The Atlantic

Recently open fish and chippery is a great idea in the perfect location for it. The salt and pepper squid are fantastic, and so is the ‘potato cake’. I get that this is a low key fish and chip shop but the service was particularly poor, especially when I asked for cutlery (and napkin) and was given the harshest «what do you need cutlery for» look. I was then handed some wooden knife and fork and told «There take these pre-​made one, but they are normally for take aways» — Sure next time, I’ll wipe my sticky hands on your table and cut your massive potato cake with the side of my plate! Seriously.

We only had champagne and oysters and it was superb. It was expensive but you do get what you pay for here. I would defiantly return.

This was not a great experience.
The décor was elegant. The host who greeted us at the door was friendly and considerate. Our waitress was very attentive but the wine waitress used that sickly sweet polite tone that smacks of snobbishness and arrogance.
The food was average at best. My wife’s dish was mis-​described. It billed itself as zucchini spaghetti and sounded as if the zucchini had been shredded into spaghetti shapes but it was good old spaghetti with zucchini at the end of day.
The wine list is extensive but expensive.
But what really galled was the fact that they charged us $ 1.65 for paying by credit card!

If you’re a gambler, come to the Crown casino and restaurants! You never know if you get lucky! I have been here multiple times and each time the service and food are inconsistent. It must be the gambler in me… I can’t help but keep trying. Some days are great and the service is spot on and the food excellent! Other days the service is slow and the food can be a feast for your eyes, but your taste buds are disappointed.
If you want a good meal with good quality seafood from this restaurant here are a few tips. I suggest ordering the grilled fish. Remember that John Dory can be a strong tasting white fish so order accordingly. The sides are simple and good for sharing. The appetizers are generally good and you can have a nice meal by just eating appetizers since they are small plates. I suggest asking a lot of questions about the oysters before ordering because they are not the best when spawning. The desserts are generally good but avoid the strong flavors like basil and rose. The cocktails are always changing so try what you think looks good, but stick with wine and beer if you prefer consistency. They have a huge wine selection! I have had mostly good cocktails here, but at $ 20 you would hope it tastes good all of the time, but that’s not the case.
Regarding the service… I see this as a management issue. The staff has a high turnover rate so the consistency in service will suffer. They hire under-​trained waitstaff who may or may not have had the food you are about to eat. Sometimes asking them about recommendations can be challenging. If that happens order grilled fish … the quality of fish is consistent. On busy nights you may need to be assertive about getting what you need … it’s ok but do it with a smile and it will get done.
On our last visit we ordered the seafood platter. It’s the 2 tier platter on ice with sauces on the the bottom and seafood on the top. We had coffin bay oysters, cray fish, Alaska king crab legs, prawns and scallops with aioli and black salt. The quality was good and I appreciated the crab legs were already split and the cray fish tail was nicely cut for us. The oysters were cleaned but were not cut all the way through so they were still attached to their shells. We had to dig them out and ruptured a few of them. The dessert with poached peach and rose vanilla ice cream was good and bad. The rose was heavy handed in the ice cream and it tasted like soap. We removed that and only ate the poached peach which was was «delicious.»
As I said before, coming here is a crap shoot but I’m a gambler. I can’t recommend this place to people looking for a nice romantic restaurant for their anniversary (you want something different) … but it you’re walking by and are ok with the prices and want grilled fish and small plates with good wine/​beer/​cocktail… spin that roulette wheel!

It’s amazing high-​end experience for me and my friends, we are seafood lover and certainly this is the right place for us.
The environment of that place, the taste of food, everything’s perfect.

