Merimbula Aquarium & Wharf Restaurant

Fantastic experience: Great place to stop for lunch or dinner or for just a coffee and cake with a great view over the ocean and Merimbula

Fantastic experience: Love this place. It is my go to for birthdays and special meals with friends. Love it too just for a light treat or coffee while taking in the view. Hands down, the best view of anywhere in Merimbula I celebrated my birthday again her today and it was spectacular. The service was amazing and they made it a very special day for me and my guests. It always just feels good to dine here. And the view was the icing on the cake. Not to mention the cheesecake was amazing! I also love taking my son and visitors here for a treat and aquarium visit.

Fantastic experience: Highly recommend! I came here for my birthday tonight and I had such a special experience. The aquarium below was fun to check out and the seafood was top tier. We will definitely return next time we’re in town.

Fantastic experience: Welcomed by friendly staff, delish scones & cake along with a good hot chocolate. A wonderful view over the wharf onto the ocean. Highly recommend coming here.

Negative experience: Service and atmosphere are fine, but the food is certainly not worth the price point. Paid $95 for a ‘seafood platter for one’ that was mostly deep fried and came with a side of chips that wasn’t listed on the menu and I didn’t want anyway. The calamari was also covered in cinnamon for some reason. Completely disappointing experience, especially since there seems to be so much hype about this place.

Fantastic experience: Headed to Merimbula after a work conference and was suggested to head here. No need to post pics as there are plenty on offer. We went the seafood platter for lunch with a nice bottle of Pinot Gris. We got through it and there was no need for dinner. It’s got great views and a great ambiance but the staff make you feel so welcome and the food is another level.

Fantastic experience: Can’t recommend this place enough. Food was impeccably cooked, very friendly staff and service, fantastic view, I’m not sure what more you could want. Thank you so much for such a lovely meal.

Negative experience: Only went to the aquarium. 25 bucks each and was not worth it.

Positive experience: Pity the restaurant wasn't available. However, the aquarium, though small, had some great exhibits. At $20 per person, it was pretty expensive.

Fantastic experience: Anthony Daley and John were so very helpful with cocktails and food reccomendations! The food, the sunset view and drinks were all top notch! Highly reccomend!

Negative experience: The food here is amazing , and the aquarium is worth a look, but I was concerned about the octopus in a very small tank, which was not responsive, which worries me because they have been shown to be intelligent and needing a stimulating environment . I don’t think they are an appropriate species to be kept like this.

Fantastic experience: Sat outside. Very nice. Staff friendly. Scones and cream are very nice. Worth a visit.

Positive experience: When I come to the coast, seafood is a must. On this occasion I brought mum down from Canberra for a break. We decided to lunch at the Wharf Restaurant. On arrival we were friendly welcomed and showed to our table. After being explained the menu and specials we were left to ponder on what we were going to have for lunch. I must admit we were spoilt for choice and I later regretted my choice for lunch. Because of mum's dietary requirements, the waiter (I'm sorry can't remember his name) was very accommodating to her wishes. I had a glass of Riesling which was promptly delivered, however our lunch arrived close to 45 minutes later. Mum was happy with her special meal, however I had ordered what you would call a seafood basket. The batter was thick as and saturated in oil. I know it's a little thing, we had two pepper grinders on our table and I acutely had to go to other tables for salt. Two of them empty. I don't like complaining, however when one is paying for supposedly good food they expect it and what I got was a small fillet of fish, two calamari and two prawns. Sorry it was a rip off. For the rest of the day, I was regurgitating batter and oil.

Fantastic experience: We had the best experience again at the wharf today. Beautiful food and service. Thank you Anthony and John. A great birthday for David.

Fantastic experience: Great lunch today here at the wharf. We shared a dozen Kilpatricks and then tempura prawns. Both were cooked perfectly and nicely presented. Boathouse ambience was really cool with a great view over the wharf and water. Good wine list and menu selection options.

Fantastic experience: What’s with customer service these days, why ya’ll not smiling.

Fantastic experience: We visited the aquarium with our 2 young children. Alan was fantastic, showing them the fish and shells and telling great stories. We saw the fish feeding, which was a great experience. After the aquarium we had lunch at the restaurant. The view is spectacular, complete with dolphins. The food was absolutely delicious and the staff were very friendly. I'd recommend a visit here for sure!!

