Finer diners on the Sapphire Coast

FINE AND RELAXED DINING ON THE SAPPHIRE COAST

There is a growing ‘finer’ dining scene on the Sapphire Coast, one that boasts the most gorgeous views, the freshest seafood and produce, plus welcoming, country hospitality. Chefs take advantage of the abundant sea life, foraging unexpected flavours and treasures, while selecting the finest vegetables plucked fresh from the fertile Bega Valley. Wine lists explore many regions, near and far, and shaking up fine cocktails are the friendly faces of our truly hospitable people.

MIMOSA WINES, MURRAH

Follow the road lined with spotted gums through Mimosa Rocks National Park, and near Murrah turn into a secret valley. A hatted kitchen team and attentive staff welcome you to this beautiful restaurant built high over the vines, deep in the coastal forest. Refined and thoughtful food using local flavours and seafood, a recently refurbished dining room, excellent wine list all contribute to a special dining experience. Open for lunch Thursday to Sunday with a dinner sitting on Saturday evenings, we recommend you put aside an entire afternoon for this delightful repast where the passion of the chefs and the new team (the younger generation have stepped up) is evident in all things Mimosa.

VALENTINA, MERIMBULA

On a good day Valentina’s dining room could take your breath away. Channelling a Mediterranean island hideaway you can get lost in her views over oysters beds and mangroves with an ever moving flotilla of floating vessels. A fantastic bar vibe and wine/cocktail list will have you exploring the by-the-glass offerings, and the food, served in small plates, focusses on local seafood, is stunningly presented and simply treated. Excellent service means one is tempted to leave everything in the hands of your servers, perhaps slightly dangerous, but always completely memorable. Valentina has been described by SMH Good Food Guide as “a love letter to the long lunch…” but stay for the sunsets and add long-dinner to your Sapphire Coast experience.

BAR SUPERETTE, MERIMBULA

Cool bar culture is thriving on the Sapphire Coast, not least thanks to the team that has brought us Bar Superette! Serious about food and wine but casual in nature, Bar Superette beckons with an irresistible lineup of hard-to-find wines, perfected Euro-inspired bites and traditionally preserved seafoods and fine cheeses.

Bar Superette is both a wine bar and store with more than 450 bottles of wine on offer, and about 20 offerings by the glass. You can savour wines in their cosy bar (complete with vinyl spinning on the daily) or otherwise pick your favourite drop for a boozy picnic or night in. Ask the sommelier for a recommendation and they'll be sure to surprise you.

WHEELER'S SEAFOOD RESTAURANT, MERIMBULA

Wheeler's beautiful, large, airy dining room is light with high ceilings and extremely comfortable. With the team’s attentive service you can relax for you are in good hands. Of course it is the perfect place for a seafood extravaganza, including oysters from a lease in nearby Merimbula Lake, which the Wheeler’s Family have farmed since 1927. Share plates include fresh burrata, hand-made gnocchi, wild caught WA scallops, roasted barramundi with Jervis Bay mussels, Angus rib eye, Narooma lobster and fabulous special occasion dishes such as a celebratory seafood platter. Fabulously decadent desserts and a kids menu enhance their offering displaying Wheeler’s careful contemporary approach to the bounty from our seas here on the far south coast. 

BANKSIA RESTAURANT, PAMBULA

Step into Banksia’s beautiful dining room ready for a memorable experience. Submit to special treatment and exemplary food, choose matched wines or explore the excellent wine list, and let yourself be pampered with just the right amount of attention from knowledgeable and experienced servers. With the dining room watched over by Renee Jones, it’s as though you’ve been welcomed by a wonderful family who are all about making sure you are having the very best time, which you are. Chef Huw Jones trained at Sydney’s Tetsuya Restaurant and his passion for all things Banksia oozes from the plates. A three course set menu which feels the opposite of restricted: generous, flavoursome and refined. Perfect for a special occasion, but really, life is an occasion.

TIDAL RESTAURANT & WINE BAR, MERIMBULA

New restaurant Tidal offers a careful selection of local seafood, ethically sourced and carefully attended to by Executive Chef Gavin Swalwell. Gavin also makes sure only the highest quality product makes it onto your plate, and if you’re not a seafood lover there are other offerings including succulent pork, duck or beef along with the freshest local produce, and all paired expertly with wine, beer or spirits of your liking. Tidal is all about pairing great food with great drinks and friendly, detailed service. From small sharing plates to 7 course tasting menus; from cocktails to beers; from fine gins to single malts; from formal dining to easy lounging, Gavin says “our menu celebrates the Sapphire Coast, and we strive to support its ethical, local and regional farmers and producers”.

Merimbula Wharf Restaurant

The impressive views from Merimbula Wharf Restaurant may distract you, but the food and wine will bring you deliciously back to the present moment. Abundant seafood dishes beautifully rendered, sides and desserts to die for, and a great wine list. The two or three dish set menu does not feel in any way restrictive. Enjoy prawns, fish and other seafood prepared in many ways, presented with a variety of sides, with the back drop of bustling busy-ness as tourists and locals throng to this popular eatery to soak in the scenery, and perhaps visit the downstairs aquarium. Watching thrill-seekers jump from the historic wharf, the ever present local fishermen, and with occasional nautical shenanigans from boats entering Merimbula Lake via the notorious bar, while you dine on excellent seafood is really to experience the essence of the Sapphire Coast.

DULCIE'S COTTAGE, MERIMBULA

IL PASSAGGIO, BERMAGUI

il Passaggio is a modern Italian restaurant that sits high over the Bermagui Fishermen’s Wharf. Spend Aperativo hour with an Aperol Spritz here and you could be anywhere on the coasts of Italy. You are welcome to have a quick glass of wine with an antipasti, or settle into the banquettes for hours watching the boats in the harbour, enjoying a three course lunch or dinner. The menu is deceptively simple and uses as much local produce as the team can find. Pasta is all made at sister pantry il Passaggio Provodore, pizzas are classic, simple and delicious. There’s house focaccia, olives and il Passaggio’s famous polenta chips with a dark tomato ragu, seafood and duck pastas, house made gelato, a thoughtful wine list and a cask of negroni… Lockdown? When was that??

KITTY'S BAR, MERIMBULA

Everyone's favourite top of town cocktail venue, upbeat and chic Kitty's Bar delivers quality pan-Asian cuisine and fine beverages in Merimbula. Their menu is made for sharing with friends and family with share plates like panko crumbed prawn, brined lamb rump with miso eggplant, and of course bao buns stuffed with glazed pork belly. It's worth visiting for their curry fries alone, but we suggest pairing more than a few small plates with some killer cocktails for the full Kitty's experience. 

MORE FOOD AND LOCAL PRODUCE HEROES

Discover our Sapphire Coast food and local produce heroes, with distilleries and brews, fish and chips, the best coffee, pubs and producers all on the menu. Find them all here.