"Scarborough Hotel", the Pub Review

A pub that has clearly become complacent on the grounds of its major attraction being it s view. A brilliant setting that is superseded by it s overpriced meals that are extremely small portions. A pub in a coastal town serving all their condiment sauces in single use plastic is another oversight by management, not to mention the makeshift bar that is a WHS nightmare. We left a little unsatisfied and disappointed due to the level of potential this places possesses.

Only vegan option was the poached chicken salad. Was lacklustre to say the least. $24 plate of leaves.

Pretty view... that s pretty much about it.

Had a $20 poached Benedict and an egg on toast for $22, which was a bit of a a shame. The waitress entered the wrong number so our pager didn t go off for around 20 minutes. When a waiter came to our table to check, he found out that the food is already waiting. Obviously it was cold. Taste wasn t great either, very salty but also tasteless.

Everything is self service which is a bit odd and annoying. You have to pay immediately + pick up your stuff, which is great when you re sitting outside and you have to take a 5 minute stroll.

A bit pricey, but great views. A must for visitors to the Illawarra coast

The food wasn t great for the price. Location is close to perfect. Staff were very nice.

We came here for a morning coffee and a cake. Walked straight in as the place was virtually empty. A wonderfully polite waiter took our order. We soon found ourselves on a sunny balcony dining area overlooking a garden dining area and the spectacular blue of the Pacific. New age-ish music created a peaceful ambience. All was good with the world. I would happily return. This said, the prices are slightly higher than standard but in line with sea side locations.

Great location, excellent view from the beer garden out the back.
The food is wonderful and they have a good range of drinks and a nice little cafe with good coffee and cakes.
You won t regret trying this place for a memorable lunch, but don t be late parking is a little limited and it s very popular (not cheap either, but you get what you pay for).

Good good, good view, loved it as we came for a bucks party meal. Very nice place for everyone. And the railway station is not far so you can even Come There by train from Sydney.

On the edge of a cliff and it's got a breathtaking view of Pacific ocean.

At least for that overpriced food this place should have a decent toilet, but this is not the case; the toilet was not so nice and with a single barely working handwash, so i had to was my hands with glass of water in the bar, i guess the male costumers don't wash their hands in that place.

Great views, wonderful space BUT the staff were clearing up our plates and serviettes within 10 minutes of starting to eat. They were coming back constantly to say do you have any other food coming whilst trying to clear our plates whilst we were still eating from said plate. It had been very busy BUT by the time we sat at 1:30pm it had slowed so I don t know why they were so intent in rushing us through within 15 minutes of taking a seat. It was extremely uncomfortable and not a way to relax with the bottle of wine we d puchased.
The sirloin was tough, the kids chicken strips were very processed, and expensive at $17 for processed chicken pieces. Pulled pork burger was better than the rest but overall a really poor experience on what was a beautiful day in a beautiful place. All the makings of a brilliant day spoiled by rushing service and overpriced poor food.
I won t be going back in a hurry.

good place , ist not cheap ... but amazing panorama

Great food, beautiful location, lovely staff, thoroughly enjoyable.

Amazing views of the Pacific, great food (if a little expensive)

Great spot and atmosphere but the food is over priced and very small portions as well.

Top place to take your overseas or local visitors for a long lunch.
Very professional and friendly staff with eye to detail.
Over of our favourite places to visit as it is handy to the shire

Nice location. Not a lot of choice if you don't like seafood though. Can be a bit cool outside & on balcony when strong breeze blowing off the sea.

