South House Stories

The South House Guide to Eating out in Merimbula

Wed, 02 Sep 2026 06:56:22 GMT

Where to Eat. A South House Guide to Dining in Merimbula

From fireside oysters to a Pambula seafood institution, South House's guide to the best dining near Merimbula, close by and a little further afield.

Where to Eat: A South House Guide to Dining in Merimbula

Some nights, you won't want to leave. Our fireside bar and poolside bar are built for exactly that — an Australian wine, something local on the menu, no reason to go anywhere else. But Merimbula has quietly become one of the best food towns on the NSW South Coast, and a stay at South House is as good a base as any to explore it. Here's where we send guests, from a five-minute stroll to a worthwhile drive.

Close to South House - we have chosen our favourite eats which are just a short walk from your room

Metro Merimbula — 4 min walk. Mediterranean food at its best in a relaxed casual vibe. Fresh Salads, with a focus on plant based healthy food as well as fresh local seafood and house-made gelato. Enjoy stunning lake and ocean views as you dine. It is run by mother and son duo Janine and Billy. Be sure to put this spot on your dining hit list and make sure you try their specialty cocktails including Negronis, and Gin from local distillery North of Eden.

Umi-Ko Izakaya — 2 min walk. Lanterns, neon and a genuinely good ramen bowl. Umi-Ko brings small and large plates, sashimi and izakaya classics to the Sapphire Coast — the pork katsu curry is a favourite, and the kimchi poke bowl is a lighter lunch option. Good for a casual night that doesn't feel like a compromise. 56 Market St, Merimbula. Tue–Sat 5–9pm; closed Sun–Mon.

Bar Superette — 2 min walk. A slice of Melbourne in Merimbula - bespoke wine list, well-made cocktails and a French menu built for a long lunch or a decadent dinner. If our fireside bar has you in the mood for another round elsewhere, this is where to go. 16/20 Market St, Merimbula. Open daily 12–9pm.

Bar Monti — 2 min walk. Directly opposite the Hotel and down a Merimbula laneway, Bar Monti is a rustic Italian eatery with pizza, pasta, and traditional Italian favourites -reinterpreted using the best local and Australian produce. Good wine, great pasta, no fuss. 6/11 Merimbula Dr, Merimbula. Mon, Thu–Sun 5–9:30pm; closed Tue–Wed.

The Waterfront Cafe — 3 min walk. For daytime dining, this multiple-award-winning licensed cafe sits right on the Promenade with views over Merimbula Lake. Owner-operated, with a modern Australian menu built around fresh local produce — a reliable pick for breakfast or a lakeside lunch before a swim. Cnr Beach & Market St, Merimbula. Open daily 8am–2pm.

Kitty's, Club Sapphire — 2–3 min walk A playful, laid-back Asian fusion bar within Club Sapphire — share plates, dumplings and some of the best cocktails on the coast. A fun, casual detour if you're after something different from classic coastal seafood. 119 Main St, Merimbula. Wed–Thu 4:30–9pm; Fri–Sat 12–2:30pm & 4:30–10pm; closed Sun–Tue.

Dulcies Cottage — 4 min walk Step back in time and enjoy a cold brew, burger or oysters while you take in the nostalgia of Merimbula. The cottage itself reimaged since its founcation in 1925. Wander the this much loved local watering hole and take in the images of the original owners growing up in the cottage and photography of the area, or sit at the long bar and enjoy the local brews and fresh oysters.

A Note on Bookings

Merimbula's best tables get busy over summer and long weekends — we'd always recommend booking ahead. Our friendly team are always happy to assist with your reservatons or more detailed recommendations.

And if you'd rather not go anywhere at all — the fireside bar and poolside bar are always an option, stocked with the same Sapphire Coast producers this guide is pointing you toward.

The Design

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 05:28:45 GMT

Colour, Texture, Coastline: The Design Story Behind South House

The Design of South House: Merimbula, Rendered in Colour and Texture

Some hotels are decorated. South House Hotel was created from the outside in, starting with the place itself.

Merimbula sits at the point where a tidal lake meets the open Pacific, framed by eucalypt forest, weathered timber jetties and long stretches of sand that shift colour with the tide. That landscape isn't a mood board for South House — it's the whole brief. Every material, colour, and finish in the building was chosen to hold a conversation with what's just outside the window.

A palette pulled from the land, lake, and the sea

Walk through South House Hotel and you're moving through the tonal range of Merimbula itself: the deep sapphire-blue of the lake at high tide, the bleached driftwood grey of the boardwalk, the warm ochre of the sand dunes at Short Point, the soft eucalyptus tones of the surrounding bushland and the terracotta red of Mermibula's iconic rock formations. Designer Olivia Naim from Studio Naim, describes the approach as ' creating a space that really ties back to its environment and feels luxurious whilst also not feeling out of place.'

