Islander’s Tavern is a restaurant and a tavern all rolled into one. Located near the Marina, this modern bistro’s menu covers almost all of your favourite pub meals and is open for both lunch and dinner.
We dined at Islander’s Tavern after working up a sweat visiting the mighty Murray river mouth and then exploring the Coorong national park on a beautiful sunny day. Though we had initially planned on having a quick bite from a place overlooking the national park (which came up on my search feed while I was researching for this trip), this cafe was nowhere to be found. Apparently, this makeshift cafe is closed during the winter months! After checking around, we finally decided to heed our friendly Samaritan’s advice and that’s how we ended up at Islander’s Tavern!,
The first thing you notice when you walk up to this restaurant is the breathtaking view it offers, that too from every single corner. The views are so amazing, you can spend a whole day here just watching the boats on the marina gently swaying to the wind. This place literally grows on you every minute!
As far as seating goes, you can either opt for a pretty spot near the fireplace or on The Landing which overlooks the harbour at Aggie Creek. This place was crowded on a Friday afternoon and it did take some time for our order to be served. The children opted for Schnitzel and Chips from the Kid’s menu while we chose Coopers Ale battered Fish and Chips. The fish was fresh (and yeah, being brought up on an island makes me a finicky person when it comes to fish)and beautifully crumbed. The kid’s portions were quite seizeable too with the little one struggling to finish her Schnitzel towards the end.
Service was top notch with the lady serving us checking on us in between to make sure we had everything. By the time we had finished lunch, all four of us were of the opinion that if the cafe we had planned on was open, we would have missed this lovely spot!
Overall, Islander’s Tavern has a rustic charm to it. The spectacular views of the creek and the marina along with the lovely pub fare one offer makes this a place that should be on your list whenever you are in this part of Goolwa! And what’s more, if you have a four legged friend tagging along, he or she is welcome here too!
Islander’s Tavern
Address: Tolarno Driver, Hindmarsh Island, SA 5214
Phone: +61 885551122
Cuisine: International
