Cottage Point Inn - Restaurant

Wonderful service, fantastic food and drinks, a great location. We organised a lunch for 20 of our family and friends - Shane and his team were wonderful at taking care of us - there was amazing food for everyone - including vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and nut free guests! We had canapes on the deck followed by the five course degustation with paired wines inside. We cannot wait until we can visit again.

This a a very special place to enjoy a fabulous meal. The location is well worth the effort of getting there. They do also offer accommodation but we didn’t stay this visit. Degustation menu was fantastic, sommelier had perfect pairings for my preferences

The location is stunning on the water and the lunch was advertised as a Michelin Star chef. Not sure if this is accurate based on the food. The scallops course was inconsistent as some servings were missing ingredients. Banana missing in 2 serves and orange dashi on others. I was lucky to have a complete serving. They bought the meat course but missed the barramundi course. They then returned with the fish and it was the only course that was presented well. Then when the meat course came it was significantly smaller than the one served incorrectly earlier. I felt like we were punished for pointing out that we had missed a course! The desert was a tiny dry piece of cake that had a tiny teaspoon of sorbet and ice cream. Good thing it was a small serve as it was not fresh and I couldn’t eat it. Certainly not a Michelin Chef degustation meal with missing ingredients and the service was not professional missing courses. The Maître de was coughing and sneezing next to our table all lunch. A perfect location but was very disappointed that the food and service didn’t match the view. A bit of a shame but the friends and location saved the lunch.

We were really disappointed with the overall experience. It’s such a lovely setting but when we were greeted and they got our booking wrong they said it was our fault. We did the tasting menu with wine pairings for lunch and it took 4 hours! They would lay cutlery and pour wine 20mins after the last course and then it would be another 30mins before the next course was served. We had finished our wine pairings before food had arrived. The food was nice but not delicious - disappointing considering the price.

This was a special indulgent birthday lunch for 2.Our outside table had an amazing open view of the river but had protection from the wind and sun.We had the 8 course tasting menu, which was very expensive but was worth it for every delicious morsel! It had a definite seafood emphasis matching its waterfront location. We loved the incorporation of native Australian ingredients and distinctive flavours giving a modern Australian twist to the menu. Almost every course was such a taste sensation that we waited with thrilling anticipation for the next one! It was difficult to choose one stand out from such an outstanding menu overall. But, the Crab Katsu Schnitzel with bunya nut puree was a surprisingly original taste experience. We even had the optional oysters two ways as an entree and they were delicious with their natural sea liquor, side vinaigrette and caviar. Presentation was perfect from the tiniest flower to herb garnish.It was difficult to eat these artistic creations! Perhaps the final dessert course of banana bread with mandarin segments seemed somewhat ordinary after the previous offerings. But unexpectedly two tiny pieces of chocolate mud cake suddenly appeared and were eagerly devoured. Wait staff were attentive but unobtrusive and explained each course as it arrived. Hand made rustic style ceramic crockery in earthy tones complimented the table and food presentation. I have had a similar special birthday degustion dining experience in 2009 at Berowra Waters Inn. This restaurant is often raised in comparison with Cottage Point Inn. While this was a long time ago I enjoyed it very much.However I do remember that my male companions felt hungry afterwards! The current 8 course tasting menu at Cottage Point Inn provides sufficient variety and appropriate portion size to provide satiation satisfaction. I also believe the menu content is overall superior too. I have dined before at Cottage Point Inn.This was many years ago when the menu was optional a la carte or a set 3 course. The current tasting menu is far superior. Also improvements to the outdoor dining area, table arrangement and weather protection have enhanced the dining experience in such a magical riverside location. I thoroughly recommend dining at Cottage Point Inn.

The place had the most gorgeous view of the water although it was raining when we got there. We had an outdoor table and went with the set menu which was a great mix of flavours and textures. Service was a bit of a letdown especially since everything else was so lovely! PS: definitely worth wearing comfy shoes, as the walk down to the restaurant has a long feet of stairs and can be a bit uneven.

We had a birthday lunch here and it is a terrific spot - the food was interesting and delicious, and the service friendly and relaxed. It would be hard to find a better place on a sunny day! Highly recommended as a memorable experience.