Designed to be lived in, not just photographed

The brief for Olivia wasn't a showpiece — it was a place that felt inevitable, like it had grown out of the site rather than been placed on it. Furniture is generous rather than precious. Light is treated as a material in its own right, with the building oriented to track the sun across the lake through the day. Public spaces - House Bar Poolside and House Bar Fireside - are built for long, unhurried stays, not fast turnover. Olivia explains, 'it should feel like an escape... I think that the best hotel rooms really achieve that calm, quiet luxury that you just can't find in your everyday life because at the end of the day, when you're booking something to stay, especially somewhere as beautiful as Merimbula, you want to feel like you're getting something that you can't get anywhere else.'

That's the real design story of South House: not a set of finishes, but a decision to let Merimbula design the hotel.

South House Local Love

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:43:04 GMT

A hotel can source from anywhere. South House chose not to.

From the wine list to the minibar, from the tradespeople who built the place to the tour operators we send our guests to, South House Hotel runs on a simple rule: if it can come from the Sapphire Coast, it does.

Fireside and poolside, and open to everyone

South House has two bars, House bar Poolside and House Bar Fireside bar and both are open to the locals as well as our hotel guests. It's a deliberate choice. We wanted South House to be a place where travelers can meet the real people of the Sapphire Coast.

South House has two bars, House Bar Poolside and House Bar Fireside.

Beer South House Lager; is brewed in regional NSW and local craft breweries complement the House beer.
Breakfast served by local cult bakery Honor Bread
Love Tea , for the rooms and common areas from Victoria
Chocolate lovingly produced in Pamula by Waratah Chocolate
Local Art by Kym Brookes Coastal Clay Wall Art
Photography amazing photography of the Sapphire Coast by Robbie Duncan from No Bad Days Photography in Pambula

Considering your next event?

We partner with local restaurants and chefs to cater for functions and events onsite. We have an event space with commercial kitchen so our local food heroes can cater for your event all on site.

Built by local trades wherever possible

The building itself tells the same story. Wherever a local tradesperson, joiner, tiler, fabricator or supplier could do the work, South House worked with them — a decision that shaped everything from the locally formed balustrades to the joinery finishes in every room.

Sending guests further into the community

Local love doesn't stop at the bar. South House actively partners with and recommends independent Sapphire Coast tour operators — dive charters, kayak and paddleboard hire, fishing guides, bushwalking tours, wildlife and whale-watching tours — rather than running everything in-house. When you ask our team 'what should I do today?', the answer is almost always a local business's name and number. Plus our digital guide has all the best operators listed and all as close as your mobile phone.

Come as a guest, or just come for a drink

You don't need to be staying at South House to experience it. Pull up a stool fireside on a cool evening or poolside on a warm one, order something made within a few hours' drive, and you'll understand what we mean by local love.

Merimbula for Adventurous Travellers

Fri, 03 Jul 2026 03:43:04 GMT

Merimbula for the Adventurous: In the Water, On the Water, Beside the Water

From diving the Merimbula wharf to whale watching, kayaking and coastal walks — South House's guide to an active stay on the Sapphire Coast.

South House sits at the meeting point of lake, ocean and bushland — which means the hardest part of an adventurous stay isn't finding something to do, it's choosing what to do first. Here's our local guide, broken into three simple categories: in the water, on the water, and beside it.

In the water

Merimbula's clear, sheltered lake and open coastline make it one of the best beginner-to-advanced dive and snorkel destinations on the NSW South Coast.

Snorkel the Merimbula wharf ,one of the most accessible snorkel sites in NSW, home to weedy sea dragons, rays and schools of yellowtail, right in the lake.
Dive the Merimbula Wall and offshore reefs , where the East Australian Current pushes through warm-water species you wouldn't expect this far south.
Swim at Main Beach or Bar Beach , both patrolled in season and an easy walk from South House.
Surf the break , famous surf breaks at Main Beach and Short Point
Learn to surf at one of the region's beginner-friendly breaks, with lessons available for all levels.

On the water

If you'd rather move across the water than through it, Merimbula Lake and the open coast offer some of the best paddling and boating in the region.

Kayak or stand-up paddleboard the lake , gliding past mangroves, sandbars and the historic wharf.
Book a fishing charter out of Merimbula Marina, chasing flathead and bream in the lake or kingfish and snapper offshore.
Sail or take a scenic boat tour along the coastline toward Pambula Lake and Ben Boyd National Park.

Beside the water

Some of the best adventure in Merimbula doesn't require getting wet at all.

Walk the Merimbula Boardwalk , tracing the edge of the lake from town toward the ocean.
Explore Ben Boyd National Park , with coastal walking trails, historic lighthouses and dramatic sea cliffs just south of town.
Cycle the Sapphire Coast cycleways , linking Merimbula to Pambula and Tathra along quiet, scenic routes.
Watch the sunset from South House's fireside terrace , the easiest adventure of the day, after all the others.
Whale watching from the water's edge , this is whale country. Between August and November sightings from the shoreline are simply part of the season.

Plan your Sapphire Coast adventure

Merimbula is the base — the wider Sapphire Coast is the playground. For the full regional guide to beaches, national parks, trails and seasonal events, visit the NSW Sapphire Coast destination guide .