Smiths Craft Beer House

Smiths Craft Beer House on Shotover Street is the place in central Queenstown for serious beer drinkers. It has 21 rotating taps, so the line-up changes regularly, and the focus is on local brews and rarer finds as well as familiar styles such as lagers and IPAs. If you want to taste your way through what New Zealand's craft brewers are producing, this is a good place to start.

The food menu is built for drinking. Snacks and share plates include Cajun-seasoned hand-cut fries with chipotle aioli, a poutine with cheese curds and brown gravy that the menu bills as the best south of Canada, a house-made soft pretzel baked to order and served with beer cheese and wholegrain mustard (allow 20 minutes or more), Korean-inspired Wahoo chicken served on a hot skillet, loaded fries with barbecue pulled pork or jackfruit, popcorn chicken, chicken wings in a choice of sauces, house-made mozzarella sticks, fried pickles and jalapeño chips, and cauliflower and broccoli bites. There are pizzas such as pepperoni and chicken, bacon and ranch, and a long list of burgers, including a classic Smiths burger, a slow-cooked beef short rib burger that the menu says won best burger in Queenstown, double bacon cheeseburger, lamb, a Southern Stag venison burger, a beef dip on a torpedo roll and a vegan burger with a lentil, carrot and onion patty. To cut food waste, burgers can be ordered without the bun or other ingredients you do not want. A halloumi and beet salad and a venison pot pie round things out.

Smiths is open every day from midday until 11pm, which makes it as useful for a relaxed lunch and a beer as for an evening session. The bar promotes its views, and with so many taps it rewards a slow afternoon of tasting rather than a rushed pint.

It suits beer enthusiasts, groups of friends, and anyone wanting a casual meal with a good drink; vegetarians and vegans are catered for with jackfruit and vegan burger options. Fergburger and Fergbaker are a short walk along Shotover Street, so it is easy to fit a visit around a day in town.

For group bookings or questions, call the bar. The menu and tap list change, so check the website or social media for what is currently pouring.