2 Best Restaurants in Newcastle, North Coast

Opened on the site of the Merewether Beach's original surfhouse (a lifeguard station), this stunning three-story venue has fantastic ocean views from all three of its eateries. The ground floor café, pizza, and gelato bar are steps from the beach, while the top-level restaurant has expansive panoramas and is open for lunch and dinner. You might begin with the local Port Stephens oysters with shallot vinegar before moving on to a seafood main. The dessert list is extensive and the wine list features wines from the Hunter Valley. The café is open for all-day breakfast and lunch daily, offering burgers and salads.

This swank establishment is as close as Newcastle comes to having an iconic restaurant. Enclosed on three sides by glass and perched over the harbor on the busy esplanade, Scratchley's opened not long after the Honeysuckle precinct transformed Newcastle into a hip and happening place more than a decade ago. The restaurant has one of the best views in Newcastle and an extensive menu to please everyone. There's a four-course tasting menu matched with fine wines (A$150) with seared yellow fin tuna being a top dish. This is also the ultimate spot for seafood platters, which feature locally caught fare, costing A$215 for a two-person platter. Non–seafood fans have steaks, lamb cutlets, and corn-fed chicken breast dishes to consider, and a range of vegetarian options and Hunter Valley cheeses to sustain them.