**Update: I contacted the manager this morning by phone and as it happens, even though there were staff present and it looked like there were customers dining, they do not open for breakfast. Probably would have been good information to open with from the employee. Like "We are not currently open and do not open until 12 noon". But instead I was left frustrated and annoyed. Understandable now that I have all the information. I will amend my review to three stars as if there is no public jetty available then it would be a courtesy to allow boaters who wish to visit the community somewhere to alight, who knows, they might even stay for lunch? ⭐☆☆☆☆ Boaters Beware – Disappointing Experience at Cottage Point Inn Yesterday, I motor-sailed for over an hour down Cowan Creek specifically to visit Cottage Point Inn for coffee and hopefully breakfast. Wanting to support a local business rather than cook onboard, I approached the restaurant jetty, which was completely vacant at the time, and politely asked a staff member (who was setting tables) if I could tie up and come ashore as a paying customer. I was bluntly told no – that the jetty was “private” and could not be used. I explained again that I intended to purchase breakfast, but the answer was still no. When I asked if there was a public jetty nearby, I was told again no, other than a wharf where I could tie up but not leave my boat – completely useless for a meal stop. This is frustrating for those of us travelling by water who try to spend our money locally. Spencer was closed midweek, so I deliberately made the trip on a Saturday to support a well-rated establishment – only to be turned away. The hypocrisy is hard to ignore. The restaurant’s own website proudly shows a large luxury cruiser tied to the jetty, so clearly some boats are welcome – just not mine. Unless that’s the owner’s private yacht, the policy seems arbitrary and exclusionary. I understand there may be excuses – insurance, policies, or poor staff training – but good business sense and common courtesy should prevail. At the very least, the staff member could have consulted a manager before turning away a paying customer who had travelled a long way to dine there. Decisions like this don’t just hurt your business – they damage the perception and viability of small communities that rely on tourism and passing trade. The domino effect is real: one bad experience quickly becomes many lost customers. I will be ringing the establishment when I get the chance to highlight just how poor this service was and the broader impact it has. If you’re not going to use your jetty to welcome customers, then don’t have one – or at least state clearly on your website that it’s by prior arrangement, that a fee applies, or provide a valid reason why visiting boaters are turned away. Anything less is misleading and leaves a very poor impression.

Beautiful restaurant, interesting & stunningly presented food. Great location, watch out for spiders. Be warned though, NO HIGHCHAIRS & only 2 menu options for kids. Not a child oriented restaurant. Understandable for the location. Best menu item was Asparagus first course.

There was a special at Cottage Point Inn right before a friend from the States was coming to visit so I snatched up the opportunity to show her the beautiful Hawkesbury River FOOD Our deal involved a main, dessert and glass of wine. On arrival we were served a complimentary pumpkin soup served in the cutest little cup. This was followed by the salmon with squid ink pasta main and ended with the largest souffle I've ever seen. I'm not the biggest fan of cooked salmon but I thought this one was done rather well. Whilst the first few bites of the souffle were enjoyable by the time I hit the middle it was a bit of a sugar overdose and I wasn't able to finish it off. http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/XZyS0e-K6TT7IySh1Wid-Q?select=Y4dedCHGvQNQj6CHJ0fVlg http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/XZyS0e-K6TT7IySh1Wid-Q?select=fzN749_pd5KukxMp1rKe_Q http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/XZyS0e-K6TT7IySh1Wid-Q?select=ZdB96RhOwH77r6tjXJbm1g SERVICE The place was very busy for a Thursday lunch but the waitstaff all seem very experienced at handling a full restaurant. VERDICT The food was decent but the biggest draw card about this place is definitely the view as you are sitting right alongside the Hawkesbury River. There's not much at Cottage Point and so it's a very quaint and peaceful area perfect for sitting back with a glass of wine, enjoying the scenery and relaxing. There is also minimal mobile phone reception so you definitely feel like you've escaped from Sydney even though it's less than an hour away from the CBD.