I was really excited to come here, I LOVE seafood and the atmosphere looked romantic and comfortable. We started at the bar where we had cocktails (meh too sweet), a bottle of wine (one of the best rieslings I’ve had and only $ 60 a bottle, recommended by the server) and a dozen oysters. Our server at the bar was fabulous. We headed out for dinner only to be given rude service next door, so we went back to Atlantic for dinner. We were lucky and got a nice table right away. Too bad the server in the dinning room was terrible, I have never seen or even heard of a server not giving a tasting of a bottle of wine before pouring it. She did this with both of our bottles. We ordered 3 appetizers: King Fish Carpaccio (awesome flavors and texture), seafood cocktail (mediocre), spring bay muscle broth (meh, not much flavor and 1 muscle, neither of us finished it). For mains we had the yellowfin and John Doyer (we had to ask for it to be deboned for us). So over all we were incredibly unimpressed with the dinning room and headed back to the bar after we couldn’t find our server (had our bill transferred) and went back to Johanna (server at the bar) who really made the night enjoyable and the reason I give it any stars. What was also surprising was that even after we left our table and had to ask for our bill to be transferred, no management came to ask if we were ok. I expected better service and quality, especially since we were looking for a nice long dinner.
Needless to say, I’d go back to the bar but would not recommend going there for dinner, far over priced for both the quality and service.

On this particular Tuesday evening in Melbourne my girlfriend and I decided to go to a «high» end restaurant at the casino. As we walked by all the nice places we decided on The Atlantic, what a mistake that was. As we entered we were told we have to wait at the bar whilst a table become available (we were happy with this as we never booked). The service at the bar was great, the gentleman across the bar acknowledged us quickly and gave us the cocktail and wine menus. We got our drinks soon enough and were seated near the window which we liked. This is where the good service stopped. After this we were just given another wine menu and food menu then left to sit there for at least 10 minutes before someone served us.
My girlfriend finally decided on the pork and was pretty keen to try it. As we told the waiter our order he politely told us he had to check that they had pork available and came back to say that they didn’t. I felt that this was terrible as this was a main course meal and my girlfriend quickly re-​choose another meal, not happy with her selection in the end. The meals arrived fairly quickly and what we got was decent enough however our sides we ordered of cheese and oysters were ignored, they never arrived and were not on the bill. The side we did receive was the chips, these were not up to par, having had better chips at KFC the day before.
I felt for the price we paid we should have received a better overall experience and personalised service. If your looking for a high end restaurant with excellent food and service I recommend you give this a miss.

Whilst I’m not a fan of seafood, the menu is varied and extensive enough for everyone to find something to satisfy.
Initial server was not overly pleased in her manner for some reason, almost like looking down her nose. We soon had a different server who was lovely.
I started with the Spring Vegetable Risotto for entrée. Fresh asparagus, peas and sugar snaps finished with shaved Parmesan. Perfect size for an entrée.
Others had oysters kilpatrick, or prawns. Everyone was happy with their choices.
Next up for main, honey smoked chicken for me and assorted seafood dishes for the others, and one opting for a steak which was apparently melt in your mouth. I was happy with my chicken, but let’s face it, who can stuff up a chicken dish. For sides we shared buttered zucchini topped with pine nuts and feta.
Too full for desert even though the menu looked delicious.

So we decided to choose this place over Rockpool so we could eat what sounded like a delicious seafood feast– not a good mistake to make.
The service here is impeccable, nothing bad can be said. However it pretty much stops there.
We ordered the seafood platter and it came out within minutes, seafood obviously pre-​cooked. Unfortunately the shellfish tasted like it was cooked the previous day. The shells were soft and rubbery and the meat tasted kind of pasty!!! Oysters were fine, but it’s just a raw oyster. For a platter worth over $ 200 I would expect nothing but incredibly fresh seafood– I have eaten $ 60 seafood platters that rate far higher then this.
I certainly would not recommend the platter to anyone!

One of the worst restaurants I have ever been to. The menu looked OK but the reality was different. My fish & chips was passable, but I have had much better take away at a third of the price. The seafood skewers were inedible & the accompanying salad just as dreadful. The service was pretty dreadful, too. The waiter was uninterested & never checked that things were alright. To top it off, he gave us a bill for one amount. I paid with cash. He then came back, after fussing around at the till & told me I hadn’t paid enough. Inside the bill folder was a totally different bill! We told him this & he maintained he didn’t know anything about it. If I could give negative stars I would. A truly awful restaurant.

When in Melbourne and «stuck» in the Casino (due to convention, etc.) there are only 2 choices for «high end» excellently crafted food: Rosetta for Italian (see my other review) and The Atlantic for seafood.
Always good, never a disappointment and some of the freshest seafood in Melbourne. If with others, do the whole dining experience, but if alone you can still partake at the bar with their full menu.
Try: Barramundi, Blue Eye (best I’ve ever had) or anything else «on the bone»
Good wine selection and superb service keeps me coming back!

