and the service is great. We love the decor and the different rooms upstairs. Our steaks were cooked to perfection and the deserts were to die for! The only incidental note is that the two toilets upstairs open directly into the dinning room...literally. People are seated outside your toilet door. So if you're booking a dinner, request not to be 'outside the toilets' upstairs. Amazing place and well worth a meal. read more

Botswana Butchery - Crème brûlée - 3 of us had this...all of us rated it as the best we've had. - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Place deserves 6 stars. You can literally taste the high-quality ingredients, specially their meats. Service was fantastic and friendly. Food was incredible. Great spot for date night or if you're in the mood fine dining without the pretension. Only problem encountered, I didn't have more days left in Queenstown to revisit BB. read more

It was amazing. Pricey but worth it. We went on our last day in Queenstown. Get the lamb shoulder!

We went here while visiting for my birthday. The staff took great care of us and the food was DELIGHTFUL

Botswana Butchery in Queenstown offered the best meal we had on our 12 day tour of New Zealand. The mushroom soup and the salmon main course were incredibly savory. The wine list was impressive. The ambience was perfection. The service, provided by Sir Conor of Liverpool, was perfection. He was so helpful with his suggestions and incredibly engaging in his conversational skills. I definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Service was impeccable, drinks were yummy, and food superb. It's our favorite Queenstown eatery. read more

Botswana Butchery - Roast duck and lamb perfectly cooked. - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Food was amazing but smaller portions than I expected. Overall everything went great! read more

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Came in for lunch on a recommendation from a close friend and was very impressed overall. Excellent service and ambience, the inside was warm and cozy next to the fire. Everything sounded great on the menu, but was on my own so I opted for the lamb saddle main and a side of the duck fat potatoes, all of which were delicious and cooked just right with the lamb juicy/tender but the skin crispy, as well as the potatoes. Very nice wine list but opted for the drink special, which was the manzanita. read more

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Food and ambiance was great. Our server Connor was very fun and made our honeymoon celebration very special.

A gorgeous restaurant overlooking the lake that serves fantastic food! We ordered the mussels and Cardrona Marino High Country lamb along with the mushroom side, and each dish looked and tasted wonderful. New Zealand is known for their green lipped mussels, and the one served here were big and succulent, and the white wine broth was a perfect complement, along with the bread. I'm not a huge fan of lamb and I can't stand any amount of gaminess, but Botswana Butchery's Lamb blew my mind. I couldn't believe that there was a way to make lamb that was so tender and delicious and not gamey at all! I was almost licking the plate. Even the mushrooms we had as a side were well done and extremely flavorful. I wish this restaurant wasn't so far away... kudos, Queenstown! read more

Botswana Butchery - Green-lipped mussels - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Beautiful restaurant with an excellent location. Party of 12 in attendance for a wedding dinner and seated in a private room. Decor is very nice, wWe were quite cramped and it was uncomfortably warm in the room. Service is slow here so I hope you are patient. On to the food. Lamb - I'm not a fan but this dish made a convert out of me! Tender and flavorful a highly recommended dish Calamari = yum! Tender salty and sweet read more

Botswana Butchery - Old Fashioned - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

It was an amazing meal I had the duck and i enjoyed it very much it was a bit dry though The service was amazing and I would go again read more

Botswana Butchery - Roasted duck - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

Get the cured salmon and the Australian king prawns for your appetizers. Both are incredible! The ribeye and the lamb rack were fantastic as well, and the cauliflower and Greek salad were wonderful sides. The place seems a little short staffed and there was an awkwardly long interlude between the starters and our entrees but the food here deserves 5 stars! read more

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The food was outstanding; service equally fabulous, and the champagne room perfect for our anniversary dinner!

Outstanding dinner. Friend recommended it to us, and we were definitely not disappointed. Food and service were both outstanding!

