Cuisine: Fine Dining
Price Point: Mains from Above $35
True South dining room expresses our pride in the region with a menu of dishes based strongly on local produce from high quality suppliers.
Buying local not only assures freshness and quality, it’s good for our carbon footprint, reducing our food miles at a time when the need for environmentally sustainable practices is growing.
At True South, the menu changes seasonally with seasonal variations to feature foods such as Bluff oysters, Ora king Salmon, Wakanui Beef, and our signature 'Fruit Series' dessert.
True South provides a choice of the best wines from the different sub-regions of Central Otago, the best of new Zealand beers and delicious local fruit juices.
We have a professionally managed, private cellar stock of world-renowned chateau wines from Bordeaux.
The True South Dining Room epitomises sophisticated elegant dining.
Please note that the Lobster Tail and Degustation are not subject to the First Table discount.
Map
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True South Dining Room
377 Frankton Road
Queenstown Lakes 9300
Open Hours:
Everyday from 6pm
Phone: +64 (0)3 450 1100
Sample Menu *may not be current
Click on menu to enlarge.
Reviews
Jo Sacre - dined at True South Dining Room on 20 October 2019
This was an exceptional dining experience -the food was amazing and the service was first class - we cannot compliment the staff highly enough for their amazing service.
Gold star experience all round!
And thank you for the complimentary bubbles when it was discovered one of our party was celebrating a birthday
Roena Bennett - dined at True South Dining Room on 3 October 2019
Food was delicious, was such a treat! Will definitely be back, left feeling fat and happy
Rosie Kinton - dined at True South Dining Room on 1 October 2019
Outstanding flavours in the three courses we had, with good-sized portions, and generous servings with the sides. Every mouthful was a flavoursome experience, with everything beautifully cooked,from the melt-in-your mouth beef cheeks to the rare and medium-rare venison. The wait staff were a delight. Highly recommended and we will definitely return. Many thanks, True South!
Jan Robertson - dined at True South Dining Room on 29 September 2019
Best meal I've had in Queenstown, inventive and delicious, we tried all the starts, the scallops were top but the others were also delicious! Venison and Fish were stunning, our waitress Dena was amazing, friendly helpful and knowledgeable. Wish I could eat there every night
Kim Black - dined at True South Dining Room on 17 September 2019
Exceptional atmosphere with a stunning lake and mountains view, open fire and beautiful table setting. Food very inventive, beautifully presented and generous in meal sizes. Most importantly everything was very tasty. The wine list is excellent and prices are reasonable. All in all - a highly recommended experience, we will be back!
Irene Yarovsky - dined at True South Dining Room on 12 August 2019
It's always a luxury treat for us to enjoy an evening at True South, it's an exquisite fine dining experience in an intimate cosy restaurant & the views! We loved the attentive friendliness of our waiters Eugene & Roman & the calibre of our food was second to none. Our shared shoulder of lamb was meltingly good. We chose a quinoa, rocket, cranberry & pecan salad to accompany it. Perfection. Dessert for me - Honeyed Creme Brulee & for my husband the Chocolate Mousse which had a mandarin cremeaux he was amazed with the depth of flavour achieved - Chef Ben Batterbury at his best... (We still remember the unbelievably yummy Pine Needle ice cream we tasted here years ago!) Thanks First Table & thanks True South.
Bronwen Walker - dined at True South Dining Room on 1 August 2019
Greeted with a smile. The service is very professional. The food taste is outside the box (tasty and innovative). Very generous with the taster. We will return.
Diyah Christie - dined at True South Dining Room on 11 July 2019
Lovey staff - welcoming and professional. Thank you Ralph for being so attentive. Food was delicious: Highly recommend the green lipped mussels in lemongrass broth and the lamb x 2 - melted in the mouth. Wondering Sticky Fig pudding to finish the meal. Thank you! Thank you!
