With its jetty views, white picket fence and house-baked sourdough, the weatherboard-clad Chillis Cottage is about as close to the ideal form of “nice place to eat oysters within two-hours’ drive of Sydney” we can think of.

Husband-and-wife team Cameron Cansdell and Hayley Hardcastle opened the all-rounder in early 2025 and the kitchen works with many of the Central Coast’s best farmers and suppliers.

Soy-seasoned yellowfin tuna is tiled over avocado and brightened with the tang of sliced sunrise lime; butterflied garfish are sympathetically charred and topped with a rough tomato and caper salsa; the rump camp is a great bit of steak, beefed up with a tumble of mushrooms and confident jus. But who amongst us can turn away a “pie of the day”?

Especially when it’s a bronzed oval of sturdy, butter-forward pastry housing a beef bourguignon-style braise of wagyu neck and served on vibrant mushy peas. Chillis is on track to be a nice place to eat oysters – and cinnamon scrolls, breakfast omelettes and gelato sundaes – for quite a few years to come.

Good to know: The couple also run Chillis Deli for a more casual breakfast and lunch at Ettalong’s time-warp Galleria.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.