Cafe Balaena - Hervey Bay

Avoid this place. Within 20 mins of turning up we saw 4-5 tables all complaining about their food and service Long wait for food and even drinks (60 mins) Staff totally clueless serving (all are training according to the hostess) The hostess was rude and arguing back to guests Sat us at a dirty table Staff never took our plates away or offered us a second drink or asked if the food was ok Told there's no beer even on tap, only bottles/ cans We only went here as it's the only restaurant outside with a view over the harbor, but would not recommend

Dual birthday celebration ...cost effective, delicious food, great staff .....Happy Birthday serenade by the owner, a joyful evening spent by all.

If you are in Urangan Harbour and are looking for a decent place to get a coffee (or chai latté , food, or a drink, it is worth stopping by Café Balaena. The staff is mostly friendly, though occasionally orders do get mixed up or misplaced. If you are in a hurry, you may want also want to take into account that service can sometimes be somewhat slow. However, Dean is always enthusiastic and helpful. If you are looking to sit down and have a few drinks and dinner, this is a good spot to consider although it can get quite busy. There is a nice harbour view, and the familiarity of a small town community adds to the charm.

We stayed at the Mantra and Cafe Balaena is conveniently located right at the back of the accommodation. We enjoyed the foods there. We had crispy Seasoned Squid with Wasabi Mayo for entree '. The squid was fresh. Mayo sauce was ok. For the main, we went for the seafood of course. First dish we thought we would try the local Hervey Bay Whiting Fillets. It was just ok, to be honest. I think 4-5 pieces of fish at $25 and some side salad is rather dear. The salad was nothing special. I said ok because we could barely appreciate the fish for them being deep fried. The second dish we had The Ultimate Queenslander Barramundi . It was worth the value more than the first dish. Love having macadamia topping. The dish was somewhat soaked with the sauce but it went down alright. We went back again on Tuesday night as it is convenient at 9pm, as it showed on Yelp that they closed at 10pm). But they were closed : . We did not really have the chance to try anywhere else due to our busy schedule. The staff were very attentive and friendly.

When my husband and I came here it took 20 minutes for someone just to greet us at our table then another hour and half for our food. People who came in 30min. After us were getting our food before us and we ordered a chicken sandwich and salad with kangaroo. We both worked in the restaurant industry before so we normally give them the benefit of the doubt but that was ridiculous