14 seaside restaurants in Robe to dine at now

Whether you’re after something casual, classic or cool, we’ve got the ultimate Robe restaurants list to keep you munching from breakfast to nightcap.

Super-fresh lobsters by the sea, a classic pub lunch in front of a roaring fire, or casual Mexican in a beer garden? Sure, you could spend hours frantically looking up Robe restaurants in a bid to find the finest place to eat in this picturesque seaside town, or you could take a look at our ultimate dining guide and make a booking pronto.

1. Caledonian Inn

Will it be a cosy fireside steak and a glass of red, or fish and chips and a light ale in the sun-dappled beer garden? At the Caledonian Inn, a historic English-style pub much loved for its hugely popular roast nights (every Wednesday night), the correct answer is ‘why not both?’. Whether you’re after burgers at lunch, or something more decadent for dinner, such as their signature schnitty and a platter of oysters, Caledonian Inn has a table for every occasion with live music nights and a solid kids’ menu to boot.

The Caledonian Inn is a historic English-style pub by the sea with a lively atmosphere. (Image: Mark Fitzpatrick)

Address: 1 Victoria Street; (08) 8768 2029

2. Mahalia Coffee House

You can smell the freshly roasted beans of Mahalia Coffee House long before you pull up outside, an invitation for the ages. Located in Robe’s industrial heartland a (very) short drive away from the main strip, this is the place to drop in to consume your body weight in coffee, buy bags of beans, coffee-making accessories, even a new coffee machine or settle in for one of the most decadent breakfasts going on the Limestone Coast. Fancy southern rock lobster on Turkish or blueberry waffles? Treat yourself – the folks don’t charge for that extra shot either.

Address: 2 Flint Street; (08)  8768 2778

3. Drift Cafe

Get in early to nab a place at Drift Cafe, an architecturally designed coastal space teeming with folks keen to get their hands on the cafe’s signature Mexican street corn fritters.

Drift Cafe creates a warm and inviting dining space with its coastal calm aesthetic. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Bring your laptop and – provided you don’t have to hold any Zoom meetings over the playlist featuring the likes of Nirvana and Radiohead – get a little work done, relax over a halloumi burger on the deck, or enjoy a picnic on the lawn. Here, it’s your breakfast or lunch experience, your way.

Mexican street corn fritters are the hero of the menu. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission)

Address: 3 Victoria Street; (08) 8768 1934

4. Sails at Robe

When you’re looking for something a little more upscale, it’s hard to go past Sails at Robe, a fine dining establishment celebrated for serving some of the freshest seafood on the Limestone Coast. Don’t let the ‘fine dining’ label put you off – Sails at Robe leans towards casual contemporary, whether you’re after an intimate dinner for two in its wine bar, or a seafood platter under the sun with a group of friends. Make sure to order the lobster thermidor, squid ink risotto and Peruvian-style ceviche. There’s a beverage list for every menu, and a little something for the kids, too.

Address: 2 Victoria Street; (08) 8768 1954

5. Robe Town Brewery

Welcome to the only wood-fired brewery in the country, a space where old-school, low-tech methods are utilised to make a vast range of beer, with at least 20 styles of brew – ranging from light sours to thick stouts – are on offer at any one time. Featuring a tap and a cellar door for tasting and takeaway, be sure to stop by Robe Town Brewery on live music nights (Friday) or Open Mic Days (the second Sunday of each month) when the venue is particularly pumping. While snacks and occasionally, the Loose Menu Food Truck, are available, BYO food is not only welcomed but encouraged.

The 20-plus range of brews range from light sours to thick stouts.

Address: 10 White Street; 0415 993 693

6. The Attic House

You have to admit that it’s hard to go past a quaint stone cottage with a white picket fence – particularly when the wind is biting and the fire is roaring inside. Happily, The Attic House might have that cool weather ambience in spades, but the family-owned espresso bar also backs up the aesthetics with a menu that runs the gamut from cakes and hot sticky buns (a popular choice with both locals and visitors) to healthy lunch. Nab an outdoor table in the sun if you can.

Address: 18 Victoria Street; (08) 8768 2938

7. Robe Ice Cream

It’s hard to miss the signage to this ice creamery – or the kids screaming with excitement the minute they clock it. Either way, why resist the urge to revisit your childhood? Robe Ice Cream isn’t just any old ice creamery, but makers of homemade premium gelato, serving up their sweet treats in a pet-friendly tropical oasis garden.