Yvonne Pearse - dined at True South Dining Room on 28 June 2019
Always great food and service 5* ;)
nicola mackay - dined at True South Dining Room on 16 June 2019
Outstanding! The 'Taste of the South' degustation was simply exquisite. Wine pairings were absolutely on point, definitely an option I would recommend to everyone partaking in the degustation experience (you can even upgrade to the premium wine matching). Service was great with clear and concise explanations of the various dishes along with a brief history of each wine as it was presented. Every course was outstanding - fresh bluffies to start, beautiful vegetarian asian style soup, scallops with pork gyoza, venison with artichoke chips + TWO desserts - kiwifruit sorbet with cheesecake + chocolate mousse with delectable homemade icecream. Thoroughly recommend for a fantastic fine dining experience. Great excuse to get dressed up and enjoy the exceptional food True South has to offer. Very impressed to see such young chefs producing food of this calibre.
Jessica Smith - dined at True South Dining Room on 11 May 2019
Beautifully prepared and presented food in a relaxed and well lit dining room with excellent service despite it being full on a Saturday night. The wine recommendation was spot on and really helped make the evening feel like a huge treat. My teenaged daughters have not stopped talking about the lamb and potato amuse bouche. Only sad that none of us could manage dessert after such a fabulous meal.
Suji Owen - dined at True South Dining Room on 13 April 2019
Stunning food in a stunning location. Nice an intimate with Great Lake views and friendly staff. Highly recommend for a special occasion or if you just like the best food.
Rodger Coleclough - dined at True South Dining Room on 2 March 2019
This is a restaurant for a special occasion and our special occasion was our 28th wedding anniversary.
We both love the experience here and it was our top choice.
I don't usually photograph food but these plates of food were works of art and I had to snap a pic before tucking in.
Visually 100% and taste sensation 100%
Love it love it love it!!! Foodie heaven
Charlene Williams - dined at True South Dining Room on 17 November 2018
We couldn't fault our dinner at True South. It's a real gem, and a privilege to be able to dine using First Table. Food is out of this world, amazing presentation, and the best wine list in Queenstown. Oh, and the view is pretty good too!
Jacqui Rose-Anderson - dined at True South Dining Room on 20 October 2018
We sat at a window table in the restaurant enjoying not only the mountain/lake views but the ambiance of this dining room. The touches from the decorative tables with stones, to the wood your bill arrives on, were well thought of. The menu items are sourced locally (information on the back of the menu as to where the food is from). Any wine connoisseur must visit as their cellar offers wines of every vintage from all over the world. The two staff on our evening were friendly, informative and provided great service. Will visit again!
Kylie Shaw - dined at True South Dining Room on 13 September 2018
Wow True South was so delicious! We went for a birthday meal. Amazing food and service with a 5 star view too. If you’re looking for something special this is the place. Thank you True South!
Louise Gooding - dined at True South Dining Room on 3 September 2018
Wow!!
I had heard and read many positive reviews about the True South Dining Room experience and was excited to get the chance to try for myself.
Walking in to the restaurant was an experience alone, warm, inviting and a great ambience. The the view out over Lake Wakatipu is again amazing, especially as the sun set and the colours change.
The food was exceptional!! We were absolutely blown away by the beautiful presentation, we forgot to take pictures!! Next time :-p The Chefs looked so relaxed in the Kitchen, working away on their pieces of edible art.
The pairings of food on some of the dishes sounded unusual and a bit odd to us, but they 100% worked!! It was like a mini journey in every mouth full, as you tried the many different components of each dish. We had 3 courses, plus bread and an amuse bouche, all plates left the table cleared. C.O.D dessert, ++
The service was impeccable, you could not fault a thing. Yana, Maître d, was super! She made us feel so relaxed with her cool, calm and collected nature. She had great knowledge of the local foods that were sourced and extensive knowledge of wine suited for all of the dishes on the menu. Really especially liked the explanation of each component of the dish as it was placed in front of you.
Great dining experience!! Can't wait to go again.
Spencer Dillon Ruawai - dined at True South Dining Room on 30 August 2018
One of the best in Queenstown.
Thanks for the service.
