Ten Places to Eat and Drink Around Port Stephens on Your Next Romantic Getaway

Situated underneath Hotel Nelson, The Little Nel is a favourite of locals, drawn in by the excellent coffee (by Pablo & Rusty) and extensive breakfast and lunch menus that rely on seasonal produce. While the usual brekkie suspects are ever-present — smashed avo, toasted muesli and bacon and egg roll — the menu, designed by Mathew Key and Dan James, features some experimental dishes. The results across both are, visually and in flavour, damn impressive. Take, for example, the sambal chilli scrambled eggs, served with coconut yoghurt, green papaya and crushed cashews. Or the Medowie garlic mushrooms with whipped feta, chimichurri and Morpeth red kale. Whatever lands on your table will be fresh, colourful and leave you ready to take on a day of sightseeing (or relaxing).

To pair with your feed are freshly squeezed juices, smoothies, milkshakes and the aforementioned coffee. Oh, and it has both nitro coffee and kombucha on tap, too.

Image: Destination NSW

Waterfront dining venues aren’t hard to come by in Port Stephens, but The Poyer’s takes it one step further by jutting out right over the water. This family-owned business, with chef Ludovic Poyer at the helm, is a hidden gem in the sleepy town of Lemon Tree Passage. While it’s open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, we suggest heading there for brekkie or a leisurely long lunch (from Wednesday to Sunday) to take full advantage of the view across the bay.

The kitchen utilises local produce and presents it with a European flair — think roasted quail gnocchi and duck confit with potato galette. After lunch, check out the nearby Koala Reserve, which marks the start of a boardwalk to Nyrang Park through lush mangrove vegetation.

Almost every coastal town of a certain size has a pub overlooking the beach. But they’re not all like Shoal Bay Country Club. A $6 million refurb was unveiled in early 2018, revealing a light and airy venue that takes full advantage of its epic vantage point of the bay and has an unmistakable Mediterranean feel — a predominantly white and wood palette with pops of aqua blue and bright yellow. The venue opens bright and early at 6.30am with breakfast served in the downstairs cafe, Mermaids.

Then, from 11.30am, the kitchen and patio swing open their doors for lunch and dinner with an extensive menu of pub classics, plus epic Neapolitan-style woodfired pizzas. Expect live music starting from 6.30pm in the courtyard on Friday and Saturday nights before DJs take over to keep the fun going into the wee hours. On Sundays, there’s live music in the courtyard all afternoon.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, you’ll find Little Beach Boathouse perched right on the edge of Nelson Bay’s Little Beach. Upstairs, the main restaurant offers coastal dining at its best — fresh seafood and a winning view of the shimmering bay.

Lunch is a fairly straightforward affair — one main and sourdough for $40 per person. But you’re given the option to add in starters and dessert if you want to linger a little longer admiring the view (you will). Oysters with wild pepperberry vinaigrette and lychee and passionfruit panna cotta are among your upgrade options. Come dinnertime, you can opt for a two- or three-course set menu ($55 or $65 respectively). Predictably, it’s mostly seafood on offer, think squid ink spaghetti, glazed salmon and market fish, but there are meat and vegetarian options, too.

Image: Destination NSW

It just makes so much sense: Rick Stein, the celebrity chef who made a name for himself — first in the UK and then in Australia — by making seafood his ingredient of choice opening a restaurant in Port Stephens, home to some of the best seafood on the east coast. Following the success of the first Rick Stein at Bannisters in Mollymook, this outpost opened in conjunction with Bannisters Port Stephens in 2018. Stein, with his wife Sarah, engaged interior designer Romy Alwill to present a breezy interior, splashed with terracotta, timber and Japanese watercolours.

Alongside Head Chef Mitchell Turner, Stein has designed a menu that celebrates the region — and its excellent produce. That starts with a selection of seafood straight from the sea — think oysters on ice (or served with spicy sausage) and sashimi of yellowfin tuna, kingfish and salmon — alongside steamed Stockton pipis. For mains, you can enjoy baked whole snapper, chargrilled swordfish steak, lobster thermidor or, if you’re happy to get your hands dirty, blue swimmer crab served Singaporean-style with garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander. It’s seafood dining as its absolute finest.

