Frozen margaritas and margarita tasting flight wooden paddles are crowd favourites at Miss Rita’s Cantina along with an authentic Tex-Mex led menu. Miss Rita’s bright and airy restaurant is easy to spot at Upper Village with its riot of colour and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating.

“It’s a favourite locals and visitor spot for banter, beers and good times,” says co-owner James Ace. “It’s all about having fun with your family or a group of friends. We love to party, so listen up and watch out every time someone orders a margarita paddle.”

“People can park up alongside the warming fire pit after a day on the slopes, order the biggest margs in Queenstown and a bucket of Coronas and dig right in. Mexican bottled beer, refreshing twists on classic cocktails, local brews and wines feature on the drinks list along with an impressive tequila and mezcal line-up.”

The Miss Rita’s menu is a lively mix of Tex-Mex culinary traditions and recipes from the smoking grills of San Antonio to bustling El Paso streets.

Options are flavour-packed tacos, sizzling fajitas and Rita’s fried chicken while the winter rituals include Bottomless Tacos every Friday throughout winter, daily après ski Happy Hours from 4.00pm until 6.00pm, $6 Taco Tuesdays, Super Nachos Mondays, Fried Chicken Wednesdays and Texas Fold’em Quesadilla Thursdays.

People with allergies or gluten-free requirements are well catered for.

“We just love the combination of dishes on offer that are great for sharing or enjoying solo,” says James. “Our service style is attentive, fun and food centric and believe me we’ve tried and tested each and every dish.”