The Boathouse Balmoral Beach

First of all we’d like to say that the food was delicious, the service prompt and the view spectacular. That being said, it is certainly not inexpensive, the menu board outside the door are the take away prices only, the choices are the same however the prices are 10.00 higher for eating there. You stand in line to order and are given a number to place on your table and you seat yourself, the problem is that it is very busy and you may end up (as we did) looking for s table only to find none available and your food is given to you. As soon as we saw someone finishing we ran to the unclean table but it was a mad dash as several other people were also waiting for tables. I’m not sure if we’ll return but once again the food was very good and the view was simply amazing.

Busy, terrible service, not worth the prices that they charge. The food is not worth going through the pain.

First time in Balmoral, so my friend and I decided to go to this little cute beachside café for brunch.
Such a nice environment! You order at the counter then find a table anywhere you want. We were there early so only the breakfast menu was available (ends at 11.30am).
Ordered the croissant French toast which is like a French toast but using a croissant. Coupled with some ricotta cream, berries, poached pear and maple syrup — it was a very nice dish. Not too heavy.
I’m a fan of chai latte so whenever it’s on the menu, I will order it. It’s so hard to find good chai latte as sometimes they add too much milk that overpowers the chai. The Boathouse Balmoral Beach makes great chai latte!
Good for families, romantic dates, groups. Would definitely come here again to try the lunch menu which starts at 12pm.

We went to Balmoral for lunch yesterday and disappointed again after agreeing to give it another go. We had the bucket of prawns, $ 40 for a bowl of unpeeled prawns, very ordinary, but worse it took over 40 minutes and all the time while the staff chatted away, seemingly more interested in their social life.
Positive note is that it is a great spot.
Won’t be going again.

We had a pleasant Sunday breakfast with the family even though the weather wasn’t great. The meals were well cooked and generous size and a plus was the cost wasn’t huge. The only other issue was our party of 7 ordered one after each other but the meals came out quite apart and even the coffee came after the meals.

I’ve been to the Boathouse Balmoral Beach twice now, and had mixed experiences.
First up, I went on a sunny winters afternoon for a glass of wine. Sitting down the back of the deck (the middle, outside section is «family friendly» and alcohol free), next to the water, the sun shining in a blue sky, it was perfect. There’s even 3 different rosé options — they know what I like! It’s great that you can also just order wine & beer, without needing to order food. The only possible issue is that is does get crowded, so you may need to sit on the edge of the deck, legs dangling above the water, but who cares if the weather is lovely…
Last weekend, I went back Saturday at lunchtime. I was surprised that we were able to get a table straight away (although it was about the only one free), but it was a bit disappointing that we just missed out on the breakfast menu — it doesn’t go all day, but stop when the lunch menu starts. Taking a proper look at the lunch menu, the prices are too expensive, despite the lovely location and Instagram-​worthy presentation. $ 26 for a burger and fries, when you need to queue to order and take a number to your table? Everything deserved to be at least $ 5 cheaper.
We ended up getting the bucket of prawns to share, which was $ 39. Not too bad, but rather exxy. When we added on chips, a watermelon juice and a smoothie, for a total of $ 64. Everything was delivered quite quickly, except for the juice that mysteriously arrived when we were nearly finished eating. Everything was quite tasty, and left up full, but you would expect for the prices we paid.
Would we go back? Probably to try out the breakfast, but otherwise we’ll stick to wine only out on the back deck. it’s far cheaper to do fish and chips at the Bottom of the Harbour fish shop nearby, plus BYO from the bottle shop.
DOG TIP: There’s a sign saying no dogs inside, but we had no issues in the outside section (although probably only smaller dogs).

The Boat House is a beach-​side gem at the Balmoral Beach, one of my favourite beaches. It’s hard not to fall in love with this charming establishment filled with abundance of exotic flowers, fresh fruits and the soothing seaside breeze.

THIS is my favourite places to go to breakfast in all of Sydney. But I’m biased. I grew up with each holiday visiting family in Aus playing at Balmoral Beach and now when visiting, take almost daily walks down there from the house. In the previous establishment we would partake in a bacon butty, a fruit pâté and Bircher Muesli, grabbing a Golden Gaytime for the road on the way out. Imagine my surprise arriving in Australia, walking down to the beach being greeting by THE BOATHOUSE.
Damn, it is BEAUTIFUL. And the part of Balmoral Beach it sits on is my favourite part. I can go for a swim after my walk and then grab a delicious meal. The view is spectacular and the restaurant opens all the way around the back — its huge! The menu is SO GOOD. It has everything I could dream of having in a breakfast menu and its so close!
The only thing that almost made me give this place 4 stars is that it is SUPER BUSY. Especially on weekends you can expect to get there early and expect to queue. And fight for tables. But you can hardly take off a star for running a successful business. Good for them! As long as you bring me my coconut and then cut it in half for me to eat it out afterwards. I am a very happy girl.
I feel like I should highlight something on the menu but seriously, everything is good. Whatever your preference, it will be good. Great even. And believe me when I say there is something for everyone. And the portions are humongous. Actually, I take that back. SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO THEIR COCONUT YOGURT. It is so good! On top of fruit, in their raw breakfast (yes, they serious have it all) or their quinoa bircher (QUINOA BIRCHER!!!).
Their branding is adorable and I always get jealous when people order hot chocolate, milkshakes or drinks that come in pretty bottles with playful straws or with cool toppings/​decorations. Kids even get this little honey bear thing which is the cutest. I literally couldn’t resist going full asian and taking a bazillion snapchats to send to my sister «OMG LOOK WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RESTAURANT NEXT TO THE BEACH?!».
Go to Balmoral Beach. Go to the Boathouse. But not on a Sunday.

