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Hours
Sun
6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Mon
6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Tue
6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Wed
6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Thu
6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Fri
6:30 am - 10:00 pm
Sat
6:30 am - 10:00 pm
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Ratings and reviews
4.0
RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
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PRICE RANGE
$22.00 – $47.00
CUISINES
European, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
meals, features
Is this restaurant good for local cuisine?
Details
About
On the lakefront, Hilton Queenstown's signature restaurant the Wakatipu Grill reflects the best of New Zealand on a grand scale. The cuisine is inspiring, with provocative takes on New Zealand flavours. Vast windows frame the extraordinary sight of the lake. An open kitchen and rotisserie, along with two circular slate fireplaces, lend even more drama to this magnificent and sensuous space. In the bar, be tempted by yet another captivating perspective of the lake, or an exceptional vintage – the 1000-strong wine cellar has a keen focus on Otago’s best winemakers. Or linger on the generous terrace where the elements combine to spectacular effect: the lake’s indigo depths, the clear air, rich earthy tones and a decadent outdoor fire pit.
PRICE RANGE
$22.00 – $47.00
CUISINES
European, New Zealand
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, After-hours
FEATURES
Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Parking Available, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Waterfront
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4.0
627 reviews
Excellent
348
Very good
151
Average
68
Poor
36
Terrible
24
Lockie D
Brisbane263 contributions
Aug 2024 • family
While staying at the Hilton, we came here frequently for the breakfast service, and decided to invite our family and friends over for dinner here the night before our wedding. There was 13 of us, and they let us know that would be fine, however they split us across 2 tables (which wasn't advised prior to us getting there). It wasn't a busy night for them at all and wasn't sure why they couldn't put a few tables together. The meals took over an hour to come out, with most people ordering pretty uncomplicated things. The food was good, but the service was a let down. That was pretty much the case with our whole stay and experience across all the venues within the Hilton complex.
Written 28 August 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
blache2018
Auckland3 contributions
Jul 2024 • couples
From the moment we walked in the door the staff were engaging, friendly and struck a perfect balance between checking on us and giving us time to enjoy the atmosphere.
Our selected meals (fish and wagyu flank) were beautifully prepared and totally enjoyable to eat.
All of the staff were smiling and happy, enjoying themselves. We were served by a lovely young lady from Germany, who was excited to see her first All Blacks game this weekend, but all of them were outstanding.
We were celebrating my wife’s 50th birthday and some extra special moments with the time taken to bring her a celebratory dessert while we enjoyed a glass of Pinot out by the fire pit just topped off an excellent experience.
Written 3 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ozpd70
365 contributions
Mar 2023 • couples
Great views, friendly staff and a good wine list. Our entrees were well cooked though unadventurous. Both lamb pave and King Ora Salmon were over cooked, the salmon very much so. The small menu never altered over a week so long term in house guests as we were ended up running out of options quickly. It is worth a visit though and with more care could be very good. We got the impression that the kitchen staff were multitasking with room service and conferences hence lacked attention to detail
Written 20 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mikesalter
North Yorkshire629 contributions
Feb 2023 • none
Staying at the Hilton so booked to go to the restaurant after a 7 hour drive. We booked with reception but the restaurant didn’t have us down, when I checked my email I had one email confirming the booking and one half an hour later cancelling, I didn’t cancel. They let us in though so all good.
We ordered cocktails to have before our meal, these arrived halfway though the starter. This cost them a bottle of wine sale and saved me $100nz. My starter, smoked salmon, was fine and there was plenty of salmon. It was well matched with the salmon roe and pickled cucumber. After our starter we ordered wine, getting in early.
Of course our mains arrived before the wine and we had to summon the waiter in an attempt to have our wine with the meal. My steak, fillet ordered as medium, was well done but went well with the red wine jus. If you work as a chef in a restaurant labelled grill you would think a steak would be cooked as requested but apparently not. Wine arrived halfway through eating my steak. Desert, a cheesecake, was fine.
