Is there anything finer than a sunny day, a waterfront table and nowhere else to be? The long lunch is a well practiced art form in Noosa and it’s any wonder, with a five-star line-up of dining spots to choose from, all bathed in the beauty of the sea.
Turn lunch into an all-day event at these six standout Noosa restaurants with water views.
Bistro C, Noosa Heads
Book ahead to secure your spot outside or by one of the oversized windows to experience Bistro C at its best. Spilling onto the beach boardwalk, the space is awash in blonde timbers, rattan and white.
While breakfast is perennially popular here, a long lunch is when the place truly comes alive. The menu is laden with the type of nosh you crave when you’re sitting mere steps from the lap of the Pacific – a coconut chicken salad, Mooloolaba tiger prawn tostada and succulent calamari are never-fail choices.
Kick off with a plate of Pacific oysters topped with wakame and sesame ponzu – perhaps with a clink of Veuve – and wash it all down with a watermelon lychee margarita as the afternoon catches up with you.
Sails, Noosa Heads
So close to the beach you can almost feel the salt spray on your cheeks, Sails reopened in 2021, fresh from a refurb of Netanya Resort.
With a new menu yet to be announced, you can bet the sandcrab lasagne will still make an appearance, as it has done for close to 20 years. The enduring popularity of this signature dish is testament to Sails’ head chef Paul Leete, who has been overseeing proceedings for more than 23 years.
With three cellars housing one of the largest wine collections in Australia, a preference for organic growers, and 180-degree views, it’s also pretty clear why you’d never want to leave. Stuck on the menu? Don’t miss the house smoked trout butter smothered on charred ciabatta, and the Moreton Bay bugs.
Rickys River Bar and Restaurant, Noosaville
At Rickys River Bar and Restaurant, the produce that directs the menu isn’t just local, but most comes directly from the company’s own Maravista Farm.
With vegetable plots, citrus groves, honey bees, Nindooinbah Ultra Black cattle, and more than 20,000 macadamia trees there’s plenty of beautiful, organic produce for the picking. In a sustainable, circular economy, the restaurant's food waste is then sent back to the farm for compost. And the local connections don’t stop there with side plates by local ceramicist Kim Wallace and organic sourdough from nearby Tanglewood.
With the glass doors thrown open to shimmering Noosa Sound, the best long lunches here involve devouring Noosa scallops as you sip your chardonnay and watch the boats pass by. To make a real entrance, arrive at the private jetty via ferry, water taxi or gondola and don’t be surprised if you stay until the sky is painted pink and the sun slips away.
Noosa Waterfront Restaurant, Noosaville
Tucked well away from the hubbub of Hastings Street on a quiet stretch of the Noosa River, Noosa Waterfront Restaurant is authentic Italian with a Noosa twist. Incorporating the freshest of local produce, from Fraser Isle Spanner Crab to Noosa Red Tomatoes, much of what they don’t buy in is picked fresh from the kitchen garden.
Whether you set aside an afternoon and indulge in the six-course degustation or pop a bottle of Champagne and treat yourself to a caviar experience, everything on the menu is executed and served with class.
Sunshine Beach Surf Club, Sunshine Beach
Perched just above the sand with sweeping ocean views, Sunshine Beach Surf Club is the perfect spot to relax, dine and soak up the scenery. Settle in on the Ocean View Lawn for long lunches, sunset drinks or casual catch-ups overlooking Sunshine Beach.
The award-winning restaurant showcases fresh local produce across weekend breakfasts through to lunch and dinner offered seven days a week. Head Chef Hugh McDonogh brings global experience and a passion for locally sourced flavours to every dish, from club favourites like the classic parmy and salt and pepper calamari to their signature pork belly Nasi Goreng. Plus, the free courtesy bus makes getting there even easier.
Looking for more Noosa inspiration? Discover a whole world of destinations to enjoy the best beaches, rivers and hinterland experiences.
