Purchased lunch from this Cafe in Austinmer and was very disappointed 😞 Ordered fish cocktails and they were thick with batter...almost inedible. The oil tasted disgusting, the fish(?) Dry and tasteless. Standard needs to lift but unfortunately it will still be patronised due to proximity...to the beach and limited choices.More
Hi, that's sad to hear that your trip to Austinmer was disappointing, dosent sound like Shells, there a a few places where you can purchase fish cocktails and Shells are not thick with batter, I batter them myself, please never leave a bad review on...More
Staying with friends nearby, I went for an early morning drive to look at the beaches and saw a few people outside the diner and thought that many people, it can't be too bad... I ended up eating in having a full breakfast of bacon,...eggs, tomatoes, beans, hash brown, avo , spinach leaves and toast and one of the nicest vanilla lattes I have had in a while, the person who took the order was pleasant and re read my order back, the plate arrived and the breakfast was huge, the meal was freshly cooked and hot, I actually couldn't eat it all, I am not a beans fan but shells tasted like they were home made and they were yummy. I ended up coming back with my partner to have lunch , we got the NZ hoki and chips, once again great serve, the fish was thick and the batter light served with lemon and tartare sauce , the chips were perfect hot and crispy. We enjoyed them in the park across the road. Will definitely be back next time we visitMore
Thanks fantastic to hear, many thanks from all of us at Shells
From being our family lunch favourite for our Wollongong / Austi days out, in fact often the reason for the day out to this week serving us the worst ever fish & chips. We had noticed the slippery slope for Shells with several bad serves...over the past few months. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, we tried them a few times because everyone can have a bad fry'day, but they have got worse each time. The meal was simple battered flathead with chips. Sadly, more batter than fish, and needed a microscope to find the fish, the batter was so hard it would have been better to bite down on the diner table probably mor tasty. The chips were hollow crispy shells with no potatoe in the middle.More
Great little diner , had the vegan burger and milkshake made with soy milk , everything is good here. Really miss the eat in vegetarian breakfast they had a few years back though.
Family getaway from Sydney and wanted fish and chips by the beach. We were staying near Corrimal beach but was recommended to drive and try Shells Diner. This diner didn’t disappoint. Flathead and chips well cooked, crunchy and just enough salt. Only had to wait...5 minutes. Covid safe procedures in place. Can’t wait to go back.More
Thanks, for dropping in guys, we appreciate it tremendously from everyone at Shells
Asked for fish (grilled) and chips.... Tasted like boiled fish with a talcum powder dusting. Chips were not salted. Do you have to ask these days? (maybe salt is expensive in Austy). Calamari was actually pretty good. Didn't take a photo because I'd rather forget...the experience. Go next door.More
Thank you TripAdvisor for being so convenient. I arrived on a day trip to the Sea Cliff bridge and discovered this gem of a Fish and chip shop from the TripAdvisor app. I ordered the grilled Barramundi and chips. At $17 the portion was big...and there was more than enough chips that I could not finish them. The service was quick and the staff pleasant,the meal came out in about 5 mis which was fantastic when you are on the road.More
Hi Shibalnus, you had great weather to see our fantastic coast, thanks for stopping by Shells Diner for a meal on Austinmer Beach, thanks from all the guys at Shells
Best calamari, chips and fish burger I've had in a very long time. Fast service, everything done fresh, reasonable prices, couldn't recommend highly enough. Beautiful Austinmer beach just across the road for a lovely picnic.
Hello Leslie, Thanks for the awesome comments, ive told the staff at Shells Diner and they all said thank you. Thanks for visiting us.
Cooks breakfast suggestion, sausage and egg roll. Perfect with a full flavour cappuccino. Best breakfast all year! I'll be back.
Shells Diner is in a great location opposite the beach and does great fish & chips. I've rated it 4 stars, although it's probably 3.5 - good. Reason being, it's not very inviting to sit in / outside with very basic, uncomfortable seating and ambience....However the staff are friendly and efficient, it's COVID safe and there is a big selection of food.More
The Diner has a retro feel and serves take away in picnic style packaging. I am normally in for brekky but for lunch try the grilled fish burger or chicken burger with Aoili
The batter was so thick it made the fish almost inedible. So oily and almost a rancid smell. We were so disappointed as we purchased $56 worth for the family and threw over half away. The chips were cold and rubbery. To be honest it...is the worst I’ve ever had. Staff were nice but food terrible. We will never go back.More
Fish cocktails far too oily. Almost no salt on the chips. It looked good but tasted bad due to the oiliness.
In visiting Shells Diner for a beach lunch, it turns out we were actually in the joined Renzetti's Italian Pizza also. I gather the diner closes around 4pm and the pizza place takes over. In any event, we ordered pizza, with the lunch menu serving...a decent array of small pizzas. As they were small we did order two, whereas one large would have suited us better, but in the bustle of this diner's obvious popularity the decision to limit lunch time pizza options is understandable. The Meatlover's was well cooked and tasty, with just the right amount of oregano in the mix.More
G,day Thanks for posting a review. The diner now offers the seafood menu until 8:30pm Along with the full pizza menu from 3pm Your correct that at lunch we only offer the personal size this is to keep the wait times short. We appreciate your...More
This is a great little place. The staff are really friendly and the food and coffee are superb. We stayed for a week in an Airbnb just around the corner and I popped in here every morning to collect a couple of coffees. They were...hot, tasted great and were really good value (Aus$ 9:00 for 2). On a couple of days we also went in for breakfast. My wife and I both had the veggie brekkie which was delicious- particularly the home made beans- and good sized portions too. One day a couple of friends joined us and had the bacon & egg roll which they thoroughly enjoyed. If you are staying in Thirroul or Austinmer this is definitely the place to get you for your drinks and breakfast.More