Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Bunker

    4.1 (39 reviews)
    Ultra High-EndWine Bars, New Zealand
    Open 5:00 pm - 4:00 am (Next day)

    The Bunker Photos

    THE BUNKER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Intimate
    Quiet

    Recommended Reviews - The Bunker

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    We did the 8-course menu. Overall was wonderful! I especially loved the venison tartare (which was chef's daily & not on the menu), seared hare, blue cod was lovely as well as the lamb rump. Desserts were also amazing. Duck with gnocchi was a bit underwhelming but that was it. Service was great and cozy ambience. Lovely dinner to end our night!

    Creme Brulee
    Michael K.

    I don't often leave reviews, but honestly this is one of the most disappointing meals I have had in my life. Firstly, the service was sluggish and our primary waiter had a snobbish attitude towards my table after we determined we were not doing the degustation menu. I ordered a 'Bunker Old Fashioned'. This came out super sweet which totally obscured any flavor profile of the Caol Ila. After checking with the waiter he assured me it was designed this way. Nevertheless, he did have it remade for me. Sadly the second iteration was also terrible as the orange bitters overpowered the smoke of the Caol Ila. At this point I gave up. On to the food. I had the Scallops as a starter which were some of the best I have ever had, unfortunately there was very little octopus. For mains, we ordered the Lamb Backstrap and the Snapper. Firstly in the Lamb. It was tasty, but for $54, I expected a lot more meat. The jus was tasty, but honestly, I can make better lamb at home. The snapper we ordered actually came out as a salmon plate and the serving size was embarrassingly small (no wonder it was suggested multiple times that we order 3 sides). The creme brulee to finish was average at best. Nothing particularly special. Ambience is fine. I wish the staff spent less time minding the fire and more time creating a better service experience. Save your dollars people and go somewhere else.

    Kate P.

    Came in for dinner and although the food was wonderful, the service was absolutely abysmal. For options in the area it felt quite pricey for the experience. I would definitely try again in the future knowing the current state of the hospitality labor shortage, but can't say this time was anything to write home about.

    Scallops
    Su L.

    Came here at the recommendation of a friend while we were in Queenstown, and the food was divine. The restaurant is small but elegant and cosy, and the service is excellent. The menu is very heavily meat-focused, with only one vegetarian entree, and one vegetarian main dish. If you are vegan, I wouldn't recommend eating here.

    Speakeasy Bar @ The Bunker

    Everything about The Bunker is great; hospitality, food preparation and ambiance. The upstairs "speakeasy" should not be missed. Bravo.

    Best meal so far on my trip to New Zealand. I tried their tasting menu w/ wine pairing. They had 3 waiters working well as a team covering about 7 tables. The meal took about 2 hours. I was impressed how well the wine pairings worked.

    Mushrooms
    Suany W.

    Don't let the dive bar atmosphere fool you - the food is undoubtedly resplendent and the service meticulously white-glove. The tasting menu is a great option if you have a lot of time - I sat near the cozy fireplace and savored a long, lengthy meal which included a number of hearty, succulent dishes such as sweetbread, lamb and hare. Unfortunately, I had suffered an accident earlier in the day which left me with mild concussion symptoms, whiplash and bleeding limbs, so sitting through such a long dinner left me feeling all kinds of mangled. It didn't help that the final cheese course took an unusually long time. Not sure why it would take over 30 minutes to throw some cheese and crackers on a plate but fearing that my bod would disintegrate in the middle of the dining room, I ended up asking for the cheese to-go. Whoever cut the cheese may have been slow but did a grate job. It still stank like hell the next morning!

    See all

    Photo of Riss G.
    217
    369
    1235

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 months ago

    Not a big fan. Limited selection and extremely mediocre food. Could do much better for the price, especially in Queenstow.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    1 year ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Su L.
    320
    1010
    3811

    6 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Great food and wine pairing. Server was wonderful and very helpful. Would go again when in Queenstown

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 9
    Thanks 0
    Love this 12
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Laura N.
    1932
    1862
    3189

    12 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Cindy S.
    21
    136
    58

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jodie A.
    19
    29
    98

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kim S.
    0
    13
    0

    6 years ago

    Fantastic experience. Salmon steak was great, service was great, the best restaurant experience we had in Queenstown. Thank you!

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jack B.
    251
    8
    1

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    This is an oldie but a goodie constantly serving up fine dining for 10+ years must visit restaurant Queenstown

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Excellent food, amazing service and a cozy environment! Would definitely recommend to anyone coming into Queenstown for holiday.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    The Bunker Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - The Bunker

    We've tried venison several times during our trip, and the way the chef prepares the venison here is divine.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    Get access to customer & competitor insights.

