Gluten Free Queenstown
BeSpoke Kitchen
We ate breakfast at BeSpoke Kitchen twice. Contrary to what I would have thought, there are not a ton of healthy “Australian style” brekkie places in Queenstown. All of our friends who had visited Queenstown recommended BeSpoke Kitchen to us as a place that is gluten free and vegetarian friendly. The vibe at the cafe is very chill. You order at the counter and take a number and they bring the food to your table. The restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch and closes it’s doors at 4pm. What I love about the menu is that it is all day breakfast so you can get eggs on toast at 2pm. Everything on the menu feels really fresh and seasonal with a variety of egg dishes and healthy breakfast bowls. I really enjoyed the scrambled eggs with avocado on gluten free toast. The gluten free bread is the highlight, as it is moist and cakey and cut into thick slices so you actually get really full eating it. There is also a large bakery case with a colorful assortment of cakes, muffins and pastries, several of which are gluten free and vegan.
There were a few downsides to BeSpoke Kitchen. For me, the biggest issue was that the coffee was not good. It was in fact very burnt tasting and not smooth at all. I tried it in three different forms- a cappuccino with whole milk, an almond milk latte and a long black. Despite the coffee art and presentation being very appealing, all three drinks were almost undrinkable. Secondly, there are no modifications on the menu at all so don’t even try to think about replacing the stone fruit on the fruit and muesli bowl with berries!
Vudu Cafe is another restaurant nearby that has the same exact menu as BeSpoke kitchen and is owned by the same people. The only difference is the location but everything else is the same.
Yonder is a really cool breakfast spot with charming outdoor courtyard seating. Inside the restaurant is very spacious and has a very cool vibe. The front part of the cafe has a bakery case and coffee station with tables. The back rooms of the cafe have more tables and a bar. My favorite part of the concept is that there is an open room in the back called “The Work Room” with free wifi and tables set up which are perfect for group meetings. It’s nice and quiet with people sitting and working on their laptops with a cup of coffee in hand.
The coffee at Yonder was the best that I had on the trip- very smooth and velvety just the way I like it. I also had a delicious turmeric latte! There are quite a few GF options on the menu including gluten free toast bread and gluten free fritters (pictured right). The price is quite expensive for breakfast but well worth it! I would definitely go back (next time with my laptop)!
Fergberger
Fergberger is a cultish burger joint on one of the main streets of downtown Queenstown. Any time of day there are lines around the block of hungry people waiting to order their Fergbergers. The meat burgers are gluten free and so is the fish burger. For an extra $3 you can get your burger on a gluten free bun. All sauces an accompaniments cost extra. The thin hand cut fries don’t have any sort of gluten coating but are fried in the same fryer as the onion rings so if you are sensitive to cross contamination, you should avoid the fries. Since there are no tables inside this small “whole in the wall” you’ll see people walking up and down the street or sitting on the sidewalk holding their Fergberger.
Erik’s Fish and Chips
Erik’s Fish n’ Chips is another cultish place in Queenstown. The kitchen is out of what looks like a food truck and there are picnic tables to eat at outside. The ENTIRE menu is gluten free and almost everything on the menu is deep fried in Erik’s AMAZING gluten free batter. There are a few types of fish including cod, hoki, dory and shell fish including scallops, mussels and oysters that can either be fried or grilled. We each got the dory, which was so good that we ordered a second portion. The thick hand cut chips and kumara wedges were amazing! Kumara is similar to a sweet potato (not yam) but grown in New Zealand. We ordered the potato chip stack, which tasted like homemade chips but a bit thicker and slightly less crunchy. Just to try it, we ordered the fried cauliflower with cheese. We didn’t love these and ended up giving them to the backbackers sitting next to us, who were happy to eat them! There are a variety of dipping sauces, which cost extra but are worth trying- especially the garlic aioli. The mushy peas are definitely missable!
Lord of the Fries
Lord of the Fries is a completely vegan, kosher and gluten free fast food chain that originated in Australia and has a few locations in NZ now. It’s like a kiosk right beneath an iFly with no where to sit, so this location is strictly take out, which many of them are. The chicken tenders are my favorite- made from soy “chicken” and really taste like real chicken tenders! They also do veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs and amazing chips! I didn’t eat at the one in Queenstown but I’ve eaten at several locations in Australia- the perfect late night craving snack!