Fantastic experience: Perfect place to know history of Eden and its connect to wildlife

Negative experience: Extremely expensive for what you get. This dish alone was $50 and the fish was definitely not enough to justify the price and not the freshest we’ve had.

Fantastic experience: Fabulous ocean view, fresh seafood, professional services, awesome place. We love everything here.

Fantastic experience: Had a wonderful experience at the Merimbula Wharf Restaurant. The staff were incredibly attentive and welcoming, and even without a reservation, they found us a spot on the balcony with a stunning view of the water. While it’s not the cheapest place, the quality makes it worthwhile—my cocktail was perfectly mixed and the oysters were fresh and full of flavor. Friendly service, great atmosphere!!!

Positive experience: Staff so lovely and accommodating with our toddler and crawler. Food was great (scones and creme brulee were fabulous). Aquarium was a bit underwhelming? Literally two rooms with tiny tanks, but good sensory experiences for the kids with large collections of seashells on display and in a container they could play with. Attending staff member at the time had some rogue commentary about seahorses that probably isn't okay for undiscerning ears, but I also overheard him spending time with other visitors who were neurodiverse and he was great with them. Would have been cool to have more kid friendly merch for sale, like stuffed octopus and seahorses etc, or t shirts. We would have bought that stuff...

Fantastic experience: Excellent seafood, and loved the ambience.

Fantastic experience: They had the best cheesecake I've ever had, make sure you try it!

Fantastic experience: Highly recommend this place. The owner and workers are so friendly. Food is always fantastic and the scones with jam and cream are amazing. Great views and the aquarium is great for adult and kids. Every year I look forward to visiting this place. Please drop past as you won't be disappointed.

Fantastic experience: Had the BEST meal here tonight, cooked to perfection and lovely staff who made my special cocktail ❤️ Would definitely recommend

Positive experience: Good food and beautiful view from the balcony. Recommended the flathead tails but everything on the menu looked pretty good. Would definitely return.

Negative experience: As we are in Merimbula ,we just expected fresh seafood but we were shocked and disappointed when all came out bathered/deepfried, which wasn’t what we were expecting. Even the salads seem soggy with dressing.

Positive experience: Great free aquarium with all sorts of fish. Also some other displays. Would recommend a visit.

Fantastic experience: Fantastic food, great service and view. One of the best restaurants we've been to in years. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Clean and accommodated our wishes. The view was fantastic well worth the visit.

Fantastic experience: Definitely worth visiting this little gem. Seafood Linguine so delicious! Vegetable Risotto was next level…So good. Beers were cold and Lemon Meringue Tart with fresh fruit, cream and house made ice cream was perfect, as was the Lime Spider. Staff are efficient. Service with a smile. Now that we live locally, we will definitely see you again. Thankyou. Anne & Peter Coulter

Fantastic experience: Awesome night out for valentines day with my wife shared a seafood platter and had some drink and dessert service was great food was delicious highly recommended

Fantastic experience: Went here for Valentine’s Day dinner - omg! The staff are so friendly, the cocktail I had was amazing and the seafood platter was to die for. We will definitely be back to check out the aquarium and eat again. Highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: Always love going there for the food and the atmosphere. My husband and I had our wedding there and loved every minute of it. The team who runs the Merimbula Aquarium and Wharf restaurant are amazing and such lovely people.

Fantastic experience: Great place for a meal, coffee or even a beer with friendly staff and an amazing view across the bay.

Fantastic experience: The legend down stairs with the danks gave extra effort with our kids. Such a great experience! Would do it again.

Positive experience: We are disgusted with the neglect and run down state of the aquarium. We felt sorry for the animals living in such disgraceful conditions. It reflex’s badly on the restaurant and Merimbula. Can’t believe the council allows it to remain open. The owner should be ashamed.

Negative experience: I feel reading other Google reviews we must have missed an entire floor or room as it was the smallest aquarium I’d ever seen and definitely not worth the $60 family admission fee we paid. We could have viewed the entire room in 10 minutes, even without the 5 tanks that had nothing in them. I understand a small fee to maintain the upkeep of the aquarium, but the amount that they are charging I would expect a lot more than some non faded photos, empty tanks with sea shells and stale bread rolls in them and some Kmart plants to decorate. Maybe some staff members that would interact with customers and information on feeding times could have been helpful? I feel I have been absolutely robbed of $60 and could not steer people away from this enough. Just Google image a few fish and you’d be better off and spend the $60 at a few of the local cafes to put back into the community

Positive experience: We went for NYE as a big group and the food was great. We enjoyed all three courses of our dinner and were lucky to see the fireworks from the balcony. Customer service was excellent .

