Review The Cavity - Venus Bay

Stopped by on a rainy day for lunch and was not disappointed. Warm and comfy with friendly service and potentially one of the best chicken schnitzels I've ever had! The steak was good too. I found the dressing on the side salad a bit too acidic, but not altogether unpleasant. I'll definitely be back if I'm holidaying in the area again.

Food took a while to come out when they were packed on the weekend. But everything was very tasty when it arrived. Plus well priced bottles of local wine. Would definitely recommend 👌

We came by for a late lunch based on other reviews and the pizzas were fantastic! Thin crust with generous, quality ingredients. Staff were so friendly too. Would come back for those pizzas! May have started eating before taking photos… :)

First time visit Venus Bay. At first, I wasn’t expecting too much because I thought it would be like the normal tourist restaurant. I ordered gummy shark fillets and chips with salad, I thought it was overpriced but after my food arrived… WOW it was big, EXCELLENT flavour and most importantly they were FRESH. Service was fantastic, staff were very friendly and the restaurant has a relaxing country town vibe. Even diners are friendly as well. The experience was positive and it is definitely recommended. Thank you.

So we’ve been going to The Cavity for a year since we came to Venus Bay. Beyond the excellent pizzas and parmas are an amazing array of Spanish inspired tapas and mains. Because they are keen to serve great food the menu fluctuates depending on the season and availability of quality seafood. This place is as good as any when it comes to these plates. Great drinks and amazing food. Just don’t tell too many people!

Wonderful food and friendly staff. Best place to eat between Inverloch to Venus Bay. Creative pizzas and hearty portions. The duck sourdough pizza with cherries, pomegranate and sherry vinegar was amazing.

The food is excellent…the staff are friendly…the beer and gin is localish…did I say the food is excellent…the Pizzas are a flava sensation. If you like Spanish inspired food, rent an AirBNB or a spot at the caravan park just so you can eat here. Don’t forget to buy a bag of jerky to eat with your beer or gin…the best jerky I’ve had the pleasure to eat.

2nd time ordering a Veggie Platter, never disappoints! The effort the chef's put into the dish is phenomenal and so thoughtful! Thankyou again for such a lovely dinner!

<br/>Smallish, pub like restaurant. Staff were very nice and happy to accommodate where possible. Noticed there were many friendly locals. There is often a very timid dog in the outside/bar area, so it might not be for everyone.<br/><br/>The meals were great! All if us were happy with our meals. I got the mussels. This came with a huge amount of mussels with chilli and tomato. It also came with a side of chips and a salad all for $29! The mussels were fresh and had great texture. Not chewy at all. They could of had a little more flavor on its own but with the chilli, tomato and juices it was very enjoyable.<br/>The salad also was decent, great balance of taste, sweetness and crunch.<br/>Chips were hot, crunchy on outside and soft on inside.<br/><br/>I tasted the fish my wife had, so beautiful and fresh.<br/><br/>There wasnt much on the menu. Thats because it changes week to week based on the market/whats been caught.<br/><br/>If going out in Venus bay, give this a shot.<br/><br/>

Drinking Espresso you spot poor coffee easily and these guys trump the pool.<br/>Coffee was expensive ($4.50) and was like dish water. Go across the road to the General Store.<br/>

Outstanding, every time. Parma is brilliant. Pizzas are brilliant. Seafood is amazing. Reasonable prices, free courtesy bus and Lygon St quality food and friendly service. I simply can't fault this place.

Service is non existent and incredibly rude.Overrun with dogs - so expect dogs to wander up to you while you are eating with Locals that make you feel quite unwelcome. Would never go back - would rather drive to Koonwarra two lovely cafes with waiters who are happy to work there and give you lovely service and food that uses fresh local produce. Such a shame that Cavity due to having a monopoly as one of the few places to go feels they can treat their customers so badlt

Bogan central where the chairs are covered in dog hair. The place lives up to it’s name it’s a hole. It has the yobbo smoking area and the other outdoor area behind the tin wall is over run with roaming dogs.

Cute little place obviously well known with the locals and anyone that visits this little town. Food was lovely and the staff were amazingly friendly! The outside area is dog friendly which was so exciting for my toddler too!

The most amazing gourmet wood fired pizzas you will ever taste! Absolutely love them!!! We had the lamb, Spanish, mushroom and egg and bacon and they were all amazing mouthwatering and delicious. Highly recommend the Cavity in Venus Bay, Victoria

Went here tonight for dinner. Arrived at 5.30pm to beat the rush. <br/><br/>The good bits: I enjoyed my Spanish pizza, the kids chicken nuggets and chips were good and the beer was tasty.<br/><br/>The bad: The scallops were rubbery and the service left a lot to be desired and the pizza didn’t turn up for an hour and ten minutes. They clearly lost the order and there was no acknowledgement or apology. <br/><br/>When we booked they told us that the table was booked from 7pm and we would need to be finished by then. As the pizza didn’t turn up for an hour and ten minutes, having your meal turn up at 6.45pm when you’re supposed to be out an 7pm doesn’t make for a relaxing dining experience and I only ate half as I felt pressured to leave. <br/><br/>Finally I ordered a drink when we arrived and even though I asked for the drinks menu again and I had to call the waitress over as she didn’t come near the table the whole time we were there, she never followed up and took my drink order, so we left without ordering a second drink.