The Crown Complex in Melbourne’s Southbank is the location of some of the best restaurants in Melbourne and indeed the country. I’m not sure if you will find a more concentrated hub of world class restaurants in the one spot.
This is great for the customer, it means that there are great restaurants all fighting for people to come in and chose their restaurant over another. They type of competition leads to great food and in some cases great offers.
I have been to the Atlantic a few times in my travels to Melbourne, it’s not one of my favourites, but it’s a great spot nonetheless. After visiting for a quick lunch during the week, I had a very limited time and only had time for a single course for lunch. When confronted with a menu that has a dozen interesting looking options, choosing only one is difficult!
My dining companion and I thought hard, but there was one item that stood out and it wasn’t on the menu. The special of crab risotto with mascarpone and a seafood oil was too good to pass on. Once the risotto was delivered, there was stunned silence as we dug into an amazing risotto. The flavours were amazing, with the subtle crab not being overpowered by the seafood oil or the marscapone.
It was unfortunate that we didn’t have time for dessert, the risotto had the effect of us wanting more delicious food from the Atlantic… Perhaps next time

It was one of the rare winter sunny days in Melbourne where you really just want to dine outside so I beckoned the epicurean emo and decided that we should have a long relaxing lunch at The Atlantic. Whenever I have mentioned this place to punters in conversation it would always illicit a very strong reaction and I really wanted to find out why.
As I had walked past The Atlantic multiple times as I would frequently use the Crown Casino as a thoroughfare to avoid inclimate weather, I would frequently stop outside of the restaurant and view the fish that they have on offer in the window. They advertise an oyster and champagne bar that is open late and of course «The Den» where one can drink if you feel obliged. Of all of the restaurants in The Crown that can suck you in just by looking pleasant and attractive, this one is it.
When I presented myself to the hostess, I stated that we did not have a reservation sadly and I hoped that she would accommodate us and assign us to the best table in the house. We were promptly seated in what I thought was one of the best places to sit outside. Service was quick to bring us some water (this is the first time I have ordered tap water on purpose at a restaurant as after buying a large supply of San Pelligrino at Costco the previous day, I decided that it is time to be a bit smarter with my spending) and also provide us with a hefty wine list.
I started off with an oyster from each of the regions that they had on the menu. It didn’t matter if the oyster was from Cloudy or Cowell Bay, it was plump and delectable. My favourite was what was on offer from Franklin Harbour though. The oysters that I had at The Atlantic are some of best that I have had in Melbourne since relocating here with the ones at Cumulus being a runner up. The Atlantic being primarily a seafood restaurant thus succeeded in providing a great seafood product.
The sense of bliss did not end with the oysters. I moved on to the «Trio of Crudo» and then followed it up with the Moreton Bay Bug Spaghettini. Both the cold and hot starters were delicious and being a seafood enthusiast, I wanted to keep hammering the options on both of these menus but I was also equally intrigued by the mains. One way that I judge service is by the way they handle my erratic dining. After I sit down and review the menu, I tend to order something like oysters and then annouce that I will order additional items later after some wine is consumed. This same routine is followed after every course. The one little thing that I detest is when service continually follows up and asks if you are ready to order something else especially when you haven’t received your outstanding dish, have a full mouth or are engaged in pleasant conversation. This faux-​pas never happened at The Atlantic. They honoured my instructions and never followed up or quizzed me about additional food that we wanted to order until the lovely server came over after our eyes met in passing. It was a very professional experience.
I ordered the Baby Barramundi for my main and began to pick the flesh off the bone. As this is quite a time consuming task, another bottle of wine was ordered and an afternoon was made eating, picking, drinking, laughing and telling tale tales. The service remained professional and attended to our minor needs like filling up water glasses and pouring wine. I wondered what the champagne and oyster bar would be like late at night and pondered if «The Den» would be worth a visit. Two additional things to do which are on a list that seemingly only gets longer in this great city.
Thinking about what polarises people about this restaurant is both the cost and seemingly what is on offer that is not considered seafood. When I paid the bill, I did not think that the experience was expensive or not good value for money. It did cost a fair amount but the quality of the seafood, service and even location if it matters to you, makes it worth it. I was easily able to enjoy myself for four hours at this restaurant and when time can manage to get away from me, I know it is a successful time out. I would return to The Atlantic for either lunch or dinner with no prodding and I also look forward to checking out the Oyster Bar and The Den on one of my next wanders through the Crown complex.