Yu ZHENG - dined at True South Dining Room on 8 March 2020
Excellent food, beautifully prepared, and presented. The service was top class.
Terry Harrison - dined at True South Dining Room on 1 March 2020
Fabulous dining and views
Chris Field - dined at True South Dining Room on 29 February 2020
Outstanding food and service.....and heavenly desserts...a must do.
Ann margaret Aitken - dined at True South Dining Room on 20 February 2020
Beautiful setting, fantastic wine list and superb standard of food. A great treat for the two of us.
Tom Pendreigh - dined at True South Dining Room on 19 February 2020
Truly outstanding dining experience from beginning to end. The team went over and above to make our babymoon a special one with a table with the best view of the Remarkables, followed by exceptional food with equally unparalleled service. To top it off, the chefs surprised us with a special congratulations inscribed on our cheese plate! Definitely going to return and will share this experience with our family and friends!
Cisco Lay - dined at True South Dining Room on 6 February 2020
Menu appears to have changed. would have liked to see a wider range of side dishes - only offerings were 2 salads which were very expensive for sides/salads. Some vegetables did come with the main course - eg; 3 asparagus spears + 1 potato croquet with the beef - but this was not really a sufficient portion to make a course. Waitress offered us sides from the bar/room service menu. Maitre 'd was pleasant and welcoming.
Yvonne Pearse - dined at True South Dining Room on 18 January 2020
The confirmation from the hotel was prompt and efficient. On arrival, we found all the staff to be very obliging and friendly and the two who actually served us were very good.They made us feel very welcome and gave us the best table in the dining area.
The food was delicious and interesting and although we are pescatarians, there were good options to choose from.
The desserts were to die for too and the wine list is well thought through.
We would definitely recommend this restaurant.
Annette Macalister - dined at True South Dining Room on 15 January 2020
So disappointed we had to cancel our dinner booking. We rang and left a message for True South. Really appreciated the friendly callback to confirm, and the warm invitation to dine another evening.
Sandy G - dined at True South Dining Room on 10 January 2020
Best spot in Queenstown that we’ve been to yet! Views to die for, impeccable service and delicious food. The only drawback is that the menu options are a bit limited if you are vegetarian.
Iain Phillips - dined at True South Dining Room on 3 January 2020
Truly lovely food.
Cooked to perfection and presented beautifully.
It is a different menu to last time we dined and we did miss some of the creative additions that used to be featured.
Also the amazing Taste of Central Otago dessert was no longer on the menu.
We did squeeze in desserts and they were lovely, just a bit smaller and restrained in imagination now.
A lovely evening to celebrate my father in laws 79th birthday.
Charlene Williams - dined at True South Dining Room on 22 November 2019
An enjoyable meal with good food and service.
Janet Rutherford - dined at True South Dining Room on 17 November 2019
Amazing food beautifully presented. Wait staff constantly checking to ensure we were happy with everything
Definitely dine there again
Gayle Marlow - dined at True South Dining Room on 8 November 2019
Superb food and very friendly service. We had the 6 course degustation and I would thoroughly recommend this.
Melissa Couch - dined at True South Dining Room on 30 October 2019
Fabulous restaurant and staff. Food is amazing
Rachel Reece - dined at True South Dining Room on 27 October 2019
Outstanding! Excellent food and the service was the best we have received in a long time. Stunning views, such a lovely hidden gem!
Jo Sacre - dined at True South Dining Room on 20 October 2019
This was an exceptional dining experience -the food was amazing and the service was first class - we cannot compliment the staff highly enough for their amazing service.
Gold star experience all round!
And thank you for the complimentary bubbles when it was discovered one of our party was celebrating a birthday
Roena Bennett - dined at True South Dining Room on 3 October 2019
Food was delicious, was such a treat! Will definitely be back, left feeling fat and happy
Rosie Kinton - dined at True South Dining Room on 1 October 2019
Outstanding flavours in the three courses we had, with good-sized portions, and generous servings with the sides. Every mouthful was a flavoursome experience, with everything beautifully cooked,from the melt-in-your mouth beef cheeks to the rare and medium-rare venison. The wait staff were a delight. Highly recommended and we will definitely return. Many thanks, True South!