Fantastic experience: Amazing food and cocktails. They were very accommodating to our group that had 2 coeliacs, they were also great with our kids. The seafood linguine was absolutely delicious and I would go back there just for that meal.

Fantastic experience: Phenomenal food - great views and friendly service. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area and love seafood. Very good gluten free options - two coeliac in our group were very happy!

Negative experience: Very disappointed with this restaurant as we booked it due to the seafood menu, first we had very poor service, waited 20 minutes for a bottle of wine, food came out in strange order with kids mains before entrees, then we had plastic (correct plastic) in the children’s pasta and when we complained I was told that the kitchen takes care to ensure no plastic just like they ensure allergy’s are also catered for…. Given my children found plastic in the dish and ate it and comparing this to an allergy is absolutely mad and the manager didn’t reassure us that any other food had containers and or plastic, instead wanted to give us free drinks which I rejected and we only got a ‘sorry’. Than came the food, very blend, wasn’t fresh, flavours didn’t taste good and some of the seafood must have been frozen as wasn’t fresh and or nice. Absolutely a let down and would not recommend, only thing going for it is the location and I think that is what gets them over the line. To top it off they charged me the full bill excluding plastic pasta!!!

Fantastic experience: Made a last minute booking a little nervous as to whether a small town restaurant could help with my 13 year olds dietry requirements. Gluten and dairy intolerant and not a seafood eater. John worked his magic and made it happen, not once did my daughter feel like she was being a pain every staff member knew she had dietry requirements and all were too happy to help, and the meal was delicious, we live 1100kms away and she wants to book her birthday here every year. Our normal meals were incredible, the staff were incredible, I wish we could be regulars! Beautiful atmosphere, delicious food and the kids loved the aquarium. Thank you so much guys HIGHLY recommend!!!

Positive experience: Really strange place, seems to want to be a "fancy" dining experience, but it isnt. Food was okay but for the 140 we spent id expect more. The mix of merch available for purchase on the dining floor is an odd choice. And the price of food does not represent the quality. Probably wont be back

Fantastic experience: To be honest I really liked it and I love the view and everything is so amazing especially the food! -Aleena Kazi

Fantastic experience: Had an amazing experience at this restaurant last night. Not realising the distance, we made the walk from Main Beach with three young children with the naive belief we would be able to get a taxi home. The staff were exceptional; courteous and prompt with service. The food was excellent and the wait staff made sure that everyone had enough food. Both my son and I are coeliac and there was so much options for food and they were extremely willing to make menu changes to accommodate us. Staff attempted to contact taxis and ubers for us, even finding private companies that may be able to help. They were wonderful, offering to drive us back to our accommodation and even provide a phone charger when my husbands phone ran out of battery trying to get an uber. Absolutely adored the oysters and the margaritas were on point. I love some jovial chatter and the staff seemed to really enjoy their jobs, engaging in conversation with us and the kids. Never have I had such amazing service at a restaurant. If I could give more than 5 stars, this restaurant would deserve it!

Fantastic experience: Didn’t go to Aquarium sides , but had breakfast here. food was very nice, staffs were so lovely. Highly recommend for breakfast. View is super calming.

Positive experience: Came here for the aquarium, smaller than Melbourne and Sydney's aquariums but it was easy to see the animals and no need to climb up big hills unlike at Potoroos Palace at the other side of Merimbula. Good place for the aquarium with reasonably priced fees for the type of aquarium. Some may say it's "just a giant collection of fish", well all Aquariums are like that. Some bigger some smaller. Deserves more than one star because its not just a small aquarium unlike what some silly google reviews may say now or in the future.

Positive experience: A nice meal a little bit pricey it had a good atmosphere and the staff were friendly

Fantastic experience: The staff were so well informed and kind and considerate. Just the very best. The living sea was amazing. Feeding was fun. Food fantastic

Fantastic experience: Great little place. Just dined for lunch. Food was yummy! Nice wine and great views! Staff were really friendly and helpful too!

