The Nelson Bay region is renowned for its pristine waters, abundance of seafood, scenic national parks and picturesque walks. It also has a good range of restaurants with water views (such as
Little Beach Boathouse), friendly clubs (such as
Wests Nelson Bay), top cafes (such as
The Little Nel) and eateries which can be enjoyed by all ages (such as the
Seebreeze Hotel). If you love seafood, you will love that it is a specialty on every menu in town!
If you live locally or are visiting the area with kids, there are also a number of family-friendly pubs which particularly cater to children, so that parents and kids can relax and enjoy an afternoon at the pub. Sound good? Then keep reading to check out our family's favourites below. If you know of any more we haven't discovered, please leave a comment at the top of this article and share your picks. You can never have too many options!
Download Pirate Bob's Scavenger Hunt app for the kids at Murray's Brewery, Bobs Farm. Image: Original images from Murray's website and Facebook
is our favourite pub, as it is a rustic, modern pub that has a huge area for the kids to run around on the grass. It is located on
Nelson Bay Road on the way into the region, so every visitor to Nelson Bay drives past it on the way in, and out of the town. When you walk into the main beer garden area of the property, you realise how large the space is, with different areas to sit in the sun and shade. The beer is cold, the food is spicy and the kids love the pizzas, as well as the Kids Meals for just $10 - including a drink and ice-cream.
Before you get there, download the
Pirate Bob's Scavenger Hunt to keep the kids entertained. They often have face painting in the school holidays, family events for Mother's/ Father's Day and a huge Easter Egg Hunt each year. If you love pubs, you can't go past Murray's - the whole family loves it!
Murray's Brewery beer garden
The popularity of the Easter Egg Hunt at Murray's Brewery, Easter 2019
isn't exactly a "pub"
per se, however this family-friendly bar and restaurant complex caters for the kids - particularly on Sundays when they have free kids activities between 12pm - 2pm. School holidays is also a fun time for families, with free activities such as petting zoos, reptile shows, face painting and a disco set up in their inner courtyard. Stay for lunch upstairs at the
Kitchen & Patio, with wood-fired pizzas and a small
Kids Menu. This spacious club is located across the road from Shoal Bay, so you can then spend the afternoon playing on the beach. See
here for details.
Fun for kids every Sunday and each school holidays! Image: Original images from Shoal Bay Country Club website/ Facebook
Shoal Bay Country Club courtyard - where all the fun happens!
is located just outside the Salamander Square shopping centre and is popular with families due to its shaded outdoor area and colourful playground. This welcoming pub serves cold beer and has good pub grub, which will make you go back for more. The kids also love the meals, with kid's platters and a $10 Kids Menu, which includes a paddle pop. The playground is a winner with the kids and it was upgraded in June 2019, so now it is now even bigger! See
here for details.
Salamander Tavern - delicious food...
...with a new colourful playground! Image: Salamander Tavern Facebook
For more ideas on where to take the kids out for lunch or dinner, also check out the article
Where are the Best Clubs in Nelson Bay for Kids? Every club in town has a delicious bistro menu and a Kids Menu for the under 12's. If you visit
Soldiers Point Bowling Club and
Nelson Bay Golf Club, they also have playgrounds and activity books - which will put a smile on any child's face!
So where will you be going for lunch today? Please leave a comment at the top of this article if you went to any of these venues or if you found more pubs, to add to the list. As parents we all know -
if the kids are happy, everyone's happy - so enjoy your lunch this weekend!
Kids meals, activity books & indoor toddler playground at Nelson Bay Golf Club
