Review Dunes - Palm Beach

We went here for brunch with a group of 9 people. Even though the restaurant was really busy, the staffs were really attentive. They asked if we were celebrating anything and brought complimentary dessert to celebrate one of our friends anniversary. The food was really good as well. Overall we had a really good time and the staffs were great.

Relaxed atmosphere, delicious food & exceptional service . Fabulous long lunch in a divine fresh , well ventilated & spacious setting . A very Covid safe option. Coffre was good too so ticking all the boxes for me .

Our Dunes lunch was fabulous,! The food was fresh, flavourful, colourful and beautifully presented. Service was incredible. The girls were on top of everything, they were quick, intuitive and polite. It was a real pleasure to dine in the beautiful surroundings and all the other customers were well presented and sophisticated. Do yourself a favour and go. It’s a must.

Went to the dunes kiosk for lunch and it was awful. The food was terrible quality and was probably one of the worst cheeseburgers I’ve had. It has absolutely no flavour, the meat was over cooked and was definitely not worth eating for the calories. My partner got the fish and also said his meal was oily and very greasy. Nothing tasted good! Avoid this kiosk!!

Beautiful spot, went for valentines day dinner. Food was great, cocktails were decent and the waitstaff were attentive, personable and provided an all around class service! Plus the beach is so lovely (as seen below)

Really worth a visit. Excellent food, wine and friendly service to match the stunning location.

A beautiful setting, food and service was first class, very attentive. We were a table of 10 celebrating a birthday. Food was exceptionally presented and flavour was amazing. I've worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years and must say that as management I'd be proud to be part of this establishment.. rare to find a restaurant of this calibre and quality of food presented.. highly recommend this restaurant. I'll be back for sure.

Wow. This place had so much going for a it in 2021. Great menu, amazing drinks list, portion sizes on point. You left this place satisfied and impressed. Wait for it………. 2022, jeez has this place gone down hill. Three men at our table to tonight. We paid $47 per plate of beef rib. There was 3 bites of food on each plate. This was a quarter the size of the meals we have had there in the past. So disappointing. Everyone left hungry. Most of the best dishes and drinks from the menu are gone. I get that seasonal produce plays a part but seriously this place has halved what’s on offer and hiked up the prices. Save yourself the effort and stop off in Avalon. So may better options.

Came here with a lot of expectations. Got there at 11.40, staff checked with this dude who said lunch service starts at 12. I said can you put our names down. The manager said walk in at 12, they don’t take reservations. Waited just outside till 12 and tried to get a seat for lunch, manager now says they are fully booked. Restaurant was half empty 🤦🏻‍♂️. Will never step here again.

Been to Dunes for lunch a few times now and I must say the food is delicious. The atmosphere is quite chilled out and relaxed which is exactly what you want when you escape from the city. The service is spot on and the menu is balanced and carefully considered. We began with Tasmanian scallops and the yellow fin tuna sashimi; delicious and leaves you wanting more! To follow, the oven baked Barramundi and the hickory smoked beef fillet with cafe de Paris butter, broccolini, jus are both great dishes and a credit to the chef.

Great location. Great view. Great service. Great food. <br/><br/>Their mussels with wine reduction sauce was impressive. Fresh mussels. Tomato sauce with a strong alcoholic kick that makes you craving for another spoon full.<br/><br/>Salt and pepper squids was memorable. Simple dish yet hard to impress. You can hear the crunch playing in each bite while the sweetness of chewy fresh squids just bursts out. <br/><br/>Twice cooked duck is a must try. Meat fall of the bone in rich sauce on a bed of soft and fluffy risotto.

The service and general environment of the place was great. The waitstaff were very welcoming.<br/>However, I ordered the barramundi (daily special) and I could almost guarantee this fish wasn't fresh as it tasted very fishy and was watery which generally means it was frozen prior, it was soggy.<br/>My partner ordered the pork belly, normally I expect to cut straight through the tender pork flesh but in this case it was tough and not crispy at all like the menu suggested.<br/>Our bill come to a little under $100 and this was without alcohol and just 2 orange juices. The pricing was way off for what was served so this was a little disappointing.