Fantastic experience: I think our waiter was Andy he was exceptional! Food was amazing too. We got the seafood platter for 1 and the market fish of the day!

Positive experience: Lovely place to have lunch with water views . Service was polite and timely and the meals were excellent. .

Positive experience: Somewhat underwhelming. Tempura prawns were great but fish fillet and wharf seafood mains were ok with more chips than needed. Venue unremarkable with a mixed offering of "Wharf" branded clothing and other knick nacks for sale in the dining area. The view is amazing complimented by whales breaching frequently and dolphins frolicing.

Negative experience: Sorry to say Re: the food was very bland as we had three steak sandwiches and also did not feel non fish eaters were catered for, as there was only beef cheeks or steak sandwich to choose from. The ham burgers had been taken off the menu :( Prices have increased so much sadly for what we received. Water wasn't quite cold, and the glasses were warm.

Fantastic experience: Quality and quantity of food excellent. Great location especially once the days get longer. Had a walk around the aquarium and it was good however sorry to say was not worth the entrance fee.

Fantastic experience: Went to the aquarium on a quiet Thursday afternoon, Alan was absolutely amazing with my 7year old, who is still sorting everything into families. Wish we could just review the aquarium as we didn’t eat

Fantastic experience: Alan was great in sharing his knowledge of all things marine to both adults and children. It was a delight to hear and learn about the fish in the aquarium and the fish he has seen out in the wild. Keep up the good work.

Fantastic experience: Great food and service. I should have called earlier and book a table with a better view. Had seafood platter, bit pricey; but very high quality.

Fantastic experience: Ducked in for a quick lunch and a glass. Service was excellent, food was delicious and the view unbeatable! The seafood chowder special was a real highlight.

Positive experience: Our visit to the aquarium was much better than we expected, primarily due to the amazing Alan and his infectious passion for aquatic animals, shells and dinosaurs! Would highly recommend for kids and adults alike

Fantastic experience: These 5 stars are for William and the Aquarium. This was one of my best aquarium experiences ever. This place is an absolute gem. I will be back

Positive experience: It isn't just a fish tank in a restaurant. It is a whole story underneath it filled with massive fish tanks with different fish in each one. It is a great place to visit, but it is $60 for a family if you are not eating. I would recommend visiting it if you are willing to pay the price.

Fantastic experience: A beautiful location for viewing the marine Wildlife and having some nice food and beverages

Fantastic experience: What a little gem with the best views and kindest staff. The seals were floating right next to the wharf. My kids, husband and I spent 2 hours in the aquarium. It is very quaint and enjoyable. The staff shared many facts about the sea life and local areas. Very yum scones too!

Fantastic experience: We visited the aquarium with our daughter today and it was fantastic. We went during feeding time. Alan was so informative and really attentive. It was so great! My daughter would have stayed all day if we let her!

Positive experience: Entrees were great mains were very disappointing, the seafood chowder having a flowery sauce which was most unpleasant and my companion had the fish which was 4 sardine sized pieces of Flathead. We weren't in a hurry however the time it took for our meals was way beyond reasonable with it not being very busy.

Fantastic experience: Best restaurant on Far South Coast ! Consistently fabulous, food, staff, & atmosphere. Andy our waiter was very attentive, food was delightful, linguine and fish n chips a stand-up- Thank Goodness for Merimbula Aquarium wharf restaurant for locals, what would we do without you - Thanks Anthony n Sally and team for always being on point

Fantastic experience: It is a beautiful view to sit down to while enjoying lovely food. We had a delicious brunch. Eggs your way with bacon and ciabatta was delicious. One order was for scrambled egg, and one was for fried. They both were cooked to our liking. The gin cured salmon with eggs and ciabatta was fantastic!! Kids loved their hot chocolate, and coffee and milkshake went down well, too. The scones were so good, freshly baked, the decadent chocolate cake was lovely, and the carrot cake was beautiful and moist. The prices were good too!! Staff were friendly and helpful. I would recommend this place and will be back.

Fantastic experience: Amazing food, very friendly staff and nice views. Had my favourite beer on tap and the seafood was so fresh. One of the best fish and chips I have ever had!

