Another restaurant I ended up trying completely by chance!
A friend was staying in Little Italy for the weekend and wanted to meet up with a few of us for brunch. We had spent a few days looking into restaurants near the plaza and settled on one right in the middle.
When the day came, the restaurant we originally chose told us there would be a 3 hour wait, and they didn’t take reservations. (What is it with breakfast/brunch places not taking reservations on the weekends??) Luckily, our friend had a second choice in mind — a New Zealand-inspired restaurant called Queenstown Public House that she had walked by during her stay in the district.
Queenstown Public House serves brunch until 2pm, but they also have lunch and dinner items on their menu in case you’d rather pop in later. If you’re like me and prefer to check the menu online before you get there, keep in mind that they have two brunch menus: one for weekdays and one for weekends. They will also provide a physical menu for you once seated.
They were able to seat us immediately and the customer service was top notch from start to finish. The restaurant aesthetic was super homey and calming. It had an old-time cottage feel, like we were sitting in someone’s living room waiting on their grandma to bring us a home-cooked New Zealand breakfast.
After doing a little research on the history of Queenstown Public House, I found out that the building is a Craftsman house built in 1905 and previously used to house apartments and offices!
We had to wait a little while for our food, but compared to the three hour wait we were facing at the other restaurant, we didn’t mind. In the meantime, the staff was really chill about us putting our tripod in the aisle to snap a few quick flicks, and our server even took a few photos for us.
We ordered a couple rounds of mimosas to sip on before getting to the good stuff: the food!
Fresh Juice Mimosa
Queenstown’s house mimosa comes with three juice options: blood orange, orange pineapple, or classic OJ. I was in the mood for something simple and traditional, so I went with the classic. The regular price is $13.50, however if you catch the brunch special they are half off. Still a little pricey for a mimosa, but it tasted good and they give you a generous amount of drink (not to mention, a generous OJ to champagne ratio).
Churro Waffle
Every time I go to brunch I’m faced with a difficult decision: sweet or savory?
Although there were hearty, delicious-looking items on the menu, my heart was yearning for sugar this morning. I was torn between the Churro Waffle and the French Toast for a while, but decided on the waffle because it looked a lot more exciting.
It’s described as a churro waffle drizzled in caramel and topped with fresh fruit and dulce de leche whipped cream. They had me at caramel.
As you can see, the presentation of the dish was absolutely gorgeous. It was carefully sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar, the berries were evenly spaced, there was a perfect dollop of whip smack dab in the middle — overall it was just very aesthetically pleasing, and I live for a good aesthetic.
It tasted just as good as it looked; it was sweet but not in an overbearing way. The slight bitterness from the blueberries and raspberries cancelled out the whip and drizzle, so you get nice balanced mouthful of flavors. The waffle was fluffy and melted in my mouth. Needless to say I was very sad when I finished it, but I’ll definitely be back for more!
My friends also enjoyed their food; one of them said you know it’s a good meal when no one is talking. We were dead silent and focused on the grub down!
I would give the restaurant a 9/10. It’s not the most cost-friendly place to do brunch if you’re looking for drink specials, but the food and vibe were on point. I didn’t get individual pictures of everyone’s food this time, but I did scan all of our plates in the TikTok below!
In order of appearance:
Churro Waffle, reviewed above.
Croissant Sandwich & Tots: Prosciutto, burrata, arugula and over easy egg between two croissants with a side of tots (modification: scrambled eggs)
Prawn & Grits: Poached egg, shrimp, bacon and peppers sitting on a bowl of grits
Lamb Hash: A mixture of pulled lamb, potatoes, zucchini, sweet potatoes, parsnips, fennel, and red peppers topped with a poached egg and hollandaise
Have you been to Queenstown Public House? What dish should I try next time? Let me know in the comments!
Jade's Food Journey 