The Grille by Eichardt's brings lakefront views and a polished but relaxed dining style to Marine Parade. Floor-to-ceiling windows look towards Lake Wakatipu, while the interior draws on the mood of a New York bistro and a genial French brasserie. The restaurant remains closely linked to the history of Eichardt's Private Hotel, yet its menu is grounded in present-day Central Otago and Southland. Local, seasonal and free-range ingredients shape a format flexible enough for a casual lunch, drinks at the bar or a longer evening meal.
The opening part of the menu mixes recognisable comforts with detailed seafood and charcuterie work. Focaccia with roast-garlic and honey butter can precede crayfish toast with saffron aioli or pancetta-and-Manchego croquettes. Entrées then move through prawn cocktail, beef tartare with cornichons and capers, cured Glory Bay salmon and chicken-liver pâté with hazelnuts and late-harvest Otago Riesling. Mushroom skewers in green-garlic butter and warm goat-cheese salad offer vegetable-led alternatives, while Eichardt's clam chowder folds smoked fish and pancetta into a long-standing house signature.
Main courses keep one foot in brasserie cooking and the other in the South Island. Grilled blue cod comes with mustard velouté and Paris mash, while tempura blue cod turns the same local fish into a crisp plate with fries and tartare sauce. Scotch fillet au poivre and Royalburn Station lamb rack provide substantial meat choices. Chicken breast, crayfish with fries and a cheeseburger broaden the familiar end of the menu, and a leek-and-mushroom vol-au-vent with white-wine risotto gives fungi a composed main-course role.
Dessert continues the classic vocabulary with vanilla crème brûlée, sticky-toffee pudding, chocolate fondant and crêpes Suzette. The wine list gives Central Otago Pinot Noir and other regional bottles plenty of room while also reaching across New Zealand and overseas, and the bar keeps familiar cocktails such as a Negroni, Margarita or Espresso Martini alongside non-alcoholic options. Open from late morning, The Grille works through several moods in a day, but the combination of lake view, local produce and confident bistro cooking remains constant.
Address: 9 Marine Parade, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
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