The Cow is a pizza and pasta restaurant on Cow Lane in central Queenstown, set in a small stone building dating to the 1860s that was originally a cowshed. Cows were walked down the lane to be milked, which is how the lane took its name. According to Experience Queenstown, the building has housed the restaurant since 1977, making it the town's oldest continuously running restaurant. The same owners have also operated a second location in Wanaka since 2006.
The room is low-ceilinged and built around an open fire, with a bar and fireplace where guests can wait for a table. The name is a nod to Queen Victoria, whose portrait hangs on the wall alongside most of her family. The space is small, and the restaurant does not take bookings, so busy dinners, particularly in winter, usually involve a wait.
The menu is reported to be unchanged since the restaurant opened: pizza, pasta, soup, salad and homemade bread, with gluten-friendly pizza bases available. The Cow was awarded a Bib Gourmand in the 2026 MICHELIN Guide New Zealand.
Experience Queenstown notes that functions require a group of at least forty people. No seating capacity is published in the sources reviewed.
Note: the restaurant's own website could not be accessed for this overview, so details come from the Experience Queenstown listing.
Capacity