Unfortunately I have to agree with other negative reviews. If stopping here for the view, I suggest you limit your self to the coffee and/or icecream. The rest of the food and drink are an absolute ripoff. Over $10 for a small cider, and $33 for a tiny serve of grilled fish with about 8 fries. For those prices, you would expect them to bring the meal out to the table at least, instead the customers have to walk up and down a steep staircase with plates of food. I briefly thought about ordering more food to fill me up, but the lines are super long, and they have a minimum spend at the bistro of $20. There are other places along the coast with a similar view, such as Headlands Hotel, so I advise to avoid Scarborough Hotel unless they can seriously address their prices, food and service.

beautiful outlook parking a joke food way to expensive after all this is a pub staff lovely toilets need a renovation

Great place very friendly food is great and the view is spectacular

The owners need to see and listen to everyone on here.
As someone who lives local I always had the view of over priced and poor quality food hence haven t been for years.
Tried it again today and was even worse than I remembered.
Couple this with unhelpful service it s a double whammy of terrible.
Would never recommend this place to anyone.
Keep going down the road a bit to headlands hotel.

Each time I return to this Hotel the food deteriorates, so I can firmly say this was my final visit and I will no longer recommend to friends and family.
Despite the lovely view, the food (and drink) is now horrendously overpriced and for not much flavour in return.

Beautiful location, and that's what you're paying for. Menu is regular pub fair, service is average, and there's some aspects to the venue that are bit ridiculous.

For example, don't drop in on a weekend and expect to sit outside at the tables on the grass (where the best view and all the sun is) you'll need to book in advance and drop $$$ on a minimum spend that just isn't possible for two people.

There's no bar service or waiters outside either, so prepare to hoof it up a flight of stairs to grab your food and drink. While normal at most pubs, the oldies are going to struggle with this.

I'd suggest grabbing a picnic, a bottle of wine, and heading to one of the many lookouts or parks in the area instead.

We booked a garden hut to celebrate our son's 21st. From the moment we first contacted the hotel the staff couldn't have been more helpful, courteous or efficient. The view was spectacular, food excellent and plentiful. It was a busy Sunday but we never felt forgotten - food arrived on time, plates and glasses cleared away regularly, bar staff ran a tab that met our requirements and kept us updated. Thankyou to all the staff who looked after us.

What a beautiful location....and the food and service brilliant!

Front can be deceiving but the wow factor when you dwell into the back....my dog loved it here also!!!

8+ family went on a peak Saturday morning, had to wait for the food a little longer than expected but was pleasant overall.

WOW factor!!!

Far from city , has got a great ambience.
ocean facing bar and that view is breath taking.
I really had a great experience with my partner.

Great place for lunch. A bit pricey but the view is lovely

Fantastic outdoor beer garden with amazing views. Dog friendly as well. The food is quite good but also quite pricey. But you don't go there for the meals. You go for the unique and fabulous views of the south Coast

Superb!
Food - Drink - Atmosphere
While the rest of Sydney is boiling away, a quick drive down coast to cooler temps and even cooler attitudes. Serenity and community are typical attributes. You may even consider "..what do the simple folk do?" as you ponder your Royal Lunch.

The food was very underwhelming. If you like overcooked, unseasoned barramundi and chips (and not much of it) for $35, then you'll love it here. The view of the ocean was its 2-star saving grace.

Beautiful pub in a lovely setting. Can't comment on the food personally but my friend enjoyed their BBQ lunch on Sunday!

After they has asked how I wanted my meat cooked I'd asked for rare. They brought out a dish without a hint of red in it, thoroughly cooked through. We'd asked them to remake it as this is clearly not what was asked for. Second time it comes out basically the same but I can squeeze some juice out of this one. They take it back, but this time come back with a response "That's as rare as the kitchen can make it". Not even a joke, this would not pass as medium rare. Why even ask how I want it if you're just going to give me 'well done' every time? If they'd just said that in the first place there wouldn't have been an issue, but it's like they made a point of asking what we wanted just to ruin it. The wife's salmon was also slightly over cooked. Great location, and I'm sure the beer would be fine, a shame their kitchen lacks the skill to be charging the $30 price tag on their small portion plates. Definitely not the wedding anniversary day out we'd been looking forward to.

