REVIEWED BY DE GROOTS MEDIADee Why is prime location for restaurants to setup shop, which is perhaps why there are so many of them squeezed along this little strip on the beach foreshore. Deck 23 is one of the better choices, having won the Restaurant and Catering NSW award for Best Family Restaurant in 2005 and making the finals in 2006 and again this year. With upstairs and downstairs balcony seating and gorgeous views of the surfers bobbing up and down on the rolling waves in the distance, Deck 23 has that laid back Northern Beaches ambience. It also has live jazz, rock and acoustic guitar performances in the downstairs bar six nights a week. A great little all rounder, it is the only fully licenced bar on the strip.
The breakfast choices stay on the beaten track with the usual bacon and egg combos along with pancakes, French toast, fruit salad and granola. Similarly, the lunch and dinner menus list a string of cafe standards such as burgers, salads, nachos and Asian stir-fries downstairs, and the likes of Thai prawn salad and Black Angus rump steak upstairs. Despite a lack of originality, the food is cooked well and tastes good. That, plus the views and entertainment, makes this a reliable spot to return to.
Shelley Hepworth