Postmasters Kitchen + Bar is a gastropub on the corner of Arrowtown's historic main street, with a garden bar holding prime views over Buckingham Street and the iconic hillsides beyond. It has made its name as Arrowtown's home of wholesome comfort food, serving lunch, snacks and dinner from an all-day kitchen, backed by a bar pouring Central Otago's finest craft beer, wines and spirits.
The business was born out of a passion for quality produce and a desire to do better. Owners Sam Laycock and Maria Kealy — originally from England and Ireland — met in Queenstown in 2009 and made the Whakatipu their home with their two sons, Finn and Noah. Their aim is to be better today than they were yesterday, a mindset they instil in the whole team through values of working smart, honesty, sustainability and giving back to the community.
The kitchen runs an inclusionary, no-compromise menu that caters to all common dietary requirements, and the fryer is coeliac friendly. Produce is sourced from local suppliers, with plenty of herbs grown in the restaurant's own garden. The bar team matches it with a bespoke cocktail list, regional craft beer and wine, and plenty of non-alcoholic choices from mocktails and smoothies to pots of tea and coffee.
Group bookings are a speciality, with a number of spaces to suit different group sizes and function requirements — perfect for couples, families and friends catching up over fantastic local produce.
Postmasters Kitchen + Bar sits on the corner of Buckingham Street, right on Arrowtown's historic main street — a gastropub with a garden bar holding prime views over the town's oldest storefronts and the iconic hillsides beyond. It has made its name as Arrowtown's home of wholesome comfort food: an all-day kitchen serving lunch, snacks and dinner, backed by a bar pouring some of Central Otago's finest craft beer, wine and spirits.
The business was born out of a passion for quality produce and a desire to do better. Owners Sam Laycock and Maria Kealy — originally from England and Ireland — met in Queenstown in 2009 and quickly made the Whakatipu their home, along with their two sons, Finn and Noah. Their ambition goes beyond owning a hospitality business: 'we not only strive to give our guests the best experience, but to also offer our team the best place to work,' they say. That ethos is anchored in everyday values — work smart, honesty, sustainability and giving back to the community that surrounds them.
The people behind the bar and pass are a large part of the appeal. Operations Manager Michelle arrived in Arrowtown from Australia a decade ago and rose from casual waitress to running the business day to day, bringing more than 20 years of industry experience. Restaurant Manager Diva swapped the busy streets of Mumbai for Arrowtown's peacefulness and is often the source of the laughter erupting across the dining room. In the kitchen, Sous Chef Bala brings a decade of hospitality experience and a settled love of wholesome comfort food, while Chef Louis, a fifth-generation New Caledonian, is completing his level 3 cookery qualification while working full time. 'Most of the team are from overseas, so it's like having another family,' says Michelle. 'We all pitch in and help each other out.'
The kitchen's promise is simple: something for everyone. The chefs have written an inclusionary, no-compromise menu that caters to all common dietary requirements, and — a rarity anywhere — the fryer is coeliac friendly. Produce comes from local suppliers, and many of the herbs used are grown in the restaurant's own garden.
The menu reads like a love letter to comfort food. From the land there's a six-hour BBQ brisket burger, a chicken and corn pot pie with pastry top and potato rosti, and a slow-cooked lamb shoulder served with mint and pistachio pesto, roast kumara, carrot purée and red wine jus. From the sea comes a rich, creamy seafood chowder packed with fish, squid, prawns and mussels, classic fish and chips, garlic prawns and a pan-fried fish of the day. Grazing plates are built for sharing — baked camembert with confit garlic and honey, pork belly bites with plum sauce, salt and Szechuan squid, pork dumplings and more. Sweet endings like sticky date pudding and baked vanilla cheesecake seal the deal.
The bar team keeps pace with a bespoke cocktail list and a drinks list of Central Otago's finest craft beer, wines and spirits, plus a couple of international favourites. Non-drinkers are well looked after too, with mocktails, smoothies, soft drinks, pots of tea and cups of coffee.
Whatever the occasion, the garden bar has prime views of the historic main street and those iconic hillsides, making it a natural fit for couples, families and friends catching up over local produce. Group bookings are a speciality: with several spaces of different sizes, the team hosts boutique weddings, birthday celebrations, business meetings, family get-togethers and touring-group stops in any season.
Postmasters opens Sunday to Tuesday from 10am to 4pm, and Wednesday to Saturday from 10am until late. Bookings can be made online, or call the team on +64 3 442 0991 to plan a visit or an event.