Best Burgers in Queenstown: Town Centre Guide

The best-known burger in Queenstown comes from Fergburger on Shotover Street, a town-centre institution that stays open into the early hours and is famous for its queues. Most other burgers worth chasing sit within a few streets of it, in the compact centre between the lakefront and the gondola, with Frankton and Arrowtown as the alternatives outside town.

Queenstown is a resort town, and its burgers are built for people coming off the ski fields, the lake or a bungy jump. Portions run large, and kitchens stay open late for skiers and backpackers. New Zealand lamb and venison appear next to beef on local menus, a nod to the high-country farms of Central Otago. Expect the longest waits on winter evenings, when the ski season fills the town.

Burgers in Queenstown: key facts

• Areas to explore: the town centre, Shotover Street, the lakefront, Frankton and Arrowtown.
• Landmark: Fergburger on Shotover Street, which uses only New Zealand beef.
• Local meats: lamb and venison, next to beef.
• Peak queues: evenings in the winter ski season, roughly June to October.
• Currency: the New Zealand dollar (NZD) is used everywhere.
• What our guides check: that a venue still trades this year, plus its address, a dated price and a dated rating with the number of reviews behind it.

Every guide we publish on Queenstown is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. For other New Zealand and international cities, see our burger restaurant guides.