Watergate Port Douglas

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#6 of 67 Restaurants in Port Douglas$$$$, Bar, Australian, Vegetarian friendly

+61 7 4099 5544+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Mon

12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Tue

12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Wed

12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Thu

12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Fri

12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

Sat

12:00 pm - 11:30 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

3,166 reviews

#6 of 67 Restaurants in Port Douglas

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

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PRICE RANGE

$23.00 – $52.00

CUISINES

Bar, Australian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

31 Macrossan St Shop 5, Port Douglas, Queensland 4877 Australia

+61 7 4099 5544

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Is this a Chilean restaurant?

Yes

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About

Established in Port Douglas in 2004, Watergate is a tropical, open air restaurant and lounge bar with an elegant atmosphere serving modern fusion cuisine. The restaurant offers an inventive, casual meets contemporary dinning experience with global inspired menu items, cocktails and a well sourced selection of predominately Australian & New Zealand wines. Our kitchen team strive to offer healthy and tasty comfort food, with a modern twist, and focus on local ingredients. They have also introduced environmental practices to reduce our plastic use to the absolute minimum. And they are also working towards a zero, food waste kitchen. We truly hope to give you a pleasant and memorable dining experience with us.

PRICE RANGE

$23.00 – $52.00

CUISINES

Bar, Australian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Wine and Beer, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.5

3,166 reviews

Excellent

2,215

Very good

628

Average

207

Poor

Terrible

Paul K

Surfers Paradise287 contributions

Definitely give it a go

July 2020 • family

It was difficult to not give this restaurant the full 5 stars 🌟as the food was great and the location and ambiance is first class. The service is well managed and organised and timely however the staff we encountered were young and whilst polite and efficient they did not even have a reasonable understanding of the menu. In particular I ordered the fish of the day which was Spanish Makeral which was dry and possibly over cooked. When I asked about this just to understand if this was how the fish is cooked or generally is served I got a long blank look by the waitress who was still in the early stages of grasping the English language. This restaurant I believe needs to take the next step to be a truly 5 star + restaurant however with that said we will be back 👍

Written 19 July 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

pandalane

Cairns20 contributions

5 star experience

July 2020 • couples

Hubby and I are rating this as possibly the best restaurant we have ever had the pleasure of dining at. From the warm welcome upon entry to the ambience of the venue. Our waiter was subtly attentive, the food was divine with good portions at a reasonable price. Well timed delivery and immaculate presentation. Thank you. We will be back!!

Written 5 July 2020

Trimma

67 contributions

Must do in PD

Nov 2020 • none

Absolutely faultless. This is a great setup, very open air feel with a bar/lounge area you can have drinks at before dining or just have drinks. Very upmarket Bali style. Head guy is spot on and service is tops. We actually wandered in off the street without a booking before they were ready to open - he was really accommodating and allowed us to have drinks (most places give you the "sorry not open yet"), so we stayed for dinner (& many more drinks). Food had fantastic flavours and wines were good at a reasonable price.

Written 10 November 2020

Aleksandar S

Australia116 contributions

Walked away laughing... as in, the place is a joke!

Aug 2020 • couples

Was welcomed by an animated young Asian hostess with glasses who walked into my personal space a few times... literally attempted to help me type as I was registering in the online Covid-19 register. The welcome was super odd and bizarre, but the irony and comedy did not escape me. Then we were taken to our table by another hostess, to be told that a third young lady would be our waitress. I thought with such fanfare this place was sure to be on another level. However, looking around my first impressions were of a ‘has-been’ restaurant which has not been maintained, inexperienced staff running around, friendly but disorganised and unbefitting a restaurant with such prices. We watched a young lady who dined solo order her meals and while she went to the bathroom her table got cleared. Amazing! Never seen anything like it. Meals we were served were actually different to what was on the menu, yet at no stage were were informed of any substitutions or amendments. Confit duck leg was supposed to be served with mushroom gnocchi, greens and truffle and mushroom cream sauce (terrible combo to begin with but my partner was keen)... yet on the plate there was also sweet potato mash (purée or whatever). Haha who serves gnocchi and sweet potato mash on the same plate? My local reef fish was served with coleslaw instead of the green paw paw salad, yet the chilly peanuts, which I was excited about were totally missing. All meals served were super convoluted and trying to be gourmet... like multiple sauces on the same plate, ingredients just being mistreated and not celebrated, as if the menu was put together by someone straight out of TAFE cooking school. Not even a joke. I am astounded that people are actually raving about this place. Good thing was that the food came out fast and I would have appreciated generous portions had they tasted good. This place was way overpriced for what it offers. Only a new management could fix this mess. Do not recommend.

