The Bistro At Manly Pavilion

This is a very beautiful restaurant with objects from the sea - large corals, shells etc. worth just going to look at those. A spot by the fire would be nice! Our table was a large white linen affair. The food was fittingly good. I especially enjoyed the olives and the entree “pizza” which was quite soft potato bread with tomato and stacks of melted cheese. Then we had the steak for two which was tender. A lovely night overall and a treat.

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 will be back :)

What a wonderful day we shared on Mother's Day at the newly refurbished Pavillion Restaurant in Manly. The room looked stunning with all the beautiful flowers and a champagne on arrival always sets the mood for a festive day. The staff were so welcoming and did an awesome job filling our glasses and bringing to the table the sensational food that was on offer. We enjoyed every morsel from the salmon to the rare beef the vegetables and salads and desert was melt on the mouth miniature cakes. A special mention to Julia who was extremely helpful with our booking and the fabulous location of our table. We are making this our location for Mother's Day every year..

We were excited to get some dinner at the newly renovated restaurant, but unfortunately it turned out to be a rather unpleasant experience. We ordered 2 entrees and 2 mains at about 7.15pm. We didn’t get the entrees until 8pm and one was a wrong order. The food wasn’t great as the batter was way overcooked and the beef was very plain. And then, it was the longest wait for the mains while the other tables were served and finished their food, even though some of them sat down after us. We were just left there waiting on the corner and no waitstaff came to check on us. After an hour’s wait we had to get their attention and asked if there’s anything wrong with the kitchen. This was past 9pm! They said the printer for placing orders had some issues and our order was never there!! I wonder how they got our entrees and other tables’ orders then. Although they offered the mains for free, it was very disappointing how poor the service was and overall the food wasn’t great as we hoped it would be. It seems the staff were quite inexperienced and there’s definitely room for improvement! Unfortunately, we won’t go back after this experience.

It’s a dining experience on the location’s merit alone and boasts a charmingly eccentric decor that pays tribute to the protected aquatic ecosystem below, The Pavilion is the Manly equivalent to a pearl in an oyster, except it’s covered in caviar. The food is excellent, but unfortunately the service was something to be desired at times during my visit. Perhaps teething issues or due to Sunday night exhaustion. But nothing to stop me coming back. A must for any beach goer or one who also enjoys sampling the local ocean’s fruits, and a welcome addition to the dwindling culinary delights of Manly.