We rocked up to Chica Bonita last night, no booking, just vibes (and praying for a table because yall are always booked and busy). Faye, the legend, made it happen. Table secured, minimal wait time. How bloody good!
Big shoutout to Faye and Connor for looking after us like absolute pros. As someone with coeliac disease (I know, worst customer ever—sorry!), I felt so looked after. They took it seriously, explained everything clearly, and made sure I could eat safely and deliciously. Legends.
You can tell the team actually enjoy being there—the energy was so good, music was on point, and the rain outside? Paid actor. Pure ambience.
Cocktails? Dangerous (in the best way). Food? Ridiculously good. Vibes? Unmatched.
Already counting down to our next visit. Thanks team!
Utterly delicious food (feed me more option) and service was exceptional. We were amazed by their ability to cater for gluten, dairy, egg and peanut intolerances. Wine was also yummy.
I had a lovely lunch with my friends. Food was great including seperate food for one of us who is gluten free. We were so well looked after by Naomi during lunch and Ben and Chris were also awesome. Thanks so much guys, we’ll be back!
I just wanted to send a huge thank you to the functions team at Little Pearl for organizing my birthday celebration at the Beach Bar! The attention to detail, especially with the personalised welcome and bar signage that matched my theme, made the evening truly special. Everything ran so smoothly, and the food was fantastic (and filling!). I was especially grateful for the care given to my two gluten-free guests—they felt so well looked after. The cocktails were absolutely delicious, and the team ensured we had everything we needed throughout the night.
Our friends had a wonderful time, but I had the BEST time! Thank you for making my birthday unforgettable!"
Great food and fantastic friendly staff Tidy and clean club with very pleasant outdoor/indoor seating which accommodates non smokers unlike other clubs Staff were very knowledgeable and accommodating for celiac's The steak sandwich was the very best Highly recommended
I came here with my friend and our daughters yesterday. We had Marcela as our Waitress. She was kind, polite and was great helping me work out what I could eat (as per photo- chips aren’t coeliac friendly- my kids ate them) with my multiple allergies (gluten, dairy, egg and soy). Will definitely come back here again.
The locals in Manly stick to a great cafe when they find it. This one also has the magic ingredient of an excellent location - feels like being on the Mediteranean coast. Despite a super busy Australia Day we enjoyed speedy delivery of a delicious breakfast of poached eggs, smoked salmon, truss tomatoes and hash brown-they even accommodated a shared meal half gluten free and half regular sourdough toast with no fuss- wonderful service. The food and the coffee here is consistently good. The staff work so hard (a busy cafe is a good sign) and they always have a friendly smile. Thanks Jen and Mick.
I visited on a weekday and was really impressed by the service. We weren’t sure about which flavour margarita slushee to get so the server brought out some small samples to help us decide. They didn’t have an extensive gluten free menu but did have a list of what was gf and coeliac safe which they gave us, and so I felt comfortable that they would minimise any cross contamination. The steak was tender and cooked perfectly
If I could give a ten star review I would.
The food was incredible.
The service was especially impeccable given that my partner is coeliac the service staff were ever so thoughtful and caring.
And because we went to eat on a Saturday, the beats that they had playing were awesome. I found myself shazaming multiple songs-(tasteful Jazz-House beats).
Overall one of the better restaurant experiences I've had in Australia and I will definitely return the next time I'm back in Sydney. 20 out of 10, Would recommend 👌
Im coeliac and ordered the white gluten free toast. I paid $8 and was surprised to receive 2 pathetic slices of very ordinary toast. I know you make your own seedy bread so why not a high quality white? There is really good GF bread out there (Nonies) and I’m surprised that a place like The Boathouse has not sourced it.
We had the most scrumptious salt and chilli squid. The squid just melted in my mouth. The chilli aioli was absolutely to die for. I can report that my Dad loved the sauce so much, he grabbed it and drank the rest of it, even though the meal had been finished. The salad was tasty, with a nice tangy dressing for the leaves, cherry tomatoes and corn, which was a unique touch I appreciated.
The jugs for the drinks are an absolute bargain. We got a massive jug of Lemon Lime & Bitters that was coolly refreshing and perfectly satisfied all four of us.
The service was top notch - all our questions were clearly and concisely answered. They even modified our meals to suit our dietary requirements and double-checked to make sure the order was correct.
The atmosphere was pleasant, with a cool breeze, simplistic yet satisfying decor and upbeat background music that uplifted even the pickiest of music connoisseurs (aka my parents).
In the next two photos, you can see the Korean Chicken Burger (gluten free bun) and the Ivanhoe Burger. We leveraged the Wednesday special to get $10 off each of these. My Dad called his Ivanhoe Burger ‘the best burger I have ever eaten’, and at 77, he has certainly eaten a lot of burgers in his life.
The Korean Chicken Burger was truly splendid and filling. It was beautifully crispy, the cucumbers and slaw nicely complemented the warmly melted cheese and the other ingredients. The chicken is so yummy. The chips were hot, crispy and overall stellar.
The tomato sauce was so good. It wasn’t too salty. My wife and Mum shared a Scotch Fillet 300g steak that wholly filled them up. They even gave a mushroom sauce to die for, and the steak was perfectly medium. They even customised our order to have chips and vegetables, a Goated staple from the RSL menus. The vegetables were well seasoned with just the right amount of salt and pepper, not overpowering the other flavours.
Note that there are no longer pizzas on the menu, which I loved in the past. But the meals that are still there are all absolute bangers. Burger connoisseurs should come every Wednesday.
10/10, would happily come back again.
Unreal atmosphere and great service. We went for Wednesday Raclette night which was delicious. They even supplied gluten free bread for us upon request. Highly recommend the aspen lemon fizz cocktail. Yum.
