Rustica Canteen

Food was good, unfortunately my partner got food poisoning from the rustica pizza there. I’ve come here a few times while I’ve been pregnant so be careful. Chilli mussels tasted good but they were also half cold and half crazy hot.

Wouldnt return.
Lovely location and plenty of room for lunch for 2 on a weekday.
Shabby decor - holes & tape on seats.
Limited options for a savory snack (e.g. No small bowls of chips) - only meals or cakes/biscuits, so I didn't order a meal.
My father's $24 BLT was bland. My small milkshake wasn't great & Berry smoothie very watery. We spent $44.50 for one meal & 3 drinks.
Woman who took my order was unfriendly. She pointed out I'd only ordered 1 meal, but not in a helpful way. She was very abrupt & didn't offer me a receipt. When I got back to my table I worked out she'd overcharged me. While waiting to correct this I overheard how much more helpful she was to a person with a larger order: she told them to help themselves to a bottle of water & glasses from the fridge - info she didn't share with me.
Had to laugh when we left - I had a big piece of tape from their couch stuck to my shoe!

Our family had a great breakfast here and the kids are raving about when they can come back for some fluffy pancakes!

Went there a few weeks ago for brunch and both our meals were really tasty and good portions - will definitely go back mainly because of the friendly, welcoming service. The young girl with blonde hair and glasses that served us with a huge smile was a refreshing change from the surly, uninterested teens that work many cafes these days.

Had bacon and eggs. Asked for easy over fried eggs and no toast. Arrived sunny side up and toast. Quickly fixed - thanks. Coffee’s arrived few minutes after meal. Wife had the chilli scrambled eggs and said they were really good.

I ordered a cappuccino with Soy milk. Understand the exorbitant extra for Soy but another $1 for a mug is highway robbery- will I ever be back - NOT LIKELY!
When are we all going to protest for the extra cost for soy!

Went on a Sunday just before noon and would recommend. Nice outdoor and indoor seating. We had the Italian baked eggs, the Savoury waffles (added chicken), coffee, and a fresh juice and found everything to be really good. I can definitely see us returning. The staff were all friendly and helpful, although the lady at the counter taking orders could be a bit more friendly. The baked eggs could use the option to make it spicey or add coriander to make it delicious. We made a booking and requested outdoors but they had it indoors, but helped us find a table outdoors. Service was quick and we left happy.

The salt and pepper squid is rubbish. Tiny pieces of batter with tiny hard bits of squid inside. Looked like the dregs of the deep fryer basket.

Popped in here for coffee on Anzac Day and it was very busy. Decided to she a toasted ham and cheese on some in house made bread. At $14 plus 15% surcharge a bit pricey for what we got to be honest. We both had flat white coffees that were not very nice. We had to sugar them to make them drinkable, and we never have sugar. They must be doing something right judging by the number of customers and the breakfast on the table nearby looked nice so I am sure some things on the menu are good.

Best plates in Hillaries big, savoury taste decorated. Best Cheffs and STAFF. Close to sea and good atmosphere. 100% recommended

Had dinner (Fish & Chips) with salad side but was disappointed with what I received! The Fish was in two small pieces but was cooked well but the chips were a bit on the overdone side as the fork would not pierce the chips! The salad left a lot to be desired as it was two cherry tomatoes cut in half, one or two very small pieces of onion with a huge pile of lettuce leaves drizzled in oil! Need to make the salad an actual salad! Left most of it on the plate and would have expected better for the $28 I paid! Could have bought this from the local Fish & Chip shop for around 12 bucks!

We got the seafood platter for two, wasn’t great. Most of the chilli mussels had not meat in the and half the dish was cold. King prawns under cooked. Not many chips. Very poor value for money.
Service was ok

We had a big family gathering on a Friday morning for breakfast, 7 of us. The staff were friendly and accommodating. We had a nice big table and ordered coffees that arrived nice and quick. The coffee was very good. Food came soon after and it was amazing, really good portion sizes and value for money. The smashed avo was excellent and the Italian baked eggs were really good too. Well done. We will definitely be back!

I ordered the 8 XL grilled prawns $35. Visiting from Melbourne this restaurant by all appearances looked like the spot to be. However the ambience was glum at best. A minor issue I was given 7 prawns which is no biggie it was still tasty but was a little disappointed when I raised this issue with the staff as I was giving feedback not complaining, I was merely bringing it up so it wasn’t overlooked again. I felt like it was an annoyance. I was offered another prawn but declined as my partner was ready to go home.

We had the seafood platter. Overpriced for what we got. The prawns, calamari and octopus overcooked. Very disappointing.

Fantastic lunch. We would recommend the seafood platter and the seafood stew, fresh and flavoursome, and very generous portions! The staff are also all lovely. We would highly recommend.

Most expensive microwaved meal I’ve ever had.
Not sure if the owners have changed hands but this experience was horrible.
1. My wife’s drink came out in a broken glass with bits of glass literally coming away from the lip in my fingers.
2. The scotch fillet tasted extremely plain and there is no option for sauce or gravy on the menu at all.
3. The menu states that the scotch fillet comes with roasted potatoes, charred broccolini, onion rings and salsa verde.roasted potatoes were microwaved and soggy, the broccolini was steamed not charred and the salsa verde was actually pesto. (my wife is anaphylactic to nuts)
When it came out, I advised the guy that my wife is allergic and his words were “it does state that on the menu” I had to correct him and educate him that salsa verde translates to green salsa not pesto.traditional salsa verde does not contain nuts.
4. Our guests paid extra to have truffle mash potatoes but instead got microwaved potatoes.
5. When the waiter came out with the steaks, he didn’t even know which one was which because he didn’t know how they were cooked.

I’ll be honest. If I didn’t have to pre pay at the counter, I would’ve just walked out and gone elsewhere.
Worst $94 I’ve ever spent

We had pizza and enjoyed overlooking the water at Hillaries Boat Harbour and the activities all around us. Not a lot of people there last night, so easy to get a car park.

Waited more than an hour for my husband’s birthday dinner
Patrons that arrived after us had their food before us.

Only giving 2 stars for the 2 nice ladies who served us sometimes, food was very over priced, no truffle oil in the mash with the barramundi which was way overcooked and burger looked very basic for being almost $30.
Can't see the reasoning behind the Pricing
We'll never go back there again.