A charming New Zealand inspired restaurant named Queenstown. An edgy Consortium Holdings speakeasy. NAPIZZA serving up gourmet pies. What neighborhood are you eating in? It sure sounds like Little Italy, but you might actually be in a shopping mall. Westfield UTC has, to my great surprise, become a destination for incredible restaurants and bars. It’s a brilliant move to keep people shopping IRL — Amazon doesn’t offer you world-class dining while you shop!
In the middle of it all (literally) is Queenstown Bistro who has managed to create the same old-home vibe from their sister restaurant Queenstown Public House at the UTC mall. Many of their signature items are the same as the other location, because why mess with perfection? They do have a few differences, unique to the peaceful retreat within the bustling mall atmosphere.
To start, the Chimichuri Hummus is delicious – made in house and served with cucumber and flatbread. You can’t go wrong with their popular Bare Lil Lamb burger… unless you don’t like blue cheese! New Zealand lamb is topped with a perfect combo of blue cheese, mint jelly, and beets, served on a focaccia bun. Fun fact – in New Zealand there are more sheep than people. In UTC mall there are definitely more people than sheep, but you can still get a tasty lamb burger while you shop!
What’s next for UTC mall? On the food front, one of my absolutely favorite restaurants, Din Tai Fung, will soon be serving up its Michelin-rated soup dumplings. Word on the street (and by street, of course I mean the UTC walkways) is that it will be a September opening. Vegan-friendly Tocaya Organica is slated to open in October. A community space, the Capital One Café will be offering free meeting space and work spaces, along with Money Coaching and banking in early 2019. The center is also planning to debut its new exclusive art program this autumn – featuring a new partnership with Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego to bring a total of nine specially curated sculptures to the center over the course of the next three years.