Jan Robertson - dined at True South Dining Room on 29 September 2019
Delicious! Great service. Catering for gluten free was no issue. Lovely setting. We had a great evening! Thank you.
Siobhán McArthur - dined at True South Dining Room on 27 September 2019
Best meal I've had in Queenstown, inventive and delicious, we tried all the starts, the scallops were top but the others were also delicious! Venison and Fish were stunning, our waitress Dena was amazing, friendly helpful and knowledgeable. Wish I could eat there every night
Kim Black - dined at True South Dining Room on 17 September 2019
Amazing views, and amazing service. Had the 6 course degustation and was very impressed.
Kerie Stewart - dined at True South Dining Room on 13 September 2019
A fabulous view out across to the Remarkables. It wasn't busy the night we had dinner so it felt like our own private dining experience. The food matched up with the menu description and we both enjoyed our choices. Normally I'm not a fan of hotel restaurants, but this exceeded my expectations.
Bridgit Hawkins - dined at True South Dining Room on 9 September 2019
The lamb shoulder was superb, the staff was very kind. Desserts were a lit bit disappointing as they're very small portions (which I didn't mind as paying half, but sure would mind if paying the full price). Other than that, everything was great, the views are amazing during the sunset.
Ana Letícia Dinegri - dined at True South Dining Room on 8 August 2019
The food was great and it was a fast service. Drinks are also made by F&B attendant named Eugene. He met the excellence for his service. We will definitely come back and taste their other menu... Rebecca was also on fire too.
Beatriz Dyosa - dined at True South Dining Room on 21 August 2019
Excellent meal
Gary MARSHALL - dined at True South Dining Room on 23 August 2019
True South is a culinary gem. Unique dishes with amazing tastes and great service combined with awesome lake views. One of Queenstown’s very best!
Sonja Painter - dined at True South Dining Room on 16 August 2019
Exceptional atmosphere with a stunning lake and mountains view, open fire and beautiful table setting. Food very inventive, beautifully presented and generous in meal sizes. Most importantly everything was very tasty. The wine list is excellent and prices are reasonable. All in all - a highly recommended experience, we will be back!
Irene Yarovsky - dined at True South Dining Room on 12 August 2019
First time having dinner here and everything was pretty good. The rib eye really tasty, all the drinks incluying cocktails came to the table really fast. Eugene was a genius, a lot of a personality and really attentive.
Paula Cortés Carrillo - dined at True South Dining Room on 6 August 2019
It's always a luxury treat for us to enjoy an evening at True South, it's an exquisite fine dining experience in an intimate cosy restaurant & the views! We loved the attentive friendliness of our waiters Eugene & Roman & the calibre of our food was second to none. Our shared shoulder of lamb was meltingly good. We chose a quinoa, rocket, cranberry & pecan salad to accompany it. Perfection. Dessert for me - Honeyed Creme Brulee & for my husband the Chocolate Mousse which had a mandarin cremeaux he was amazed with the depth of flavour achieved - Chef Ben Batterbury at his best... (We still remember the unbelievably yummy Pine Needle ice cream we tasted here years ago!) Thanks First Table & thanks True South.
Bronwen Walker - dined at True South Dining Room on 1 August 2019
We had a wonderful meal and excellent service from Fernando. Superb!
Yvonne Pearse - dined at True South Dining Room on 28 July 2019
Had a really nice time at true south, the food was good and they sent out complimentary bread and an amuse bouche as well which were delicious
Jane Moore - dined at True South Dining Room on 23 July 2019
The waiting staff were great & the waitress helped us a lot on deciding the menu & wine. We chose the tasting menu & all the courses are beautifully presented & absolutely delicious! I loved the king salmon with the edible "compost"!!
