Where to eat out around Forster

Dining out at the best cafes and bistros.

Ok, we're calling it: the residents (and visitors) of Forster-Tuncurry are spoit for choice.

Australia’s love affair with Mediterranean food is balanced beautifully by its love of Asian foods from China, Japan, Thailand and more. Toss in our local seafood and some modern Mexican and you have Forster's delicious version of Modern Australian.

And aren’t we lucky… we can enjoy the best of all of it, right here by the shores of Wallis Lake.

Here’s just a few of our favourite eateries to try - for midweek, weekends or for something special - the next time you dine out in Forster and Tuncurry.

Anatolia Turkish

At the crossroad of Europe and the Middle East, Anatolia was the ancient name for modern-day Türkiye and its cuisine has been a happy favourite of Australians for years: Turkish pide, gozleme, Turkish bread, shish kebab, doner kebab, plus platefuls of other eastern Med dishes done with a Turkish twist.

Here you can eat like a sultan but always leave room for dessert with authentic Turkish coffee. Try a fragrant wobbly square of lokum (Turkish Delight) or housemade Persian saffron ice cream with spun sugar?

Dessert at Anatolia Turkish cuisine in Forster: Persian saffron icecream with spun sugar and Turkish Delights.

Beach Bums Cafe, Forster

A Forster favourite for good reasons: located absolute beachfront at Main Beach with unbeatable views, you can take your sandy toes (or bum) for breakfast and lunch here. The coffee, shakes, smoothies and frappes are all good too… Bondi eat your heart out!

Enjoy tasty early eats (try the mushroom bruschetta or berry hotcakes) or all-day gourmet toasties (try the Vegorama with haloumi or the Italian Job with pastrami). The salads fill a plate and the seafood basket will easily keep you satisfied until dinner. And isn't it time you introduced your kids to a spider?

Brunch by the beach at Beach Bums Cafe with a salad of warm potato, avocado and smoked salmon with dill cream.

Café Toscano, Forster

Part enchanted garden, part chic Parisian, with the rest being Italian sophistication, this Forster favourite is a delight for the eyes as well as the tastebuds.

Inspired by the cuisine of the Amalfi Coast, the menus offer the simple and traditional flavours of Tuscany. The bright brunch spread will brighten your smile all day long, the Tuscan fruit salad is a riot of delicious colour, while the twice cooked braised pork belly with rosemary and maple veal jus is darkly caramelised to perfection.

Brighten your smile with brunch from Cafe Toscano in Forster.

Mezza Eatery, Forster

Forster's latest addition to world-travelling cuisine without leaving town is Mezza Eatery. Dine in the Parisian-themed bistro, get takeaway, or sit at the bar for a cocktail and delicious Middle Eastern-style tapas with delicious share plates.

Ever had a Middle Eastern breakfast? Give your tastebuds a real treat with the Persian breakfast, kafta pita or shamshuka.

For lunch and dinner there's a selection of share plates for a tapas experience, perfect for sitting at the bar. Or enjoy Mezza's signature dishes on larger plates: try the lamb kafta shish, harissa prawns risotto, falafel pita or sujak pita, just for starters.

Middle Easter cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner at Mezza Eatery.

Si Señorita, Forster

If you're looking for perfect cocktails in Forster then this is the place. Overlooking Wallis Lake, Si Señorita boasts stunning views and a busy bar vibe that’s perfect for lunch or dinner.

You’ll love their modern take on traditional Mexican food, using authentic and aromatic ingredients to match their cocktails of every colour. Try the scallops ceviche, jalapeno poppers, Cuban cauliflower tacos and achiote pork. And of course leave room for dessert: the housemade churros with vanilla ice cream with salted caramel or chilli chocolate could be your new favourite.

Gourmet tacos, tequila and sunsets? Not Cancun but Forster!

Modern Mexican cuisine on the shores of Wallis Lake at Si Senorita in Forster.

Spice Monkey, Forster

The original Asian fusion restaurant in Forster and still the best. Overlooking Wallis Lake, the delicious food here balances modern and traditional Asian cuisine.

