I have been loving meals here at Boatshed Cafe, and upgraded to 5 stars accordingly ... all except one thing - the S L O W service! I'm afraid that a super-long wait for a fairly basic meal last Friday night has made me downgrade them slightly to 4 stars. I think what has happened is that they are super busy, but just don't have the staff to cope with the orders. The staff who are there are lovely - but they need at least one more in the kitchen, and another on the floor. Oh, and they obviously need a larger pizza oven! What worries me is that they have spent a lot of money on upgrading the verandah area, and have also renovated upstairs - how can they service these extra people??? PS - a very long wait for food with a grumpy 6 year old when the temperatures are soaring outside is not very fun :P read more

Finding this place is as rewarding as finding a coin in the sand with a metal detector. Tucked down a long road hidden from everyone but the locals it sits contently amongst the coastal hillside. Growing up in the area the building has never been used to its full potential until now, previously having been a deli and empty for some time prior. The inside and deck area are at a super high standard reminding me of renovated pubs like the Hilton and Highway in style, clean and modern. Whilst the deck is closed it's dog friendly to our suprise! Now onto the food and drink... They weren't messing with us when it came to portion sizes with the large coffees being just that for once! Yes FINALLY! The burgers were fantastic and both under $15, though we were devastated we missed the breakfast deadline of 11.30. I had the quinoa and kindey bean burger and it was delicious, the service was great and I can't find fault on this place. Brilliant and worth a trip to the area for the adjoining nature walk as well read more

See all

Love this place. Views are (sigh) and food is super. Seems to be closed a lot, but very handy before or after a hike.

Maybe good in a pinch???? Location is beautiful and food was exceptional (after the long wait) but rather pricey for what it was. As for the the service, Boatshed cafe could sincerely win a prize in making guests feel unwelcome. Staff were standoffish and seemed majorly inconvenienced by simple, small requests. You are required to pay as you order. I asked for a water and we were given a lemonade, when I pointed out the mistake and asked for a simple still water our server went to ask his boss about it, came back and told us that we ordered it, when I asked again that he swap the drink. He took the lemonade and didn't return, meaning I paid for it without being asked if I'd like a refund. Not to mention that the wait time for the 2 mains was pretty long and upon asking where they were, the server checked kitchen without saying anything then walked them past me to our table without saying anything once again, almost as if I'd inconvenienced her by asking where our lunch was after seeing two tables that were seated after be served before we were. My post meal coffee was also burnt Service like this would be completely understandable during a busy service period however, this was early afternoon on a Monday and the place was far from packed. As I said, location and food were great, hoping staff become friendlier and service improves in future. read more

I have always been a fan of the boat shed cafe and have been visiting frequently for about 3 years however it has recently undergone renovations and after my visit today it appears that things have changed. My friends and I walked from Marino to Hallet Cove and thought we'd buy a cool drink before our long walk back. We waited 40 minutes for 3 frappes. My friends frappe was mostly solid ice and chunks of mango. A long wait yet 3 girls behind the counter had time to stand and chat. To finish off we were then overcharged and told the prices have gone up but the menus haven't yet been updated. If we weren't angry enough I stand up to leave only to find that the backs of my legs are covered in black grease from the chair! If you are looking for a quick refreshing stop while out exercising this is not the place to go. The food however looked and smelled good! Perfect location and great ideas with the smoothies and juices, but poor execution. read more

Went here for breakfast with the family. All of our smashed avocados came out with burnt toast then when we asked for more toast to replace burnt toast, they brought out more burnt toast. :/ My sister got plastic in her baked beans and when I asked the lady about it she just walked off to the kitchen, talked to someone, and started unpacking boxes. She didn't come back to me waiting there or even apologize. I finally left the counter to return to my seat. She finally came out after 10 mins and said that the baked beans come in a plastic container that's why there had been plastic in her meal. :/ The avocado that came with the beans was rock hard as well. The food was disappointing as was the service. I love doing the hallet cove walk and wanted to show my in laws from overseas a nice time and a nice brunch. The view is great but that's about it. Won't be coming back again. read more

I am quite picky when it come to takeaway coffee. But this was really good! Really hot and flavourful, served in a beautiful setting. They have cheap takeaway too. I think it was $10 for fish and chips. The restaurant looked amazing so we plan on returning for that too. 5* read more

Back again at the Boatshed. Can't resist the pizza. Best pizza, not greasy, full of flavor.

Fantastic location and plenty of choices. The freshly squeezed juices are amazing and this is a great place to stop in once you have finished the nearby walk. read more

There's a formal vibe that I picked up from this little posh kiosk. People seem to dress a little less casual here and the food on the menu is something you'd expect from a restaurant. That being said, some of the meals are a tad overpriced and the wait for a simple coffee and muffin is quite long. In addition, the mochas are not desirable at all, though the warm muffins are really nice. Don't have them with your coffee. read more

Brunch on Sunday morning We took a couple of overseas visitors here for brunch, had a table booked and arrived at 11.10. Ordered and paid at 11.20. By 11.50 nothing except coffee had arrived so we enquired as to how much longer our food might be. Err what did you order said the young lad, we told him and eventually he came back and said he couldn't find our order. Well, we said, other people who ordered after us have been fed so could you please do something about it? Our meals eventually arrived at 12.20, exactly one hour after we ordered! Sure it was busy (and very noisy) but that is no excuse for losing our order! No apology from anyone, not even an offer to refresh our by now cold coffees. Dreadful service, our overseas visitors were not impressed, we will not be back! read more

The food was ok, but the time spent waiting was ridiculous. First we waited patiently at the front counter, signed "Please wait to be seated" after standing there and watching staff walk right past us for several minutes we were eventually seated and told that someone would come to take our order. Again we were stuck waiting for someone. The wait for the food had me almost give up and walk out. read more

** Okay - upgrading to FIVE STARS!! ** Since my initial visits, things have seriously improved here. The service is now so much friendlier and you really do feel welcome here! Still the same staff, but just a better attitude and a feeling of really wanting you to be at their establishment! The food just keeps on going from strength-to-strength, and after now returning a few times at several different times of the day I just can't fault it! The coffee is also now much favourite in the area, I just wish they opened REALLY early so that I can collect mine before work! And I just HAVE to encourage you to book in here for breakfast (and I do mean BOOK! This place gets really busy!). Probably the most impressive part is that they have built a covered patio area out the front of the cafe now. It was almost complete when I last visited, but it will be a real boon in summer with the cafe blinds. There is still the view of the carpark out the front, but that's something that can't really be changed any time soon. Regardless the view of the ocean is stuning! I will leave my old review below... just so you can see what a turn-around this place as made compared to previous visits! Well done Boatshed Cafe!! :D ******** I'm all for supporting local business; after all, you want to ensure that you don't clock up too many food miles and push yourself into carbon negative just to get to awesome noms. However, at the same time local businesses have to not just rest on their laurels because they're the only cafe or restaurant around. I first visited the Boatshed Cafe in January of this year, on a particularly blisteringly hot day. The airconditioner on the day was struggling to keep up in the 40+ degree heat, however the frosty reception we received from the woman serving us should've been enough to keep us cool. The food was definitely flavoursome, I indulged in a Margarita pizza (always my benchmark for a place that touts its 'wood-fire oven pizzas') which had just the right balance of mozzarella, tomato and basil. However there was a little heavy-handedness when it came to the application of olive oil; and really, it probably wasn't a neccessary addition to an already moist pizza. The beer was cold though, so that made up for any oil overload. I really did want to give the Boatshed another go, but was almost constantly put off by the crowds that mill around for coffee after a leisurely stroll along the promenade - I mean the Marino-Hallett Cove walking trail. Fast forward 8 months, and I decided to give our 'local' another go. This time we decided to beat the crowds, and make a booking for Sunday lunch... and I'm glad we did, as again the crowds were in full force. The strange part about Boatshed is that it has a wonderful a la carte menu with some rather fancy (and delicious!) looking dishes on it, however you are expected to take your own menu from the front counter. They have a decent wine list - yet you have to go digging for it amongst the other menus. There is a breathtaking view of the ocean (if you can look past the carpark in front of you, yet you have to sit at slightly tired and worn cafe-style tables and chairs to view it. There is the potential to have a nice al fresco area, however aside from a couple of umbrellas, there is no real shade from the sun or anywhere to designate it as part of the cafe. You get my drift? It's a place which can't seem to decide if it wants to be a beachside cafe, or a more upmarket restaurant. I admit I haven't visited Boatshed for an evening meal, and I wonder if it is much the same at night. The food on this occasion was as good as the previous visit. The only issue was the slight wait for entree which was a garlic bread foccacia affair. Unfortunately it was not cooked completely all the way through. The garlic topping was delicious none-the-less. Mains consisted of two shared pizzas. One with a chicken and potato (and from memory, bacon) topping, the other with chorizo, anchovies, and I believe olives. The pizzas really are the drawcard here. They're fresh, not overloaded with topping and you really get bang for your buck. Between two of us, we managed to get through approximately 3/4 of both dishes. And even then, that was a struggle! Due to the pizza over-indulgence, we elected to opt out of the dessert option. So while the food was definitely a winner second time around, I'm sad to say that the service again fell somewhat flat. Our intial welcome was warm but then went downhill. Being ignored, food being dumped unceremoniously on the table and not offering any plates for the garlic foccacia (we helped ourselves from a pile on the counter) did not win brownie points with this diner. I must point out here that the majority of the staff are quite friendly, it just seems to be one particular staff member who has the proverbial chip. read more