I never really venture down to the Crown complex; It’s all a bit sanitised,
with very modern and bleak styling cues, and soulless. Much of the dining
establishments seem to be cast out of the same mould. There’s an inherent sameness to them! Arriving outside of the lunch service time, we settled on a few rounds of oysters. It being after 3pm, the choice of menu was from the Oyster bar. As much as I was dressed badly; it didn’t matter so much, the maitre d’ was still warm and hosting, and waiters still maintained traditional and up scaled service.
Whilst it’s paramount, that the oysters are super fresh, they don’t really seem
to hold their own. Though, the may do if one wants to feast on them Though, this is more due to me lacking a more substantial meal that would compliment said oysters. It’s a pretty good calibre of restaurant, just not particularly in a great location; something you can go to if near by, but not a venue you would deliberately travel to.
Professional service. Still, for the most part I’m impressed.

Some of the best oysters I’ve ever had. the waygu tartare was like butter in my mouth. I sat outside and enjoyed a lovely view of the Yarra. Great time!

This was our third visit to The Atlantic and we were quite disappointed that one of our party, a vegetarian (not vegan) was not catered for. We asked when we made the booking for a suitable dish be made available and were told it was not a problem. The dish was a very ordinary spaghetti with cherry tomatoes, spinach and ricotta and cost as much as a main course. It could have been so much better. Our meal was fine with nice fresh fish cooked well and good wine choice.

We stopped in at the oyster bar while at the crown recently and were quite disappointed in the oysters. We sat at the bar, had 2 champagnes, a beer and 24 oysters — cost was staggering at $ 136. Look, I don’t mind paying top prices for top produce but really the oysters were bland and empty. All mantle and gill with very little yummy creamy roe. They had 3 types of Tasmanian oysters and only one NSW variety and no Sth Australian. Most Tassie oysters are spawning around now so are invariably empty hence a bad choice for any restaurant. Pacific oysters should be plump and these were certainly not. If you purport yourself as a Oyster bar then please know your oysters and don’t serve rubbish at $ 4.50 per. Might try the full service restaurant sometime but the oyster bar certainly let me down.

I know I know, it’s Crown. The Atlantic is worth the visit, though.
This is the ‘anniversary date’ kind of place. Or the ‘take your parents when they visit’ or even ‘celebrate the new raise/​promotion’!
High points of my evening there:
PHENOM service
Toffee with your after-​dinner coffee… still picking it out of my teeth!
Freshest seafood
In short: über expensive but so worth it

The Atlantic is a seafood restaurant in the Crown Casino complex. Get out your fancy clothes and manners people, this place is upmarket.
The whole concept of the restaurant is based on the famous historic fish markets and meat packing districts of New York. Thats not to say the restaurant smells like a fish market (ewww, gross), but that the menu is based predominantly around the fresh fish bought at the local Melbourne markets the same day it hits your plate. Todays catch is todays meal.
The seafood selection is vast, and for a restaurant that works predominantly with whats available today, its astounding to me how large the menu actually is. The menu is also uploaded to their website daily — I think that is AWESOME, yay for the Atlantic working with the 21^st century!
I cant begin to describe the menu because of its everchanging ways, but I think it is suffice to say every dish I have ever tasted here has been fantastic– fresh and flavoursome. They do have a small selection of non seafod dishes for those who are not aquatically inclined.
The service staff are very knowledgeable, and I was impessed by their ability to know the daily menu. On my last visit, I did have one queston the waiter was not sure of, but he was happy to check with the chef for me.
The restaurant is split into different areas — the main dining room, the oyster bar, private dining spaces, and the Den, a cocktail bar for which I have written a different review. The common theme throughout is the dark wood, fishing related decorations, factory style roofing and clean lines. It all works vvery nicely.