Eating out at the Ramsgate Beach House is its own form of sightseeing. After being seated at our table some 3m from the sea, we see a storm rolling in over Sydney’s Botany Bay. There are flocks of seagulls and Airbus A380s taking to the sky. And a curtain of rain fraying the hem of a fractocumulus cloud as joggers and families hustle past. There’s even a few brave souls wading into the water for a wintry dip. 

Restaurateur George Klimis and his business partner Samar Osseiran made a successful bid for the commercial lease of this site – which is located on Crown Land – mid-Covid. Although supply chain disruptions delayed its opening by a year, the pair brought with them a loyal customer base: Klimis ran the muchloved Mezes in Novotel Sydney Brighton Beach for 20 years until its closure during Covid-19 and Osseiran was his front-of-house manager. 

Ramsgate Beach House is some 3km south as the crow flies from Mezes. And it seems word is out, judging by the queues that have been clamouring to get a table in the waterfront eatery since it opened in July. Ramsgate Beach House chef Petar Delic (ex-Sala, Gemelle, The Grounds of Alexandria) has leaned into the seaside location, tilting the focus of the menu to mod-Oz. The palette at Ramsgate Beach House looks to the sand, the sea and the sunshine (hello yellow-hued awning) for inspiration. And the team at Five Foot One Design have brought Klimis and Osseiran’s vision to life: to integrate with the coastal landscape and have a fresh, contemporary feel. 

There’s a lot to take in. But it’s a Sunday and we want this to be a lazy endeavour after the effort to cycle here along the shared pathway that snakes its way 10km from our home in Woolooware. The experience of lingering over lunch looking out over the blue-green sea was a triumph. We kept it simple and ordered a couple of glasses of rosé to start. When you’re sitting this close to the sea, the only choice should be seafood: after umming and aahing between the crab and prawn spaghettoni and beer-battered fish tacos we settle on the former and vow to return for the latter. 

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The fresh pasta is done to al dente perfection and comes in a rich, vibrant tomatoey sauce flecked with prawns and crab meat, herbs and garlic. The barramundi with crispy skin is also satisfying, served alongside curls of crunchy fennel remoulade spiked with coastal herbs, tarragon and lemon myrtle. My only beef with the salad on the side is that it had all the makings of a classic Greek salad, so felt lacking without a few cubes of salty feta. After a few months, the restaurant will open for dinner. Get in early and book a table. If you miss out, line up at the kiosk for coffee and a scoop of Gima’s award-winning gelato.

Related review: Lola’s in Bondi relaunches as Italian restaurant with a top Ragazzi chef at the helm