rātā

as fans of josh, we were keen to try out his new venture in queenstown. we ordered the bite menu of cured meats for an entree to share. when it arrived we were quite surprised by the lack of imagination & finesse of the dish, although quite tasty the portions were tiny & the presentation quite amateurish, that we comment on how josh would have reacted had we served this up to him on an episode of masterchef!
the mains arrived & unfortunately they were both only just luke warm. thebeeffillet was delicious, but the side of mash was cold, and the blue cod was dry. we did mention to the waitress that our food was cold, & they did take off the side dish from our bill.
overall would we return, maybe, but disappointed in the experience.

so good, thebeefwellington is so nice. even it takes 50 mins to wait and i will say definitely worth to wait that long. can't describe how i feel and i just so happy i can have a good meal like this! everything is good, the service, the dessert, the smoked salmon...highly recommended!!

my partner and i booked in here almost as soon as we knew we were coming to queenstown, so the anticipation was pretty high. through reviews and first hand accounts we were told to expect something special. rātā did not disappoint.

i had the searedbeefstarter and it was ah-mah-zing. my main was the venison loin and cheek ehich wad very well balanced and i finished with the manuka honey custard with the sponge and it was delightful but wasnt quite as good as the first two courses.

i would recommend this place to anyone going to queenstown and looking for something special.

absolutely one of the best restaurants we’ve ever been to. the food, the service, the ambiance were amazing.

we had the cloudy bay storm clams and cured big glory bay salmon mousse to start with, then pan seared bluff octopus. we decided to get the lovely goats cheese profiteroles as well - as pretty much every table ordered that for starter. well, totally worth it.

for mains, we had agedbeeffillet & pan fried hapuka - they’re just sensational!

as for dessert, we had strawberries, white chocolate & kawakawa mousse, milk crumble - it will be rude not to.

josh emett’s rata is a fabulous restaurant situated in the middle of town in a superb building. has a fantastic outdoor area where the natural stone keeps you warm if the suns been roasting them all day. unfortunately only drinks can be consumed outside.

cocktails are strong here very good wine list also.

went for a spread of dishes. cloudy bay storm clams are amazing i was blown away by these. the goats cheese profiteroles came out on a rock and were delicious too. id heard of the southland cheese roll but though id try the fancy version and oh my god was this thing good i highly recommend this one.beeftatare was presently beautifully tasted good too.

mains were pan fried blue cod, stunning, and the venison loin also stunning. threw in some potatoes too. little bit dry for my liking so gove these a miss

must try restaurant in queenstown.

a beautiful fine dining restaurant located on a discreet street in city. lovely ambience, great for intimacy dining.

the bluff oysters were fresh and decently sized. thebeeftartare was well marinated and matched well cheese granule. the fish crudo was also very refreshing and fruity.

the venison was cooked perfectly, raw but not gamey. the pumpkin purée tasted delicious too. the 55 daysbeeffillet was nicely cooked as well.

the chocolate fondant was sweet and soft, with a runny inner. the mango sorbet created a good balance to the palate.

this was the best restaurant i’ve experienced so far in queenstown. reasonably priced, good service. the food were fresh and delicious with beautiful presentations.

highly recommended to all.

food: 10/10
food presentation: 10/10
service: 7.5/10
location: 9/10
ambience: 9/10
price $60 per person

went there yesterday to celebrate an occasion. the food, ambience and service was exceptional. i had a 55 day agedbeeffillet which was outstanding. the other mains ordered were very good as well and included southland bouillabaisse a blue cod dish and duck. the staters and dessert too were outstanding. not a cheap place but it was worth the price. highly recommended

