The Cray Seafood & Grill Bunbury — Restaurant in Western Australia

Ah, The Cray Seafood & Grill in Bunbury, Western Australia. A place that promises the ocean’s bounty, a feast fit for Poseidon himself, and instead delivers… well, let’s just say it’s more like a sad puddle after the tide has gone out. Your experience, my friend, is a cautionary tale of expectations dashed, trust betrayed, and wallets lighter for no good reason. Let’s dive into this culinary shipwreck, shall we?

The Hook: A Fish Tank of False Promises! You walk in, and there it is—the pièce de résistance, the centerpiece, the thing that’s supposed to make you go, “Wow, this place is legit.” A towering cylindrical fish tank, stretching from floor to ceiling, like some aquatic skyscraper. But instead of a vibrant underwater metropolis teeming with life, it’s more like a sad, half-empty aquarium at a dentist’s office. A few listless fish bob around, looking as bored as you’re about to become. It’s the first red flag, waving frantically in your face, but you ignore it. After all, the reviews said 4.5 stars! Surely, they can’t be wrong. Oh, but they can. They were.

The Espresso Martini: A Crime Against Cocktails! You start with an espresso martini, because why not? It’s a classic, a reliable pick-me-up, a drink that says, “I’m here to have a good time.” Except this one says, “I’m here to ruin your night.” You’ve had espresso martinis from Sydney to Stockholm, and this one? This one tastes like someone dumped cold coffee into rubbing alcohol and called it a day. It’s bitter, unbalanced, and utterly joyless. You sip it, wince, and think, Maybe this is just a fluke. Spoiler alert: It’s not.

The Kids’ Menu: A Pepper-Fueled Nightmare! Next up, the kids’ menu. You order the grilled fish and chips, because how hard can it be to mess up fish and chips? Apparently, very. The dish arrives, and it’s coated in enough pepper to make a grown adult cry. You send it back, because no child should have to endure this level of culinary abuse. The replacement arrives, and it’s… bland. Completely devoid of flavor, as if the chef took your complaint as a personal attack and decided to punish you with the most boring dish imaginable. At this point, your trust in the kitchen is hanging by a thread.

The Cray Platter: A Feast of Mediocrity! You’re a brave soul, I’ll give you that. Despite the espresso martini disaster and the kids’ menu fiasco, you decide to go for the $165 Cray Platter. It’s not the $400 Imperial Platter, but it’s still a significant investment. The presentation is impressive—colorful, Instagram-worthy, the kind of thing that makes you think, Maybe this will turn things around. But then you take a bite. And another. And another. And… it’s all the same. Bland, uninspired, lacking any depth of flavor. The prawns taste like the scallops, which taste like the oysters, which taste like the fish. The only difference is the texture. It’s a seafood platter that somehow manages to make the ocean taste boring.

The Final Nail in the Coffin: No Dessert for You! By this point, you’re done. A good dessert could have salvaged the evening, but you know better than to stick around. You pay the bill, leave the restaurant, and vow never to return. And honestly, who could blame you? The Cray Seafood & Grill promised a memorable dining experience and delivered… well, nothing worth remembering.

The Verdict: A Missed Opportunity! The Cray Seafood & Grill had all the ingredients for success: a prime location, a stunning fish tank, and a menu that promised the best of the ocean. But somewhere along the way, they lost the plot. The food was bland, the service was lackluster, and the overall experience was forgettable. It’s the kind of place that makes you wonder how it has such high ratings. Were the reviewers drunk? Were they paid off? Or did they just have incredibly low standards? Whatever the case, this is one restaurant that doesn’t live up to the hype.

Suggestions for Next Time If you find yourself in Bunbury again, skip The Cray Seafood & Grill or give it a try, things do change sometimes over time. Cheers to better...

