Merimbula Aquarium & Wharf Restaurant — Restaurant in Merimbula

Firstly, apologies for the long rant but this one made one heck of a bad impression.

Besides the great views there were really no other positives about Aquarium. Upon arrival we waited at least 5min before anyone acknowledged our arrival. Eventually one of the waiters who had rushed past a few times noticed we had not been seated yet asked if we’re were being looked after and said he would be back in a minute to help. Shortly after the manager came and said that she would be back to seat us in a minute as well. In the meantime a large group came in behind us and the manager returned, walked straight past and took them to their table. While doing so the waiter then returned and when we mentioned the manager said she would seat us he appeared as if he wanted to help but looked worried to step on her toes and said it best we wait. Eventually we were seated and two girls were alternately waiting our table. One was friendly & helpful and the other seemed untrained and didn’t really know what to do. The first course came out and was ok at best. Mine was 2 prawns with a bit of sauce and my partners zucchini flowers were quite heavy on the batter. The mains however were terrible. They had clearly been left under the heat lamps for way too long. On my dish the snapper was over cooked and the scampi was halved. On the half originally on top the meat had shrivelled so badly that it had gone hard and was inedible. This had obviously been swapped around and placed facedown just prior to serving so it was not obvious until I was halfway through the dish. My partner had ordered a medium rare fillet steak that was served just short of well done and was clearly cut by someone inexperienced. After the first two courses we decided not to roll the dice with dessert and opted to get something in town instead. At $140 for some of the worst meals we have ever had and a bottle of water this will be our first and last visit. In summary, the restaurant seemed to be a rudderless ship as there were many young inexperienced staff and the manager was to busy looking after tables to actually guide the team. Aquarium would be a nice place to sit and enjoy a drink or two but I strongly advise to...

Lovely sunset view and location, but food n service was modest.

Calamari risotto was ok if a bit bland, surprising for fresh seafood. Tuna tataki has nice tuna but a seemed to be on a pile of unrelated and tasteless raw grate veggies.

Steak with celeriac mash was ok, certainly nothing unusual, a tad boring. We loved the sound of the pork with cold slaw, but this again was just more bland grated veggies. Maybe some dressing or mayonnaise to tie it together.

We had a nice chai panna cotta (unpictured). Possibly the best dish. However for $15?!

Service was friendly but struggled. Seating took a while and they see stressed. We ordered fries to come before starters as we had hungry kids but it came well after starters. To make it worse they charged us twice for the fries ($10 each by too!). The manager (?) kindly took both off the bill, but it was just another error.

Wine list was long and varied but very Aussie. Admittedly a common beef of mine. A place that clearly aims to be fairly sophisticated and charges might have some insight into wine and have several modest priced international options in all categories.

Overall $60 for two courses, or $75 for three, this place is pretty over priced and needs some serious team training, much better service processes, probably more experienced team members, and several food improvements to come close to what they charge. Young and friendly team tried. Given the number of issues and that they’re clearly not one offs or new (of often felt like they’d just opened) I think management/owners must know, and this rests with them, not the apparently inexperienced team.

If they didn’t have the location and view they’d really struggle!

Sit outside on the balcony if possible. May as well get the most from the one thing that’s good.

I hope they get it right. Doubtful we will be back to...

My recent visit to the Wharf Restaurant left much to be desired. Our group of four had high expectations for a pleasant evening, but unfortunately, the overall experience fell short.

The troubles began when, after ordering just two entrees for our party, we found ourselves waiting for an extended period without any acknowledgment or updates from the staff. A staggering 35 minutes later, with no apologies or compensation offered, we were left wondering about the status of our order.

Remarkably, it wasn't until another attentive server noticed our predicament that we discovered our order had not even been placed in the kitchen. This revelation left us contemplating the possibility of an even longer wait had the error gone unnoticed.

While seated inside, we observed another table outside desperately trying to catch someone's attention for an extended period, highlighting a concerning lack of attentiveness among the staff. Adding to the frustration, the chair I occupied felt incredibly flimsy and unstable, creating an uncomfortable and precarious dining situation.

To exacerbate matters, the kids' meal arrived significantly earlier than our entrees. Despite the child finishing their meal long before ours arrived (after an agonizing hour), there was no effort made to synchronize the timing. This left a member of our party awkwardly waiting and watching, an unfortunate and avoidable situation that dampened our overall dining experience.

In summary, the lack of communication, prolonged wait times, and the overall disorganization at Wharf Restaurant made for a disappointing evening. I hope these issues are addressed promptly to prevent others from encountering similar frustrations...