Review Surreal - Queenstown

Popped into the restaurant looking for a midday feed. Food was great especially the country fried chicken and the chunky fries. Though we were the ones at the ground floor, food took a while to be served. Great selection of beers both Speights and craft ones. I can imagine the evening crowd and atmosphere. Will definitely come visit again the next time I’m in Queenstown!

Due to a late town arrival, we were lucky to get into the Surreal. We were resuscitated from our days travels on the upper floor terrace where there was a great selection of craft beer and appetizers (With a bar area servicing just the terrace). We liked it so much, we came back the following day and did it all over again. It would have been an extra bonus if the weather would have allowed the covers to be rolled up for an open air experience. Still, one of our favorite places on our entire tour.

Been popping in here for a lunch on my last 2-3 visits to Queenstown. Lunch prices are very reasonable and the food is fantastic. Great atmosphere and even though winter with the door wide open the large gas fire keeps the place comfortable and warm. Staff are friendly and just a nice vibe a couple of minutes from the water front in Queenstown.

Stumbled upon this place with my partner on a quiet night out, and it didn't disappoint! Great parmigiana and delicious steak. Look forward to coming back and eating here again!

The Surreal bar is great. It does lovely cocktails and food, and it's reasonably priced. It is definitely worth going to if you're looking for nice food or a drink.

Had a nibble on an entree of pork belly, rather scrumptious. Wonderful food, wonderful service, great atmosphere. Highly recommend.

The chicken tacos were finger licking good

Couldn't fault, the place was spacious and tidy. The meal was more than I could have asked for. I had the rump which was good as requested MR. The fries were some of the best fries I have ever had, crunchy outside soft inside. The schnitzel was very pleasing according to my wife. The staff were friendly and pleasant.

I love this place,very enjoyable during NZ trips. Well organized,quick service. Food is good, cocktails is yummy Recommend.

Lively place, nice staff and good food. We ordered the chicken parmigiana, which was really tasty and full of flavor. The chicken breast was really tender and it had ham and cheese inside. We also ordered the lamb, also tender and well prepared and the steak that was cooked to our taste. It all comes with good sauces, salad and fries or mashed potatoes. The garlic butter for the steak was also great. You can eat inside or on the rooftop and it's very close to the center.

Great restaurant. The staff are friendly, the food is delicious, and there is a variety of craft beers available to accompany meals. I came here for lunch, but I imagine it would be even livelier in the evening. If I ever visit Queenstown again, I will definitely come back to enjoy the experience and the delicious food and drinks.

A bit of a culture shock but in a good way. Never would I have thought, coming to a bar in a snowy town in New Zealand would I meet the Irish bar tender of my dreams. From walking in, being greeted, service with a smile and outstanding drink recommendations. Dale has gone above and beyond as a bartender. He is a good lad, a must visit when in Queenstown (give this man a raise)

Had an absolutely fantastic dinner here. Amazing service and very tasty food!! Outstanding will be back!! A+++🙏

We stopped here for lunch and WOW. We got fish and chips only 20 bucks and what an amazing feed. So fresh and awesome size I got an smirnoff vodka the waiter even asked if I wanted a nip of raspberry in it , sooo nice and the first time any server has asked so thank you Surreal 😊 awesome time will definitely be back

I came by a couple of times for drinks/snacks during my stay in Queenstown. I found the place to have a great, cozy atmosphere, and that the staff were very helpful/friendly. The food and drinks were excellent - great happy hour drink prices too. It was a nice place to watch snowsports in particular.

Great venue for dinner and cocktails - added bonus for us also, we found out they had a DJ playing upstairs the night we were there!! Can't wait to go back!!

Terrible service

Came here for food one night, food was okay. Nothing special. Staff were friendly and efficient.<br/><br/>Came here again another night and spent time upstairs drinking. Upstairs atmosphere was great! Drinks were good and very reasonably priced. The music was good and they had the fire going so it felt nice and cosy.

Surreal Bar is an interesting place, the service is very homely, international and good. They're a really friend bunch and know their drinks off by heart.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, the food is very much designed to be pub food, and though it could be a case of buyer beware, I just wasn't satisfied with the oily fish and chips I got. It was alright overall though and great value for $15 - it's just that you can do a lot better in Queenstown.<br/><br/>Again, I think this is a small thing, a minor menu refresh will bring them up to the great atmosphere, drinks, and service they provide!

After scouting around for a sports bar to watch the UFC229 fight today, we found lots of the pubs were crowded, and rowdy with the Irish supporters (God love ‘em). We came back here once we realised that this was where we stood our best chance of a seat with a TV view. Sure enough, within seconds, a couple of lads buggered off, leaving us with a booth. A pint of cider and a lager will set you back $16, which makes it neither the cheapest, or most expensive bar in town. We also had a $15 plate of wedges that was a bit on the meagre side for that price, but they taste ok, and keep the hunger at bay till dinner elsewhere. The service was pretty good for the most part, with the bar staff offering table service when there are enough of them on. The seating, while a little beaten up from what must be years of use, is still comfy and adequate. Recommended for a quiet beer or wine, and some sports viewing away from the masses elsewhere. 3.5/5

Reasonably priced menu, nice selection at the bar. I had the pork belly main - crackling was crispy but bland. Dark brown sauce on the meal wasn’t listed on the menu, and was very salty, but overall okay. Fellow diners were happy enough with their food.<br/><br/>

Wow. What an amazing place to drink and dine. The atmosphere was great and created an excellent vibe. The food was delicious, although the wings weren’t that spicy. Great staff and service.