Fantastic experience: Today we had the pleasure of dinning at this beautiful restaurant, we had the seafood platter which was amazing and the service was second to none! We didn’t catch the gentleman’s name that waited on us today however he certainly made a good impression and we walked away feeling all the more grateful at the excellent service we received today. Keep up the great work :)

Fantastic experience: We just enjoyed a great meal in a great location. The staff were really friendly and proficient too. It doesn't get much better than that. Thanks so much!

Positive experience: Wasn't to bad, alot of different species to look at, I thought bit small.

Fantastic experience: The staff were very friendly and accomodating. The food was lovely. The view was spectacular.

Fantastic experience: Much better than any big aquarium. Puts the Melbourne aquarium to shame. Fish are actually happy and interactive. Was a worker downstairs while we were there and he was happy to tell us things about the fish. Their names. Made the experience really great. Highly recommend

Fantastic experience: We have been coming to the The Wharf Restaurant for twenty years on our annual vacation from Melbourne. We have visited maybe over 50 times and its always been fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble for John the owner and manager.

Fantastic experience: HANDS DOWN THE BEST SEAFOOD WE HAVE HAD!! Not only the food, the service was great, I've worked on hospitality a long time and this place is next to none! Love everything about this restaurant, already can not wait to come back and eat and have some more cocktails. Thank you for the amazing dinner and food coma

Negative experience: The fact I have so many 5 star ratings is evidence I can give credit where it’s due, but not this evening. The food is OK. If they served it at Club Sapphire I wouldn’t be disappointed, but then they wouldn’t have been charging the same excessive prices. The service is mediocre when it comes. Sloppy attention. Not a consistent server for the table. The resulting multiple staff asking you the same question.

Negative experience: My recent visit to the Wharf Restaurant left much to be desired. Our group of four had high expectations for a pleasant evening, but unfortunately, the overall experience fell short. The troubles began when, after ordering just two entrees for our party, we found ourselves waiting for an extended period without any acknowledgment or updates from the staff. A staggering 35 minutes later, with no apologies or compensation offered, we were left wondering about the status of our order. Remarkably, it wasn't until another attentive server noticed our predicament that we discovered our order had not even been placed in the kitchen. This revelation left us contemplating the possibility of an even longer wait had the error gone unnoticed. While seated inside, we observed another table outside desperately trying to catch someone's attention for an extended period, highlighting a concerning lack of attentiveness among the staff. Adding to the frustration, the chair I occupied felt incredibly flimsy and unstable, creating an uncomfortable and precarious dining situation. To exacerbate matters, the kids' meal arrived significantly earlier than our entrees. Despite the child finishing their meal long before ours arrived (after an agonizing hour), there was no effort made to synchronize the timing. This left a member of our party awkwardly waiting and watching, an unfortunate and avoidable situation that dampened our overall dining experience. In summary, the lack of communication, prolonged wait times, and the overall disorganization at Wharf Restaurant made for a disappointing evening. I hope these issues are addressed promptly to prevent others from encountering similar frustrations in the future.

Positive experience: Had lunch at the restaurant and visited the aquarium. It's one of those places you pay top dollar for a small meal. Whilst the food was OK, I wouldn't say it was worth the price. I would not recommend if you are on a budget. We then headed down to the aquarium which cost us $60 for 2 adults and 1 child. It was very small but had variety. What made it worth it was the lovely man down stairs who provided some great info and was quite entertaining for the kids. On the plus side the view overlooking and on the warf was fantastic. For us it was a tick off the list but would only visit the warf next time.

Positive experience: A lovely place to have dinner, overlooking Merimbula. The staff were excellent and super bubbly. The food was amazing, but unfortunately staff didn’t specify that there would be over 2hour wait time for meals, costing over $170, so had to cut the experience short as we arrived at 7:30 and weren’t served dinner until 9:30. Highly recommend calling ahead and checking any wait times before arriving for your booking, and understanding holiday times can be busy. apart from that cannot fault the place, and look forward to giving it another go!

Fantastic experience: Dinner last night was fantastic - the food and wine were excellent but the service from a young, friendly and professional crew was the absolute highlight- rare to find that level of hospitality and we will be back

Fantastic experience: Some of the best fish and chips I have ever had and also really good customer service. I would highly recommend this place

Fantastic experience: Seafood linguine was delicious! Also you must visit the aquarium downstairs. It’s well worth the fee!

