Vudu Cafe

About Vudu Cafe

Nestled on the waterfront in the heart of Queenstown, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, Vudu Cafe & Larder offers modern cafe food built on fresh, seasonal and local produce. The menu changes with the seasons so the kitchen can cook with the best produce available, free-range eggs are used throughout, and local businesses are supported wherever possible.

The team is upfront about caring for the details: dishes are experimented with and perfected before they are presented, meant to be as beautiful as they are delicious. Service is thoughtful and friendly, lake views are abundant, and the interior is warm and layered with a pared-back vintage feel.

Mornings run on the all-day menu, served from 7.30am to 3pm every day, alongside a cabinet filled daily with house-baked sweet and savoury treats until 3.30pm. Coffee comes from the cafe's own exclusive Vudu Blend, roasted locally in Arrowtown by Wolf Coffee Roasters, with teas, fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies, a mimosa and a beer and wine cabinet alongside.

The menu caters to a wide variety of dietary requirements, with vegetarian, vegan and no-gluten-added options marked, and the team asks guests to flag any allergies. Vudu Cafe & Larder has been reviewed and showcased by local and international publications and critics, including TripAdvisor and Jetstar Magazine. Catering enquiries are welcome.

Vudu Cafe & Larder: Seasonal Waterfront Cafe Food in Queenstown

On the waterfront in the heart of Queenstown, with the shores of Lake Wakatipu at its doorstep, Vudu Cafe & Larder has built its name on modern cafe food made from fresh, seasonal and local produce. It is a simple idea carried through with care: a menu that changes with the seasons so the kitchen can cook with the best produce available at any given time, free-range eggs throughout, and support for local businesses wherever possible.

The room is part of the appeal. Warm and layered with a pared-back vintage vibe, it frames abundant lake views, and the service has the same thoughtful, friendly quality as the food. Attention to detail is the house obsession - dishes are experimented with, perfected, then presented so they look every bit as good as they taste.

What to eat

The all-day menu runs from 7.30am to 3pm every day, and it covers the full spread of modern cafe eating. At the savoury end sits the Vudu Benedict - slow-cooked pork belly on sourdough potato loaf with free-range poached eggs, the house hollandaise and crackling salt - alongside a Classic Benedict where you choose between rosemary-and-garlic portobello mushroom, manuka-smoked bacon or beetroot-cured cold-smoked Mt Cook salmon.

Plant-based eaters are well looked after rather than accommodated as an afterthought. The Not-Your-Average Tofu Scramble lands crispy kale, vegan feta and fried shallots on a purple cabbage puree with chilli oil; Cosy Cauliflower pairs roasted cauliflower and baby potatoes in a tomato and red capsicum ragu with hummus, crispy chickpeas and house-baked pita; and Winter Coconut Dumplings arrive seared, filled with cabbage and lemongrass, and swimming in a spicy coconut broth.

For the sweet side, Blueberry Cheesecake French Toast is the showpiece: brioche with blueberry vanilla cream cheese, blueberry coulis, brown sugar crumble and maple syrup. Pumpkin Pie Pancakes stack spiced pumpkin jam, orange gel, vanilla cream and candied pecans, while Apple Crumble Porridge comes topped with caramelised apple, vanilla custard and a crumble. There are also Korean brisket croquettes, a chorizo smash burger, daily soup with house-baked focaccia, and eggs your way for minimalists - with add-ons from hash browns to grilled halloumi for building a bigger brekky.

The cabinet, the coffee and the drinks

Alongside the menu runs a tremendous cabinet filled daily with house-baked sweet and savoury treats, available until 3.30pm - worth arriving early for, and worth saving room for regardless.

Coffee is a point of pride. The house Vudu Blend is roasted locally in Arrowtown by Wolf Coffee Roasters and served exclusively here, in everything from short blacks and flat whites to iced lattes and an affogato. Beyond coffee there is a tea list from english breakfast to masala chai, a housemade lemon, honey and ginger tea, fresh-squeezed juices with names like Greenstown, Detox Guru and Immune Boost, smoothies such as Chunky Monkey and Strawberry Fields, a Vudu Mimosa of sparkling sauvignon blanc and fresh orange juice, and beer and wine in the cabinet.

