SUNDAYS is the Hottest New Queenstown Eatery You Need to Visit
BY MAHI KUMAR
Former Church turned eatery in Frankton’s Country Lane precinct is the “it-spot” this summer.
15 JAN - 2024
Sangrias in an old church? Say less…
SUNDAYS; the brainchild of co-owners Annabel Herbison and Alex Long, who are both parents to young sons, is an impressive new European inspired lunch and dinner restaurant. At the heart of this new opening was the intention to foster a sense of community; and that it has. SUNDAYS is the perfect place to catch up with friends, family and loved ones for a long lunch or a spritz on a summer's day. Garnering only all 5 star reviews so far on Google, it lives up to the hype in my opinion!
When I was visiting Queenstown a few weeks ago, my partner’s grandmother was telling us about how her local church was in Gore. This came full circle as I soon learned that the old church east of Gore, sitting pretty for 90 years, was relocated and is now Queenstown’s newest go-to spot. Talk about upcycling; from an old church to a large lawn spaced wood-fired joint that's all about good times and great eats. SUNDAYS is a spot that you’ll want to hit over and over again because it isn’t over the top with the fancy stuff, but provides good vibes and even better food.
What makes SUNDAYS stand out is not only the food, but the even better atmosphere. The minute you walk to the venue, you see a large open dining space on the patio which is light, bright and gives you an instant serotonin hit. It was a very hot day in late December when I visited, and the vibrant energy of the space makes you instantly want a glass of sangria. This is starkly contrasted by the interior which is dark wood and feels more sleek. The large lawn space and nearby playground means that this is definitely a family friendly venue; mums can sip on sangrias while the children keep themselves entertained! There’s also live music/ DJs to keep you entertained every Saturday and Sunday through summer, so you’re in for an experience.
You are spoilt for drink choices with classic cocktails like margaritas, and a Coffee Supreme espresso martini that’ll get your evening going. Wine lovers - they have you covered with a solid Otago lineup; and for beer enthusiasts - they’ve got taps flowing with local favourites. What really stood out to me were the sangrias and spritzes on offer. No matter which sangria you pick, you won’t go wrong. The White Sangria was slightly sweet with fresh hints of apple, while the rose sangria was more sharp and tasted like fresh summer berries. The star of the show and my personal favourite was the red sangria that had a flavour palette which consisted of brandy and oranges mixed with spices like cinnamon and star anise. This was tastefully complimented by the addition of fresh fruit. Despite spending a month in Spain recently, I can say that I enjoyed the sangria at SUNDAYS more.
Being an eatery and a drinkery, you can’t go wrong whether you’re simply there to soak up some sun and Sangria’s, or if you want a full fledged meal. Head chef Ludovic Paris, a French pro, keeps things real with straightforward, honest grub.
To start, we had the eggplant and cumin skewers ($11) which consisted of pieces of eggplant and cherry tomatoes laying on a bed of coconut yoghurt. The eggplant was smokey and had a strong paprika flavour, which made it undeniably tasty whilst the tomatoes were so acidic and bursting with juice. This, with the soft and slightly sweet yoghurt was a considered blend of the smoky, citrus and smooth flavours.
You definitely cannot miss the pecorino churros ($13) here, especially if you’re a cheese fanatic. The churros were small savoury, filled with pecorino cheese and seasoned with garlic and truffle salt. Every bite involved a pecorino explosion in your mouth with warm melted cheese oozing out. The accompanying sauce was also so delicious that we savoured it even after the churros were long gone.
The tuna tartare ($25) was exquisite and housed the perfect balance of flavours. As a ceviche connoisseur, I’ve had many ceviches in my day and as it’s a dish that’s so commonly done it’s hard to really make it stand out for me. What set this ceviche apart was that the tuna was so fresh but the addition of naval orange added a burst of sweetness and citrus cut through that elevated the dish. It was also topped by an avocado based creamy sauce and served with a cracker-esque ball that you could scoop the ceviche onto which created the added element of different textures.
Wood-fired pizzas are also a staple here, and as I told Annabel on my visit, it is hard to impress me with pizzas but somehow SUNDAYS still managed to! The absolute star of the show (and a pizza I had to resist the urge to order 4 times over) was the Remarkable Shroom ($28) pizza which used locally sourced Remarkable Fungi. The combination of oyster mushrooms, the cheesy bechamel sauce and porcini salt topped with herbs made it feel humble yet well considered. The mushrooms and bechamel paired so well together to give it that creamy mushroom taste without it being sickening (an issue I quite often find when people try to put together pizzas like this). I heard many people in the premises complimenting this pizza, so it’s definitely a fan favourite.
The garden pizza ($27) was also well received (particularly by people at the table who generally despise vegan pizzas!). The composition of a tomato based sauce topped with snow peas, courgettes and locally sourced nevis asparagus topped with garlic and herbs set it apart from other vegan pizzas that I’ve had. It was a simple pizza, but one that you definitely wouldn’t get sick of.
When you’re done with the pizzas though, you can’t skimp out on dessert. We had the burnt lemon pie ($15) which was essentially a melt in your mouth lemon meringue pie that had the perfect amount of sweetness accompanied by lemon zest. It was so silky, smooth and buttery but the pie crust added a firmness and structure to it. I am salivating just reminiscing. The bomboloni ($15) is also a must. This is a very simple Italian filled donut, and this was filled to the brim with cherries, cinnamon and sugar.
I could honestly go on about the quality of the food here, because everything was so well seasoned and thoughtfully flavoured. Nothing was bland, or mediocre; even the Agria fries (a simple and common dish) were so well seasoned with rosemary, salt, a hint of garlic and had a slight curried element to it.
The incredible service, chill yet playful atmosphere and delicious menu offerings makes SUNDAYS a unique food spot. For me, the fact that providing a great ambiance didn’t mean compromising on the food was such a winner. The food felt casual and no frills yet was sourced from local produce and tasted superior to a lot of the other meals of similar cuisine that I’ve recently had. I have no doubt in my mind that SUNDAYS will be one of the most popular openings for those who frequent Queenstown and locals alike, and I personally can’t wait to head back sometime very soon!
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