Came here late on a Friday night-sadly missed the paella. Ordered some tapas-seafood taco, potato bravas and the crumbed and fried pork sausage. It was just what we needed after a long drive!

I have had the freshest oysters and prawns I have ever had. The steak is cooked to perfection!! Great atmosphere and Friday are nights are buzzing with live music and $5 paella with happy hour!! You can't lose 🤗

Cavity is simply excellent; high quality, honest, farm-to-table fare with great attention to detail, highlighting the local ingredients of the weekly-changing menu and prepared and served by a world-class experienced chef with a laid back authentic attitude. Living in Melbourne this easily rates among the best that city has to offer. Room for improvement? Coffee (if I really have to think of something)

Details: I thought this place was perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon in Venus bay. Live music, very friendly staff, massive meals, some of the best wedges I've ever had and nice steak burgers ✔✔✔ <br/><br/>A bit pricey, but I guess they can do that considering the minimal options around. It is constantly busy with great vibes so worth the price anyway.

Love this place. The food is comparable to anything you get in an up market cafe in the city. Yes you may have to wait a bit for your food but it's Venus Bay. Chill out and have another drink. They have recently upgraded and it looks a lot better than it did. The tapas and meat platters are great to graze on whilst you sit outside and enjoy the serenity

We have a place at Venus Bay and love a Sunday afternoon chilling out at the Cavity. Yesterday things went to a new level as we had the Snapper Cakes with a cold beer. They were off the charts and as always the service was great. Ignore the negative reviews... A small coastal town in a beautiful part of south gippsland you will be surprised by the taste, atmosphere and authentic vibe. It's not chapel street but it's does not pretend to be... It's the real Venus Bay deal.

Am I missing something here? A low rating for this small local restaurant in Venus Bay.  Some things you need to know about Cavity! It is in a very small town with a very limited supply of locals, so they have catered for many occasions, like those that like to have a drink out the front with something to eat, or sit inside near the bar and chat with friends. <br/>You can of course sit in the restaurant and enjoy the food. Cavity does not let you down, with an every changing menu depending on the local catch.<br/>Between the 4 of us we all ordered something different and every meal was enjoyed to the point the plates were spotless when we finished, what other sign do you need that the food is great here.<br/>The only downfall at Cavity is the meals did take a while to arrive and the décor could do with an upgrade, which I believe is going to happen very soon.<br/><br/>For me it is always about the food as it should be…..ENJOY.

The Cavity is one of my favourites. The food is usually local and fresh, the menu is always changing, portion sizes are generous and meals are well presented. If you'd like a top feed at a cafe with a nice atmosphere, you'd be hard pressed to beat The Cavity in Venus Bay. Enjoy!!

Great food and charming, really friendly people. The fresh grilled calamari and cold beer on a sunny day was fantastic. Relaxed and well worth it. We didn't wait long like others have mentioned. Highly recommended.

Avoid!!<br/>Went here on recommendation of a semi-local.<br/>On arrival place was packed, music man playing acoustic set to drinkers out front. Good vibe.<br/>Got the last table as all others were reserved ( usually a good sign, usually!)<br/>Dining room was dirty, like the local Chinese in your neighbourhood but you turn a blind eye cos it's cheap and good. Think stained carpet etc.<br/>Menu was wayyyyyy overpriced, almost left but my stomach was growling to stay. Chose fish and chips, can't stuff that up surely?!?! And it's usually nice and quick.<br/>It was well over an hour wait, close to an hour and a half, for 2x fish and chips and 1x kids fish and chips!?!?!<br/>Fish was rubbery, just awful.<br/>I didn't use them but my wife said the toilets were foul.<br/>Avoid at all costs.<br/>

Went to Cavity on a Friday night as I had heard it was paella night.<br/><br/>As the paella is cooked out the front, people can see it being cooked... which helped build the anticipation.<br/><br/>We sat at a table inside, so had table service & didn't have to wait in the paella line (that ended up very long).<br/><br/>We had the smoked salmon platter which was great to subdue our hunger pangs while we waited for the paella...<br/><br/>And I must say, the paella did not disappoint!<br/><br/>Overall<br/>Venue: does appear a bit dated and in need of a 'spruce up'<br/>Atmosphere: vibe of being at a friends house for a bbq. People all casually sitting around, relaxed & enjoying each other's company, having a good time.

Used to love the food here .However,  the last three visits service has been terrible , food way overpriced /ordinary decor tired/dirty. <br/><br/>Saturday night on a long weekend had only two staff on the floor with entree's taking 1 hour +.

Overpriced and we were overcharged . <br/>Not really friendly service either .<br/>The place is dirty and needs a good clean.<br/>You can go there if you don't have any other options and are staving like us .

