"The food was ok, small taster portions a bit pretentious and a long way from Michelin though. The wines were poorly matched and disappointing. Particularly the oversweet syrup Ximenez. What a shame when we have such good fortifieds in Oz."
Wow, the first place we tried was booked and so we stumbled onto Walter's Lounge -- how lucky were we!! The food was sharing-plates-style... perfect format for the wide variety of food-stuffs and intensely flavored dishes we had... everything was fantastic from the seafood items to the meats / chicken dishes, and the veggie items... importantly the wine list was eclectic but frankly the nicest bottles that I have had since being in Aussie (from the US)... CellarTracker.com ratings on these bottles -- with which I had no previous experience -- confirmed that this wine list was the best we have seen thus far, and to boot the waiter (Beck) knew the list like the back of her hand... I expressed...
Have been to Airlie on numerous occasions and was looking for something special. Walters Lounge definitely lived up to that. We had the 6 course tasting menu with matching wines. I think the wine matching was spot on with each dish. The wait staff made you feel relaxed with there no fuss attitude which we thoroughly enjoyed. The explanations of each course and wine were exactly as descibed and we want to say the menu has been put together with great thought and clarity. Each course followed the other perfectly.The price reflected the overall experience. Location and view is great and I would recommend this restaurant and will be back again.
After reading all the glowing reviews we decided to give it a go. We opted for a six course degustation menu. If you are not a big eater, choose the one with five dishes. My husband also had an optional wine selection to complement the dishes. Food was nice for the most part, the dessert had too much sugar though, it kept me awake afterwards till two in the morning! Four out of six wines were a nice match, two were not. Overall, nice meal, friendly staff but I felt it was a bit overpriced. I cannot see myself revisiting the restaurant.
Walter. He's not boring as in the Kink's song. The chef here is fantastic. Not boring at all. Not in the least. The food is delicious in every way. The combinations of flavours well suit every dish tried. Tapas sharing plates come out evenly spaced. Have a seat. While away a lazy Sunday afternoon while imaging yourself as owner of a luxury yacht. Having eaten at most places in Airlie Beach. This must be the best. According to this person on TripAdvisor. :) Love it. Will come again.
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We booked Walter's after seeing its great reviews on Tripadvisor and the Australian Good Food Guide. Friendly and knowledgeable staff, efficient service. The menu has a fantastic concept of smaller plates of food to share, not like tapas though - proper meals. The chef's ideas are amazing, rethinking classic dishes and presenting them in delicious new ways. Our favourites were the Porcini Mushroom Risotto and Beef Cheeks. So good, we immediately booked to eat there again!
Great location and great service. We understand what tapas or "small plates" are, so we knew what to expect. The plates were exquisite, with great pairings of flavors. Our 7 year old son even commented how great it was. The waitress, Beck, was awesome as well - so personable yet professional, with a great knowledge of the dishes. We were so impressed that we returned a second night. If you are in the area - stop by - its a definite must!
Walters Lounge was a great find and is highly recommended...don't let the conservative sounding name put you off ( there's a sad and touching story behind it )... the food/service and ambience is WORLD CLASS....and for the quality of food and service it's surprisingly reasonably priced. Now in our top ten world wide restaurant list. Tony and JulieP.s both the waiter and waitress were knowledgeable and friendly
We found Walter's on our last day in Airlie Beach and wish we had found it sooner. The food was what we had been searching for on our stay. Share plates of beautifully crafted, delicious morsels that were creative and reflective of a very talented chef. Bec is a fabulous host, friendly and professional and just what Airlie Beach needs. We wish you every success.
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We enjoyed a lovely night out at Walters Lounge and chose the 5 course degustation menu with wine pairings. Every course was superb and wine pairings were spot on. The waiting staff were lovely and personable. Would definitely recommend as a top class restaurant.
The food was ok, small taster portions a bit pretentious and a long way from Michelin though. The wines were poorly matched and disappointing. Particularly the oversweet syrup Ximenez. What a shame when we have such good fortifieds in Oz.
