Manly Pavilion — Restaurant in Sydney

Short staffed. Small serving of Snapper for $36, with a bone, and 1 or 2 tiny mussels. Was it meant to be a whole Snapper? My portion was a third of a snapper most probably. If I'd known how small it was i would have ordered something else although there wasn't much choice. Needed seasoning but the wait staff didn't check if there was salt in the shaker before she hurriedly put it on the table and ran away. No other wait staff came by so had to get my own salt, and cutlery for 2 people, and water. The silverbeet didn't add anything to the fish, but i was starving so ate it. Barely any sauce on the fish. The starters/share plates came out after the main meal. All of the plates were crammed onto our small table at the same time, and the waitress didn't try to help at all with the lack of space. The waitress said it happens this way if you're sitting on the terrace not in the restaurant as "they"? can't time what comes out when. She really didn't want to listen to my protestations. Make sure you order your bread and accompaniments first, and don't tell them what your mains are till you've eaten your starters - if you're on the Terrace. Although, you may miss out on your first preference like my friend did - half a chicken for $43 plus would have to order sides if you want any vegies to go with it. Look out for the 15% charge on public holidays, plus the 1.7% loading for credit card. Our bar code on the table didn't work despite several attempts to order using different phones - staff said you had to order main meals at the bar anyway, plus drinks. It's only the starters you can order and pay by scanning the bar code. How weird. Another waste of 20 mins. Cocktails are tiny and about $18 to $20 - that's expected. Waited for a container which didn't come as my friend wanted to take the dip home - 2 hours street parking running out, and waited so long to get drinks and food and then pay, at the bar of course. So try to book a table in the restaurant in advance, or sit on the terrace and just order some starter plates to share. Best part was the view. Cost over $230 for 2 people for 2 alcoholic drinks, one mocktail, bread and 2 dips, one side serve of broccoli, and 2 small serves of snapper, both with bones, and 4 tiny mussels. And the silverbeet which lacked seasoning and was tasteless. The table next to us wanted salt and a diner had to go and get a salt shaker from inside the restaurant as they needed seasoning on their food and there were no wait staff around to help. Another gentleman in the restaurant was also trying to beckon a waitress over to change his empty salt shaker. Seems to be a clear message here about the need for flavour and seasoning, bigger portions, and more wait staff. And please, can't the starters come out first for the Terrace diners too, before their...

Firstly, just a quick shout out to the couple of bad reviews I have read about this amazing restaurant. I am putting it down to people who are locals and refuse to accept that this run down venue has now been transformed into and amazing space for multiple occasions. May I also point out that we have had a 2 year pandemic, its called COVID19. My heart breaks for this industry, now allowed to reopen, its almost impossible to find staff. So maybe you might want to re-think your reviews and grow a conscience.

I was lucky enough to have a wonderful Mothers Day Lunch yesterday with my family. We did not have the set menu Mothers Day function downstairs but WOW, what a fabulous space for Weddings and other functions, it was simply stunning and the staff welcomed us with enthusiasm and wonderful smiles.

We ventured upstairs whilst soaking in the beautiful signature Boathouse decor. It blows my mind with what they have done to this iconic building. There are multiple dining areas to chose from so there is literally something for everyone. There is a lovely fine dining area with private area for a group table. There is also a more casual eating area with floor to ceiling glass doors showcasing the amazing view of Manly and the Harbour which can be opened up in the warmer months. This room also provides casual bar seating looking out to the view.

I would like to say a special shout out to Tahnee, our waitress who was fabulous, we could not fault her dedication to making us feel welcome. We all need to realise that it is so hard to find people to work these days and its extremely frustrating when you are trying to deliver a fabulous dining experience, so Tahnee, thank you and to the staff working hard on Mothers Day.

In true Boathouse style, the food was amazing and the drinks menu was fabulous. After lunch we made our way out to the waters edge deck. We sat at one of the high tables which had a heater in the base of it so we were cosy and warm. The deck also provides several seating options of seated bar tables to beautiful laid back cushion lounge chars. We spent the rest of the afternoon listening to wonderful live music, it was so relaxing . I actually said to my family that I felt like I was sitting on one of the waters edge restaurant in Mykonos, Greece.

Thank you Manly Pavilion and Boathouse team for making my mothers day extra special. We...

The view is beautiful and it’s a great location for lunch. But the food is really underwhelming. Saturday 4th March - We had 3 mains (2 fish of day & 1 salmon) all were extremely over cooked, not just a little but even just looking at the dishes arrive at the table they looked bad. We also had a side of chips that were visibly burnt, honestly the kitchen should have thrown them and redone them rather than bring to the table. We asked the waiter to remove the chips they were inedible. (To be fair they did offer to replace them but we decided against it) We struggled with the mains, it’s not a cheap lunch and we all tried to eat them, but as a table of 3 the waitress took away our barely eaten meals without even asking if they were okay… it was like they knew the food was bad. Additionally our water glasses had to be replaced because of lip stick stains, the drinks/wine took a very long time to come and the waitressing staff seemed confused with table numbers. Every single dish the table next to us had ordered was brought to our table first… even after we’d only just ordered from the same person! (Reassuringly their meals looked burnt too, so at least it wasn’t just us). They did have a cheese platter that looked okay… when it was placed on our table first… We’d also asked for a small dessert with a candle for my dads 81st birthday… we gave up waiting. We know Saturdays are busy, and appreciate it was a full house, but even after taking that into consideration it was still really disappointing. Not a single meal out of the 3 we ordered was remotely enjoyable, and the mains were so poor we decided not to risk the desserts. Go for the view and drinks but there are much better places for decent food at that...