Let me start by saying the floor staff were lovely and the setting laid back and almost resort like. The food however.... wow. Just wow! Now to the main event. The ~$35 Barramundi and the ~$38 Pork Belly. Yuck. I'm not trying to be mean but I couldn't even finish my Barramundi and that says a lot because regardless of how bad a meal has been to date, I have finished it. It was the least fresh piece of fish (probably frozen for a very long time by the taste of it) I have ever had the displeasure of eating. I was still hungry so my partner let me share the pork belly. It was heaps better than the barra. The mash was actually lovely and the red cabbage was also tasty (hence the 2/5). The pork was below average but I was hungry and paying for the meal so helped finish it. This place made me wish I had the discipline to stop eating a meal and walk away from it when its bad. Roughly $90 for two people... very disappointed with the quality for the price paid. I wasn't expecting a fine dining experience but I was expecting a restaurant quality meal! Or at least cafe quality?!

Lovely setting for lunch in the park... Excellent service and attentive staff. Seafood menu is extensive and lots of good options... Lovely oysters!!!

Had a wonderful dining experience at Dune to celebrate my Birthday.<br/>We enjoyed a great value mid-week lunch special. The staff were attentive and friendly.<br/>The food was absolutely delicious. The restaurant and service is outstanding but not over the top, priced accordingly.<br/>A great alternative to the Boathouse.

Fish and chips cannot be described as a new cuisine or fine dining , but it does play a part in our food heritage  - so we set out on a quest to find great fish and chips. Call us picky – but fish that is frozen and watery, with no flavour whatever – other than the oil or vinegar you drench them in and soggy, oily undercooked chips,  just ain’t what it is about for us.  And unfortunately that is what you get a lot of the time.   The hunt took a while, but here’s our pick of the best of beachside fish and chips in Sydney - one of them is Dune's Kiosk at Palm Beach.

The batter was light and crisp, the fish was fresh and moorish, chips crunchy and the salad was dressed in a simple, but perfect sweet balsamic dressing.

...Dune has added a kiosk which is right next to the restaurant and it is a more relax atmospher and family friendly. Considering how I have been deprived from coffee, I had to order not two but three coffee! Yes - caffeine over doze! They use Campos coffee, one of my favourites, and it was exactly what I needed! Amazing how the headache immediately went away. 'The Mother' ordered what I wanted, Salt and Pepper squid with mixed leaf salad, and chips and chili lime mayo ($10). The salt and pepper squid looked a little over cooked I thought, but

Agree with previous reviewer - bring back old management, new team not a success.<br/>Food still good, although miss the specials board and the rosé we liked has gone off the menu. Service was terrible apart from the waitress who in her words has wen there for years. No acknowledgement at front desk when we arrived, wine waiter who could barely pour wine let alone smile. Very clear that staff were running round in circles practically knocking customers out of the way, all in a panic about a wedding that evening. Evening functions should not mean lunchtime service is a disaster for diners!

Where is the Old Management???? I miss you guys!!!. Very overpriced food and very small portion for a Main course!!! I really miss the old management!!! Only three months ago I had the best Casear salad of my life an now it's not in the summer menu!!! Very disappointed!!!

This place is rude. I have been here a number of times and each and every time they have runout of something CRUCIAL ie: milk for coffee, ice cream for milkshakes. The kiosk is attached to the restaurant yet they STILL can't seem to stock enough of the staples!!!! At 12.30pm on a Tuesday over summer out of milk and ice-cream!!! <br/>To use eftpos at the kiosk you have to go to the restaurant attached and they are unhelpful and stuck up. Don't go.....it's not worth the rudeness.

Just brilliant. We had eaten here a few times in the past and were not that impressed with the service or the food. When we heard it had changed hands last month we thought we would try there again. What a difference, excellent service, amazing food and of course still a great location.