Overall this was a standard I’ve got used to with hotel restaurants, you are a captive audience and they charge Michelin star prices for an average at best meal. Ho hum, I’ve done this enough times to know better.
Written 8 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barry S
Colorado Springs64 contributions
Dec 2022 • family
Several websites had sited this as the best place to have Christmas dinner. So, many months before, we booked tickets for their Christmas dinner. We are Hilton Diamond members, and yet when I asked if we could have a seat with a view, I was told that they couldn’t do that. - even though there were several open tables!? The menu was wonderful and the food was tasty, however the service was absolutely terrible. We got our drink order quickly and shortly thereafter they brought the first course. From there it was all downhill. We easily waited 45 minutes after we finished the first course before we finally received the main course. Meanwhile we had to ask for the table to be cleared and we ordered more wine - which took at least 20 minutes to arrive. Given that they knew how many reservations they had and that the menu was set, it is hard to understand why this didn’t go more smoothly. And did I mention that between the meal and the drinks it was in excess of $250 USDA?! What could have been a wonderful Christmas meal ended up being a huge disappointment! Buyer beware. . .
Written 25 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
WorldTravelRod
Tampa710 contributions
Apr 2024 • solo
This week I enjoyed the lamb lump rump roast and tonite the lamb shoulder. The lamb shoulder was perfectly prepared, every bit moist and delicious - exceptional.
I rarely eat in hotel restaurants but over the years the Wakatipu Grill has delivered an exceptional meal many times. Service prompt and excellent, beautiful views across the lake and nice local wine selection. Memorable meal, memorable.
Written 8 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Iain B
Auckland Central46 contributions
May 2021 • couples
We had planned this to be a final piece of luxury at the end of a road trip through Central Otago. I think our expectations were high because of the Hilton brand. Unfortunately we were disappointed.
The food is not bad, but it’s certainly not at the standard the prices would suggest. We are at many smaller establishments on our trip and without exception had better food.
The steak was acceptable if it were a reasonably priced pub meal but not as the $52 premium plate it was advertised to be. It was also served warm rather than hot.
We also expected better service. On arrival at the restaurant almost the first thing said to us was, “please wait a couple of minutes and my colleague will come and show you to your table. “. The person greeting us then stood gazing around the restaurant not apparently busy and before long someone else came to show is to a table. A minor thing but in a lot of other places we’ve been in Amy staff member not apparently busy would have taken the initiative we would have thought.
It took an age to get a drinks order in and then a reminder had to be given before the apparently forgotten order was delivered. A top up order of wine also required follow up by which time the wine arrived after the meal had been completed. The staff credited the cost of that glass and we were grateful for that.
So pretty average for a place we had much higher expectations of. Perhaps we were expecting too much.
It is a lovely setting though.
Written 8 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Antof88
Rolleston72 contributions
Nov 2021 • couples
I expected a lot more from this place. Firstly the staff are amazing and so friendly. We were seated quickly and made to feel welcome. The issues I have are:
Menu isn’t very imaginative
Prices for said menu are on the hefty side
The monkfish I had, while tasty, was a small portion in my opinion.
Desserts were great though.
While we were there, an elderly couple came in and requested an entree as a main size - despite a back and forth to the kitchen, the advice was to add sides. They promptly left and I don’t blame them.
Overall a poor dining experience.
Written 20 November 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rhianon J
1 contribution
Dec 2023 • friends
Beautiful spot and good cocktails. We waited an hour before having to ask about our food. Still not made so they rushed it for takeaway so we wouldn’t miss the ferry. Food was not great. Salad had huge chunks of red onion in it and the skin was left on. One staff member was helpful but the rest were unapologetic and dismissive. They accidentally sent our bill to another table and they already paid for ours and left. We paid as well and hope the other table got a refund.
Written 27 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
annterbanter
38 contributions
Feb 2023 • none
Had a BLT for lunch and a very nice steak dinner, in addition to just stopping through a number of times for drinks on the patio. Steak was cooked just as I had requested, sides were all yummy and the food came really quickly. The server was very friendly and helpful as well. The bartenders when I ordered drinks to take out to the patio were all informative (on local beers!) and nice, too. The only reason I gave 4 stars is that I would like to see a few more menu options mainly on the lunch and snack menu. If you are here for a few days a bit more variety would be nice.
