Review Pier One - Merimbula

Enjoyed the aquarium. It was exquisite but had so much to watch. Fish feeding session with explanation was very educational. Fish and other sea creatures are well kept. Enjoyed the battered fish and chips with salads from the restaurant as the main course. Food was well prepared with reasonable price. Enjoyed the service with friendly staff and lived relaxing environment with amazing view to the sea.

This aquarium and restaurant sits at the best location with nice water view. The food was delicious and presented really well! We also visited the small aquarium underneath the restaurant, it’s got 26 tanks in total and all come in different sizes. There were some very interesting fish and the guy who was cleaning the tank was so passionate about fish, he came and told us a lot about the different kind of fish in the aquarium. It was a really pleasant experience!

Firstly, apologies for the long rant but this one made one heck of a bad impression. Besides the great views there were really no other positives about Aquarium. Upon arrival we waited at least 5min before anyone acknowledged our arrival. Eventually one of the waiters who had rushed past a few times noticed we had not been seated yet asked if we’re were being looked after and said he would be back in a minute to help. Shortly after the manager came and said that she would be back to seat us in a minute as well. In the meantime a large group came in behind us and the manager returned, walked straight past and took them to their table. While doing so the waiter then returned and when we mentioned the manager said she would seat us he appeared as if he wanted to help but looked worried to step on her toes and said it best we wait. Eventually we were seated and two girls were alternately waiting our table. One was friendly & helpful and the other seemed untrained and didn’t really know what to do. The first course came out and was ok at best. Mine was 2 prawns with a bit of sauce and my partners zucchini flowers were quite heavy on the batter. The mains however were terrible. They had clearly been left under the heat lamps for way too long. On my dish the snapper was over cooked and the scampi was halved. On the half originally on top the meat had shrivelled so badly that it had gone hard and was inedible. This had obviously been swapped around and placed facedown just prior to serving so it was not obvious until I was halfway through the dish. My partner had ordered a medium rare fillet steak that was served just short of well done and was clearly cut by someone inexperienced. After the first two courses we decided not to roll the dice with dessert and opted to get something in town instead. At $140 for some of the worst meals we have ever had and a bottle of water this will be our first and last visit. In summary, the restaurant seemed to be a rudderless ship as there were many young inexperienced staff and the manager was to busy looking after tables to actually guide the team. Aquarium would be a nice place to sit and enjoy a drink or two but I strongly advise to eat elsewhere.

Lovely sunset view and location, but food n service was modest. Calamari risotto was ok if a bit bland, surprising for fresh seafood. Tuna tataki has nice tuna but a seemed to be on a pile of unrelated and tasteless raw grate veggies. Steak with celeriac mash was ok, certainly nothing unusual, a tad boring. We loved the sound of the pork with cold slaw, but this again was just more bland grated veggies. Maybe some dressing or mayonnaise to tie it together. We had a nice chai panna cotta (unpictured). Possibly the best dish. However for $15?! Service was friendly but struggled. Seating took a while and they see stressed. We ordered fries to come before starters as we had hungry kids but it came well after starters. To make it worse they charged us twice for the fries ($10 each by too!). The manager (?) kindly took both off the bill, but it was just another error. Wine list was long and varied but very Aussie. Admittedly a common beef of mine. A place that clearly aims to be fairly sophisticated and charges might have some insight into wine and have several modest priced international options in all categories. Overall $60 for two courses, or $75 for three, this place is pretty over priced and needs some serious team training, much better service processes, probably more experienced team members, and several food improvements to come close to what they charge. Young and friendly team tried. Given the number of issues and that they’re clearly not one offs or new (of often felt like they’d just opened) I think management/owners must know, and this rests with them, not the apparently inexperienced team. If they didn’t have the location and view they’d really struggle! Sit outside on the balcony if possible. May as well get the most from the one thing that’s good. I hope they get it right. Doubtful we will be back to risk it though.

This is a tour de force seafood. The chowder was amazing. Amazing. Plenty of bite sized bits in a tasty broth. Not often you get a great chowder in Australia. This is probably the best. Great service. Wonderfully Australian people. Enjoyed the desert too. Beautifully presented. Go out and take some photos too. Surrounds are good photo opportunities.

Let's start with the picturesque views from the balcony. Custom service is 1st class, staff made you feel like family. The food was delicious, I chose the seafood route with Entree King Prawn and Mains Snapper and no regreats. Highly recommend.

Absolutely beautiful meal. Fabulous staff. Friendly. We sat outside and watched the sunset. Great value. Fresh seafood.

Just incredible! My partner and I loved visiting the aquarium. The staff were brilliant, taking the time to educate us on the marine life. The rays and sharks were a standout for me.