When I first booked this restaurant they did ask whether we were arriving via sea plane or boat but I much prefer the drive, it's part of the experience. And it's not incredibly hard to get to, it's just windy roads, no lines on the roads, elevation and barely any street parking. You then walk down a steep pathway to the wharf and restaurant. Now the best time to come here is for lunch on a beautiful sunny day, if anything else don't even bother. The ambiance is to be enjoyed when you can actually see it well. Upon arrival we were seated inside but as the waiter described "the best thing about this restaurant is every table has a view". Which is the case, we had a view most definitely. The main server who took our order and recommended the only cocktail on menu made awkward conversation with us and tried to suss me out as a chef. We opted for the a la carte option as not everything appealed to us on the degustation menu. For starters we choose local grown mushrooms with roast hazelnut, shallots, coffee & brown butter sabayon and line caught snapper served raw (carpaccio style), persimmon vierge, finger lime & basil. My favourite was definitely the starter dishes, the snapper was delicious and my partner adored the mushrooms. They did serve small entrees including a bread basket before the starters, what I liked to call cheese balls and escargot sponge. For mains, we had New Zealand blue eye trevalla with confit young onion, sorrel purée, marjoram & clams and a wagyu dish I can't recall the name of. I wasn't completely sold on the fish, I had such high hopes though, but it was cooked more on the raw side. I didn't like any of the supplements, they didn't really suit the fish especially that purée. My partner enjoyed the wagyu the most, it was well medium. He was unimpressed by this latest trend we're seeing of waiters pouring the jus or finishing touches of mains at the table though, especially with shaky hands. Finish it in the kitchen or give the diner the choice. Unfortunately it was more downhill from there, to be honest I wish we had skipped desserts but we went ahead anyway. We ordered the Mont blanc tartlet with chestnut & rum cream, white chocolate ganache, buttermilk sorbet and an odd combination of chocolate & peas called "green" chocolate. My tartlet tasted raw and unfinished and that green chocolate combo..well let's just say that fusion was a complete disaster, a destroyer of taste buds and not in a good way. So after all that, only two dishes actually tasted nice and it was an entree and side of pommes dauphine. After that we'd had enough and were ready to leave. It turned out there was another surprise of chocolate honeycomb bits on sticks to be provided but we were already at the register trying to pay so we could leave. The service was very slow and initially attentive at the start but then the main server pretty much disappeared after that and then as we were ready to pay, we had to wait for him to finish up chatting up other guests as it seems no-one was allowed and/or too afraid to serve us our check except the first waiter who took our order was ready to attend to us and then they still expected a tip. The real point of coming here is novelty of the views and secluded location. After that worn off, it was simply over priced, unremarkable food & service and long drive home. Definitely could get much better elsewhere for the same novelty experience. I was unimpressed and not likely to return.

We had a Sunday lunch at Cottage Point Inn. The restaurant is nice with a lovely view on the waterfront. Regarding the food, it was nice and definitely what you could expect. 'Le poisson cru' and the market fish were both good, the 'green' chocolate was surprising and really delicious. Regarding the service, it was far too slow as the meal lasted 3 hours. This is definitely something they have to improve.

A birthday celebration. The view is spectacular! But parking on the road is a bit difficult. Of coz one can arrive in style on a waterplane from Sydney Harbour. We were provided w a semiset gazpacho w basil oil, really refreshing. Then scampi (special of the day), also v tasty. Veal tartare seasoned w oyster n lemon dressing, cucumber n tarragon, caper cracker was a dish that I would go back for. Creamy goats curd, cauliflower couscous, stringy bark honey, mint n coriander was a bit too strong. We ordered butter poached market fish (i cant remember the fish), lemon, capers n kale, pan fried gnocchi, clam beurre blanc. This was the best dish of the day. The fish was perfectly cooked n tender, and all the flavours just worked perfectly! The grilled wagyu rump cap, shaved foie gras, marinated brown mushroom, roast onion n lemon puree, blackberries was a true disappointment. The steak was too rare, really just lightly seared, so it was really a bit chewy. Then we had a complimentary choco n coconut dessert. The sourdough bread n lemon butter was also wonderful. Problem is with the really nice and relaxing envoirnment, we cant drink as we do have to drive back a windy road.

The drive is part of the journey, d'uh - deep. No wait, hear me out. It is !.. through the bush on a dark evening, having spent the day at the beach, the better drive is from the Northern Beaches. Its a bit eerie and its an effort to remember you're still in Sydney, and to stay on the black stuff. OK, so you* arrive (hopefully) at Cottage Point, park near the old Windybank pile, (the original building at CP - still impressive) walk down the old sandstone steps with Keeno who, happily, is not displaying any Pavlovian response to the prospect of Scallops. You are channeled along a walkway by Cowan Creek that is up there with the runway at Rockpool. You** are on the water. All is utterly peaceful and serene. The night is still, a candle barely flickers, and then a beautiful seafood meal is served by friendly experienced waiters who are well used to the glazed happy delirium on your...my face. Its just perfect. Nothing could possibly top this! ..and then a full moon rises over the water. I urge you to try and book on a full moon but note these are very popular nights. It is, to be serious, otherworldly. *well actually you didn't - but I did. ** me again, sorry - my bad

This was simply one of the best dining experiences I have encountered; from the food, the wine, the service and the view, my friends and I were blown away. Nothing compares to the overall experience as a long lunch at the cottage point inn on a sunny day. Extra rockstar points if you turn up in a boat, or a seaplane!

Went there yesterday for lunch, haven't been for a few years and must admit was a little disappointed. As always the location was magnificent but this time I found the service was slow and inattentive. The menu choice was extremely limited and not what I would expect of a restaurant of this calibre. Will not be rushing back