Utopia @ Waterfall Gully

Beautiful surrounds. The area around the restaurant is stunning waterfalls, rivers and lush green trees.
Problem with being set up in a national park area is all the traffic, it was very hard to get a park. We rang up to book a table for lunch so we were able to park in the small restaurant car park.
The food was well priced. The quality of the food was amazing both times I have eaten here. I had the mushroom arancini the first time and that was brilliant. It looked great and breaking into that ball of goodness was so exciting.
The next time we had breakfast here and there were so many amazing choices we shared our breakfasts just so we could try more of their food.
The place is not the most wheelchair accessible while there are ramps they are quite steep, a workout is guaranteed to get a wheelchair up there.
We have chosen Utopia as our Wedding Venue because the setting is breathtaking and their all inclusive package is the way to go considering the partner and I both work more than full time. Staff are always quick to help us with any queries we have regarding the wedding

Wow, was I pleasantly surprised. A long lunch on the enclosed verandah was very nice, although perhaps I would have preferred being inside the more formal area. It was quiet for a Wednesday lunch with only a few tables.
I noticed there was no salt and pepper on the table, and this was brought to us. White salt flakes in a little dish and pepper in a small grinder. Funnily enough I didn’t use either on my meal.
We started with a plate of dips, hommous, pumpkin and I can’t remember the third, it was presented with two slices of crusty bread and little crispy biscuits.
The entrees came out, and I was happy to see a beautifully presented pork belly and an artfully placed carrot. My only criticism (if you could call it that) was the crackling was completely white and it would have been nice to have some colour. I think I’m being picky. The arancini balls proved quite popular at our table.
Mains were served and the lamb wasn’t how I thought it would be presented as my brain was thinking lamb with the bone. Those that chose ribs received a finger bowl. The lamb was delicious, and the acidic balance was perfect.
Dessert was a shared banana caramel pie (one person had to leave so we had hers), and washed it down with an affogato. We did request frangelico with our affogato and oddly they had run out, so I had mine with baileys. Tia Maria might have been the better second choice. The serving was pleasing with lots of coffee beans spread on the plate.
Utopia is known for their afternoon teas of scones and jam, and as a wedding/​function centre with the beautiful waterfall surrounds. The water was cascading down the hill and many joggers went passed our window after their long hike. I will most definitely be back.
On a side note, an entrée, main and dessert from a lovely selection is only $ 55 pp.

Lovely location and fantastic setting, however the service and food was hit and miss.
Ordered the $ 57 lunch special which is a choice of two starters, a main and a dessert! For starters I ordered the seared scallops and prawn cakes! Both were unfortunately served cold. The scallops were lovely and tender but extremely bland. The prawn cakes were nothing memorable!
The sour note of the day was the main. I chose the roast chicken with Middle Eastern grains, bacon, root vegetables and red wine jus. This is the description provided on the menu… However I didn’t feel this is what I was served and again the food was cold on arrival. My root vegetables consisted of one carrot and three small beetroots. The red wine jus was not prominent and it felt like the dish was missing something!
Dessert was the definite highlight of the meal… when we eventually got it that is! Half an hour after our mains were cleared the waitress came out to advise that the chef wasn’t happy with the chocolate fondant so was preparing another one. After 40 minutes I finally got my chocolate fondant! It was amazing !!! Cleaned the plate! Gooey chocolate centre was heaven!
Overall this venue seems to promote itself as an above average restaurant yet I received a below par meal not worthy of the price! Really wanted to like this place! I will try it again when they bring in their summer menu.

Best wedding evers. We could not have asked for a more perfect location and team to cater to our every bridezilla demand. Their package included absolutely every little detail we desired at a very reasonable cost so we didn’t have to worry about dealing with heaps of different companies/​people. Kelly was amazing at organising everything without any fuss at all — it took us only a few hours in total to have all our choices made and locked in. The effort that Kelly went to to make our cheese cake — that’s a cake made out of lots of soft stinky cheese — was just incredible and the results were stunning. Could not have been happier.
The night itself was just perfect. The staff catered to our every need and were more than polite and helpful. I could not fault a thing. It looked beautiful, the food was sensational and I felt every bit the princess thanks to them.
I wish I could have a wedding with them every year.

I was here the other day for the reception following my friends’ wedding and had a ball! The place is small and intimate and had been beautifully decked out with all the fairy lights, ribbons and table setting you could ever want. It looked magical.
The serving staff were wonderful, stayed positive and efficient throughout the evening and were happy to exchange some chit chat and jokes with the guests. The time between each course was probably just right — left time for everything to settle but didn’t leave you bored and hungry for ages.
On that note, the food was amazaballs! I love fancy food but find that it is often overly rich and I end up not being able to finish it, but the courses here were just right. (First time I tried quail and I am such a fan!)
It looks like this would be fantastic place to host a function — but perhaps advise your guests to carpool; this is a popular weekend spot and I know we, and several others, had to get somewhat inventive with parking.

What a parking nightmare. They need better control over parking spaces for patrons. I won’t be doing that again on a weekend!

In terms of location, this is definitely one of the most picturesque places you can go to for breakfast. It’s set amongst nothing else but nature and although it was fairly busy with people on a Saturday morning, it still was quiet and peaceful. Lovely place if you don’t fancy too many crowds and noise after a short night of sleep.
We managed to get a table on their beautiful terrace (no smoking area though) and staff were with us shortly. Service, as we experienced it, was good and very friendly. Our Lattes were good, and so was the breakfast we ordered. My partner had pancakes that came with maple sirup, honeycomb ice cream, banana and some sort of delicious cream. The pancakes were amazing; fluffy and really tasty. I had the corn fritters with avocado, horseradish and smoked salmon. I found the fritters a bit dry but overall I enjoyed my dish.
I’ve had better breakfast before but it was certainly good here. In terms of price, it’s pretty average with around $ 10-​$ 16 per dish, depending on what you get. The setting is beautiful though, definitely worth checking the place out.

I was up at waterfall gully the other day to do a few quick sketches of the waterfall and decided to stop off at Utopia for a coffee while I was there.
Nestled nearby amongst the trees, and a bit of a climb up the rockface (don’t worry there are stairs) the café/​restaurant has lovely views of the waterfall and picturesque surrounds.
The coffee was good. There is also a fairly high class restaurant as well for those who want to splash a bit more cash.