The menu caters to a wide variety of dietary requirements - vegetarian, vegan and no-gluten-added options are marked throughout, and the team asks only that you flag any allergies with staff. Vudu Cafe & Larder has been reviewed and showcased by local and international publications and critics, from Jetstar Magazine to TripAdvisor, but the daily ritual is unchanged: seasonal plates, good coffee, lake views and a warm room in the middle of Queenstown.

Planning your visit

Vudu opens at 7.30am, seven days a week - early enough for breakfast before a day on the lake or the trails. The kitchen serves until 3pm, with the cabinet going until 3.30pm, so later risers still have options. You will find it at 16 Rees St, Queenstown; questions and catering enquiries can go to cafe@vuducafe.co.nz. Whether you settle in for french toast with a view or grab a cabinet treat and a flat white to go, it is an easy, welcoming stop on any Queenstown morning.

Signature items

• Vudu Benedict
• Blueberry Cheesecake French Toast
• Not-Your-Average Tofu Scramble
• Pumpkin Pie Pancakes
• Vudu Blend Coffee
• Winter Coconut Dumplings

Menu

Tea

• Pot of Tea — English breakfast, earl grey, green, peppermint, masala chai, rooibos madagascar vanilla, chamomile or berry garden.
• Housemade Lemon Honey Ginger Tea — House-brewed lemon, honey and ginger.

Coffee

• Short Black — Espresso from the exclusive Vudu Blend, roasted locally by Wolf Coffee Roasters in Arrowtown.
• Long Black / Iced Long Black — House blend, hot or over ice.
• Americano — Espresso topped with hot water.
• Filter Coffee — Batch brew with a refill available.
• Flat White — The local staple on the Vudu Blend.
• Piccolo — Small, milk-topped espresso.
• Latte / Iced Latte — House blend with steamed or cold milk.
• Cappuccino — Espresso, steamed milk and foam.
• Mocha / Iced Mocha — Chocolate and coffee, hot or iced.
• Macchiato — Short or long, espresso marked with milk.
• Chai Latte — Spiced chai with milk.
• Matcha Latte / Iced Matcha — Green tea latte, hot or over ice.
• Hot Chocolate — Classic chocolatey warmer.
• Affogato — Espresso poured over ice cream.
• Iced Chocolate — Cold chocolate drink.
• Iced Coffee — Chilled coffee with milk.
• Milk & Extras — Oat, coconut, almond or soy milk; extra shot, decaf, honey or maple; takeaway cups available.

Smoothies

• Strawberry Fields — Strawberry, banana, maple and almond milk.
• Tropical Breeze — Mango, pineapple, strawberry and coconut water.
• Green Machine — Banana, mango, spinach, spirulina and almond milk.
• Mint Choccy Chip — Banana, spinach, mint, dark chocolate chips and almond milk.
• Chunky Monkey — Banana, peanut butter, dark chocolate and almond milk.

Beer & Wine

• Vudu Mimosa — Uncommon sparkling sauvignon blanc with freshly squeezed orange juice.
• Beer & Wine Cabinet — Rotating range of beer and wine - check the cabinet.

Brekky & Lunch

• Vudu Benedict — Slow-cooked pork belly on sourdough potato loaf with free-range poached eggs, house hollandaise and crackling salt.
• Classic Benedict — Free-range poached eggs on english muffin with hollandaise, spinach and chives; choose portobello mushroom, manuka-smoked bacon or Mt Cook salmon.
• Not-Your-Average Tofu Scramble — Toasted rye with crispy kale, vegan feta, fried shallots and spring onion over a purple cabbage puree with chilli oil.
• Cosy Cauliflower — Roasted cauliflower and baby potatoes in tomato and red capsicum ragu with olives, hummus, crispy chickpeas and house-baked pita.
• Blueberry Cheesecake French Toast — Brioche french toast with blueberry vanilla cream cheese, blueberry coulis, brown sugar crumble, fresh blueberries and maple syrup.
• Pumpkin Pie Pancakes — Layers of spiced pumpkin jam and orange gel topped with vanilla cream, candied pecans, candied pumpkin seeds and maple syrup.
• Apple Crumble Porridge — Topped with caramelised apple, vanilla custard, brown sugar crumble and a maple drizzle.
• Winter Coconut Dumplings — Seared cabbage and lemongrass dumplings in a spicy coconut broth with toasted sesame, fried shallots, coriander and spring onion.
• Chorizo Smash Burger — Cheddar, grilled onion, mesclun and sriracha-paprika aioli on a brioche bun, with crispy baby potatoes.
• Korean Brisket Croquettes — Crispy breaded croquettes of spiced brisket and mashed potato with house-made korean plum sauce and pineapple-capsicum slaw.
• Soup of the Day — Daily soup served with house-baked focaccia.
• Eggs Your Way — Two free-range eggs poached, scrambled or fried with sourdough and butter; add sides to build a big brekky.

