Rick Stein at Coogee Beach has opened The Terrace, a new outdoor dining space set above Arden Street with views over Coogee Beach. The alfresco addition brings a relaxed, walk-in dining experience to the venue, with shared tables seating 90 guests beneath umbrellas.
The Terrace is open Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm to 5pm, through September (weather permitting), expanding to Friday to Sunday service from October, when weekend live music sessions will also be introduced on Saturday afternoons. The Terrace will be open 7 days throughout summer.
The menu leans into the same seafood-driven approach as the main restaurant, staying true to Rick’s philosophy of simple food, done well, though the offer here is more relaxed than indoors. For starters, guests can expect freshly shucked Sydney Rock oysters, prawns on ice with Marie Rose sauce, a sashimi selection of salmon, kingfish, tuna and scallops, tempura scallops and crumbed abalone. Highlights from the larger plates include: calamari and chips; Coogee fish burger; Rick’s fish and chips to share; and a minute steak with Café de Paris butter. Rick’s famous beef dripping chips are also available as a side, with curry sauce for dipping.
The drinks programme is the major drawcard on The Terrace, built for weekend lunches that drift through golden hour and into the evening. Spritzes lead the list, with Aperol, Campari and Limoncello all on offer, alongside a run of classic and signature cocktails spanning red and white sangria, a paloma, coconut margarita, mandarin gimlet, Lark whisky sour, yuzu 75 and clear colada. For guests opting out of alcohol, a small zero-alc cocktail list includes a rhubarb spritz and a blood & sand (Four Pillars Bloody Bandwagon, ginger, citrus).
The wine list runs from Taittinger and Veuve Clicquot champagne by the glass to a tight selection of wines available by the glass or bottle, spanning sparkling, whites, rosé and chilled red. The list includes the Brokenwood “Rick Stein” semillon blend and the Rick Stein white burgundy. Beers are available on tap.
A weekend happy hour from 2pm to 4pm offers discounted schooners and cocktails; Hahn Super Dry and Stone & Wood will be available for $10, with house white, rosé and red at $9. Highballs, house spritzes and sangria will be $15 and under.
“For The Terrace, we wanted to keep it simple: good seafood, done well, like inside, but more relaxed,” says Colin Chun, head chef at Rick Stein at Coogee Beach. “Oysters, prawns, something off the grill, a spritz in your hand and the beach right there. No bookings. You just come, sit down, enjoy the afternoon.”
The Terrace at Rick Stein Coogee Beach is located at 242 Arden Street, Coogee, and is now open for spring and summer alfresco dining and easy weekend drinking. There are no reservations and no minimum spend.
