Arrowtown is a small former gold-mining town about twenty minutes from Queenstown, and it is not an obvious place to find a Spanish restaurant. La Rumbla is on Buckingham Street, the town's main street, at number 54. It is one of five Spanish restaurants we list in New Zealand, and the only one in the Otago region.
This profile is drawn from the restaurant's own description in our directory. Where the record is silent, so are we.
Who runs it
The team is led by Sam Gruar and Penelope Johnson. Their own description puts the emphasis on knowing the products they source and passing that knowledge on to guests at the table. They describe the service as interactive, which fits the format: shared plates that get passed around rather than one plate per person.
The restaurant says it caters to everything from a table for two to large groups, including functions and full book-outs of the room.
How the menu works
La Rumbla describes its food as shared-plate dining. In Spanish terms that is the tapas and raciones model: several dishes arrive for the table and everyone eats from all of them. The restaurant does not list specific signature dishes in our record, so we will not name any here.
What it does say is where the ingredients come from. Ingredients are sourced both locally and internationally; the restaurant says it supports the fresh produce the region gives it, and works with Spanish producers and importers for the Spanish flavours. The restaurant describes itself as being very focused on flavour, and says it tries to match the flavour of the food to the drinks.
The drinks list
Drinks get as much space as food in the restaurant's own description. Three points stand out:
- A cocktail and beer list, with beers ranging from a brewery in Arrowtown itself to imports from further afield.
- A wine list that changes nearly every day, drawing on New Zealand, Australia and Spain.
- A back bar of spirits from New Zealand, local producers and international distilleries.
For anyone used to Spanish restaurants abroad that pour only Spanish wine, the mix is worth knowing in advance: the record names New Zealand and Australia alongside Spain.
Practical details
- Address: 54 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown 9302.
- Listed hours: 17:00 to 22:00 on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. No Monday hours are listed, so check before you go.
- Website: larumbla.co.nz.
- Phone: +64 3 442 0509.
Spanish food elsewhere in New Zealand
Our New Zealand listings are thin on the ground but spread across both islands. Casita Miró on Waiheke Island, off Auckland, works on the same shared tapas and raciones model and names sherry as one of its interests. Casa Paella at Orton Bradley Park near Christchurch cooks Valencian and Alicante rice dishes, including a Paella Valenciana it says follows the official Sueca recipe. We have also listed two Auckland tapas bars, Madriz downtown and Bodega Eatery in Henderson, whose street addresses we have not yet confirmed.
Find all of them on our New Zealand page.
