Manta Ray — Restaurant in Hamilton Island

The worst service I've ever experienced and the food was average at best.

My friend and I had a reservation and were looking forward to the restaurant. I love seafood and was particularly excited to try this place out. Unfortunately, there really weren't that many seafood options on the menu (it must be a changing menu, since many of the items mentioned in past reviews weren't actually available).

We ordered the tuna tartare and cauliflower as appetizers, as well as the prawn linguine as a main, accompanied by a bottle of wine.

The food was just bland. Neither one of us is a very picky eater, but when the restaurant presents itself as being upscale, you expect the food to be at least somewhat better than average. I've had much better food at local bars. The cauliflower was mushy, seemed overcooked, and the ricotta or pepitas weren't really adding anything to the dish. Tuna tartare was just okay. The prawn linguine again seemed overcooked, from too-soft pasta to small but tough prawns. The sauce tasted like the cheap microwaveable ones you can buy at a supermarket.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was very pleasant, and given that we've had an amazing day otherwise, we would have been happy with our overall experience. It was the terrible service that really killed it.

We ordered a bottle of wine at the very beginning, and realized we never got it. When we asked out waitress about it, we noticed that she went over to the computer station. We assumed she was either checking our wine order or perhaps putting it in late. Either way, when she brought out the wine and started opening it, my friend noticed it was the wrong one. When we pointed that out, the server proceeded to angrily tell us that this was in fact the wine we ordered. Neither the name, region, or type of wine were the same. When we tried to point that out, she told us that the wine we actually ordered was not available, and that she suggested this one as a replacement, to which we agreed. This was simply untrue. My friend and I have both worked as servers in the past, and would have given her the benefit of the doubt (eg she mixed us up with a different table), but her irritability and dismissiveness were really uncalled for. She never apologized or acknowledged the mistake either.

We spoke to the manager at the end, since it was such a strange and negative experience. He did listen to our concerns and told us he would speak with the staff. I hope this does not happen to anyone else...

Very confusing. Everything started well. We had our freshly caught fish gladly accepted and cooked and specially prepared for dinner. The fish was amazing, probably the best fish I've had in my life. But that is where the praise for Manta ends. The service started out well enough. The drinks took a while, but this happens everywhere. The meal took some time, but that is to be expected when they're preparing a freshly caught fish. Then everything stops. My wife and I finished a good portion of the food and waited for...20 mins? Then I start trying to get my servers attention. I have to ask another server for the bill. She obliges with no more of anything than an awkward smile. There is zero attempt to ask us how everything is, then there is a very simple act of cleaning the fish carcass off the table. I've worked in the restaraunt industry. It can be difficult. But when you have multiple people walk past a table and not clear dishes off when they are done, it is a total group failure. Then when we walk out to pay at the door (which I guess is how its done, but we would'nt know because no one said a word to us after we place the dinner order) our filled out chit that tells them who and what room to bill too, is not accepted because we are not staying at hotels they are affiliated with. Thats fine, that makes sense, but no one tells us this, and the guy at the door looks at us as he tells us this even though we already are aware that this is probably the case and are waving a credit card in his face; as we were trying to do right after the server dropped off the bill at the table. The servers had no lack of ability cleaning other tables and moving briskly as to show that they are incredibly busy. If it was not for the fact that the fish was absolutely fabulous (good work to the back of house and the Chef) I'd called the manager out and ask him what his credentials were. My wife and I were perfectly polite and having a good time; so we are very perplexed as to why the multiple staff members could not complete the simple task of picking up freshly finished dinner plates, instead they danced around us, not making eye contact, or applying follow up check ups on the food. So we waited 30 mins after finishing the dinner and leave. We would've gladly had dessert and coffee, but settled for leaving and only left a tip because of...

Dinner here was a backup plan after another nearby restaurant was unexpectedly closed. We’d been before (last year) and had a good experience, so we were happy to come back.

At first, we sat waiting for service before remembering there’s no table service in that section — ordering is via QR code or at the bar. A quick laugh and some friendly help later, all sorted. The staff were great, with smiles that made the mix-up priceless rather than frustrating.

Starters • Croquetas de jamon, paprika spiced aioli, parmesan, serrano – crispy outside, soft inside, with perfectly balanced flavours. Spot on. • Reef fish ceviche, coconut cream, red & green pepper, pickled onion, chickpeas – decent, but didn’t quite hit the mark. The fish wasn’t confirmed, and the flavours weren’t as balanced as other ceviches we’ve had.

Mains • Prawn linguine, confit garlic, chilli, sundried tomatoes – a really good dish. The pasta had great texture (though I’d personally prefer a wider fettuccine), the flavours were well rounded, the prawns perfectly cooked, and the chilli heat just right. • Lamb ragu, orecchiette, grana padano, spinach, herbed breadcrumb – this one fell short. The pasta texture felt store-bought, the sauce lacked depth and quantity, and the ragu itself leaned more toward pulled lamb than the slow-braised richness you’d expect.

Side • Crispy fried Brussels sprouts, olive oil, confit garlic, onion, pine nuts, grana padano, balsamic reduction – always a bold choice to put on a menu. These came flame-grilled, but even with seasoning, they didn’t quite work for me.

Drinks • Riesling for me, Pinot Noir for her — both enjoyable.

Overall Service was excellent and made the night, even though the food was a mixed bag. The prawn linguine and croquettes stood out, but some dishes missed the mark. Still, for our last night on the island, it was a fun,...