Local Queenstown gives diners three different ways to use its central Rees Street address. A street-level terrace suits a casual stop in the middle of town, the downstairs restaurant has booths for a more settled meal, and the rooftop looks over the resort from beneath a fully retractable cover with heaters for colder weather. The venue evolved from the former Surreal after a change of ownership, keeping the idea of food, drinks and entertainment under one roof while adopting the current Local identity. It opens from noon until late every day outside public holidays, so the space can move from lunch into dinner without a break in pace.
The sharing section has a deliberately wide reach. Buffalo chicken wings come with ranch sauce, while slow-cooked lamb sliders pair the meat with Asian slaw and smoky barbecue sauce. Soft tacos can be ordered with chicken, fish or vegetables, and the burrito bowl offers chicken, carne asada or tofu over rice, beans, corn, pico de gallo and guacamole. Pumpkin-and-feta arancini, Japanese-style karaage chicken and salt-and-pepper calamari add more routes around the table. For something fresher, the poke bowl combines tuna, edamame, pickled vegetables, avocado and brown rice, with tofu available as the vegetarian alternative.
Full meals lean into familiar comfort food but cover more ground than a standard pub list. Seafood chowder is built around prawns, clams and market fish, and the fish and chips use the day's local fish in tempura batter. An eight-hour New Zealand lamb shoulder is designed to share with seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes, gravy and mint sauce. Seafood linguine, beef-cheek and Guinness pie, rump steak, ribeye and butter chicken fill out the heavier choices. The burger section also keeps different appetites in view, ranging from a house-made beef patty and a Mexican-spiced chicken thigh to a plant-based crispy cutlet.
The drinks and events programme changes the mood as the day develops. Sixteen taps carry New Zealand, international and craft beers, backed by cocktails, New Zealand wine and a broad spirits selection. Diners can stay downstairs with a meal or take food and drinks to the rooftop, where the earlier relaxed atmosphere gives way to DJs later in the evening. Live music, karaoke, quiz nights and screened sport make different nights feel distinct, but food remains available from midday until late. That combination makes Local useful for anything from tacos and a beer to a long dinner followed by music upstairs.
Address: 7 Rees Street, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
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