It may be an adventure capital for skydivers, kayakers and bungee jumpers, but Queenstown sheds its rough and tumble image when it comes to the serious business of food. Joe's Garage Fearle Lane If he's in town, chances are you'll bump into local celebrity and Hollywood actor Sam Neill at Joe's Garage. Formerly located in Camp Street, this is a retro-inspired American diner-style eatery and the place for breakfast, which costs from NZ$10 (HK$55) to NZ$15. In winter, regulars sip on coffee while perusing the day's snow reports. Joe's is known for its fun staff - not to mention its bratwurst and paninis slathered with avocado and bacon. Inspire at the Spire Church Lane Kiwi foodie Rex Morgan is the owner of Citrus in Wellington and consultant chef to national airline Air New Zealand. But he's most comfortable behind a stove - and nowhere more so than at Inspire, an intimate dining room that seats only 20. It's the place to go for degustation dining with matching wines over three or five courses, or for the gastronome 10-course signature menu, with seasonal herbs, exotic spices, fennel, duck, foie gras and the like. Stay at the Spire's swanky 10-suite hotel and come back for more at breakfast - the potato rosti is a must. A three-course dinner costs NZ$65; the five-course version NZ$85. The Cow Cow Lane From the outside it looks like a wooden shed plonked in a back lane with a swinging double door. Inside is a roaring fire, big wooden tables, exposed beams and a hungry buzz. The Cow doesn't take bookings, so it's first in best dressed for Queenstown's finest pizzas (about NZ$25). Don't expect to stay long because others are waiting to pounce - unless you offer to share your table and are keen to meet new people. The pizzas are hand-rolled and pasta and salads fill out the menu. Amisfield Winery 10 Lake Hayes Road This is serious lunch territory - because it's not open for dinner. Capitalising on the winery in which this schist stone and glass bistro is located, guests can expect an outstanding wine list. With views of the mountains and Lake Hayes, Amisfield delights with pork belly and kiwi lamb with a distinct Mediterranean influence. The menu is peppered with haloumi, risotto and the like, but save room for the coffee box of Turkish delight, dried fruit, biscotti and Patagonia dark chocolate. Expect to pay about NZ$45 a head. Winehouse and Kitchen State Highway 6, Gibbston Set up by Henry van Asch, former business partner of bungee-jump pioneer A.J. Hackett, the Winehouse and Kitchen (left and above) is a stroll from the Kawarau Bridge bungee-jump site. It's a perfect place for those who don't jump to drown their sorrows with Central Otago wines, including the VA, Rockferry and Freefall labels. It's all Formica tables and retro decor. Grab a slab table on the deck overlooking the valley and order from the all-day brunch menu. Signature wine platters are designed to share, with a combination of home-baked fare such as seared Nelson scallops, Central Otago rabbit and lamb rump. Count on paying about NZ$40 a head.