Shutters

My father and I chose Shutters for my mother’s wake (celebration of life) which was held on Friday, 30th January 2026, and I’m so glad we did, as it turned out to be just perfect in every way! Our 3 course lunch was held in the “Terrace” which is the most elegant light-filled space with magnificent views overlooking Coogee Beach. It was the perfect setting for our gathering of 23 guests. From the first-class menu to the exceptional service we received from the friendly and attentive staff…it was a very pleasant experience, considering the sad occasion. Our family and friends couldn’t stop commenting on how much they enjoyed the delicious food and being in such a lovely venue. Some of our guests mentioned that they would love to come back here again some time to celebrate special occasions of their own. My mother would have absolutely loved that we chose this beautiful setting for her!

Arrived at midday without a reservation and were told 1pm we could have a table- we sat in bar area and waited 30mins for our drinks - it wasn’t busy in bar or restaurant at all. During that time we noticed restaurant was leas than 30% full so we asked if we could be seated and after a long wait we were seated. Should have left then as that should raise flags. It was very hot in the restaurant and found out the air wasn’t working well but only 1 window could open. The entrees were all lovely. We had to get up to find a waitress to ask for water. No one in sight!!! Then asked them to pour us wine. When you pay $75 for a wine in an Intercontinental you expect it to be poured. Mains were ok. Not great - just ok but again no service. I took a photo of our table after we finished our mains and our wine which we then poured for ourselves as no waitstaff were in the restaurant at all to clear the table. Note the plates all stacked up and the empty upside down bottle. Looks like a table in a buffet restaurant not a restaurant charging big money. Note a waitress walking by and not looking at our table. I will add that at this point there was only 2 other groups in the restaurant at this time but she just wasn’t doing her job. Again I had to get up to ask for dessert menu. Desserts were lovely but at $152 per head total - we didn’t get value. Then I had to get up to ask for the bill and order coffees. Walked over to bar to do that as no staff in restaurant area or kitchen area this time. Nice calming space near bar and restaurant would be nice if it wasn’t so hot. Staff all the way to top need training.

So much potential as the restaurant looks great but a huge disappointment. We dined here for a birthday and to say it was ruined is an understatement. We should’ve known from the time taken to acknowledge and seat us that the service was going to be unjustifiably poor. Over 30 minutes to receive drinks after ordering and we had to go to the bar ourselves to order more because the waitress wasn’t attending to us. Food was average, lamb was overcooked and we had to wait over an hour for mains after our starters were cleared. We were offered complimentary drinks to make up for the lack of service and it was no surprise we never received them. Hard to comprehend how poor the service was considering how empty the restaurant was. We tried to take matters up with the Manager who couldn’t have cared less and was even more dismissive.

Simply one of the best places for pastas! Shutters is our hot favourite not just for the food and the view but also for the lovely waiting staff! Would really help if they could add the classic Tiramisu on the menu. The pistachio one doesn’t live up to the standards.

Food was delicious. The Sri Lankan girl was a ray of sunshine. The view was awesome too. At the end of the meal things got quite slow but it was a 5 out 5 experience in general. Thanks.