28/05/2025
After nine wonderful years on Campbell Crescent, the time has come for us to say goodbye. Our final service at Yellowtail will be Saturday, June 14.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Whether you dined with us once or became a regular, every person who walked through our doors helped shape this little bistro into something truly special.
When I first arrived in Terrigal, I was searching for the right place to create something new — a small, relaxed restaurant with punchy, refined food, great wine, and personable service at a fair price. In 2015, Terrigal had its icons: ocean-view fine diners, casual cafés, and beachy favourites. But it was missing something in between — a city-vibes experience with global flavours, right by the coast.
That was the idea behind Yellowtail. No farmed salmon. No eye fillet with mash. Just vibrant, ingredient-driven dishes that were anything but expected. For the first five years, it was a labour of love — I cooked every dish myself, lead a tiny team, and poured everything into it. Local foodies embraced us, the reviews followed, and with them came high expectations. We were never trying to please everyone — just offer something genuine, bold, and unpretentious.
As we grew busier, I couldn’t do it all alone anymore. We expanded, brought on more staff, and worked towards finding someone to take over the kitchen. Then COVID hit. Through both lockdowns, we kept our team employed — delivering full menus, running banquet nights with video tutorials — doing whatever it took. It wasn’t easy, but our community showed up for us, and we’ll never forget that.
In the years since, our team has evolved and so has the town. We’ve always lead with a people-first philosophy — for our staff and our guests — but balancing quality, pricing, and wellbeing has become harder. Yellowtail isn’t the town’s shiny new thing anymore — and that’s okay. Terrigal’s food scene has grown beautifully. We tip our hats to the likes of Dimitri for reinventing the Cowrie, and Nico and Alex, who’ve brought fresh energy and flavour to the scene.
As for us? It’s time to evolve.
Many locals know we had plans for a new venue on Church Street, a modern Asian concept, with a venue designed by a top Melbourne firm. That dream dissolved when the developer went under — a costly and frustrating experience. Meanwhile, others stepped into the Asian-fusion space locally with great success.
So we pivoted.
After a long negotiation with Vesna, we took on The Haven Beach Café. It’s been a bumpy ride, but we’re nearly ready to welcome you to our new Spanish-inspired restaurant by the water — Amarilla. A more casual affair for a different time. Still heartfelt, still flavour-forward, but more accessible and more relaxed — and a place we’re proud to call home. If you’ve strolled the dog park or popped over for a peek at the Pelicans at the boat ramp lately, you might have noticed the old kiosk is undergoing a renovation. We can’t wait to share our upgraded space with you all.
And we’re bringing the Yellowtail heart with us - in the form of our brilliant team. Long-time chef Alastair, our front-of-house legends Fabiano, Andrew, and the ever-fabulous Lorraine (who’s practically part of the furniture by now!) - and the rest of our amazing, deeply valued team - are all coming along for the ride! 💛 These incredible humans have been the soul of Yellowtail, and I honestly couldn’t have done any of this without them. They’ve helped create the experience you’ve come to know and love, and they’ll bring the same warmth, care and excellence to Amarilla.
Thank you for your support over the past nine years. If you’ve got a Yellowtail gift voucher, we’d love for you to join us before our final service. If you can’t make it, don’t worry — we’ll sort out some thoughtful alternatives after we close.
You can follow our next chapter on Instagram and Facebook - find us at
https://www.facebook.com/share/19J3pozDYy/?mibextid=wwXIfr
With gratitude,
Scott