4.5 stars. My favorite restaurant in Queenstown - Dishes are served beautifully but also taste amazing. - The highlight is the lamb chop - perfectly seared, one of the best lamb chops I have ever had. - For sides, would recommend the duck fat potato - crispy on the outside the right texture on the inside. Asparagus / black pepper sauce were standard, but this is expected since the highlight should be the meat - We also ordered the salmon which was good though not amazing. - For starters, we had fried oysters which were good though the oysters were a bit small in size. - For dessert, we had a chocolate parfait which was ok. - Excellent wine selection and very knowledgeable sommelier. read more

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I chose this place to try bluff oysters for the first time. They've been on my to-try list forever. My dining partner, unfortunately, throws up whenever she eats raw oysters, but luckily the restaurant was nice enough to split our half dozen into half battered for her and half raw for me, so no throwing up occurred. The oysters were by far the best thing we ate. Expansive and meaty, almost more like scallops than oysters, they didn't even need any of the multiple fancy accompaniments they came with. I'm not sure I even so much as squeezed a lemon over mine. I like my oysters to taste like oysters! Our other two dishes were fine - not great. We ordered the crispy squid with "pickled spring onion and cucumber, coconut, coriander and kaffir lime mayonnaise, squid ink". The dominant flavor was coconut and breading - you had to really drag it through the tiny amount of mayo and then I also dipped it in the chili oil meant for the oysters, honestly. If you got a rare cucumber slice you were lucky. But it was lightly breaded and tender, and overall enjoyable when you dipped it correctly. We also got the whitebait Spanish style (sorry NZ style, you lost me at Wonderbread). The garlicky oil broth was nice, but quickly became overwhelming, especially since the whitebait itself didn't have much innate flavor. read more

Came here on a Sunday night and it was packed. The decor can only be described as "2000 Kim Kardashian wedding" -- black and white, tacky, outdated. The acoustics are terrible; it was super loud and we couldn't really hold a conversation. I wish the food would make up for the decor and ambiance, but the food was underwhelming as well. The mains are supposed to be self-contained meals but we were disappointed to see that they did not include vegetables. The tuna tataki included only five slices of fish and was just OK, nothing special. The Peking duck was laughable -- there was no duck skin included, which is the whole point of Peking duck! The duck was shredded, not sliced. We should have known better than to order Peking duck at a restaurant called Botswana Butchery but nevertheless, if it's on the menu, it should be done right. read more

A lovely place for a great date! A special place for sure. They say that New Zealand Lamb is the best and I can say now the rumors are indeed true especially at Botswana Butchery. We had a lovely meal. I had their signature lamb dish and it was perfectly cooked medium with a plated appearance that you'd expect at a high end French restaurant. They featured some nice off menu specials including the market ceviche which this evening was tuna served with apples, lemon and an elegant garnish. The best part was their dessert menu my wife had the chocolate Mousse and I had their homemade ice creams which were decadent and they had a nice selection of port wines available as well. Would definitely attend again recommend getting a reservation as they book up early. read more

Really tasty with great views before sunset. The service was a bit slow though. I went with the French soup as a starter and it was really good. My wife went with the green salad and was also good for a salad. We shared the lamb shoulder (1.2 kg) it was amazing! Very tender and the portion is big making great for sharing with another person. I would recommend getting two sides with this dish. We only got the sautéed vegetables as a dish. read more

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We were greeted by one of the waiters the moment we stepped inside the restaurant. We got seated immediately but to my husband and I's surprise, we had to wait 15 minutes in order to get the menu. I was puzzled at first but then we overheard one of the waiters that the restaurant ran out of menus. Now this is something unusual but it didn't bother us that much. Although I wouldn't like to see it occur again, especially if the waiter gives you a table and makes you wait more than you should for an actual menu. My husband ordered the french onion soup with croutons and he liked it. I didn't personally try it but it smelt good enough. We both went with the garden salad as a starter and enjoyed it. It was drizzled with olive oil all mixed up with the fresh greens. Nothing special but good overall. We both devoured the slow roasted lamb shoulder. Very satisfying because you can't go wrong with that order. The sauce was a bonus. read more

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I understand why this restaurant is so loved by the people of queenstown and why it has the reviews it does! This was one of the best meals we had in queenstown and best service we had in the town. The friendly staff are aware of Different diets and know exactly what you should order accordingly. We had a late lunch where I ordered the raw noodle dish which was mind blowingly amazing. I don't say that lightly. It's a dish that is so crave worthy and as I write this, my tummy growls for it! The raw noodles with tons of veggies are downed in this spicy, sweet and slightly tangy peanut sauce and tons of crunchy peanuts. This indulgent dish is a massive one and easily enough for two people to share. Even my carnivore husband could not get enough of it. The restaurant is very vegan and gluten free friendly and love that their items are fresh and tasty. read more

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What a beautiful restaurant! We had a really nice view from our table. Our server was quite lovely and the food was delicious. We will definitely be back for another meal. Thank you! :) read more

Mussels and oysters are good to try. Try the natural instead of the cooked way. Mussels are highly recommended with additional bread. Nice view outside just along the lake read more

Botswana Butchery - Mussels oyster - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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The hubby and I were in Queenstown and looking to do a nice dinner to celebrate our anniversary. The ambiance is here is very upscale and luxurious. However, that does not mean that you have to get completely dressed up to come. I wore leggings, Ugg boots, a nice sweater and my parka. The staff is really nice. When we walked in, we were instantly greeted by the hosts/hostesses and they took us right to our table. The hostess also offered to take both of our jackets so they wouldn't be in the way. While very expensive, I think the food/wine is TOP NOTCH. We had the following: -Mulled Wine: Perfect drink to unwind after a long day. Not too sweet and just the right amount of spice -Devilled Duck Livers: Interesting appetizer that had the perfectly cooked duck livers paired with a sweet/salty sauce. The crispy gave it just the right amount of airiness.... SO YUM -Lamb Shoulder: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN MY WHOLE LIFE?!?!? The most expensive of the bunch, but the MOST delicious. Incredlby tender and slow-cooked to perfection! -Macaroni & Cheese: Cheesy, gooey and DECADENT! This one is definitely for sharing! -Fries: Crispy and hot! All in all, we were happy with our experience. The staff is friendly, the food is amazing and it was a good place to celebrate our anniversary. While I think you can get lamb as good other places, the ambiance and service makes up for the price discrepancy. Pros: -Beautiful ambiance -Comfy Seating -Wonderful Staff -AMAZING food Cons: -Pricey -Parking is metered only Tips: -It's just beyond the lake... On the left side if you're headed into Queenstown Gardens read more

Botswana Butchery - Lamb Shoulder for two... Or three... Or four... - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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The restaurant name sounds so exotic, but the food did not trigger any excitement in my Suany Pants. I guess the red deer tartare was decently enticing, but the rack of lamb was lackluster with its only source of flavor from the small sauce dish it was served with. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not a huge meat-eater so all this subpar meat in my mouth was really hard to swallow. read more

Botswana Butchery - Red deer tartare - Bars Near Me - Queenstown, OTA

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Food is good, but not very convenient for parking. Staff is amazing. We went to this restaurant without reservation this we waited for seat at bar 2nd floor but all booked. The bartender are very friendly and let us eat at the bar and the dinner turn out to be a 'private dinner' at 2nd floor. Food is good, as other guests said in review, price is high. Cocktail - Mojito is the best I ever had before. lake view, suggest make reservation first to get a good view seat. read more

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This place lived up to the hype! Amazing food, exceptional service, and a beautiful setting made for a memorable meal. Our group of four shared 3 starters - the paua (NZ abalone), whitebait, and cod komoda - all 3 dishes were quite flavorful. My husband and I shared the slow roasted lamb shoulder - it was absolutely amazing! The meat fell off the bone and was full of flavor. Our group shared the affogato, which in retrospect, wasn't the best dessert for sharing! Our waiter Dmitri was incredible! He was very patient with our indecisive, inquisitive group. He carefully and thoughtfully answered all our questions. Also, Dmitri and his colleagues didn't chase us out, despite the fact we were among the last groups to leave at the end of the night - we appreciated this very much. The food came out in a timely manner, and the restaurant's modern, elegant setting was stunning. Fabulous dinner! read more

Very nice experience! We were welcomed and served without a reservation. They accommodated us in every way. Very professional service, nice people and very knowledgeable about the dishes they serve and drinks. Food was presented 5stars way, cooked to perfection, tasted extra good, we loved each bite. Nice decor, inviting, cozy. Loved everything about it! Wish most restaurants would be like this one! read more