The food is rubbish. Not for humans

“Most rude & racist customer service experience ever. My sister, Mum & I arrived here for a quiet lunch after a beach day on Thursday April 26. We were "greeted" (joke!) by the young, tall, blonde waiter/ FOH staff member. I said "Table for 3 please", he looked and me and said "Yeah just a sec" extremely offhand and abruptly, he then proceeded to deliver drinks to 2 tables and shuffle some papers for a few minutes before returning to us. He then asked his manager (within earshot but I assume he thought we couldn't hear?) "Do we have a table for 3?" - mind you, the restaurant was half-empty with no 'reserved' signs on tables. The manager, a tanned, brunette sour-looking middle-aged woman looked us up & down and told him "Show them menus, they don't look like they....." and trailed off. Obviously he knew what she meant, as did we. She was insinuating that we would balk at the prices and walk out? I mean if you're going to make a discriminatory slur against a CUSTOMER, at least have the decency to do it out of earshot. I should mention here that we are Indian, and yes we had just come off the beach and weren't dressed in formal attire, but neither was anyone in the restaurant. There was a group of girls in gym gear. And myself, my sister and my Mum all had dresses on - we weren't in our bikinis. And it's a restaurant right ON the beach!<br/><br/>The male member of staff came over to us rudely and shoved a menu in our hands saying "Do you want to see a menu?" My Mum replied "No we don't". At this point we were in shock, and so disgusted but also starving and didn't want to 'prove them right' by walking out. So we stayed. Our actual server (he had black hair, a European accent and was very pleasant) was good and the food was delicious. The tanned, brunette sour-looking woman obviously had a massive attitude problem as the table of 6 next to us walked out due to her treatment as well. We decided to forget the disgusting behaviour we were shown and just enjoy our meal, which we did, more or less. The woman then came over with our bill and without looking said "Thanks girls" in a most condescending way.<br/><br/>I feel bad for the owners and chef of this restaurant. It is in a beautiful location, the food is great but the despicable behaviour of the wait staff left a bad taste in our mouths, despite the good food. Will absolutely never return to a place where I am treated as a second-class citizen, I work in the media and will definitely be telling everyone I know about this. Is it 2014 or 1954, Dunes? Get a grip, no one should be looking potential customers up & down and judging whether they can 'afford' the menu items (which are moderately priced ANYWAY and not "high end" by any means) based on their appearance.

Wonderful appearance, attentive staff and fabulous food! We ate pork belly, wild mushroom risotto, lemon tart and creme brulee. Best creme brulee I have ever had! If were out this way again will certainly go back!

Nice place. Pretty.. We found this place by mistake when we were out for drive to Palmy. Such a lovely restaurant. There are 2 places here, the Kiosk which is more low key, salads, wraps, coffees. But the restaurant next door is really lovely. Pretty, great vibe, nice service and really good, tasty and well presented food. I noticed that you can byo if you want but we had nice cold beers with our seafood risotto and flat head and chips. Great place!

Service was poor, staff were rude and abrupt. Good food but booking was stuffed up by staff even after it was confirmed multiple times and they didn't seem interested in correcting the mistake. Don't bother with dunes go to the boat house.

Fabulous location, good menu, huge servings. BYO good. Service could do with a little help

Still remains the best after so many years. This is one of Sydney's timeless gems (pretty much like Longrain & anything by Neil Perry). The restaurant is always great. The kiosk is amazing. Today (labour day) was soooo busy at the kiosk, but everything happened like magic & the food was as consistent as ever. No panic, no drama, just happy faces everywhere. Well done, Dunes!

Great starters & mains, romantic setting. A great NB location for a quiet dinner and some quality starters and mains.<br/>Service was attentive.<br/>If you are a connoisseur of Sticky Date try one of their other deserts.

We arrived at 11am and just missed the breakfast seating in the restaurant. It turned put to be a blessing in disguise, since we got a table in the sun and ate at the dunes kiosk next door. What a great little place. Awesome fruit salad, campos coffee just the way I like it and a hearty b&e roll with a toasted sesame seed bum, what a great start to the Sunday!

Good food but service goes down the toilet when it gets busy as its under staffed.

Divine. We were there last Friday for lunch... just fantastic. The service was amazing. The food excellent. unfortunately the young waitress was hopeless, but the two other ladies were amazing. All five of us decided it was the best restaurant we had been to in years.

Great location. Top location although don't expect views. Instead enjoy your meal then have a walk along Palm Beach. Kiosk makes it for a quick coffee and take away at better than typical takeaway quality. Sit down is very popular so need to book.

Dunes. Very average food,nice position. The manager was very rude to us, I certainly won't be back