Robe Ice Cream churns out a delicious range of homemade premium gelato. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission/Adam Bruzzone)

Can’t decide between cookies and cream, bubble gum or any of your other classic flavours? You could always opt for a milkshake, donuts or go crazy digging through their vast range of confectionery.

Hot donuts, confectionery and milkshakes also feature in the menu. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission/Adam Bruzzone)

Address: 35 Victoria Street; (08) 8768 1812

8. The Pastry Place 

What’s a picturesque coastal town without a key bakery keeping the locals rolling in homemade gourmet pies, sausage rolls and pasties? The Pastry Place is the place to pop by for the basics (croissants to enjoy alongside your Sunday morning coffee, a pie to devour while you take a scenic drive), but don’t make the mistake of believing it’s like any other – unless of course you’re convinced everyone else is baking the likes of crayfish croissants. Do yourself a favour and say yes to a sweet treat too; The Pastry Place is just as celebrated for its cakes.

Address: 6 Union Street

9. Union Cafe

Why settle for a piece of toast when you can head to Union Cafe and order something a little more decadent such as a herb-crumbed eggplant harissa yoghurt, fried kale, asparagus, avocado with poached egg, or perhaps those buttermilk pancakes? This light-filled cafe is the place to be at breakfast or at lunch, just get your running shoes on any time the soup specials are announced – these crowd-pleasers are guaranteed to run out the door. Should you stay for the coffee and cake? Definitely. Both rank among the best in town.

Address: Shop 4, 17 – 19 Victoria Street; (08) 8768 2627

10. Hook and Harvest

There’s nothing like beachside living (even for just a few days) to make you question whether it’s time to live your healthiest life – or perhaps just step away from the cafes and pies for a little while. Hook and Harvest will help you achieve your goal, offering a solid range of protein shakes, refreshing acai bowls, salads and green juices as well as all that metabolism-burning coffee. For those keen to go the distance, you might even be swayed to join their run club.

Address: 21 Victoria Street

11. The Dock at Sky Seafoods

There’s eating seafood, and then there’s becoming personally invested in where your fresh seafood comes from. At The Dock at Sky Seafoods, the focus is firmly on the latter, the team offering regular factory tours of their lobster facility, and encouraging diners to select their own specimens from tanks to be cooked on premises for that perfect seafood platter onsite, or takeaway meal. It isn’t ALL about seafood of course; diners can also enjoy local wines and beers on tap, or shop for a range of locally made relishes and sauces to take home.

Address: 58 Robe Street; (08) 8768 2899

12. West Beach Cantina

Note: West Beach Cantina is temporary closed until the end of 2024.

Take a seat among the towering cacti surrounding West Beach Cantina’s beer garden and transport yourself to a Mexican getaway where the margaritas are iced and the burrito bowls plentiful. There’s two things you need to know about a meal at this popular eatery:  you’ll need to get in early to nab an outdoor table on a warm, sunny day, and you’ll need to put in your order for the Baja fish as quickly as possible – it’s one of their popular menu items for a reason. Nachos, burritos and fajitas consumed, there’s only one question left to ask: will you leave without buying West Beach Cantina merch? Probably not, but that’s all part of its charm.

Address: 30 – 32 Victoria Street

13. Robe Hotel

Sometimes you just need a charming pub serving all the classics and the Robe Hotel plays its role perfectly. One of the region’s oldest pubs (it first opened its doors in 1849) and located a stone’s throw from the beach, Robe Hotel achieves the near-impossible task of having something for everyone – even offering bark-cuterie boards for your four-legged dining companions.

Robe Hotel is a stone’s throw from the beach.

The home of towering burgers, premium steaks and a menu teeming with locally farmed produce, they also have local beers and ciders on tap as well as a wine list that features premium vino from around the globe. Kids eat free on Sundays.

The region’s oldest pub features multiple indoor and outdoor dining spaces. (Image: Kelsey Zafiridis Photography)

Address: 6 Mundy Terrace; (08) 8768 2077

14. Viet 21

Look away from the pasta and schnitzel specials; you’re here for Viet 21’s super-popular banh mi. A recent addition to Robe’s dining landscape, the casual eatery has quickly become the place to go for its authentic pho, vermicelli noodle bowls and rice paper rolls. Dine in or take away but don’t miss checking out the daily specials (or their winter melon tea if available).

Viet 21’s famous bahn mi platter.

Address: 21A Victoria Street