Arrowtown was founded during the 1860s as the Central Otago Gold Rush took hold, causing migrants to flood into the area hoping to strike it rich. Nowadays the town is playing a major part in the South Island’s tourism boom by drawing copious visitors to its restored period architecture, tree-lined streets and historical Chinese settlement. To cater to the hordes of selfie-stick-clutching sightseers, the town has improved its quantity and quality of eateries, with pretty Buckingham Street hosting the lion’s share. We start our stroll at the northern end of the street near the Arrow River where gold was first discovered in 1862.
Buckingham Street really is the centre of culinary life in the town and the Arrowtown Long Lunch is an annual highlight. Tables are lined up down the street and seat around 500 diners, who order a set menu from one of the participating eateries. arrowtownlonglunch.co.nz.
1 Dudley’s Cottage
4 Buckingham St
Brush up on your local history at the Chinese Settlement, where Asian miners dwelt close to their gold claims on the fringes of European settlements. Visit nearby Dudley’s Cottage – built by one of the original settlers in 1862 – for a gold panning lesson, then try your luck on the banks of the Arrow. Afterwards you can sample whitebait fritters, dumplings or freshly baked goodies at the
Dudley’s Cottage cafe.
2 Arrowtown Bakery
1 Buckingham St
It’s still a bit brisk in early spring but, if the sun comes out, try some outdoor grazing with help from Arrowtown Bakery on the corner of Berkshire Street. The pies are outstanding and there are plenty of fillings to choose from, from steak and cheese to lamb and mint, venison or butter chicken, all deliciously concealed within buttery puff pastry. There’s ample space to enjoy them on a picnic blanket on Buckingham Green or just across the way at the expansive Butlers Green
Saffron restaurant.
3 Saffron
18 Buckingham St
True Beliebers know the next stop on our tour: popstar Justin Bieber booked out Saffron during his tour earlier this year. The kid’s got good taste… in restaurants. Saffron is one of the best smart dining spots in town with a locally sourced, international-style menu featuring some of the South Island’s signature ingredients such as blue cod with paua ravioli or Southland lamb saddle paired with fine Central Otago wines.
4 The Blue Door
18 Buckingham St
Down the alleyway beside Saffron you’ll find the badly kept secret that is The Blue Door. Step through the flaking, old, azure door into a cosy basement bar with heavy wooden beams, chipped slate walls, an open fireplace and leather sofas. It’s an inviting interior that can only be improved by the addition of an espresso martini and the sounds of live music or DJs. Up the steps at the end of the alleyway you’ll find the entrance to Dorothy Browns movie theatre, considered one of New Zealand’s best.
Terra Mia.
5 Terra Mia
28 Buckingham St
Traditional Italian home cooking is on offer a few doors down at Terra Mia. They’re only open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday for dinner and until 5pm on the other days. If you’re thinking about bruschetta, arancini and gnocchi alla sorrentina, or perhaps a quick panini or Nutella brioche for lunch, then they’re reading your mind. They’ve just started doing pizza, too. Fantastico!
The Stables.
6 The Stables
28 Buckingham St
Buckingham Green is right next door to Terra Mia – it’s a cute, grassy expanse framed by stone walls with The Stables restaurant at the rear. The building dates back to 1873 and features cosy dining spaces with pot-belly fires, kauri beams and a kitchen that specialises in hearty chargrilled and roasted meats plus a great selection of classic desserts.
The Chop Shop Food Merchants.
7 The Chop Shop Food Merchants
44 Buckingham St
Stay on the same side of Buckingham Street until you hit the next alleyway (just past The Wool Press). At the end of the alleyway climb the steps for the impressive international cuisine of The Chop Shop. Turkish eggs, okonomiyaki (Japanese pancakes), pork belly buns, lamb sung choi bao, huevos rancheros, prawn laksa, fried blue cod tacos – they’ve done it all to popular acclaim. The locals love it and the tourists have quickly figured out there’s gold up them thar alleyways.
Slow Cuts.
8 Slow Cuts
46-50 Buckingham St
They recently won the People’s Choice Award at the 2017 Queenstown Battle of the Buns for their Wagyu Oaxaca Burger – so the burgers here are a good bet. Slow Cuts also have sauerkraut on tap for their popular house-cured pastrami sandwich, and their sublime slow-cooked Moroccan lamb sandwich joins the likes of smoked free-range ribs and chipotle buffalo wings to complete an American deli-style menu complemented by craft beers from local breweries such as Arrowtown’s Lake & Wood and Wanaka’s Sidewinder.
La Rumbla,
9 La Rumbla
54 Buckingham St
The Post Office Precinct houses La Rumbla, arguably Arrowtown’s most popular eatery – it would pay to book ahead. Your reward will be a revolving, tapas-style, small-plate menu where you may find blue cod ceviche, patatas bravas with chilli tomato sauce, fried calamari with rocket and aioli, beetroot and goat’s cheese tostadas, Jamaican jerk chicken breast on sticky black rice and some of the best cocktails in town. Wood-fired pizzeria Off Piste Pizza is also in the same space and well worth a stop if you’re after a quick bite.
Postmasters Restaurant.
10 Postmasters Restaurant
54 Buckingham St
On the corner is the recently renovated Postmasters Restaurant. This beautiful bay villa is over 100 years old and now has a heritage protection order on it after plans to replace it with apartments came to light in the mid 1990s. Well done, Arrowtown. The menu here is full of crowd-pleasing dishes such as seafood chowder served in a scooped-out bread bowl, chicken liver pâté and green-lipped mussels. There are regional flavours of slow-cooked Cardrona lamb shoulder, blue cod and salmon pie topped with smoked mash, and a decent chargrilled Hereford fillet steak.
The Fork & Tap.
11 The Fork & Tap
51 Buckingham St
Diagonally across the road you’ll run into The Fork & Tap, which has the best craft beer range in town, along with a garden bar and frequent live music. Tick off your list of local southern brewers such as Arrowtown Brewing, Queenstown’s Cargo Brewery and Wanaka Beerworks along with a menu of quality burgers, pies and sharing platters – the Central Otago rabbit hotpot is worth the visit alone. They also do great daily specials such as grilled alpine salmon with citrus salad, wild Fiordland venison with juniper, Southland lamb shanks, and pistachio-crusted monkfish on wild mushroom and thyme risotto.
Provisions of Arrowtown.
12 Provisions of Arrowtown
65 Buckingham St
On the corner of Merioneth Street is Provisions of Arrowtown, housed in the restored Romans Cottage dating back to the 1870s, which is one of three in a row of period buildings saved from neglect and restored by the Arrowtown Trust. Is it any wonder Arrowtown is a tourism drawcard? The good folk of Central Otago have fought hard to keep their heritage – the least we can do is pile into their towns to enjoy it all. Bread, bagels and pastries are baked daily at Provisions along with plentiful cakes and slices; they also have a small store selling a range of artisan condiments.
