Estate Coogee

The Verdict

Big things are happening in Coogee. From multi-level Euro-inspired wine bars to beachfront restaurants plating up black abalone skewers, this suburb is riding a big hospitality wave to mark the start of a whole new foodie era.

The latest is Estate Coogee, a three-in-one mega venue hidden inside the Coogee Crowne Plaza. Dreamt up by chef slash creative director Matthew Butcher (who has worked alongside Gordon Ramsay) Estate is a spot to waltz in fresh off the beach for a casual meal, don your sickest get-up and spoil your taste buds with some seriously fancy seafood-fare or go a little crazy at a Mexican taqueria churning out dirty and delicious tacos, just the way we like them.

Essentially, Estate Coogee is split into three venues: the Kitchen, Taqueria and Terrace. And should you get to hit all these micro hotspots in the one day, you’re in for an East Coast meets West Coast mesh of Northern California and The Hamptons, all within walking distance from the heritage-listed Wylie’s Baths, a longstanding ode to Australia’s rich beach culture and ocean history.

Terrace is an outdoor, no-frills kind of space preaching bar snacks and local brews served straight out of a vintage airstream trailer. Here, waffle fries, prawn cocktails, crab tea sandwiches and lobster rolls reign supreme.

At Kitchen, you’ll find nothing less than one of the best vantage points of Coogee Beach and pretty spectacular food to match. There’s a part of the menu headlined with “Delicacies” and under this, you’ll see a line-up of whipped trout, oysters with candied red chili and cornbread dressed in tarragon and spanner crab. Big plates include classics like grilled Murray Cod, wagyu, Moreton Bay bugs and pork belly with salsa verde.

On the drinks side of things at Kitchen, pretty much anything is possible. You can go for gold with tap beer, ciders, beach-inspired cocktails, Italian aperitivo, kombucha liqueurs or even try your luck with a $300 bottle of Cab Sav from Chile.

And if you see a flicker of neon and a flash of colour, that’s your entry point to a whole new generation of Mexican cantinas. Estate’s Taqueria sports easy eats and drinks which means you’ll waste no time ordering up a few epic chorizo tacos (or you know, four for $20 because you’re a deal-fiend), staple nacho mix and a “Spicy Flamingo” cocktail packed with tequila, watermelon juice and agave syrup. And yes, you absolutely, most definitely need to make use of the private karaoke room.

Image credit: Estate