Not good at all. Dirty and overpriced. Owner didnt know prices so just made it up as she went along, tried to charge $15 for a ham and cheese toastie. Asked for crispy bacon with my breaky she said oh ill just write bacon and i thought fair enough maybe all the bacon comes crispy but when it came out it was still oinking :( the place needs a good clean, windows filthy, grime and dust on split system, makes me wonder how dirty the kitchen is.

Slow and incompetant. We booked a table for 15 people. Of the 5 items on the main menu 2 were unavailable. It was incredibly expensive. Buying a beer took 20 minutes due to sheer incompetence of staff. We ended up<br/>Leaving as it would have taken 1 hour just to get served. Possibly the worst pub I have ever been to. They are not at all busy. Just really slow, overpriced and generally incompetant. Steer clear!!!

Birthday dinner 7/1/15. Gone down hill since last went for dinner. Too expensive for the service you receive or rather don't receive. They seriously need to change the waitresses. One in particular rude and unable to cope. Noted 6 people walk out of the restaurant for not being served. Why were takeaway coffee purchases being made ahead of restaurant customers being served when main meals are up to $40 each. Waited 20 mins just to get the menu and it got worst after that. We like to support local business but this was so bad we won't be eating there again.

Dinner. Wait staff were rude, extremely slow. Asked for all meals to come out together, they all came out separtley. We waited for over an hour for our meals - which were very basic. We watched the waitress drop a meal on the table next to us.....her response "oh well, I did well to get it this far" then she proceeded to scoop the food back onto the plate with her hands! Shame as it could be a really nice place. I would say it's more like a bar than a restaurant. It wasn't extremley busy with people eating, rather drinking, yet the staff still couldn't handle it. When we ordered a drink with our meals we were told we would just have to wait until someone got round to it. When we went to pay, the waitress took a personal phone call and we had to wait until she was ready! I had children with me, so making them wait an hour for nuggets and chips was painful! I'd go there for a drink, wouldn't eat there again. Also, when I did ask where the rest of the meals were, the waitress was rude and they were far from apologetic for the wait. I wonder if the owner knows who he has representing his business?

Starving. We were looking for a quick lunch and this was our third choice. 45 mins for steak sandwiches, meal was okay but chips were soaking in oil. Overpriced and slow. Good coffee.

Very Very Average. Dropped in on a Saturday night, a small coastal town so not much on offer other than a pizza shop across the road. Service was ok, not like the place was busy maybe 30 diners with two wait staff. But lets get to the food. The menu was well put together with some interesting combinations and prices that reflected the ingredients. Unfortunately what was served was not what had our mouths watering. <br/><br/>Pork Belly, way overcooked.<br/><br/>Vine ripened tomatoes with brie. Being a farmer I know what a vine ripened tomato looks like and this was some flavourless pale red ball cut in half topped with cremated brie that can only be described as acidic charcoal. <br/><br/>Spanish Anchovies - Out of a jar regular pizza ones.<br/><br/>Mussels in white wine. Chef ensure you take off the beards, 10 mussels served 4 with beards YUCK. Nothing to flash in the flavour department.<br/><br/>Serving sizes were just ok but for the prices we expected something special. <br/><br/>Should have got a pizza.

Terrible. Stopped here as it looked better than the option across the road, big mistake! Completely overpriced with $40 mains, dirty glasses and terrible service. Stop here for lunch only if you like bad beer and soggy chips whilst having your wallet get plundered.

Great feel on a Friday night with a big local turnout (happy hour 5.30 - 7pm) with $5 bowls of Paella cooked outside amongst the drinkers. Menu was surprisingly expensive for small coastal town cafe but any concerns were put aside when the meals arrived. The quality of food was top notch which was a great surprise with lovely hosts.

Just a local bar now. This place has gone backwards, it's now the local watering hole for every bogan in the district, not a very nice atmosphere when your surrounded by the tattooed hoards downing shots and getting more and more wasted. I was in there for a coffee at 10am and the locals were sitting out the front downing VB stubbies and were still there 6 hours later.<br/><br/>The food is way overpriced too and not that good!!

Terrible dining experience. Smoothies and milkshakes were way too sweet. We ordered 2 tosties which took over half an hour - they were just okay. Wouldn't go back

Not tapas. More like a tavern trying to do tapas on the side. Tapas range very limited. They were out of 2 items on the tapas menu (including the cala), and the cala as a main No ambiance. The platters are just chorizo (cold)/ prosciutto, bread & salsa. The bravas were sub par. Wait staff not particularly attentive.

Hit and miss. Was a bit pri.... Hit and miss.<br/>Was a bit pricey for the quality of food. Steak was ok but potatoes were a little oily, tuna was great but the place seemed a little scatted.

Not bad. We've been to The Cavity a few times, mostly for dinner. The food has always been exceptional and, if you're a vegetarian, they can whip you up any number of bespoke dishes that aren't on the menu. You can't expect 5 star dining in a little seaside seasonal market, but I would make two suggestions: 1, the lighting needs to be addressed as the harsh fluoro lights in the new extension part aren't exactly pleasant, and 2: I question the need to have a $42 lamb dish when one barely even comes across those prices in Melbourne.