Rick Stein At Bannisters

Sweet, sweet Spring!

Kick off your evening with a taste of the sea at sunset – freshly shucked oysters and a glass of your favourite bubbles. Join us on our sunny terrace or by the fire in the lounge at Rick Stein at Bannisters By The Sea.
Wednesday to Sunday from 12.30-4.30pm. No bookings necessary.

Snapper en Papillote, from Ricks 'Seafood Odyssey', the snapper is cooked in a paper parcel along with tomatoes, lemon rind and bay leaf. So simple, so delicious.

Baby radish from Newcastle Greens, to be eaten whole! So fresh and delicious.

Glowing mornings in Mollymook

🍴 C H E F P R O F I L E 🍴 Chris was born and brought up in Colchester, England before emigrating with his family to Kiama, NSW in his early teens. Upon finishing high school, Chris returned to the UK to study Professional Cooking at Colchester Institute. Graduating in 2012 Chris returned to Australia and started at Rick Stein's restaurant in Mollymook the same year, and he's been with us ever since. We're incredibly lucky to have Chris as our Sous Chef, his experience and knowledge of Ricks cooking and recipes are second to none! .

Beautiful blue mackerel, pre-prep!
image - Schrederis photography

Wishing for sweet summer days, and dinner breaks with a view...

Dreaming of Spring and warmer weather and Friday lunch on the terrace!
image - CloudFace Photography

Head Chef Mitch and Sous Chef Chris hard at work researching the menu at Rick Stein at Port Stephens!

Last night we celebrated Rick Stein’s book Road to Mexico with a special dinner hosted by Rick & Sas and a menu of Mexican dishes from the book including a smoky and rich Carne con Chile and a floaty Vanilla & Lime Mousse with Mexican fruits and Margarita Granita - a cheer went up when Rick mentioned that granita! Looking forward to Rick’s cooking demos today with our guests #betteratbannisters

🍴 C H E F P R O F I L E 🍴 Mitchell grew up in Wollongong and after finishing school qualified as a chef at 21. At 25 Mitchell moved to Edinburgh, Scotland where he worked at then Michelin star restaurant Castle Terrace. On return from the UK in 2014, Mitch moved to Mollymook where his career with Rick Stein began as Sous Chef at Rick Stein at Bannisters before becoming Head Chef at the Rooftop Bar and Grill. He’s now set to open as Head Chef at Bannisters Port Stephens and we’re thrilled to have him on board. 📸 - @davidgriffen

Seared Hervey Bay Scallop Succotash - Pan seared scallops with crispy serrano ham, cream, sweet corn and chives. Delicious with a glass of something white!

Right now we’re all thinking of those living and working in this wide, brown, thirsty land who are suffering from the worst drought in many years. Bannisters Hotels will be donating $1 today and for the next week from every main meal served at Rick Stein at Bannisters by the Sea and The Rooftop Bar & Grill at Bannisters Pavilion to drought relief. We’ve chosen the Australian Red Cross as they have committed to give 100 per cent of every dollar donated to help farming families and communities. Photo credit: Josh Burkinshaw

For all of the chocolate lovers out there 😍

Bouillabaisse with Snapper, Blue Eye Trevalla, Mussels and Balmain Bug...
image - David Griffen Photography

We were a party of 4 who attended Rick Steins restaurant on Saturday night & we were all so disappointed. We had been to the restaurant about 12 months previously & Rick was in the restaurant that night & we really enjoyed it. The food was Amazing. Unfortunately this time the restaurant did not live up to the Rick Stein’s reputation. I had the fish vindaloo & I’m sure Rick himself would have been disappointed in that sauce, it was just tomatoes & cinnamon. The fish pie lacked a fresh seafood flavour. The dessert was great & the service was great, even though our comments were ignored by the kitchen staff. I really hope these comments filter through to Rick Stein, because he needs to know.

This is a difficult one to rate for me as I'm a big Rick Stein fan. The food was great, seafood was very fresh and cooked beautifully. Husband was disappointed by the fish pie, which I had to agree, the truffle was over powering for our particular taste. The service was very friendly and attentive enough. I felt it was reasonably priced, not to expensive. So nothing to complain about. However the whole experience just felt very underwhelming. I think I put it down to a lack of ambience or atmosphere. It just felt soulless. We would definitely return for the food and agree it's perfect for a casual long lazy lunch where you can appreciate the views, but I would lower your expectations for an evening dining experience.

Just fantastic. Cool. Calm. Collected. Substantial. Dubious but so happy with our experience.

Absolutely delicious! The staff were very nice and accommodating and the food was fantastic and all come out in a timely fashion.

Thanks guys😁

Fantastic food and superb service what more is there to say. A little more expensive than a local restaurant but what a difference in quality and service. Well done Rick we loved it.

The food here is exceptional, the staff tremendous and not to mention the service was exemplary. Nothing like an amazing meal to finish off a beautiful weekend in Mollymook. I'd highly recommend the snapper, the fried goat's cheese and the szechuan prawns. The food was delectable and completely fresh, the atmosphere was really quite nice as well it was relaxed and not stuffy, it was the kind of place you could bring your kids too without needing to dress up or feel out of place. I definitely recommend this place for Foodies and people who just honestly enjoy a good meal. I love that the menu was Seasonal, and that was evident by the way the menu is designed to pair entree to Mains and desserts I think all in all it was just a lovely night out at Bannisters and definitely an excellent place for a celebration, anniversary or birthday dinner

If you don't like seafood this will change you...For the better

Visited for lunch. Soft and relaxed atmosphere, staff were friendly and attentive. We had our 6 month old and everyone was very helpful making sure he was comfortable.
Food had good flavours (most with an Asian theme) although some dishes were not authentic (e.g. som tom salad with cashews instead of peanuts).
Star lost for value as the dishes could have been larger for the prices, but overall a nice experience.

No fuss, just good upmarket dining but with a coastal, laidback atmosphere. Great for a getaway

Food was very good , pricey though , glass of chandon wine $14 , beautiful views

We were a party of 4 who attended Rick Steins restaurant on Saturday night & we were all so disappointed. We had been to the restaurant about 12 months previously & Rick was in the restaurant that night & we really enjoyed it. The food was Amazing. Unfortunately this time the restaurant did not live up to the Rick Stein’s reputation. I had the fish vindaloo & I’m sure Rick himself would have been disappointed in that sauce, it was just tomatoes & cinnamon. The fish pie lacked a fresh seafood flavour. The dessert was great & the service was great, even though our comments were ignored by the kitchen staff. I really hope these comments filter through to Rick Stein, because he needs to know.