Pickled Poet — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

Of all the small, niche places to eat in Thirroul, (of which there are many), this place is one of my new favourites!

It's a little on the pricey side, but the portions are quite generously sized, and if you're feeling particularly peckish, you won't regret getting a side of fresh foccacia with salt and melted butter to add to your taste. Devine.

I absolutely demolished the creamy artichoke pasta, and the elderflower mocktail is delightfully fresh and summery. Their deli sandwiches with a side of pickles and crisps are also delicious and very filling.

They do provide at least one gluten-free option on the menu. (Most items cannot be gf substituted, though. Many of the items also contain dairy).

One interesting thing to note: they don't do their own coffee or tea. But they will fetch you one from the Cafe next door for an extra 50c, or you can run in there yourself and grab a takeaway cup while you're waiting for your meal.

They also have a selection of artisanal hot sauces, chocolates, and yes, pickles on display that you can purchase. I particularly enjoy their range of dark chocolate.

Staff are friendly and very well-versed about the specifics of their seasonal menu. Five stars for this lovely little place!

Accessibility notes: They have a single step at the entrance, approximately 3-4cm high. The door is single pane only. And the corridor at the back to the outdoor seating area is somewhat narrow. (A standard manual wheelchair and less bulky power wheelchairs would fit through, I imagine).

There is an accessible bathroom with a ramp and grab rails at the back of the...

Let's start with the positives. The wine list is fantastic, the staff are super friendly and the outdoor area at night has a great atmosphere. Unlike most of the reviews we did not opt for the grazing plates, and instead started with the burrata with peaches and tomatoes. It was delicious. But, what followed was a real disappointment. I ordered the ragu - which tasted just like a british meat stew (super heavy, lacking in flavour and seemingly devoid of any tomato), the accompanying gnocchi were clearly straight out of a supermarket packet so pretty hard and uninspiring. The other pasta dish - prawns - was one dimensional. Just tasted of lemon - with this dish you normally have flavours of chilli, garlic and herbs but that was distinctly lacking and the serve size was pretty tiny - especially when you are charging over $30 for this. Both dishes reminded me of what a very average cook would serve up at home for a mid week dinner. So my advice to anyone visiting would be to stick with the shareplates. Such a shame but it's our 3rd time of trying the pasta and each time we have been...

The most charming little deli and wine bar—everything from the shopfront and the gold lettering on the window, to the interior decorating, is so sweet. I love buying chocolate, hot sauce and other specialty provisions here, and my husband and I had the loveliest dinner there with amazing food (including an excellent vego option) and live music. It was raining, but the under cover area was great and they get some fantastic musicians. We also really loved that they have made this venue so dog-friendly— we really appreciate that our beloved Golden Retriever is always welcomed so warmly. I wish every cafe and restaurant in the area was this pet friendly! Thank you John and team for your...