Merewether Surfhouse

Great views of the beach and Merewether baths. The food though is not as good as it should be. The salmon was well over cooked. Only slightly better than pub food.

Had an amazing time for my work Christmas party. It was busy but understandably so with the weather and location.
The staff were friendly and minus a few mistakes, kept up with our drinks and food orders.
The cocktails are $ 15 each. Not sure if that is standard as I don’t drink often but they were yum and well presented. The turtle, caprioska and pimm’s cup are worth a try.
The cheeseburger sliders, pork ribs and mushroom pizza were also delicious. Plenty of mushroom so I was happy.
A really lovely spot with an exceptional view.

Ok so now we’ve been back again.
Can’t believe this place has fallen so far from what it used to be. Such a shame.
Ordered fish and chips, beef burger and oysters.
The chips were horrendous — a far cry from those amazing beer battered ones we used to love here.
We asked what happened to the chips to which the answer was ‘that’s what everyone asks but I’m not sure why they were changed’. Disappointed!
Burger was ordinary for $ 20 and fish was a tiny portion for $ 26.
Only thing this place has going for it at the moment is the pizza downstairs and the views.
What. A. Shame.
I will no longer be bringing out of town visitors here as it is embarrassing.

I’ve been upstairs a few times to the main bar, including once for an engagement and another time for a birthday. It was relaxed, friendly and comfortable. There was a mix of different people about most times. The bar food is actually very good — the mini cheese burgers are a must. They also have cider on tap and that was a plus for me.
Downstairs at the café was nice, I’ve eaten there twice and both times I ordered a bacon and egg breakfast after a big night. The coffee is ok.
The pizza bar is the standout for me. It’s simple but the pizzas are very nice. The pepperoni one is better without so much chilli, and they were happy to make it without. The cheese is great, and the margarita is probably the best. Being able to have a beer down there looking at the water and sharing pizza with friend yis a good feeling.

I went to the café for breakfast late last year, when the construction was still finishing. The view and location was lovely, and I really want to try the restaurant.
Middle of the week, the café was busy. I ordered a chocolate milkshake and the pancakes.
The milkshake cost $ 6 then (it has since been reduced to $ 5.50), and was extremely small and did not have much chocolate flavour to it, and it wasn’t cold — plus it came in a take away cup. Goldbergs does the best milkshake in Newcastle and it is almost two dollars cheaper.
The pancakes were okay, nothing special, and there weren’t enough berries for the portion. My sister’s eggs and bacon weren’t anything mindblowing either, and the tomato was just awful — cooked but stone cold.
It’s expensive compared to the quality you’re receiving. I see the menu has since changed and the prices have dropped very slightly (less than a dollar on average) but I’d skip breakfast entirely and try the café’s lunch menu, or the new pizza bar, next time.

OK. So now I have been back. This time we went to the café downstairs. It is fantastic!!!
It was a really hot day so we sat inside in the air conditioning. However the front is wide open with unhindered views of the ocean. We even saw several pods of dolphins go by while we were there.
We had drinks from the simple menu, so can’t comment on food. However I would go back just for the feel of the place.

Love the location and building of this restaurant. Finally doing something with the old surf house was long over due.
Yes the views are beautiful an the food good. Just a bit over priced. I can do better on the Sydney Harbour at Aria for pricing.
It’s a great addition though to Newcastle and I think worth the visit.

Absolutely stunning location and views. Saw the moon rise over the ocean and I rate that as one of the best experiences of 2012 so far.
Great architecture and décor, check out the feature near the bar which looks like around a million wine corks were used.
I was there to photograph a wedding, and so I can only rate their wedding package food. But when the wedding food is good, generally this means the regular food is great. And it was very good food.

The setting right on the beachfront, and view is stunning and this is taken full advantage of by the architecture. However this is all it really has going for it — the views and a pretty schmick website — I was sucked in by the photos showing different times of the day.
Anyway. I have been there for a work lunch while in Newcastle, and while it was OK, the menu seemed a little less adventurous than I would have liked — a setting like this demands a bold and confident menu. Also the service was a shambles, they could really do from some training and a bit of sprucing up in this department.
If they fixed the staff training and deportment, and have a crack at a more innovative menu then they would get 5 stars. My best advice, skip the food and spend your time and money soaking up the glorious views and sun drinking on the deck.