Written 31 July 2020

maurice w

Australia96 contributions

Not A Good Night For All

Oct 2020 • none

Very nice setting friendly staff but food a disappointment.Visited last week with my partner andordered the twice cooked pork belly with pork & prawn gyozas and a kimchi aioli found both the Pork Belly and gyozas overcooked became dry and crisp, my partner had the PRAWN HOTPOT ★ local tiger prawns with a chilli & crab sauce and crusty ciabatta found the prawns to be a little like rubber. Mains I had the Southern Fried Chicken once again over cooked and dry my partner had the Kangaroo Loin which he was very pleased with.

Written 12 October 2020

Paul and Marie

Baulkham Hills8 contributions

Evening Meal

Mar 2020 • none

The staff are attentive and plentiful without being a nuisance. They are willing to assist and offer advice if required. The menu is different to most offerings in Port Douglas and the food is perfectly prepared and presented and is delicious. Pricing is reasonable for the quality' We had a most enjoyable evening and meal and would certainly recommend as something a bit special.

Written 15 March 2020

TheOzTraveller

Warners Bay148 contributions

Best feed and service I've experienced!

Mar 2021 • couples

From the moment we stepped in the door, the staff looked after us. They were all really nice and helpful, particularly the blonde lady that was taking orders. We got a free glass of wine as it was our honeymoon. We shared the prawn hotpot with bread and the sauce was unreal. Then I had the local reef fish special which was barramundi and it was cooked to absolute perfection, and my wife had the pork belly which was cooked perfectly as well. Could not fault the service or quality of this place! I don't visit fancy restaurants often but I'm so glad we were told about this place! Prices are a little over your general restaurant prices but you definitely get what you pay for and it is something everyone should get to experience! I hope to be back one day!

Written 22 March 2021

MelbournePip

Melbourne9 contributions

A great dining experience

Jan 2020 • none

Beautiful ambience, delicious food and attentive, friendly staff. We recently dined there twice while in Port Douglas for a week and sampled a variety of dishes from the menu, all of which were delicious. The staff was even willing to move fans around, to maximise our comfort in the hot weather. Highly recommended!

Written 23 January 2020

Debbie S

Melbourne238 contributions

Service from staff very Disappointing

June 2021 • none

Strangely our wine was poured before we received our cocktails. Entree started with Scallop & Pork and Crocodile Spring Rolls. Both entrees delicious. The waitress described the special as rack of pork which was very tender but was not a rack just a large pork chop. I requested my Kangaroo loin rare but it was over cooked - portions generous of 5 pieces. Desserts superb and yummy. Definitely try the banana & macadamia pudding and chocolate mousse cake. We were never offered coffee. Food was good, waitress very pleasant. A sour taste was left in our mouths when one waiter was overheard chatting with a nearby table bagging out Victorian tourists. Seems odd seeing the waiter said their business was 90% from Victorian tourists. Extremely unprofessional and very disappointing.

Written 6 June 2021

JM198588

13 contributions

Disappointed

Mar 2021 • couples

We came here for a dinner why on our honeymoon through port Douglas. The location of the restaurant and the views from the restaurant were absolutely fantastic and this made a great start to the evening. There was a lack of wait staff on this evening and you could tell this as several tables we’re waiting to place drink orders and also food orders. When we received our Main Course the food was absolutely fantastic and to die for. At the end of our main course being cleared away we asked the waiter if we could get dessert menus she said he would be right back. 20 minutes later the waiter never returned to our table nor did any of the other wait staff on this evening we left our table and paid at the bar. This is what made the experience bad for us as we were there to have a good time but the restaurant obviously didn’t want to take our money.

Written 2 April 2021

cplsctn

Norwood66 contributions

mixed feelings mostly disappointment

July 2020 • none

On arrival we were taken to our table, which was on the deck, very nice. Allocated our waitress for the evening, who seemed friendly and attentive. We ordered some drinks, which took awhile to arrive. When we did get them finally, the order was incorrect; we had ordered a bottle of red wine, not a glass. Shouldn't have been a problem you would think. However, that was the beginning of the demise of the evening. We waited, and waited, whilst watching our waitress chatting to other staff at the bar. At the 30 min mark, I called another waitress over and advised her that we were still waiting for our initial drinks order. Our waitress delivered our bottle, poured our wine and that was the last we basically saw of her for the remainder of the evening. Our food was served by other waiters/waitresses. My food was delicious, however my husband's was OK, nothing startling. After finishing our meals and having our waitress pass our table numerous times to serve other diners next to us, you would expect her to come and see if we would like perhaps dessert and coffee? Alas that was not to be, to the point that we got tired of waiting and decided to leave. I went to the bar to ask for the bill, and was given the wrong one; it was for the table next to us. When I mentioned what our evening had been like, it seemed everyone went into overdrive. Unfortunately all too late. It saddens me to not recommend this restaurant, given all the good reviews we had heard. I can honestly say that our evening was the worst we had in our 10 day stay. There are many other very good restaurants in Port Douglas to choose from.