Called into Boatshed Cafe for a quick lunch on Sunday. It was very busy which it normally is, however there appeared to be a disorganised chaotic feel to the place with lots of people either standing around waiting for a table or standing placing orders. We ordered a large chorizo and prosciutto pizza and a pumpkin and sage soup for my daughter. We waited a good forty minutes for our food, by this time lots of tables had vacated and had not been cleaned off, maybe they were understaffed. The pizza looked great, the crust was excellent but it should have been called the salt lovers pizza. I know with both chorizo and prosciutto it will be somewhat salty but this tasted so salty as if salt was added! My daughter liked her soup but said she thought it was too salty as well. They need to be a little more organised, busy little place let down by sloppy attention to detail, oh and the chef/cook who walked through the cafe with a really grotty apron on, it's not a great look! read more

Beautiful place hidden out of the way .. Forgotten how many times we have had great meals/ breakfast here

I've watched this cafe evolve from its humble beginnings as a surf club to change of ownership and transformation into a casual style beach-side cafe with a surprising menu of great taste sensations. I've sampled a good cross-section of items on their menu and come back for more and never felt disappointed. For breakfast, the big Breakfast Boatshed Classic will fill you up and the Muesli Trifle looks quite novel but also fills you up sans fat. The Chicken Tandoori pizza and Margharita pizza are favourites any time after 11.00am. The bases are thin, light and tender with perfect amount of toppings which don't leave you feeling like Bessy Bunter. Whilst I am a sucker for their tasty Roast Vegetable salad with pesto dressing, it was the roast beetroot, rocket, Spanish onion with crumbled blue cheese, candied walnuts and sherry vinaigrette that blew me away. Now, I am not a lover of blue cheese normally but the flavour of this one is subtle and complements the peppery rocket. For a sweet treat with my coffee, the lemon curd muffin is a standout. Big, brash, and lashings of lemon curd atop the tender, rich cake. Dusted off with a whiff of icing sugar, it's heaven in a paper case! As a morning/day time casual eating spot, Boatshed cannot be beat. The service is OK, but this is what I expect from a casual style eatery. I've never had to wait to be served. The food has always turned up in good time and there's never been any issue with forgotten items, so I've been more concerned with enjoying my meal. I've always been happy to take any interstate guests or simply friends from the other side of town to Boatshed Cafe. Since I've been away, a new shaded area has been built outside and new outdoor furniture is a welcome addition, but quite frankly, I am more concerned about the food quality rather than the aesthetic appeal of the outdoor area furniture. read more

Beautiful outlook over the sea. Even on a colder day the heaters were on. A nice hidden paradise!

Very nice place, a little bit on the expensive side, but great food and staff

We waited for a long time just over 30 mins with hungry children that is a reasonable wait. Then waitress came out and took orders off people who had arrived after us. We walked out and had breakfast at home. They were not friendly, seemed exasperated and understaffed. I would not go again, our friends told us they waited over an hour for their order. read more

Amazing food, friendly staff and great view Even the food off the kids menu is quilty and generous. We Will definitely be returning. read more

Please, please learn how to make coffee. The rating is only relative to the coffee which was more like a cup of milk in colour and taste.