Lexie's on the Beach & The Crow's Nest (upstairs) — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

I had been expecting a groovy cafe from the website description, but instead found a run-down restaurant that didn't know if it was a cafe or a RSL hot food bar. The staff were exceedingly grumpy, everything was too much trouble. There was only partial table service, you had to order at the counter. Requests for menus were forgotten. Interior decor was shabby...the clear plastic screening used on cold days was in desperate need of a clean. There were lots of signs telling you what you couldn't do, re closing doors, and where the toilet was, and ordering and where to put rubbish, all of which gave the vibe of a school canteen rather than a happy, relaxing venue. My friend's late breakfast choices of crepes and toast seemed fine, but my early lunch of chilly crab pasta was awful. I swear the crab was frozen produce rather than fresh, though the waitress said it wasn't when I asked. It had the horrible watery texture of produce that had been thawed out and tasted very bland. Coffees arrived before main meals. The service was really awful, the staff were exceedingly surly, unhelpful. And the prices were too high for what we received...my pasta meal was $19, it was probably worth $7 or $8 at most. Very disappointing, I would not go again, nor would I...

Had a weekend lunch there with family. It didn't live up to the impression given on their website. As another reviewer noted, the first thing you see are notices posted around the place warning about this or that, and you will be video'd, etc... which didn't feel welcoming, and agree it felt a bit school canteen-like. The menus were also hard to find. We sat down and a server came over and wiped our table with a rag. Unfortunately whatever the rag had been soaked in left a very foul stench which lingered and attracted flies. There were limited healthy options on the menu with most dishes involving something deep fried. You order at the counter and they bring it to your table. The table service was hit-and-miss, as twice they brought us food and drinks that weren't ours! Another reviewer mentioned great views. I'm not sure what they are talking about. You can see a bit of the ocean but the view is mostly the car park that surrounds both sides. The price didn't match the experience. Lexie's is caught between being a casual beachside kiosk with that kind of attitude, but offering table service at the higher-end...

Lovely view. When we arrived the staff said the kitchen stopped cooking at 2.30pm. So we ordered lunch for 6 people. While ordering the kitchen staff were making rude comments to the register staff member ( who was getting progressively more flustered). After a few minutes the staff came and told us the dishwasher had been turned off so our food would be served in take away boxes. Then when 5 meals had been served we inquired about our last meal and the order had not been put through. By that time the cooker had also been closed down so our son missed out on his meal!! The fries were crispy. The thickshakes had no ice cream in them and the crepes were served with just bananas and topping as the freezer had broken down! The sweet corn fritters were soggy in the middle ( the flour was gluggy still). The calamari tasted slightly sweet but was missing the chilli. Overall a disappointing experience. Please be more clear about closing time. Please ask your kitchen staff to be kind to the...