Review Prime Waterfront Restaurant And Bar - Queenstown

We went around 5pm on a weekday and found that some of the menu was cheaper as it was considered an early dinner. Great tip for people on a budget. We chose this wheelchair friendly place because of its great waterfront location, and it's not far from the botanical gardens. We sat outside with an umbrella over our table. Comfy seats. Service was slow, but to be fair they were busy and we were not in a rush. Our food arrived together, tho it seems as it might have been at the expense of a vegetarian burger as it was cold. Nevermind, it was reported to be quite edible and tasty - and it filled a gap

Nice place for dinner with a view of the lake. We ordered the Seafood Chowder as a starter, and the Flintstones Experience which is a meal for 2 - a beef rib eye carved with roasted potatoes, carrots, salad and 2 sauces of your choice. (We also added on portobello mushrooms as an extra). The meat was cooked ok, medium rare. Food was not amazing, but just as expected. The staff were very helpful and friendly though.

The waiters made a real effort and the food was nice. Not the best but definitely worth a visit. I had the eye fillet and it was delicious and tender and concidering the view very well priced. Prime will not disappoint

Great views over the lake. Tasty lunchtime food at reasonable prices. We had the chowder and green lipped muscles. Both very tasty. Service was excellent. Friendly and efficient.

Good food & beautiful view of lake front. But service is very average. More than half waitresses had no smile at all. Except the manager or a senior lady. Staff training definitely need to be improved.

The food is extraordinary, paired with a gorgeous view, its my personal favourite goto whenever I'm in Queenstown.

Last time we visited the staffs seemed very busy as they told us we needed to wait for 40mins for meals. They still offered drinks so we had nice chatting time with glasses of wines while waiting. The meals and wines were all great!

Really great food, I had the cauliflower steak which was quite a new experience. Prices aren't too bad for location and vibe of the place. Had a really nice seat right by the window which was also really nice!

Food was good and environment was pleasant, despite a mix up with the beer I’d ordered - just as well I know my IPA’s from my lagers lol. Not sure whether it was a genuine mix up or if they were trying it on.

Delicious food, great service and the view... stunning!

Really nice food and view 😍 Lovely staff too.

6 stars! Stop reading this review and go and get a steak! Went here for our 10th anniversary and they not only blew us away with giant steaks but went above and beyond with dessert.

A pretty stunning place to have a meal, directly on the water front of the amazing queens town walk way , I found the service very good and the food spot on , all round a very nice experience 🌄❤️

the service was excellent, great food too and the busker saxophonist was amazing! (total bonus)

Great service and view. I only popped in for a drink and snack. And it did not disappoint. Lovely view of the lake and food came quick. I like the atmosphere.

One of the worst experience...good view. waiter and waitress were lovely, nothing to complain. However the steak has a smell that I could not even finish...I can totally tell the meat was not fresh. Fish and chips...Fish was oily and coat was wet. I just feel I can get a better fish from any F&C eatery honestly. Mussel has a weird smell as well..We did not even wait until the 20 dollar dinner time as we assumed it would be just as bad as the earlier meal so we took off...Both me and my husband had a funny stomach after this....

The view is the only thing going for this place to be honest. $55 for a dozen POTTED oysters is a bit crazy too. Cheesy decor, tacky plates, cheap glassware and fake plants on the tables irritated my sense of aesthetic... I can handle that in a cheap place but this was overpriced even for Queenstown. Do I sound like a wanker? Probably. It was my mistake for assuming the oysters would be freshly shucked for that price. Give it a miss.

The food was quite nice, we came for dinner but the service was terrible. Staff were arguing over our order which made it a very awkward dinner.

sirloin is so nice and medium very suit me taste^_^Lamb so full and very tender～waiter give us the window table～but so shine yesterday～then the waiter maybe not enough～pay my bill wait a five minutes～

Excellent restaurant and very friendly staff. Would recommend the fillet mignon rare and the scallop and king prawn entree. Nice atmosphere when you enter the restaurant and nice view if youre sitting near the window.

Rating doesn't do this place justice, the meal was outstanding. Always a risk getting a rare steak but they absolutely nailed it. Broccoli was the perfect side, natural oysters were fresh and the wine was delicious. Service was fantastic, lots of character from our waiter Will and food came out promptly. Would definitely visit again the next time we're in town from Melbourne.

The Prime is in a great location, right on the waterfront. Staff were lovely. It wasn't too busy. Drinks were great. We enjoyed our meals, however the oysters weren't really for us.. the Kilpatrick was quite watery and had cheese in it? The steaks and lamb were great but the surf n turf prawns were in their shells, would have been nice if they were in a creamy sauce. Ribs were awesome but unfortunately the menu didn't mention they were spicy so not everyone got to enjoy them.