    Verify this business

    Vknow Restaurant and Wine Bar - Delicious pizzas. Dine in or takeaway

    Vknow Restaurant and Wine Bar

    4.4(18 reviews)
    2.3 km
    $$

    Based on our experience of trying to get a reservation at one of the nicer restaurants in…read moreQueenstown and what our Airbnb host told us of her previous tenants' experience of looking for a place for dinner (they ended up getting pizza late), we were proactive regarding finding a place for dinner. My fiancé made the smart decision of looking at areas outside of downtown and found this restaurant. It's a little on the outskirts of downtown but not too far (via car). Our reservation was for 9 but we got there almost an hour earlier yet managed to get a table. The owner/manager (?) welcomed us and sat us himself. As for tables for dining, this place is pretty small so it makes sense to make a reservation for dinner during the busy seasons. This is definitely a local place and the service shows that. We ordered the tomato and basil bruschetta to share and a glass of Riesling, we enjoyed both. Like most places in NZ I've been to, they have one vegetarian option in their mains so I went with it: house-made gnocchi with tomato, chili, basil, olive & caper sauce with ricotta and Parmesan cheese. It was absolutely delicious, after having Italian at several places in NZ, this dish felt the most authentic and was hands down the best. I've enjoyed every part of the dish and wanted more. The fiancé ordered the Fiordland wild venison, seared on mushroom risotto and steamed green beans and liked it a lot. The service was pretty good, I've learned to lower my expectations regarding service when outside the US but our waitress was sweet and personable. The owner/manager also checked on us several times throughout the meal. We had a little issue with some items being wrong on the check itself and getting the check (but I assume they simply didn't want to rush us) but all in all, I truly enjoyed this place and it was probably the best meal we had on our trip.

    While staying in Queenstown on holiday our AirBnB was just down the road so we called in a takeaway…read moreorder because we consistently saw the restaurant packed with patrons. We ordered a Mediterranean pizza and garlic bread. Although it wasn't 100% authentic Italian it was the best pizza we ate while in New Zealand. The toppings had great flavor and the crust wasn't too crispy, hard, or floppy. Give it a try!

    Photos
    Vknow Restaurant and Wine Bar - Rustic bar area with huge wine selection

    Rustic bar area with huge wine selection

    Vknow Restaurant and Wine Bar - Pan seared market fish, steamed veggies, puy lentil and smoked fish sauce

    Pan seared market fish, steamed veggies, puy lentil and smoked fish sauce

    Vknow Restaurant and Wine Bar - VKnow apple berry crumble from grandmas recipe was perfect!

    See all

    VKnow apple berry crumble from grandmas recipe was perfect!

    Bella Cucina Restaurant - Spaghetti aglio e olio

    Bella Cucina Restaurant

    4.1(51 reviews)
    0.2 km
    $$

    Like everywhere in NZ, make reservations…read more I'm staying in Queenstown for a few days, and booked this reservation a few nights prior. The restaurant itself is long and narrow, so tables on one side and servers and the kitchen on the other. I ordered bruschetta for my starter & spaghetti bolognese for my main. The bruschetta came out with sliced prosciutto on top which I could have done without. I wished for more tomatoes, onion, and oil. The spaghetti bolognese was flavorful but just ok? Like, I'm not Italian but can make a better version of that at home. Although it's a simple dish, that probably not something you want to hear when you're selling it for $36 NZD. So the overall dining experience was a bit meh. I went to a pizzeria in Te Anau with better flavors. It might be a nice dinner date because the ambiance is lovely, if a bit loud. The service was fine, if a bit on the slow side.

    Our last meal in Queenstown was here. We had reservations (and it was busy) and were seated…read moreimmediately. We had the back of the restaurant, corner table. Not much to look at but it was a little quieter and away from the ovens back there. Husband had the fettuccine carbonara and I had a margarita pizza. Both were excellent. We started with a Caprese salad which was also excellent. My pizza had homemade crust with the bubbly burnt edges that happens in a woodfire oven. So good. Service was excellent. Parking on street is less than rare so we parked in a lot for roughly $10USD. Great experience.

    Photos
    Bella Cucina Restaurant
    Bella Cucina Restaurant
    Bella Cucina Restaurant

    See all

    La Rumbla - Bar trinkets

    La Rumbla

    4.8(12 reviews)
    17.1 km
    $$$

    This is a tapas/shared plates restaurant. We ordered three dishes for the two of us, and it was a…read moregood amount. The meal was creative, inspired, with an uncommon combination of ingredients that was surprisingly delicious. The pork carnitas dish was so well balanced--the pork was rich and cooked perfectly and balanced with some grilled peach and marinated cherries. The salmon ceviche came with some unique sesame cracker. The texture was delightful when mixed with the salmon and some cucumber, red onion, and bell pepper. The Cloud Bay clams with squid ink noodles was so interesting-- good, but a little too salty for me (but I'm more sensitive to salt than most). Best meal we've had in all of South Island!

    Lovely ambience and great drinks. Super cute place in a…read morequaint little town of arrowtown. We got seated once our table was ready and got greeted right away as we entered the establishment. We ordered couple of lovely cocktails which were delicious. I got a mezcal cocktail and they had fresh thyme in it. It smelled so amazing that I thought they probably literally picked it up from their garden. Though this is Tapas style, Our server mentioned that between a couple, 3-4 dishes were good.. we were so confused in regards to what to order since everything looked amazing. After having decided about 3-4 dishes we went ahead and ordered the ceviche, the potatoes, the mussels and lamb and loved everything. If you are in the area, highly recommend coming here. Also ususally this place is booked so they appreciate reservations !

    Photos
    La Rumbla - Bar trinkets

    Bar trinkets

    La Rumbla - The decor

    The decor

    La Rumbla - Bar

    See all

    Bar

    The Bunker - wine_bars - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...