The only thought we had about the dinner was that the tasting menu courses were not specifically designed which means actually you can choose from the normal menu & share with each other. It was a 6 course menu & we got 2 proper side desserts so I think it could be better to serve like a local cheese after 1 dessert or 1 more small starter or main. 2 desserts were all delicious but I think it can be too much for some people.
In general, the whole dinning experience was great & I highly recommend it!
Wai Ha Lam - dined at True South Dining Room on 18 July 2019
Food was excellent and the wait staff were very attentive. It was fairly quiet while we were there but a few more tables had begun to come in as we were leaving. Would definitely recommend a visit and will be coming back again
Martin Taplin - dined at True South Dining Room on 20 July 2019
Our second time. Food tastes lovely. The waiter from Chile especially is very friendly and professional. Our appointment was not in the list but he did not make a fuss out of it. Thank you!
Diyah Christie - dined at True South Dining Room on 15 July 2019
The service was very good, the staff were friendly and the food was great. I was quite impressed the options they had on the kids menu, not the standard nuggets and chips but healthier food selection.
Suphacha Bargery - dined at True South Dining Room on 12 July 2019
Greeted with a smile. The service is very professional. The food taste is outside the box (tasty and innovative). Very generous with the taster. We will return.
Diyah Christie - dined at True South Dining Room on 11 July 2019
The dining environment is beautiful and the staff is friendly.
Need take some time to find a parking space (hotel parking lot).
It is a pity that "8hr merino lamb shoulder, nevis beans and feta, mint jelly (please allow 45 mins)" takes too long.
We changed other main meals, very delicious, and very recommended.
Hsuanwei Chen - dined at True South Dining Room on 3 July 2019
Fabulous food, friendly staff.
Yvonne Pearse - dined at True South Dining Room on 7 July 2019
Excellent food, wine and service!
Maxine Yearsley - dined at True South Dining Room on 8 July 2019
Food was absolutely amazing! Customer service was excellent! Highly recommend!
Lucy Moig - dined at True South Dining Room on 2 July 2019
Lovey staff - welcoming and professional. Thank you Ralph for being so attentive. Food was delicious: Highly recommend the green lipped mussels in lemongrass broth and the lamb x 2 - melted in the mouth. Wondering Sticky Fig pudding to finish the meal. Thank you! Thank you!
Yvonne Pearse - dined at True South Dining Room on 28 June 2019
True south ! The place was true to its name, great ambiance, great host GEET, she was awesome, great dishes, it’s bummer that we couldn’t have dessert, reason we were full. Will come again.
Luvi Yadav - dined at True South Dining Room on 1 July 2019
Excellent customer services. The food was so delicious. The chef’s specials of the day was so good. I requested something which was not even from the menu and the chef made it for us. Thank you. I will come back again.
Rajeswary Muthusamy - dined at True South Dining Room on 21 June 2019
Absolutely beautiful food and the service was excellent, definitely recommended. In summer it would have gorgeous views too.
Rebecca Nilse - dined at True South Dining Room on 19 June 2019
Always great food and service 5* ;)
nicola mackay - dined at True South Dining Room on 16 June 2019
We tried the Truth South tasting menu with a selection of wines to go with each course. The food was delicious and the service first class
Alison Brownlie - dined at True South Dining Room on 8 June 2019
A very nice meal and service. This is one of the best restaurants in Queenstown.
Highly recommended
Mike Stone - dined at True South Dining Room on 5 June 2019
Really good meal, very high standard and service was great. Definitely recommend going in the summer as you can’t enjoy the view in winter when it gets dark so early!
Sophia Vaccarella - dined at True South Dining Room on 1 June 2019
Fabulous food, shame there was nobody else in the restaurant as there wasn't an atmosphere but of course that is not in the restaurants control.
Delicious food and good service. The bar is a little weird - the bar and reception are combined so don't plan on sitting in the bar for long before/after. But a brilliant first table!
Lisa Anderson - dined at True South Dining Room on 26 April 2019
Overview
140 reviews
Outstanding! Excellent food and the service was the best we have received in a long time. Stunning views, such a lovely hidden gem!