From now on all steak restaurants that make claims to be the "best" or any such statements will automatically get a 2! Self assessed establishments should focus on the food and let others give praise. Food was very ordinary. We were outside and the tables were dirty with cobwebs. I felt really bad for the server who was working very hard to serve all the customers properly but she had an entire area to herself and some customers left as she could not keep up.

Dined there with wife and two other couples tonight. We started the meal with a sweet potato soup which was excellent and well presented. Also the bread they served was toasted and very good. They served a salmon pate with a sweet sauce on the side which was excellent also. Two wives ordered the pasta with salmon meal. Two men ordered the steak with roasted potatoes meal. And one of the other wives and I had the white fish on a potato salad. Everyone enjoyed their main course. The dessert was a small slice of apple pie and it was the right ending to the meal. Service was very good considering the size of the overall group we were with. The Prime is definitely worth a try. An added bonus is their great view of the lake.

I'm a bit surprised at the rating on here for Prime. We dined here on the first night of our holiday in Queenstown (mainly drawn in because of the bluff oysters sign) but came in around 8:45pm for a late dinner. Our first choice, closed its kitchen at 8:30pm... which to me is crazy early for a dinner restaurant!? <br/><br/>We were greeted by a waitress as we entered the restaurant, and were directed to a seat right by the window with a view of the lake. She was very patient even though we took a little while to decide our drinks and food. I ended up ordering a mojito (which was very nice by the way) and we shared two dozen oysters between the four of us. They had a deal going for $25 for half a dozen oysters, $49 for a dozen. Not too sure whether this is cheap or expensive, but oysters are generally priced quite high, and we all wanted to try the famous Bluff oysters! These came out with our mains, and are not like normal slimy oysters! Bluff oysters were round in shape and a lot less slimy, though they tasted quite similar. Three of us were oyster lovers, and we enjoyed these very much.<br/><br/>My main was the 250gms surf'n'turf which was an eye fillet with king prawns. My steak was really good and I loved my rosemary roasties! I also tried a bit of their fish, which just fell apart in my mouth. It was delicious! <br/><br/>I had a very enjoyable time dining here! Good view, good food and good service.

An excellent experience. This was possibly the best Caesar salad (with chicken) I've had in years. Not the cheapest, but still.<br/>Service was good and the views were fab. On a sunny day it's nice to sit outside by the lake, great people watching.

Well if the lamb rack was from Southland then someone from SPCA had better get down there because those farmers are mistreating their lambs. It was the most miserable excuse for lamb that i've ever seen. This is a tourist trap, pure and simple: expensive and medium quality. The meals are as small as they can get away with and pretty basic. Avoid the broccoli bacon and cashew salad - mainly cashew, broccoli was obverdone.<br/><br/>Nice view, pretty cool decor, average food and service, high price for what you get.

We dined on 22/10 and had a lovely evening. We were seated by the window and as it was our 1st wedding anniversary, the waitress who was delightful throughout, gave us a glass of champagne each, on the house which was a lovely surprise. My husband started with the prawns which were delicious and I had the soup (very tasty). We both had the Shepherds Pie (not your run of the mill type). It may sound boring but it was beautiful. I wish I had something different just to try an extra dish and compare, so next time, I'll go for a steak

We dined there last week and found that the food was shocking. They say that the "chef specialises in char-grilled steaks" but it should say "the chef specialises in charring steaks beyond all recognition". I had the Flintstone steak (ordered rare) but it was served to me medium, bordering on well done. I honestly hoped that they'd mixed up my order with someone who ordered medium well, but no. Showed it to the waiter who offered a free drink as compensation. You'd think at a red meat restuarant they'd be able to tell the different between medium and rare. Got the chocolate cake for dessert, which was very dry and needed more sauce. Entree was OK.<br/><br/>Service was quite confused throughout the evening. First glass of wine ordered came twice. Second glass ordered later on never came at all. A bottle of wine ordered by the table next to us was charged to our bill. This table was comprised of very drunk and loud patrons, not that the staff ever ask them to quiet down.<br/><br/>Overall, for the price ($35+ for mains), Prime is a real waste of time.

Dined on the evening of 22.4.13. Lovely friendly waiter throughout the evening, however the meal was poor. First problem - entree of bread and spreads - the bread was toasted but only on one side, and one of the pieces appeared to be straight out of a supermarket loaf of multigrain.<br/>Mains, as mentioned in below review, received a 2013 award for Beef and Lamb - but was very salty and vegetables very buttery.<br/>Overall, very disappointed at the food quality. Perhaps the very dark lighting in the evening should have been a warning. Do not recommend, plenty of other places to try in Queenstown.