Written 7 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dhairya Goyal
Sydney1 contribution
May 2020 • none
What an exceptional night to remember that was not just because of Friends but because of the beautiful place and brilliant service over there. A place with amazing taste of food and energetic friendly servers. A place with the sunset view and pleasant atmosphere for a friends gathering for dinner. Varieties of the food options were there including lot of options for the beverage, surprisingly the cocktail which I choose was "cocktail of the day" unique creation from a professional and friendly bartender "Amit". We were a big group but still servers were great in taking all the orders taking care of the options that were chosen and also servers were so good and cooperative all the time during the service. For a good dish recommendation I will encourage you to try "Salmon" the best I ever had in my life and if you don't eat salmon go for the specials of the day they have a very good choices in their menu. Prices are quite reasonable according to the service so not very high prices as well can say that it was economical group dinner. In the end when we were leaving after dinner, the trail to go back to parking was close to the lake and that was sunset time luckily we didn't miss that amazing view. This overall experience with so many positive vibes helped me to create a lifelong moment to remember and if you want to try some of the best service with amazing quality of food you should definitely visit this place for having a best time of your life.
Written 2 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Davieland
Auckland1030 contributions
Sept 2022 • couples
We were staying at the Hilton and had breakfast included. It pays to get to breakfast early as the room is fairly small and there are a lot of people wanting breakfast. Lots of choice and you won’t go hungry. I had the traditional breakfast items which were well cooked and tasty.
Written 23 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cathy A
Auckland103 contributions
Nov 2022 • none
We didn’t have a booking but they found us a table, which was much appreciated. Food was great but had to settle for second choice as despite it being only 6:30pm and there was only 4 other couples in the restaurant they had apparently run out of salmon. Very disappointed with that nevertheless the vegetarian pasta option was still very tasty. Restaurant ambiance tasteful with a large group option area if needed. Wait staff friendly. Discovered we were over charged 4 extra items after we had already paid which they did refund but it took a bit of effort to get the various approvals from their onsite management first.
Written 10 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michelle C
Christchurch85 contributions
Mar 2022 • none
We ate dinner here recently to celebrate our wedding anniversary whilst on holiday in Queenstown. As requested we were seated at a table by the window overlooking the lake. The location is idyllic and we enjoyed a lovely meal, however it was let down by the service. Our shared starter came out promptly but we waited for an abnormally long time for our mains. Then, after our plates had been cleared we weren't offered dessert menus. After waiting a while my husband went and found a dessert menu himself which he brought back to the table. We then had to wait until we could catch someone's attention so that we could order. This was despite the fact that there appeared to be only one other table occupied in the restaurant by this stage. The poor service was not what we expected from the Hilton brand, especially in a town that is supposedly desperate to lure back tourists.
Written 3 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grassgrub12
Hastings11 contributions
Feb 2020 • couples
I’m so so sorry to report how terrible this restaurant has become!!
The Wakatipu Grill used to be the jewel in the crown of Queenstown (or at least one of them)
Admittedly we have come here many times but mostly when it was in the hands of the fabulous Peter Thornley.
Our experience tonight was appalling.
Of course the scenery is always incredible there, but wait staff were surly, confused and inattentive +
The food was so underwhelming to the point of offensive.
The pork belly entree for $25, I asked for it as a main and they doubled the price to $50, really....
Might of been forgivable if it was remotely interesting or even eatable.
Not crispy, no interesting, not flavourful in any way. Just rubbery....
We asked the chief himself before we ordered what he recommended and he said the fish of the day Tarakihi.
He didn’t tell us it was a whole fish so ridiculously small as to be illegal and so so full of tiny little bones as to be aggressively annoying.
So overall not so good......
Never going back, recommend you don’t waste your money.
It’s very very expensive for complete rubbish.
Written 19 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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