Going to the boathouse is like escaping the hustle and bustle of busy Sydney life and stepping into a luxurious, relaxing beach getaway. Take a short drive down the windy road off the main drag in balmoral and you’ll find yourself at this little oasis.
Be warned though, parking can be difficult and there is always competition for spots (unless you arrive super early!) but once you do finally park the location is phenomenal. Walking along the esplanade you can look out on the bay to see the boats racing or over at the myriad of people under umbrellas on the sand or youngsters jumping off the wharf. It truly is remarkable how you instantaneously feel relaxed.
When you arrive at the boathouse you’ll see a beautiful array of fresh flowers out the front before exploring the beachy interiors and bustling atmosphere. You order at the front and then fight for, I mean find a table. Be patient. Things do come up but swoop like a seagull on a hot chip when it does. The Croissant French Toast and Green Eggs & Ham have been the stand outs for me. We love that the portion sizes here are really good for what you pay. For two having breaky with drinks you’d be looking at around $ 60 – 80 so it isn’t cheap but it’s always been good.
As other reviewers have said service can be slow at times but it’s never been outrageous in my experience. Cleanliness (especially if water cups) could be better too.
Overall we love it here and will definitely frequent back despite the 45 minute drive!

I’d love to give these guys 4 or 5 stars, but they really don’t rate it. I have been here several times now, and to the original in Palm Beach, so have a good feel for the spot.
As Ben says, the location is the star, and for that they get 5. However, service is atrocious, and the cleanliness is diabolical, so for that they get 1 star.
To balance this out, the food is actually pretty good, albeit a bit pricey, if you can stand the wait on a busy day. We have twice lucked in late in the day close to closing (3pm) and had reasonable service and got a table fairly quickly. However on other occasions we have spent 30 minutes waiting/​looking for a table, then another 30 minutes + waiting for food.
The concept is great, the food is generally pretty good, the décor is beach chic, the wait and service is tragic.
We keep going back there though :-)
Worth a try if you are hot and hungry at Balmoral — a cold beer and fush and chups is hard to beat.

What’s the deal with this place? Be prepared for dirty tables/​cups, long wait times and shitty service.
I’ve been here multiple times because the view’s fab but it is consistently bad — and doesn’t get better either.
That being said, the food is alright and décor is relaxing but it’s not really enough to make up for the rest of the experience. To the owners and management, fix it please! I want to be a loyal customer but you aren’t making it easy to love the experience.

Love the atmosphere and location of this place. This is just the type of ambiance I would want if I started my own little beach side café and bar. I felt like I was on the east coast of the US watching the yachts sail in and out of the harbour. Not that I’ve actually ever done that, so I can’t even say that’s what it would be like– but I’ve seen movies– that’s what I imagine it to be.
I also love the food and the fact that you can order a cheese board with a bottle of wine and just spend a lazy Saturday afternoon in the sun.
But that’s the thing… I went here on a Wednesday, and it was NOT sunny… in fact, it started pouring rain. Perhaps that’s the reason we found it easy to find a table, had quick service and really enjoyed ourselves. From what I hear, on sunny days (and weekends) this place is a bit of a beast to get into and the service is super slow. Well… I didn’t experience that, so based on my one rainy afternoon here– I’d definitely go back.

So, so torn.
This experience was as bittersweet as. .. as. .. a sour gummy cola bottle? I could probably do better than that if I had more time but I need to get into this review.
The location is an utter star here. Right on the water, like literally built on the sand and extending out into a large salt-​bleached wooden jetty, this place is all long sunny afternoons, relaxed people in loose-​flowing cotton clothes and Aviators and salt-​kissed hair and interesting silver rings, great maritime-​y décor, a champagne bar out on the far corner near where small yachts can moor, and a full set of gorgeous blonde waitresses plucked right outta some Scandinavian Ralph Lauren catalogue.
But. . ugh, the service. Admittedly, this was on a stunning Sunday afternoon and the place was packed, but even so, surely they plan for being that busy. We ordered 2 x iced coffees and a mango smoothie ($ 24 total). Nothing fancy. And waited half an hour for them. Thirty freaking minutes at the pickup counter with the barista there assuring us that «they’re literally being whipped out right now out the back, they’re literally on the way out.» Well pal, after you’d told us the same thing three times in 15 minutes without ever leaving your machine or going out back to check for us, I began to suspect that you literally didn’t know what you were talking about and literally didn’t give a shit. The dude that eventually brought our drinks was apologetic but, y’know, damage done, man. The iced coffees were great, by the way. Really great. Woulda tasted better half an hour ago though.