We went to this restaurant on 5 February. The service was ok. We ordered two mains, which they received 2013 awards of beef &amp; lamb winners. I was really disappointed because they were really salty. However, the tasty plate was delicious.

Visited Prime on 5th May, and while the restaurant was well presented, and the wait staff. The service we received wasn't the best. Me and my gay partner were served by a gay male who seemed to have an issue with us, and we felt some negative vibes. I ordered a glass of wine, was told we dont stock that. Even though its on the Wine list. after the 3rd request we finally got a glass. His response was he doesn't normally work there. <br/><br/>The meal itself was good. I would recommend eating here. But most of the comments seem to be around the Wait staff.

We went on a busy Saturday night and were able to get a table. Served by three different waiter/waitresses meant some confusion regarding if we were ordering drinks from one and mains from another. Didn't order entrees, and had some wait for the mains to arrive. I had the venison - cooked perfectly - but it wasn't hot like I expected (was warmish). Others at the table ordered steak (rib eye was unavailable??) and it was very good. <br/>We didn't order dessert as we were comfortably full.<br/>Prices were a bit expensive. <br/>Surroundings were nice.<br/>Would have been much better if we had clear communication between waiters, and if meals had come out quicker (and mine was hot!).<br/>Would go back again, but only order steaks, and share sides.

Disappointing is all I can say. Meals expensive for the quality, nice venue and views, staff ok. Would recommend Botswana over Prime. Get way better quality meals and service for the same price

Enjoyed this alot, nice views, good service and tender, tasty steak. We did pay extra for sides but that was marked on the menu, although one of the group ordered the salmon which came with potatoes and vegetables.

I found this restaurant from Menu Mania and tried it dispite the reviews. I now wish I had paid more attention to the poor reviews.<br/><br/>Their food was ordinary and well overpriced for what it was (around $50 a main when you add sides). Very poor value particularly when compared to other restaurants in the area.<br/><br/>I would never eat their again, and given the experience I would not now try their sister restaurant "Tatler".

We were celebrating a birthday and had asked for a table with a nice view, which we got - right by the window looking out at the lake.<br/>Food was nice, especially the filet mignon and side of mushrooms that I had. The chef put a candle in the birthday boy's dessert which was a yummy (apparently) chocolate pudding.<br/>The staff were friendly and helpful and we'd go back again if possible.

I found this restaurant poor value for money. We dined on a quiet night and the waiter (first day) stumbled over the specials and the service was extremely slow. The pork belly was flavourless the beets ordinary and the mash lumpy and lukewarm. Don't have this if you have an appetite you will be disappointed. The pork ribs were not much better. As we were eating tables were being packed up around us consequently we felt it was time to go.<br/>I did email the restaurant and they were surprised with my comments but did offer a $100 dinner voucher - a meaningless jesture when it would involve a 3000km round trip to use it.<br/>Don't waste your money by eating here with all the other restaurants in Queenstown give this one a miss.

Being in a red meat mood we were pleased to get a table at Prime. The lake side tables were all pre-booked but we still had a pretty good view of the sunset from our seats.<br/>Our waitress was really friendly and that rare creature in Queenstown - a Kiwi. She suggested we share some entrees because we couldn't decide what to have so we had a couple of platters of wings, prawns, squid and other bits and pieces, as well as the most divine garlic bread ever.<br/>I had the filet mignon and it was so tender I could have eaten it with a spoon. My brother had the beef rib and he looked like Fred Flintstone eating it - not that he managed to eat the whole thing. <br/>My partner ordered the pork belly and that was so meltingly gorgeous he had to protect it from being demolished by the rest of us.<br/>Too stuffed for dessert but the cheesecake has my name on it for next visit.

Prime restaurant was a delicious treat. The service was great and the food was cooked perfectly. The sticky ribs for a starter were amazing but I'd recommend sharing them between two people. For mains we had the Crispy Pork Belly and a Venison steak, both cooked excellently. I loved the Crispy Pork and will e going back to the restaurant just for that! We had a chocolatey dessert, which was perfect after the meal. Overall I thought it was great and very friendly I'm looking forward to going back.

A large group of us went to Prime on Sat night. I had a lovely steak and the service is very good. However,one of the staff members walked through the restaurant wet (like she had jumped in the lake) and then went into the woman's restrooms and proceeded to wash her hair saturating the floor and toilets. I thought this absolutely disgusting and dangerous as one of us could of slipped on the wet floor. I thought this was a classy restaurant..NOT!! I ordered wedges and wandered why they tasted bland..the reason, I saw an empty McCain's packet by the kitchen. How lazy is that! So my overall experience is I don't think it is worth the price of their meals. Shame really as my first experience was a good one!