Bellini's Restaurant and Bar

My husband and I decided to try out a restaurant on the Newcastle foreshore for the first time during our visit. There were many options to choose from, but we were drawn to one with a sign advertising a $25 meal deal that included a glass of wine. The food was delicious and the portions were generous. The restaurant had a nice view, a friendly waitress, and overall provided a pleasant dining experience. We would definitely recommend this place and would gladly return if we find ourselves in Newcastle again. - Nerilyn Aldridge

My husband made a reservation for us at this restaurant for Valentine's Day, but it turned out to be a very disappointing evening. it seemed like there were issues in the kitchen as it took over an hour for our main courses to arrive. We observed several other couples leaving because of the long wait for their food. When our meals finally came, they were very mediocre and almost inedible. My husband, who always finishes his meals, couldn't even finish his and we couldn't finish our dessert either. We have never complained at a restaurant before, but when we expressed our disappointment about the quality of the food, we were simply told "sorry" and still charged $80.00 each for our three courses. We will not be returning to this restaurant.

Had breakfast here on the long weekend in January. Great setting along the foreshore area. The waitress, while friendly enough, didn't bother writing down our order, so instead of a flat white with 3 shots, she brought a flat white with 3 sugars. So one of us was sitting there enjoying a coffee, while the other was waiting ..... Then there was a mix-up in our order. It went to the table next to us, but only one of the dishes was the same as ours. But instead of realizing that the WHOLE order was probably for another table (us!), the waitress left one of the dishes with that table and brought over the Eggs Benedict to us. It wasn't a very busy morning, with staff standing around, yet nobody seemed too concerned about the fact that only one of us had food in front of them. It was another 10 minutes before my husband's dish arrived, by which time my dish was nearly cold. A mumbled "sorry about that" when the food was put in front of him, does not really make up for slap-dash service. Not the best experience on a glorious morning.

I had breakfast at this restaurant and found the coffee and eggs Benedict to be satisfactory. However, the standout feature was the exceptional service provided by two young ladies who went above and beyond. Their service alone would be the reason I would return to this establishment.

My boyfriend and I ate here over the Christmas holidays. We had walked past quite a few restaurants along this strip and either didn't like the menu offers or were ignored by staff. This was the first restaurant that acknowledged us and were attentive to us from that point. The menu offers a combination of pizza, pasta and main meals like steak. My boyfriend ordered a pasta and I got a steak. Drinks ordered were delivered within moments of ordering and the meals came out at the same time, as you'd expect. Steak was cooked just right and the pasta portion was quite generous.The only thing I would fault is that as we were in front of the Maritime Museum and that there were firethrowers performing, which was great entertainment. However, as we were sitting in the front, we smelt the kerosene from the firesticks which was a bit offputting but eventually blew away. But don't let that put you off from trying this place - it's worth giving a go.