starfish cafe & bar

absolutely shook. first glance thisplacewas all right to me like any other cafe. me and my gf went in to order some food after a walk on the beach for a quick meal before we headed home but man. i looked at the prices and thought "oh yeah, food must be good here" we ordered the eggs benedict. she had the bacon and i had the salmon. to my surprise, the eggs benedict was average or just below. the cibatta bread was hard to cut into, the egg was too over done and the meals were just way too overpriced for their taste. the only thing i like though was their milkshake, i think it was the mango milkshake that made this a 2 star for me.

what a niceplacefor breakfast! would definitely recommend my friends and families to come here. the price isn’t too bad and the location is great. the staffs were welcoming and the menu list for brunch was decent.

good ambiance but pricey and the juices and smoothies are atrocious, especially for $9. wait can be long asplacepacks up in the weekend or on sunny days but overall a niceplacefor breakfast and brunch if you’re willing to spend a bit. personal favourite is the avo smash with bacon!

we were looking for something a little bit delightful with some nice seafood for a early evening meal in st clair. this appeared to fit the bill. it's not obvious when you enter but there is a dining area upstairs as well and this was a more inviting environment that the downstairs area so i was pleased.  

there were a number of times on the menu not available that evening - and i would rather food be fresh or not availably - but it limited choices and an inventive chef i though could have created a couple of substitutions as specials. the dish i wanted came with skinny fries so i was pleased when i asked if it could be replaced with thick cut fires (which were featured on another dish) that this was not a problem.

the food came quickly and was really well presented. i really wanted a sparkling water and was surprised that this time was not stocked.the wait staff were a little hit and miss but none of that would prevent me giving thisplaceanother go if we were in town.

thisplaceis hard to rate. i'd recommend coming here for brunch and they have a good selection of takeaway cabinet food. 4.5 for that sort of thing. we've had dinner here though and that was bland - seemingly tailored to not offend (low in heat/spice on things that need it like tacos for example).  much better places within 60 seconds walk to grab dinner.  also, beware of primetime brunch,placecan suffer from making too many coffees too fast (burntish).

i went to the starfish cafe with a friend for brunch on a sunny saturday. to say that theplacewas heaving would be an understatement but we managed to find a table inside by waiting a few minutes or so.

we both ordered the ‘famous’ starfish stack - i don’t know who or what made it famous but it was basically a large wedge of toasted bread with bacon, hash brown, a sweet chutney/relish, poached egg and hollandaise sauce. it was tasty but not spectacular.

we had two flat whites - lukewarm and pretty average.

the one thing that did stand out was their cheese rolls - lovely flavour and consistency but be warned, do not let the cheese touch your skin - it’s volcanic hot!

located right next to st clair beach, starfish is always bustling with energy! i have been here on numerous occasions, usually to get away from north dunedin, and love the bright beach vibes of this super café. it is somewhere that you can take your grandma for brunch or aplacethat you and a mate can go to for a quick coffee. something that i love is their "beetroot latte" & "tumeric latte"; how pretty, creative and tasty!! i have tried many of the dishes on their expansive menu and have never been disappointed. also, a special shout out for their beautiful interior. the only downside would be that it is on the pricier side of café food, however i do feel that it is really good quality food so is still worth it - @gastrogeeny

first time: we had breakfast early. was ok food, coffee ok, daughter liked her smoothie. niceplacethough we didnt feeel it was that clean on the day we were sitting outside.

second time: we had drinks and nibbles. great service. good price and the food was yum. the decor and relaxed ambience inside and out was very nice.

third time: came with the kids again for drinks and snacks. the service was consistent, helpful, attentive, and friendly. everything felt clean, the food was good.

fourth time: came for our first evening meal. again the service was excellent, not over bearing but friendly and helpful. asked if our meal was ok berfore we finished them. both of us had the grilled salmon and we both agree it is the nicest and most memorable meal we have had in a long time. beautifully cooked salmon with a delicious range of flavours and textures - was totally yum!

you will regularly find me at starfish cafe sipping on a coconut milk mochaccino.

theplaceis wonderful, cafe-styled food made with quality ingredients and customer service is great. the cafe is strategically placed in from to the beautiful st. claire beach.

recommend this to anyone and everyone who is passing by the greater dunedin area.

i use to buy hot drinks from thisplacequite a lot whenever i was around the esplanade. recently, i bought a delux hot chocolate and unfortunately there was nothing delux about it at all. i was expecting it to be grand. i won't buy it again, but whenever i'm at starfish i'll buy something else from their menu.

greatplaceto stop by, right next to the beach and easy to find carpark.
we ordered creamy fish and shrimp chowder and kumara bacon and spring onion cakes. they were both amazing.

great experience love it, will be back great views on a sunny day and st clair is a lovelyplaceto visit. kids loved the huge waves crashing on the beach opposite. visited st clair on a hot and sunny day and this beach is theplaceto be, star fish looks clean and tidy and appealing from the street front too

thisplaceis wonderful. have tried their seafood chowder and thought it one of the best i have ever tasted. we regularly eat out and have travelled extensively overseas - this chowder truly divine! recently my partner called in to buy some cheesecake to take home for a dessert treat for us, and wow! how delicious. we will certainly be recommending thisplaceto family and friends and our wider circle. a must do again.

i went for lunch a couple of weeks ago on a saturday.

i waited at the counter for nearly ten minutes while four staff members were standing there chatting.

when we finally got the attention of their staff we were told to go upstairs and they would bring the menus to us.

we went up stairs and found a table. we waited 25 minutes and didn't receive any menus or service. during this 25 minute wait their staff were in and out and they weren't very busy.

we walked out and went next door to salt where we were seated, had ordered, and had drinks in under five minutes.

i won't be going back or recommending thisplaceto anyone.

i must say, like our first visit to starfish; our second was not disappointing.

both the meal and the venue were enjoyable. the beef and the lamb shank were very tasty and the serving size was good; not too large. the venue was fantastic with a view out to st clair beach.

the staff should be commended. the waitress offered to refill our dips to compliment the last piece of bread left. this is something that is rarely offered at most cafes/restaurants nowadays.

this is not a five-star cuisine restaurant but if you're looking for aplaceto have a consistently enjoyable, reasonably priced meal at a decent, clean cafe, this is the place!

well done starfish. we will be back again for sure!