We ordered fish and steak. Both were absolutely delicious. Waiter was amazing, very knowledgeable and made sure my dietary requirement was attended to. Cocktails were also delicious. 10/10.

Fantastic vibe. Great food. Was so nice and hot when it came to our table. Fabulous staff. Will come back definitely!! The place was chokkers and people keep coming in. Enjoyed it immensely.

Very helpful staff, busy entertaining atmosphere. Great range of beers and choices of wine. The daily specials are excellent for a lighter meal and very well prepared.<br/>WiFi is excellent and the Gas Fire makes the place very inviting. Recommended.

We arrived early into Queenstown, which meant our room still wasn’t ready to check into. We stored our bags at the hotel and decided to stroll the streets of Queenstown and enjoy the sunshine. Not long into our walk, we came across Surreal Bar & Restaurant, and decided it was time to stop for a drink and lunch, in hopes that once we were done, our room would be ready.

I would have to say last night  we were  served the worst steak ever. Yes we did pick the steak special - however it should be edible. I was told that it was Rump, but I I do have doubts of whether that was true, there was no fat what so ever along the back of the pieces of meat and they were curled up on our plates like a boat,mainly made up of sinew and gristle.  It was not overcooked but was so tough I was unable to cut it with a steak knife. I think the only use for this steak would have been to tie it to my feet to walk home on! Yes we did complain and yes we were offered another steak to be cooked,  however when the manager tells me the chef may not have realised that the steak may have gristle through it and I can tell before I even touch it that it is tough by the way it is stiff and rocking on my plate while it was being served, it does not leave much faith in the chef's ability, so we declined. Also by the time this offer was made everyone else at our table had finished their meals.  I feel that just because something is being run as a special, should not mean that you use low grade off cuts.  It was sold as a 300 gram steak not two skinny pieces of meat. Three people at our table had this special  and all were the same. Other people at the table had the pork belly, which was not a special and found this to be pretty disappointing as well, with more fat than meat and the crackling not crunchy. On top of all this it took over thirty minutes to get two  cocktails, which we had to inquire where they were three times  before they finally arrived, which was after the starters had been served and eaten. There was no water put on the table, so there was nothing else for us to drink. Water on the table is a norm in Wellington restaurants to be offered.  The restaurant side of this business was not particularly busy, being the off season , so this restaurant really needs to up there game. On top of all this they charged full price for a meal we could not eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really disappointed and will not recommending this place to my work colleagues when I am back on Tuesday.

We seated ourselves at a booth and the first waitress to serve us was very pleasent but her colleague had a terrible attitude. Solid drinks menu and the food menu looked good but all of the food was average, and not that cheap. The music was overly loud for 6 30pm but we did like the big TVs. My whole place smelled like grease which was a bit unpleasant. Will definitely NOT be returning and suggest people look elsewhere for a meal.

Went for fairly late lunch after arrive in Queenstown. Service was nice. They accommodated our fairly large group (about 10 people) by shuffling tables around.<br/><br/>Timing for the food was ok since it was a big group and it all came out around the same time.<br/><br/>Food itself was presented nicely. The lunch mains were nice but quite small. The tapas were ok. The crackling on the pork belly tapas wasn't crispy and the aranchini was coated with polenta so I wasn't a fan of the texture (very grainy). Taste wise, everything was good.

The back story : Walking around the Queenstown CBD, we stumbled upon Surreal. With a warm interior and jazzy music playing, an ample spacious tables, we were keen to settle here for a night of drinks and tapas. Having been once for drinks (and dancing), we returned this time for tapas and drinks. With free WiFi and three large TV screens - it's a great place to camp out and relax or catch up with friends.<br/><br/>Setting : Located just a minute's walk from the lake, Surreal is a bar with a warm atmosphere and convenient location. Staff here are friendly and helpful with the menu - handing us two drinks menus and advising on the selection of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. There is also an upstairs section of the bar providing ample room for large groups. With stony floors and wooden tables, it is a great place for a winter drinks and food stop.<br/><br/>Food : Surreal has a large selection of over 15 tapas from spiced nuts ($5), chunky fries ($6) to more substantial ribs, chicken wings and pork belly. These are moderately priced from $5 to $15. Dinner mains of burgers, rib eye, chicken to vegetarian options of risotto and salad are also available. They also do $15 main specials of fish and chips, rump steak or chicken curry. On this occasion we had some karaage chicken for tapas plus a pilsner and Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary was aptly spiced but a little dilute in flavour for my liking. Green olives garnished the drink along with a lemon slice. The karaage chicken on this occasion was a bit dry and dark - likely reflecting the soy and ginger marinade and meat cut. A bit disappointing for what we expected for karaage (which is usually fried rather than crumbed); perhaps the other tapas choices would have been a better choice.<br/><br/>Occassion : Casual drinks and tapas or good value hearty meals. Good for a casual night out catching up with friends or watching the game on the big screens. <br/><br/>Revisit potential : 7/10<br/><br/>

We grubbed quick lunch at this place.<br/>This place looks typical dinner for tourists.<br/><br/>but cuisines and services are enough for us on that time.

Food was fine but they charged us extra because we were not locals. I find this very insulting as Queenstown is a very touristy town. Wont be back - plenty of other more hospitable places to eat in this lovely town. Watch out!

always a good place to go when in QT. Stylish place with menu to match.