Images: Provided.
A brand-new coastal dining spot has opened on the Fleurieu Peninsula, serving everything from house-made pizzas and burgers to acai bowls, gnocchi and garlic prawns, all with an ocean view that is hard to beat.
Coast Side Kitchen officially opened on Thursday, August 20, taking over the space formerly home to Blended Kitchen at the Port Elliot Surf Life Saving Club.
For owner Eliza Thorn, the opening is the culmination of years spent working in hospitality and a long-held dream of running her own venue.
“I’ve worked in hospo for 11 years,” she says.
“My parents used to own the Chicken Run on the main street of Port Elliot. It was very popular and I worked in there from when I was a kid, helping Mum and Dad cook chips and things like that,” she said.
“I loved it so much that I always wanted to own the Chicken Run.”
She followed that passion into hospitality as a teenager, she said.
“I started at the age of 15 and then became a manager at the Royal Family Hotel when I was 18. I ran that for a very long time and then went to childcare.”
Eliza had spent around seven months working front of house at Blended Kitchen before leaving the business to go back into childcare.
But when Blended Kitchen departed, Eliza saw an opportunity to create something of her own.
The view from the restaurant balcony.
Now, Coastside Kitchen is open to the public for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a “really nice, chilled vibe,” Eliza said.
“I remember back in the day when I worked at the Royal Family Hotel and all the locals knew everyone, the chefs included. That’s what we want here.”
That sense of community is central to the new venue, with Eliza hoping the kitchen becomes somewhere locals can walk into and immediately feel at home.
“We want the volunteers to know all the front-of-house staff and the chefs,” she says.
“You can come in without being looked at like, ‘Oh my gosh, who’s this?’ You feel like you’re part of the team.”
And while Coast Side Kitchen is capable of hosting weddings, wakes and more formal events, Eliza says the immediate focus is on creating an easy-going spot for everyday dining, with the menu designed for all demographics.
Coast Side Kitchen offers various breakfast, lunch, and dinner options.
“The chef has created a very nice menu,” she says. “It’s a bit more younger-generation friendly, and there’s vegan and gluten free options”
There’s fish and chips, salt and pepper squid, pizzas and burgers alongside garlic prawns, steak, gnocchi and salads.
“They’re all house-made pizzas and house-made burgers. Anything like the gnocchi is house-made as well,” Eliza said.
One of the biggest drawcards, however, is something that can’t be made in the kitchen.
Coastside Kitchen boasts sweeping views over the ocean, with Eliza calling it “the best view on the south coast”.
“We see the dolphins every day,” she says.
“There was a whale out there yesterday, actually, so it was wonderful.”
The venue is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with Thursday nights bringing an $18 pizza night. Sunday and Monday are dedicated to breakfast and lunch.
There’s also coffee, cakes and a bar operated by volunteers, adding to the community-focused feel Eliza is hoping to cultivate.
You also don’t need to be a surf club member to visit, however bookings are strongly encouraged while the brand-new team finds its feet.
Coast Side Kitchen
When: Coast Side Kitchen is open from 8am to 8pm Thursday to Saturday, and 8am to 4pm Sunday and Monday, with the venue is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Where: Level 1, 1 The Cutting, Port Elliot (inside the Port Elliot Surf Life Saving Club)
To find out more, click here.