The Stockton Sand Dunes are a must-visit spot in Port Stephens — and the best way to top off a few hours of sandboarding, quad biking or 4WDing around the monstrous sand mountains is an ice-cold, locally brewed craft beer. Set just behind the dunes at Port Stephens Winery is local independent brewery Murray’s, famed for its non-traditional beers.

There are always ten beers on tap to choose from, plus a selection of bottled specials. Start with something from the core range, like the popular Angry Man Pale Ale or the bold Fred IPA, before venturing on to one of the limited-edition drops. Past specials have included a pumpkin ale, packed with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, the Chocolate Donut, with heavy toffee and cocoa flavours, and the Pucker Up sour ale, a tart but sweet grapefruit and passionfruit number. Pair your choice with a platter of smoky barbecued meats from the onsite restaurant and a game of bocce on the lawn. And don’t worry about getting home — the brewery runs a shuttle bus to and from town on weekends for a fiver.

The claims about oysters being aphrodisiacs may be largely folklore, but don’t let that stop you and your partner from slurping them down by the dozen when visiting Port Stephens’ premier oyster farm. The Holbert family has been in the bivalve business for five generations and is now one of the biggest producers of oysters in NSW.

You’ll find the quite humble store on the shores of Cromarty Bay, where folks share their expertise in all things molluscs and sell freshly shucked Port Stephens rock oysters, Pacific oysters, prawns and sauces. Order a selection, then nab one of the tables outside overlooking the bay. The store sells wine and beer to enjoy with your snacks, but you’re also welcome to BYO vino.

Rick Stein at Bannisters may take a lot of the glory when it comes to dining options at Bannisters Port Stephens, but Cheeky Dog deserves some attention, too. The casual bar and eatery was unveiled in December 2019. Designed by architect Tony Freeman and design company MCM House, Cheeky Dog leans into its coastal location with a palette of natural timbers, rattan, recycled materials and soft furnishings and, thanks to its open-plan design, it has plenty of natural light and an exposed ceiling.

The menu is succinct — a selection of antipasto and bar snacks, a handful of classic pub-style mains and stonebaked pizzas — but it’s all done well. Plus, if you and your partner have a third wheel in the form of your pet in tow, you’ll be pleased to know that the bar is dog-friendly (as is the hotel itself, should you wish to stay there).

If you’ve worked up an appetite wandering around the small boutiques, vintage stores and other shops in Nelson Bay’s town centre, make tracks to Seabreeze Hotel. Located at the marina end of Stockton Street, the pub makes for a good spot to refuel. The venue has a contemporary look and feel across its various spaces — it boasts a dining area, public bar and a patio. It also has 18 rooms that sleep between 2–4 people, and a bottle shop if you want to grab something to go.

Order a cocktail jug to share — we have our eye on the pineapple rosé sangria — or a vino from the two-page wine menu (with nothing over $100 a bottle), before diving into the food menu. If you’re just a little peckish, pick some starters to share, like karaage chicken bao, loaded fries and garlic pizza. Or, if you’re really hungry, order the chicken and chorizo linguine or a wagyu rump with creamy mash. Just be sure to leave room for the chocolate peanut butter cheesecake for dessert.

The Wild Herring is The Anchorage‘s flagship restaurant, situated overlooking the resort’s pool with views of the marina and ocean beyond. Open for dinner service from Wednesday to Saturday, the restaurant is the sophisticated, fine dining option that a romantic weekend away no doubt calls for.

Executive Chef Michael Jenkins’ menu gives diners the option of two courses for $68 or three for $86, plus the choice to add in matching wines, too. By this point, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this menu also heavily features the region’s seafood, which you can find celebrated in starters like seared scallops with puy lentils, guanciale and peas and mains like satay king prawns with noodles or Moreton Bay Bug. Finish your meal on a decadent high with spiced peach with star anise custard and ginger ice cream. Then, after dinner, pop over to Moby’s Bar, get cosy in one of the leather armchairs and end your evening by sampling some of the world’s finest whiskies.