Fantastic experience: We love the service and the seafood platter the best

Positive experience: We stopped for coffee and cake which were both delicious. Restaurant is lovely with great views looking over the water and staff were efficient and friendly. At $25 per adult and $17 per child be advised that the Aquarium is small, dated, signage needs replacing and very overpriced, $10 would be sufficient.

Positive experience: The servers rushed us through… to getting our orders to clearing our tables! We barely sat down and he wanted drink orders, and clearing our plates while some of us are still eating. The scones were decent, but the lady server used her bare hands to pick up 2 scones that’s not covered, and popped them in the microwave. No food safety at all. The Gin cured salmon was lacking a little flavour, just pure saltiness. The bacon scrambled on toast were good. Pricing was not too expensive. View was beautiful

Positive experience: Small aquarium with a dozen tanks of local marine life. For best value take the tour. Restaurant upstairs is a nice cafe with great views.

Fantastic experience: Great location, excellent service and fantastic food on offer. I’ve been to the aquarium wharf restaurant a number of times and it has always been a great experience. The aquarium itself is well worth seeing. A fantastic display of local and tropical species. Well sized and appointed tanks with a wide variety of specimens.

Fantastic experience: We found this beautiful restaurant by chance and had the most magical night imaginable. We had just recently gotten engaged and mentioned this in conversation and were congratulated and celebrated by all of the beautiful staff. They were beyond accomodating- including for our furry family member. We had the most amazing night celebrating our engagement watching the sunset and could not recommend the delicious food, the beautiful restaurant and aquarium and the absolutely incredible staff more. We felt like we’d wandered into a family. Highly highly recommend!

Fantastic experience: This establishment is located on a stunning beachside with unobstructed views of the coastline. The dining experience was delightful; the food was highly enjoyable, and the staff provided excellent service. The manager's personal touch, greeting us at the end of our meal, added to the charm of our visit. The high-quality cuisine and beautifully presented dishes made this experience truly special. To cap off our meal, we explored the small but impressive aquarium located beneath the restaurant, which offered a surprising variety of marine life. The combination of the restaurant and aquarium made for a lovely and recommendable treat.

Fantastic experience: Was here with a tour group and Peter our guide gave us lots of information and was very helpful. Devonshire tea was delicious!

Positive experience: We only went to the aquarium so I can't comment on the food. The aquarium was small and a little old, but there was a lot of variety and some creatures we'd never seen before. We love sea creatures and spent a good 2 hours (including the fish feeding which was fun), but this will only work if your kids are happy to watch something in the tank for a while.

Fantastic experience: This was definitely worth it. The view was absolutely gorgeous. The food was great and delicious and the service was incredible. Highly recommend. There is a free car park as well.

Fantastic experience: The Merimbula Aquarium is a great experience if you have children, Alan and Will were very knowledgeable and passionate, they spent a lot of time teaching the kids all about the marine life. They feed the fish and sharks at 11.30 each day so i would highly recommend going then to see it.

Fantastic experience: This little place looks as though it needs but they do brilliantly with what they have.

Fantastic experience: Great food and service with a nice view. Not sure what the aquarium is like, but wherever it was it was surely small. Recommending just for the food. The desserts were excellent.

Fantastic experience: The food was great and the staff was attentive. Kids food cake first which was a blessing. Aquarium was a tad over priced. However, they had staff engaging with the patrons.

Fantastic experience: We had a better time at this aquarium than we did at sea life in Melbourne. We were the only ones there so had our own tour. Alan and Will were super knowledgeable, friendly and great at making sure the kids were able to see everything. It was also great getting to see all the fish be fed. It was definitely well worth our money. We didn’t get to eat at the restaurant but coffee was good too.

Negative experience: The one star is for the staff who were so lovely. We waited just over 90 mins for food that never arrived. My husband asked 3 times. We watched people eat and go, eat and go. The kids meals arrived and nothing else. We were told “ They’ll be out now”… 20 mins past.. “3 mins” 20 mins past. We couldn’t wait any longer, we have small children. We are on holiday and this was very disappointing. Not only did we pay for the meals we didn’t receive there was NO REFUND AND NO MEALS. We are so hungry and so upset. Update: They called and offered an apology and refund. Thank you