The Australian summer means dotting your days with waterfront lunches, alfresco evening drinks, rooftop hangs and casual catch-ups at the pub. We’ve rounded up Australia’s newest and coolest plus the trusty classic spots where you can do all those things and more.
Right at the edge of the Albert Park foreshore, above a beach scattered with pipi shells, is what might be Melbourne’s coolest waterfront restaurant. At Pipi’s Kiosk, the Goolwa pipi pasta is the classic order, but don’t overlook the sensational wine list. Prefer to dash and dine? There’s also a takeaway window for fish and chips and ice-cream.
Seafood right beside the sand? That’s about as Australian as it gets. Bobby’s, a Mediterranean-accented beachside restaurant-bar (with added beach club because why not?) has opened at the end of Cronulla’s Esplanade, and it’s exactly where you want to be this summer for a sandy-footed Spritz and a plate of calamari.
The baby pineapple dessert at waterfront Cantonese restaurant Stanley is sunshine on a spoon: a tropical blend of pineapple, vanilla gelato, lime sago and tropical ice. The imperial Peking duck – topped with caviar – is year-round delicious.
With wildly popular outlets in Exmouth and Bunbury, Froth Craft Brewery knows how to pull together a beer-fuelled good time. Their first venue in Perth has just opened in the northern suburbs, pulling 16 of their own house brews plus a rotation of guest drops. On the food front, it’s all about simple delicious pizzas. On the fun front, keep an eye out for live music, and time your visit to catch the best sunsets in the west.
West Australians are always bragging that they have the most beautiful beaches in the country. In fairness, the white sands and Curaçao-blue water of Bunker Bay in the Margaret River does plenty to boost their argument. Bunkers Beach House sits mere metres from that natural beauty, and its “dune to table” menu makes the most of the coastal surrounds. The $80 set menu combined with those knockout views is an absolute bargain.
The brand-new Kirra Beach House is everything you love about summer collected in one beautiful – and huge – beachfront location. We’re slightly obsessed with their clever take on a Golden Gaytime dessert.
If you’re a fan of the elegant, pine tree-dappled beach views of the big-spender Mimi’s restaurant in Sydney, you’ll love the near-identical outlook of Meribella, which has just opened on the first floor of Terrigal’s Crowne Plaza. The old-school glamour atmosphere feels a little Mimi-esque, too, from the luxurious caviar and gold-leaf tart to the expansive and well-considered wine list.
Glebe in Sydney’s inner west isn’t the first place that comes to mind when you think “rooftop bar” but one of its oldest pubs, The Toxteth, has stepped up to smash that myth. They’ve just transformed their sticky old sports bar into the Miami-style Tocky Terrace on their upper level, serving pub classics like schnitties and burgers, with views all the way to the Harbour Bridge.
Chef Adam Liston is the creative fuel behind one of Adelaide’s best restaurants, the fire-fuelled Shobosho, and now he’s driving the pan-Asian menu of the SA capital’s most glamorous new rooftop space. Sora on Pirie Street is a multi-level drinking, dining and dancing venue designed to put you in the dress circle for some of the most party-ready views in the city.
A breezy new Greek restaurant at Koolewong Marina, Kefi serves the classics – octopus souvlaki, whole chargrilled fish and chilled-out cocktails – and the blue, white and blonde wood decor transports you straight to the Med. If you’ve nabbed a window seat, expect the odd pelican to glide by and eyeball what you’re up to.
Coffin Bay oysters from South Australia are the heroes at Darwin’s Oyster Bar – served natural, dressed up or even grilled. But don’t fret if briny bivalves aren’t your thing – there’s also a full “not oysters” menu that includes their famous salt and pepper squid, a katsu chicken burger and crunchy kangaroo spring rolls.
Surf clubs are such an Aussie institution that they probably deserve a portrait on a coin or note. Glenelg Surf Lifesaving Club, a 1930s classic with absolute waterfront views, is one of the finest examples of the genre, made famous thanks to its good-quality bistro grub and friendly staff. Bargain hunters should note that on Wednesday nights you get 30 per cent off your schnitties.
This Brooke Street Pier stayer has beautiful harbour views and an enormous pitched window through which to gaze at them. Aloft’s menu is hard to categorise beyond “local” and “delicious” but we recommend grabbing anything they have going featuring local abalone. It is also an excellent choice for the meat-averse; the kitchen is brilliant at making vegetables into star players.
Maybe it’s the palm trees around the alfresco dining space, or it could be the spicy fragrance wafting from the kitchen, but Morks, on the edge of Lake Burley Griffin, feels like a feisty little slice of Bangkok. Duck larb with smoked chilli powder and a citrusy White Lotus cocktail is about as close to the tropics as you’ll find in Canberra.
See also:
Australia's best waterfront clubs
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