Best Restaurants in Manly
Report by Laura B.
Going out for dinner during your stay in Australia is probably more the exception rather than the rule as it is quite expensive to get a good meal in a nice atmosphere. Therefore, you better chose the location carefully in order to get a good value for your money. For special occasions like birthdays, Christmas or the end of term I tried some of the most popular restaurants in Manly with my friends. Being close to the sea, Manly has a lot of fish restaurants at the seaside. There are a lot of fast-food places around Main Street, a good choice of Italian restaurants and of course different international restaurants.
Manly Grill
The Manly Grill (Shop 1 30-31 South Steyne) is a steak and seafood restaurant, and as it is one of the most popular places in Manly, you should book a table in advance. Offering a huge range of good quality steaks, the Manly Grill is a bit more expensive so you won’t find a meal under $25. Nevertheless, it is probably worth it and you also get the chance to try exceptional meat such as for example kangaroo. The Manly Grill is not particularly known for its desserts, but you should definitely try to save a bit of hunger for the hot chocolate brownie with ice cream. This was probably the best dessert I have had in Sydney and we couldn’t stop talking about how good it was.
La Chica Bonita
La Chica Bonita (9 The Corso) is a small and cosy Mexican Restaurant, serving lunch and dinner. For lunch they offer a wide range of Burritos for a good price of $13 each. For dinner they serve Tacos which are only $5 each, so definitely a good value for money.
Manly Wharf Bar
As the name already tells Manly Wharf Bar (Manly Wharf, East Esplanade) is actually more a bar than a restaurant. Nevertheless, they have quite a good menu, offering lunch as well as dinner. I can really recommend their pizzas, they are very good for an average price of $23. Manly Wharf Bar has daily specials from Monday through Thursday and you should definitely try to go there one of these days as you can save a lot of money.
On Tuesdays, for example, a pizza will only cost $16 and you will get a free beer or wine with it. Being located at the seaside, Manly Wharf Bar has a unique ambiance and is therefore very popular as well.
deVita
If you are looking for a real Italian Restaurant, deVita (2-8 Darley Road) is the place to go. The restaurant is nothing special at first sight, the furnishing and decorations are very simple and modest. But you can taste that the owners are Italian and know how to make a good pizza. They even have a wood fired oven and offer a one meter long pizza to share.