The latest menu choices are simply stunning with snack plates that may tempt you to leave no room for the larger plates: sashimi (try the tuna on flatbread with truffle ponzu), nori rolls, nigari, prawn paddle pops and multi-national baos (spiced pork belly bao, Gangnam style prawn bao or try the crispy miso glazed eggplant bao). But always start with the house-made dumplings.

The larger plates offer more stopovers for your jetsetting tastebuds: Khao Soi (Thailand), Garaetteok (Korea) and Lechon Kawali (Philippines) just to land a few.

And the hot tip for dessert: the bitter chocolate tart that looks like a delicious piece of art.

Tuna sashimi flatbread with truffle ponzu, wasabi tobiko & jalapeño, only from Spice Monkey at Forster.

The Dragon’s Den, Forster

A selection of beautifully plated, Asian inspired street foods in yum cha style. The décor is stylish and the flavours are too, this is Asian tapas at its best.

Order several small plates to share: banh mi, gyozas, crispy prawn pancakes, Korean beef bulgogi, Filipino adobo… you’ll be wanting to try them all.

For a whole new flavour spin at yum cha try the honey soy cauliflower bites, the pop'n prawns coated with nutty creamy miso caramel sauce, or the crispy peach mango spring rolls as a sweet finale.

The Dragon's Den at Forster: famous for yum cha, famous for dumplings, but a whole lot more too.

The Sicilian, Forster

The southern Italian food here shows its influence from Greek, Persian and Spanish cuisine, all of which highlight the natural flavours of the fresh ingredients. You could easily be in Sicily except for that gorgeous view right out front is Forster’s Main Beach.

There are plenty of choices for traditional pasta and pizza, and you can even get surf and turf here. But do try the Sicilian green mussels with chorizo, the delicious risotto with either seafood or local mushrooms, or the seafood cacciucco.

Nonna's tip: taste-test the tiramisu, Italy's favourite dessert.

A true family feast, Italian-tyle, at The Sicilian in Forster.

Thirty Three Degrees, Tuncurry

With its unbeatable position on the Tuncurry side of Wallis Lake, our famous seafood takes centre stage here. This sophisticated restaurant is a dining destination and the ideal spot to taste the best oysters in the world: Sydney rock oysters grown just a few splashes away. There's nothing like freshly shucked for a salty-sweet-seaweedy-umami taste of the ocean!

It's hard to go past their selection of freshly shucked oysters and their signature cold seafood platter. Start with these and come back again to try more of their delicious menu items: tempura scallops and prawns, seafood chowder, spicy seafood hotpot, crispy skin snapper or spice crusted barramundi.

Mouthwatering bites from Thirty Three Degrees at Tuncurry: salt & pepper squid, arancini & Kilpatrick oysters.

Wharf Street, Forster

This is what we’ve been waiting for: a two-level gin distillery, restaurant and bar for lunch, dinner and cocktails in the heart of Forster!

Their multi award-winning gin is thrilling drinkers everywhere so you really should try a tasting paddle, just to decide yourself.

Meanwhile the seasonal menus offer modern Australian cuisine, with star players from all your favourite parts of the globe, you’ll find to hard to choose between the delicious offerings.

For lunch try the lamb Rendang in a flaky Malaysian roti, the pork belly ramen or miso eggplant bowl. For dinner try the seafood en papillote or the housemade gnocchi with mushrooms from award-winning local providore Mother Fungus.

Match some of the multi award-winning gins with delicious food at Wharf Street Forster.

More cafes in Forster and Tuncurry

The twin towns boast an expansive café culture that perfectly suits their Australian beachside location: casual eateries with great food from cuisines across the world. Try them all, you won’t be disappointed:

More restaurants and tasty takeaways

Sometimes you just need the right food, quick and easy, to eat on the run or in the park by the lake or beach: sandwiches, pies, fish & chips, pizza, burgers, or your favourite Chinese cuisine. Or maybe some good bistro food at the club is what you're after? Here are some more great choices around Forster and Tuncurry: