Coogee Pavilion Ground Floor — Restaurant in Sydney

Terrible for people with dietary requirements!

I went here last Sunday for my Dad's family birthday lunch, had a very negatively emotional experience, was told I'd be contacted that night so they could try and rectify the situation, and I am still waiting for that call, 4 days later.

Here's what happened -

I have Crohn's Disease, which means I have lots of dietary requirements that need accommodating. My Dad loves the Mediterranean menu on the Coogee Pavings rooftop, so I called 1 month in advance to see if they could accommodate me. They assured me that they could, by having the chef's whip up a custom dish for me on the day.

When we got there on Sunday we discovered that the normal Mediterranean menu on the rooftop is not currently available due to COVID. Instead they were only serving antipasto and pizzas, despite confirming only the day before when my parents called that the Mediterranean menu was still available. So they took us to the ground floor restaurant instead.

The first thing we did was double check they could still accommodate me down there. They said they could, so we settled in, ordering some drinks and starters. It was only after this that we discovered they couldn't really accommodate me.

Initially they mentioned they could accommodate me by tweaking 3 of the 4 salads on their menu. However doing so would mean cutting out half the salad. So I asked if they could do a custom salad for me, or simply add a few other ingredients into the salad I'd cut in half to fill it out a bit. They said no. After continued questioning of this, they said they could make additions to the salad, but only at an additional cost per added ingredient. Absolute bull.

Now, I’m pretty reasonable. If I were getting a normal salad and adding a few things in, sure, I’d be happy paying additional. But when I’ve already had to cut out half the salad due to dietary requirements they said they could accommodate, and then make me pay more for basic add ins, to me, that’s a hell no.

Let me paint a picture for you. The original salad was chicken , farro, rocket, fennel, broccolini, avocado and dressing. With my tweaks it was only rocket, broccolini and avocado. So you can see why I wanted to add things such as tomato, cucumber, olives and edamame in, to fill it out a bit, and was shocked when they pushed back.

I know this doesn’t sound like much of an ordeal to most, but for me, this is something I need to deal with every single time I eat out. And the fact that I called a month in advance to confirm they could accommodate me, only to find out they couldn’t, or semi could, but only at an additional cost is what really upsets me. We would have gone elsewhere had we known this in advance. And with all this playing on my mind, I couldn’t keep the tears in and had to leave to table to calm myself down. Happy birthday Dad! Not.

Our waitress noticed how upset I was and said she'd speak to her manager to see if there was anything they could do to rectify the situation, and that I could expect a call later that day. As mentioned above, I am still waiting on that call, and the fact that they have now let me down again has left an even nastier taste...

Seaview Restaurant | Freshly Baked Pizza & Casual Gathering | Coogee🍕🌊

💛 Today I want to share with you a very comfortable and relaxing seaside restaurant - Coogee Pavilion Ground Floor.

This shop is right on Coogee Beach. It has a very large space, with two floors upstairs and downstairs, and the overall atmosphere is very relaxed. There is an open oven in the middle, where you can see the pizza being baked on the charcoal fire, and the air is filled with the aroma of baking. The freshly baked pizza here is really amazing, the thin and crispy crust has a slightly burnt aroma, and every bite is crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

In addition to pizza, the seafood, salads, and fish and chips here are all very good. It is especially suitable for a group of friends or family to get together, eat slowly, chat slowly, and feel the sea breeze while eating.

🍽 What's special here?

💛 Freshly baked pizza 🍕🔥 📍Their pizza is really "perfect"! Each piece of pizza is freshly baked in the oven and has a charcoal-grilled aroma. The crust is crispy on the outside but chewy on the inside and not dry. 📍 The classic Margherita, Italian pepperoni, and mushroom cheese all have a very stable taste. If you like seafood, the seafood pizza is also worth a try!

💛 Fish and Chips 🐟🍟 📍 The fried fish skin is golden and crispy, and the fish meat inside is tender and juicy. It is especially satisfying when paired with French fries and tartar sauce on the side. This dish is always eaten up without you noticing, and you never get tired of it.

💛 Seafood Salad & Sashimi 🦑🐙🍣 📍 The octopus and squid cold dishes taste great, they are marinated just right, with a slightly sweet and sour taste, very appetizing. 📍 The sashimi is fresh and thickly cut, and every bite is a refreshing ocean flavor.

💛 Cocktails & other snacks 🍸 📍 They have a wide selection of cocktails, the alcohol content is not too strong, and it is well balanced, which is suitable for pairing with pizza or seafood. 📍 If you are not too hungry, you can also order some snacks, such as salads and grilled vegetables. The taste is very refreshing and it is suitable for sitting leisurely and drinking something while enjoying the sea view.

💬 Personal experience 📍 Coogee Pavilion Ground Floor is the kind of place you don’t want to leave once you’re there, especially when the weather is nice. Eating hot pizza, drinking a little wine, and feeling the sea breeze will relax your body and mind. ✨ My favorite is the oven pizza here. The crust is really great. When it is first served, you can hear a slight crispy sound, and it tastes warm in your mouth. 🔥 Seafood cold dishes and fish and chips are simple and comfortable, without complicated seasoning, and you can taste the original flavor of the ingredients. 💛 Whether you are gathering with friends or just looking for a place to relax by yourself, it is very suitable to come here and sit and enjoy the leisure time by the...

Rude and disrespectful transient staff members. I welcome my family members to Australia last week, their first visit, so decided to take them to the Pav. Upon arrival we were completely ignored. Eventually after 10 minutes we were finally taken to a table. We sat down and the rude transient staff member just walked away, didn’t even explain the menu. As my family members were new to Australia they didn’t know what drinks to order so I said we can just go to the bar. Eventually the rude transient staff member came back, ask if we wanted drinks, we said we will go to the bar, the look of horror on her face was a bit baffling, she walked off and I assume it was the tanned manager who came rushing over, he told us what I can only describe in a angry disgust aggressive manner that if we wanted to go to the bar then we all had to get up “right now” and leave this table. I was absolutely disgusted with his attitude and my family members were completely baffled, then one of my group turned the menu over to which all the drinks were on the back, maybe a bit of a mistake on our part but in any restaurant I’ve been to the staff member explains the menu, not in the Pav! I ordered my pint of beer and after a couple of sips I realised there was a massive chip missing out of the glass, I was worried the bit of glass was in my drink so asked a member of transient staff if she could get it changed for me, she said no problem, took it from me and 10 minutes later she still hadn’t brought it back to me, soon as she took it to the bar it was changed straight away but she had already walked away, my fresh pint sat on that bar for 10 minutes, I could clearly see it, eventually I got up and got it myself, walking back to the table me and this transient staff member crossed paths, so I sarcastically said don’t worry I’ve got my own drink, to which she scoffed at me and carried on walking. I’ve lived in the area for 10 years and that level of service was absolutely disgusting, actually just like the “pub food” they served us. We had drank alcohol in the restaurant and then decided to go up to the rooftop bar, soon as we reached the top of the stairs another rude and disgusting transient staff member literally came running from behind the deserted bar and aggressively demanded everyone’s identification. Congratulations Coogee Pavilion on showing international visitors how bad yours service actually is!...