Wonderful spot with great views, the food is awesome

Beautiful location , lovely food and staff . Dog friendly . Great for hosting parties or high teas . Definitely recommend this place

Beautiful view over the coast. They were very busy when we were there, it took an hour to serve our meals. Service was good, food was good.

One of the few places you can take your dog for an afternoon of wine and sun. Not the cheapest, but the view is unbeatable.

Nice food, fantastic panorama view of South Sydney Pacific Rim

The food here was so good. It might have been the euphoria from the weather and views, but everything we had was delicious. You order at the counter and pick it up when it's ready. Make sure you go downstairs to eat on the lawn - so much more relaxing than the upstairs patio. Everyone was very nice. Did I mention the view? It's great, and the whole setting will put you at ease immediately.

Great place for a feed. Staff are happy and friendly.

DO NOT EAT HERE.
Fantastic spot but unfortunately the food is disgusting.servings are tiny and got a burger with raw meat complained got another burger the same raw complained told them you can't eat mince raw they disagreed got my money back and got out of there.never again.

Stopped in for breakfast whilst riding down the coast.
Amazing view, great food and fantastic setting. Will definitely stop in again!

fantastic food very pleasant staff and great views we visit on a regular basis and it never disappoints us

Beautiful location and nice outdoor area. Food is not very good and quite expensive. 25 dollars for a burger + chips. 30 aud for a Pork belly that was too much sticky and not crunchy.

Foods average and inconsistent. One week you'll get sauce with your big breakkie other week you won't. The view is consistently amazing and staff are super prompt!

Invited me for a job trial (addressed to the wrong person) and at the trial i did the work of a different job to what i was applying for. Then the manager that didn t even see me for the whole trial told me i didn t get it before i had even really finished. Also they never paid me

Stopped here when cycling from Sydney to Wollongong, and we were not expecting to find such good food! Friendly and helpful service (including changing menu items to suit a vegan diet), decent portions, and cracking views from the garden. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

This 1880s pub sits on the cliffs along a gorgeous piece of South Coast coastal scenery. It offers two levels of under cover terraces plus an extensive outdoor garden seating area. This area is obviously the hub of the pub and the most popular space. Photos are attached. The tables and benches are wooden and range from seating for four up to seating for 20 average sized adults. There is an outdoor bar downstairs and this area is particularly popular for those with children who were scrambling everywhere enthusiastically when I was there. There is also a beautiful coffee shop upstairs. I noticed the bar is focused on craft beers. There is parking in an adjacent gravelled area. The bathrooms are adequate. The stairs are step and narrow as befits the age of the building. It appeared to me that renovations are underway and if love to go back next year and see what is like. Sadly this folding doors not appear suitable for those in wheelchairs at this time.

Great place fantastic views of the ocean. Normal pub food but expensive.

Overpriced, small portions, tasteless meals. Great location, but that's about it. Waiter cleaned our table but left some prawn shells as decoration here and there. Asked them to clean it, never came back. Not very impressive.

Great views outside, with good food and reasonably priced

Stunning views and friendly staff. Food was great and serving size was reasonable.

Over priced and meals were tiny but nice and cosy inside

What pub puts on a limited menu at 4pm? Fair to say the owner knows that people will come here for the view, would be an outstanding place in better hands. What a shame

Incredible views, great staff and delicious food ! No box left unticked !

What a spectacular place to chill! Great staff, food and location.

The most beautiful view- plenty of outdoor seating right on the coastline. Lovely spot for an afternoon drink.

Amazing location, great quality food and drinks. A little pricey but not off putting. All round highly recommended!

They close the kitchen whenever the feel it necessary. Even when on the day they tell you its open till 3pm. A classic venue where the staff are more important than the customer. They dont own it so they dont care. Its a bit entitled considering all the retail venues struggling at the moment. Maybe just close your kitchen at 230 and save everyone the disappointment.

Good menu, friendly and fast service, prices a little on the high side.