After a LONG drive through Victoria's Great Ocean Road, we needed some food - like whoa. These small ocean towns are not known for staying open late, and Austrailia doesn't have a strong Yelp scene - so we thought we'd gamble on Pippies before hitting the local Mackers if it was closed. As we walked up, we could smell the bay from the steps. It immediately put us in a seafood kinda mood. The menu was diverse and they had the local flare. Stepping in, we asked the server if they were closed -- and alas -- she told us that they had just closed for the night. Well, we were disappointed. As we were walking away, the manager ran out the door and said "please come in! We'll stay open for you!!" It was music to our ears! I ordered a glass of local white wine and my husband had a locally brewed beer. The prices for alcohol are determined by taxes, so they don't control them. Also keep in mind that they pay their servers a livable wage, so the costs of restaurant food reflects that. This was definitely a "higher end" establishment though with mains starting at around $20. The restaurant is nicely appointed and modern, very clean. There's a gift shop next door that looked nice, although closed after 8 pm. They're situated right on the bay and it would be an incredible view during daylight. We first ordered the abalone for the appetizer (entree). I ordered the seafood plate and my husband ordered the scotch filet. The seafood was incredibly fresh -- and I got to try a yabbie!! Lots of large prawns, scallops, calamari. The fish and chips were fresh and juicy. The filet was cooked to perfection. We had another glass of wine and chatted with the waitress for a while. Then, headed off to our campsite with our bellies full. read more

Cocktail choices are amazing here! Pippies is locally owned and operated. They feature local products in their modern Australian dishes. My insides get excited when I go to those locally owned places who use fresh and local produce. We booked the Flagstaff Hill dinner and show so the dinner was included in our ticket. The views from Pippies are breathtaking and the decor inside is clean, crisp and very modern. I ordered the gnocchi as an entree which took a while to come out and was a bit chewy. But the main was delicious. A good size for me but someone else might need sides or a dinner partner who will share their leftovers (probably one of the contributing reasons to why my partner stays around and takes me out to dinner). Unfortunately only thing letting this place down was the chewy gnocchi. read more

Pippies by the Bay - My cocktail which I had half consumed before I remembered to take a picture. - Seafood Near Me - Warrnambool, VIC

Good location up on the hill overlooking the bay. The food was ok but not outstanding and whilst the service was friendly it wasn't very good; it was very hard to get anyone's attention when you needed it and our drinks orders would either get forgotten or come out twice. read more