rata has been on my bookmarked list of fine dining restaurants in queenstown to visit since i saw photos and reviews when it first opened (i can’t remember how long ago now). for various reasons, it becomes a last minute decision on our last night in queenstown. initially, over the phone, the lovely maître d’, claire, is only able to accommodate my son and i at the bar, which is fine with us. when we turn up however, despite having the places set at the bar, she kindly offers us a vacant table that isn’t required until 8:30pm - perfect!
we had eaten some late afternoon snacks elsewhere after a long bike ride, so we are happy to have just main courses tonight.
the two ciders on offer are both enjoyed as we wait the estimated 20mins for our meals to arrive. i opt for the te mana rack of lamb, onion tart tatin, smoked onion purée, salsa verde yoghurt, and ty takes the glazedbeefcheek, red cabbage, canterbury truffle, garlic crumb, quick brown fox jus. we supplement these with sides of charred organic cauliflower, and the beetroot and goats cheese salad. i also leave the choice of red wine to accompany my lamb in the hands in of our waiter, and i’m very happy with a robust pinot noir, served in the largest special pinot glass on the planet! overall, each mouthful of each dish came together like a well orchestrated symphony of flavours, textures and colour. there is a lot of quiet moaning and each of us thinks our own choice is the best. thebeefcheeks are incredibly tender, yet holding their shape, and my lamb is beautifully pink, succulent and flavoursome. all the components of our plates just seem to harmonise magically, leaving us very satisfied. full marks to the front of house, and back of house teams for making it an experience to treasure for a very long time.

the ambience of the restaurant was great. it’s beautiful inside the the service was quite good. my wife and i didn’t like the food overall. we had several appetizers including the tuna,beefcarpaccio and bread. all those items were excellent although this is the first place in the world i’ve eaten (35 counties) were i’ve had to pay extra for bread. we didn’t care for the salmon starter. it was difficult to find anything we liked on the menu for main course so we ordered one falafel. it was ok but not great. we found out you can orderbeefwellington but you must reserve it in advance or be lucky to get one of the 7-8 they make each night. overall i don’t think we will go back. sorry.

perfect place for what i'd like to call relaxed fine dining. service is attentive and sincere - ordered a glass of pinot noir, waitress asked whether we wanted a light or heavy one, then when she brought out the bottle insisted we taste it in case it wasn't quite what we were after. food was amazing - bluff oysters andbeefshort rib were the winners. great place if you're looking for a fine dining experience with kids as there were families there with one walking in and seated at 10pm!

came here with a friend the first night we arrived in queenstown, and we're so happy to have dined here because the food quality and service was 10/10 . our waiter was very knowledgable about wine and we were pleased with his recommendations. we had bluff oysters and goat cheese profiteroles for starters, and they were both delicious! we also ordered thebeefwellington in advance because it takes 45 minutes to cook. thebeefwellington also comes with your choice of two sides, we had roasted potatoes and the kale salad. thebeefwellington is probably the best steak i've ever had, it was so juicy, tender, full of flavour, and melt in the mouth. trust me, it's a must try!!! we didn't end up finishing thebeefwellington because it was way too much for two people, i would recommend sharing it with 3 others. btw, it's $110 including the two sides. overall, we had the best dining experience at rata dining, and would definitely return if we ever visit queenstown again.

we loved dining at rata. the food was absolutely delicious and the service was second to none. for starters we ordered the goats cheese profiteroles, scallops (which were a special on the night) and octopus. everything was amazing, but the standout were the profiteroles! yum! we preordered thebeefwellington as they tend to run out when busy and we were not disappointed. cooked to perfection and was enough for 2 people as you also get a choice of 2 sides. would definitely recommend dinner at rata if you are visiting queenstown

probably my favourite restaurant in queenstown and that's a big call! you just cannot fault the food and service here. we ordered their infamous goats cheese profiteroles, cloudy bay clams, karaage chicken, pork belly and theirbeefwellington was to die for. if you're a foodie this restaurant is a must!

it was stunning dinner. we had oyster, profiterole andbeefwellington. amazing food. service was good. we ended up ordering too much food as we didn't know the portion of special menu even we over ordered we enjoyed so much. highly recommended!

could not fault our meal at rata. superb service, amazing presentation - but what else would you expect from josh emett's signature restaurant. not cheap but value for money. loved the rock salt sitting on the tables in quirky little rocks. we were lucky to still find whitebait on the menu as the season finished recently. beautifully cooked. but thebeefwellington was a show stopper - tender eye fillet wrapped in the lightest of puff pastry served with mushrooms, crispy potatoes and courgettes with raisins, walnuts and feta. the serving was so substantial that i did not choose a dessert but instead had a robust coffee with salted caramel chocolates. what a combination - soft flowing caramel encased in rich dark chocolate. an unforgettable dining experience!