Sedgers Reef Bistro — Restaurant in Iluka

Recently visited the renovated Sedgers Reef Bistro at Iluka with a group of four. Here's the rundown:

FOOD 🦐 There was a decent selection of food available, so we got some classic entrees and mains for the table (didn't try desserts this time).

Taste: 8/10 - Well cooked, good flavour, fresh and good portion sizes.

Price: 7/10 - Some meals were a bit on the higher side for what is essentially a pub feed, but they have really good specials.

Presentation: 5/10 - Don't expect to be wowed by how it looks. A little better plating/garnishing could elevate the meals.

DRINKS 🍻 Multiple bars with fairly generic options but overall not too bad. There were a couple cocktails, a decent selection of spirits and the expected range off traditional and craft beers (brookevale, Tooheys, James Squire etc.) definitely enough to satisfy the masses.

Overall 8/10 - Good portions, good prices, but don't expect to be blown away by the range. A couple more nicer local wines wouldn't go amiss.

SERVICE 👥 Smaller towns always seem to have nicer people, and that was quite clear here. Great staff with a good attitude

Speed: 9/10 - It wasn't busy, but the kitchen worked quicker than expected.

Attitude: 9/10 - They were happy to cater for our diet options and answer questions with a smile. Setup seats for us, and even had a laugh behind the bar.

ATMOSPHERE/VENUE ✨️ With the recent renovation this seems controversial. Terms like "sterile", and "clinical" have been thrown around, and... look, while it's clear why they've done it, there's definitely some truth there.

This place was renovated with the idea of modernising the bistro, and improving the facilities to cater for a much larger scale of service which they've absolutely done. There's a lot of seating, sectioned off areas for events, multiple bars. I have no doubt the staff are much happier with a better bar/kitchen setup, and all of that is great.

On the other side of the coin? It's unfortunately lost almost all of its soul while doing that, and feels like a copy paste commercial restaurant built out of necessity for a north brisbane hotel. White washed walls, with some nice interior/exterior lighting that - although well incorporated - just feels like a modern office building. There's a lot more restrictions with alcohol not allowed past points, and pets aren't allowed... which is a massive oversight seeming's how popular of a pet friendly location it was previously. All the afternoon dog walkers who used to stop for a beer and a bite? Adios.

Despite this all, the biggest issue in my personal opinion? The styling... This is a beachfront bistro, where is the coastal styling? Bring in some blues or wood, some boat statues, local paintings, some coastal wallpapers or one with the history of Iluka, throw some netting, anchors, lifebuoys in there, anything. There's just nothing. They should find a well-known coastal interior designer/agency and ask how they can flip it all to feel welcoming, coastal, and local friendly because it definitely wasn't built for any of those things, and that's their main customer base.

Overall: 3.5/10 - A good bit to work on.

TL;DR Plenty of good food options, and they taste great. Drinks that cater for most people, and very friendly staff. The new venue doesn't do itself any favours, but with some work, could become something...

Having been visitors to the Sedges Reef Hotel for some time, my partner and I were keen to try a meal following it’s rebuild. This was a fairly underwhelming experience to say the least. There’s quite a lot I could comment on but it was the quality of the food (or there lack of) that has me leaving this review. On ordering local battered snapper and Iluka prawns as main meals we were looking forward to fresh local seafood. Instead, the fish was dry, the batter rubbery and I received 4 overcooked prawns on overcooked chips. Both were poorly presented. There was nothing fresh or appealing about any of it. We had a few mouthfuls and decided to return our meals and get a refund. Photos shown are the meals as they were given to us. Meals were $31 each. We also had two rounds of drinks. ($ indicated as spent includes drinks) Despite asking for extra ice in a tall G&T, I barely received any and had to ask for an extra glass of ice for both rounds….. and the G&T was served in a middy glass. Really? All the money spent on the venue and a tall G&T is served in a middy glass?...

As regular visitors to Iluka, a lunch at Sedgers was always looked forward to. The food was typical pub fare but the view and atmosphere made it for us. What a disappointment to see what it has become. The new building can only have been designed by a Victorian with no sense of the sunshine Iluka enjoys for most of the year or the views that it is blessed with. The stark white of the concrete and the walls ensures a blinding glare outdoors, and the small, useless umbrellas provide very little shade. To add insult to injury, the black bench seats become intolerably hot to sit on. Any wonder, so many people sit in the sterile indoor area with the a/c. Come on Sedgers. More shade please. Outdoors is where people want to be. And while you're at it a few fly traps would help. The menu has been upgraded somewhat, and it's still decent pub food, but it's the atmosphere that made it special and that has largely disappeared. Hoping that they take these disappointed reviews on board and make the necessary changes. It's early days....