Winter Warmers

• Peppermint Hot Chocolate — Minty hot chocolate, served with whipped cream.
• Peppermint Mocha — Chocolate, coffee and peppermint, served with whipped cream.
• Baileys Hot Chocolate — Hot chocolate with Baileys; contains alcohol; whipped cream.
• Irish Coffee — Coffee with Irish whisky; contains alcohol; whipped cream.

Sides & Add-Ons

• Free-Range Egg — Poached, fried or scrambled to add to any dish.
• Sourdough Toast & Spreads — House sourdough, toasted, with spreads.
• Vudu's Famous Tomato Chutney — The house condiment on the side.
• Vudu's House Hollandaise — Extra house-made hollandaise.
• Garlic & Rosemary Portobello Mushrooms — Large mushrooms cooked with garlic and rosemary.
• Smashed Avocado — Available when avocado is.
• House Hash Browns — Crispy house-made hash browns.
• Grilled Halloumi — Slices of grilled halloumi cheese.
• Crispy Baby Potatoes — Roasted until crisp.
• Manuka-Smoked Bacon — Bacon smoked over manuka.
• Martinez Chorizo Sausage — Chorizo sausage side.
• Mt Cook Cold-Smoked Salmon — Cold-smoked Mt Cook salmon side.

Fresh-Squeezed Juices

• Detox Guru — Carrot, apple, celery and ginger.
• Golden Glow — Carrot, pineapple and turmeric.
• Greenstown — Spinach, apple, pineapple, lemon and spirulina.
• Minty Fresh — Apple, blueberry and mint.
• Pacific Bling — Orange, pineapple and lemon.
• Immune Boost — Orange, ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper.
• Classic OJ — Freshly squeezed oranges.
• Classic Apple — Freshly pressed apples.

Frequently asked questions

Where is Vudu Cafe & Larder?

At 16 Rees St, Queenstown 9300 - on the waterfront in the heart of Queenstown, on the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

What are the opening hours?

Vudu is open from 7.30am, seven days a week. The kitchen serves the all-day menu from 7.30am to 3pm daily, and the cabinet of house-baked treats is stocked until 3.30pm.

Does the menu cater to dietary requirements?

Yes - the menu caters to a wide variety of dietary requirements, with vegetarian, vegan and no-gluten-added options marked. Please inform staff of any allergies.

What coffee does Vudu use?

Its own exclusive Vudu Blend, roasted locally by Wolf Coffee Roasters in Arrowtown and served only at the cafe.

Is there something quick or sweet if I do not want a full meal?

Yes - a cabinet filled daily with house-baked sweet and savoury treats is available until 3.30pm.

Does Vudu offer catering?

Yes, catering is offered alongside the cafe; enquiries can be emailed to cafe@vuducafe.co.nz.

What can I drink besides coffee?

Teas including masala chai and a housemade lemon honey ginger tea, fresh-squeezed juices like Greenstown and Immune Boost, smoothies, a Vudu Mimosa, and beer and wine from the cabinet.

Tips

• {"body":"The kitchen serves the all-day menu from 7.30am to 3pm daily; the cabinet of house-baked treats runs until 3.30pm.","title":"Come early for the full menu"}
• {"body":"House-baked sweet and savoury treats fill the cabinet every day - ideal with a flat white made on the exclusive Vudu Blend.","title":"Save room for the cabinet"}
• {"body":"The cafe sits on the waterfront in central Queenstown, and gorgeous lake views are abundant from inside.","title":"Grab a lake view"}
• {"body":"Vegetarian, vegan and no-gluten-added options are marked across the menu, and staff ask that you let them know about any allergies.","title":"Flag allergies early"}

Good to know

• {"dietary":"Wide variety catered for; vegetarian, vegan and no-gluten-added options marked; free-range eggs; tell staff of any allergies."}