Covid restrictions are over but told where to stand, forced to sanitise and spoken to like a child by the manager Margo. During Covid, separate visit, forced to sit in the sun and unable to move even thought the service was 20 minutes late, when...asked why I can’t move after 20 minutes in the sun was told I was a liar though their sign in requirement proved my statement was true. I then found the waitress had failed to process the order. Never seen such poor and paranoid customer service. Both times walked out. View is great but nothing else. If you are prepared to be bullied and treated like a child you will like this tea house. We are locals and have travelled extensively all over the world, this is the worst I have experienced.More

What a great find this was. The tea-rooms are absolutely charming and are set inside a 19th century lighthouse-keeper's cottage. From the headland, the views extend across Port Stephens and beyond. The views were magical. On a bright, sunny blue-sky day we could see Shoal...Bay, Boondelbah Island, Tomaree Point, and Mt Yaccaba clearly. Tables are mostly outside and it couldn’t be a nicer setting. A pair of friendly, colourful rosellas even flitted around overhead, staying still long enough for photos every once in a while. The cafe-style food was excellent. I enjoyed the Smoked Salmon Smash (avocado, pesto, rocket, tomatoes & capers on sourdough $23) and we shared scones with jam and cream ($10). They were nicely fluffy and also huge. Pleasingly, they served leaf tea, in a pot (no soggy, old teabags here). Next time, I’d do two things differently: i) Firstly, I’d book ahead. Forgetting that it was school holidays, we didn’t think to book and the place was very busy. As we didn’t plan to stay any longer than an hour, staff very kindly checked and found us a table that was between bookings. ii) Secondly, we should have popped into the lighthouse museum when we first saw that it was open. Instead we went to the tearooms but the museum relies on volunteers to man it and by the time we’d had brunch, it was shut so we missed out. GETTING THERE: There is a tiny carpark beside the lighthouse which can accomodate a few cars. If you have to park at the bottom of the hill, it is only a short walk to the top (less than 5 min). Having caught the ferry from Tea Gardens, we walked the full distance from the ferry - a lovely 20 minute walk which took us along Nelson Bay and Little Beach, past Fly Point and through the Flora Gardens. I’d highly recommend this.More

This place definitely seems worth the hype to me. The views are some of the best I've ever had at a restaurant and all the outdoor seating has a pretty unobstructed overlook over some of the prettiest bays in the area and out to the...headlands. It's also really conveniently located for seeing and relaxing in between other activities in the area. I was a bit intimidated because it's a busy place, but service was pretty quick. The hot chocolate was rich and comfy and the scones were fluffy, fresh, and absolutely massive. The portions of everything are VERY generous. I had a toasted ham/cheese/pesto sourdough sandwich and my partner had a burger with the works, both filling and what you'd hope for from a good café. I saw the nearest table really enjoying their lunch too. The scones are definitely the main standout though, and you would be pretty well served by grabbing something to drink (good menu here) and a scone.More