We ate at The Cray in Bunbury and were somewhat disappointed in the whole experience. Our order was not taken correctly from the start, and we had to ask for corrections to be made. Our Executive platter was also plopped on the table and called an Imperial platter, so we had to look up the menu online (we couldn't get the attention of any staff) to make sure we were not going to be charged an extra $100 for something we didn't order. On the platter was a grilled crayfish, which was so overcooked it turned to paste in our mouths. When we mentioned this to the server, she said she would take it back to the kitchen to be redone, then returned to say that " you know the black stuff is just the ink, right?" Ink? In a crayfish? Honestly, it's the namesake of your restaurant, the staff could at least understand what the product, and it's major components are. And yes, we knew the 'black stuff' was the mustard, but the part we ate was the white flesh. When the next cray was returned, it was also overcooked, but at least edible. In my opinion and experience, these crays were placed on the grill AFTER they had already been poached, not when they were green, which resulted in the unpleasant overcooked state of them. Again, it's the signature dish..... The grilled snapper was also woefully overcooked and dry, which was a shame as it is a tasty fish, but the creamy garlic prawns, chilli mussels, prawn and scallop skewers, calamari, and oysters were delicious! Sadly, when I asked if they were Pacific oysters, since they had a lovely buttery taste, the server did not know and just said "probably, they come from around here". That was not accurate, as the sea you see out the restaurant window is the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific. Just let me be clear, her lack of geographical knowledge is not the issue here, the issue is that she does not know what she is selling and serving to people. The Moreton bay bugs were tasty, but overcooked, as were the grilled tiger prawns, which were pasty and gritty. They also had not been de-veined, which was not ideal. The octopus salad was delicious, but the thicker parts of the octopus needed to be cooked just a little longer to be less chewy. The tentacles, however, were tender but retained a nice bite to them. Service was very much diner style, but it seemed that each server did not have their own tables. We were asked by 4 members of staff how our food was, which is annoying. We also had a manager come over and ask us how our meal was after the crayfish had gone back to the kitchen. This was beyond obtuse, as he knew it had gone back and I do not enjoy having to justify myself over and over. It was paste, stick a fork in it and you'll see. As far as the atmosphere, it was a little lacking. The menu and website indicate that the Cray believes themselves to provide "a journey of quality, experience, and indulgence" when, in reality, it is a diner. You sit at uncovered tables, eat with mismatched and tarnished cutlery, wipe your mouth with a paper napkin, and are served butter in a plastic pat container similar to what you get in an economy class airline meal. There is also a large tank in the room, which is not populated with fish, so is essentially a large vase. The toilets are dismal and smell of stale fish. All in all, this was a disappointing experience and, as much as I love seafood, I'm not sure whether I'm brave enough to try out the...

As a visitor to the area, walking into a reputable franchised restaurant to only receive such low standards for what I've spent is appalling. Also as a note, I have visited other Cray locations, so this experience was by far the worst.

On Arrival : We arrived 5 minutes early to a prebooked reservation to only have been met by the manager that told us to wait 10 minutes for him to "move tables around". We're showed to our table which was at the back of the restaurant which looked like an empty food cafeteria (polar opposite to the beautiful aesthetic at the front with booths), so I'm confused as to the wait when there were empty tables.

Ordering and Wait Time : We ordered the Imperial Platter ($395), 2x mocktails ($14ea) and STILL water for the table. They brought out SPARKLING water TWICE before finally bring us Still water. After that debacle, we received our mocktails and from there it kept going down hill. The table next to us were complaining about their orders and little did we know we'd be doing the same. We waited 1 HOUR and 10 minutes before receiving our food.

Food Experience : The platter was so underwhelming at that price point. The crabs were malnourished, hardly any meat inside. There were no tools given to extract the crab meat from the king crab legs so I had to request for some, where they only had nutcrackers and no pick to push the meat through. So I used my soggy paper straw from my mocktail. We ordered chilli lime coriander for the oysters and received natural oysters with no lemon, so I had to ask for lemons. In return, I got some lemon slivers that weren't even adequate for a drink, let alone oysters. The salmon salad had rosettes of salmon which was awkward eating as it would roll out to long strands which were too awkward for a salad. The "Singapore Chilli Crab" had whole prawns.. need i say more. When the manager came around with the "mini rolls" he was rude, no smile, no manners, no apology for the wait. I asked about the mini rolls I had ordered and he said the hotdog-looking-bun he was holding was the mini roll... he then continued to ask if we wanted more in an irritaded manner. Absolutely not. When you order something mini, you expect mini. Not a hot dog bun. Also, when we were finished eating, only then did he offer something to wash our hands with, mind you with no eye contact and again no manners or apology.

Overall Experience : The ladies serving that came back to fix things were apologetic and followed things up. My honest opinion is that the manager and cooks need to go. The manager is unprofessional in a profession like this. You're doing the restaurant a disservice by taking your frustration out on the people that literally line your pockets. The cooks were getting things wrong yet we were mistreated for pointing out flaws. The service staff had to keep apologising on their behalf. $433 bill. NEVER AGAIN. Go somewhere else and feel full. I'm off to get a pizza.

**I've posted a picture of the platter before the "mini roll"...