Written 10 August 2020

M Hussein

Melbourne219 contributions

A Perfect Night

Jan 2021 • none

We dined here last Saturday night. For Entree we had the Bread & Dips and the Crocodile Spring Rolls. One of the dips was a caramelised onion cream cheese dip which was absolutely delicious. Have never tried before and am looking forward to having it again. The Crocodile Spring Rolls tasty like a spice chicken mince and went down nicely. For Mains my wife had the Local Reef Fish and I had the Yellowfin Tune which was sesame spice crusted. I must admit To be quite honest, when we ordered I had a feeling that for the price they were charging, I was sure that the chef was going for the arty farty fusion which always meant you got such a small portion that you needed to go an get a pizza afterwards. How wrong I was. The portion sizes were large and very flavorful. I struggled just to finish my main and was worried that I would not have room for dessert. But I forced myself to have a lime cheesecake which once again was a decent size. Overall the food was perfect which I could not fault, but also the wait staff were always attentive and smiling and made the night as well. We were so impressed with the meal and service that we booked again this coming Friday night for dinner.

Written 31 January 2021

hicks2018

Melbourne67 contributions

Best Restaurant in Port Douglas

Feb 2020 • none

we recently spent a week in Port Douglas and ate out breakfast, lunch and dinner all week. Without any shadow of a doubt the Watergate Restaurant served up sensational cuisine and quality service. only negative which was minor complaint related to no air-conditioning so although the fans were pumping it was a little uncomfortable, however given the fantastic experience it meant little.

Written 2 March 2020

IslandHopperQLD

Queensland285 contributions

Spur of the moment hit

Nov 2021 • couples

Walking past at lunch time we noticed this place and was really impressed by the size of the tree popping out of the shades, so we wandered in and ask if it was possible for a reservation for tonight, (now bear in mind that we had been told by a few of the restaurants in the local area that we needed to book 2 days in advance), the bloke we talked to said yes no worries. So table booked we only had to go back to the hotel sit by the pool and then get ready for a night out. On arrival we were greeted at the Main Street entrance and escorted down to the seated waited area and from there ushered to our table for two, once seated we had a good chance to look at that fantastic tree that dominates the vista, beautiful light flame lamps everywhere provide an elegant but functional lighting. Then we were introduced to our waiter for the evening Dave, well what a really great people person this chap was, really made you feel special, very informative about the menu, explained the specials and even had suggestions on wines to have with the courses. To the food, we had only had breakfast that day and was feeling peckish ! So I opted for two starters as I could not decide on which one to have, so it was the Crunchy Crocodile Karaage and the prawn hotpot and Karen had the crab & fish cakes. The only suggestion for the chef is to cut the croc a little thicker to around 20mm so they don’t over cook when fried, both the hotpot and the croc tasted great, fish cakes are not like Thai fish Coke’s they are not squeaky but chunky and softer. So I did have an alternative reason for having two starters as my mains was kangaroo and I had this many times and the portions have how can I say it politely a little lacking, but hold that thought, I was amazed at the portion I was presented with, heaps of meat and I knew that I should have had just the one starter !!! Again I asked for medium rare, it my suggestion is to ask for rare mine was a tad over medium in places, it still enjoyed every morsel and finished all of it. Conclusion this place is really great for that special occasion night out, loved the food, loved the service and when we come back to Port Douglas we will come back to this restaurant, but only have one starter !!

Written 1 November 2021

BendalMac

3 contributions

Won’t be returning.

Apr 2021 • couples

We arrived for a late 8.45pm booking. Was greeted at the door by a lovely lady who took us through. A friendly man then seated us at our table and made us feel comfortable. The overall vibe was great, bit stuffy and hot but the lighting and feel was nice and romantic. However when it came to the food we were very disappointed. We got the crocodile spring rolls and they were bland and didn’t have much flavour. For mains I got the Korean chicken dish. It was awful, the Singapore noodle cake that came with it was hard as a rock and I couldn’t even cut into it and the chicken was very dry. My husbands main was the barramundi special and the fish was over cooked and soggy. It’s safe to say we didn’t bother with dessert...

Written 23 April 2021