Saltwater Restaurant Magnetic Island

Absolutely incredible, new menu is spot on, smoked duck breast was to die for. Friendly service and BYO too, the pinnacle of dining on the island.

We ate here on our last night on the Island and it was absolutely amazing! Every dish was delicious and cooked/presented to such a high standard. The lamb was one of the best lamb dishes I’ve ever had. Cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough. The staff were also lovely and both of us could have ordered any of the menu items and been beyond satisfied. If we had of eaten here on the first night, we would have been back again.

Great food, lovely atmosphere, and friendly attentive service.
This was definitely the best food we had during our whole trip from Sydney to Port Douglas. Fine dining experience without all the fuss that sometimes goes with it

Had dinner at Saltwater on Sunday night with my husband and it was simply delicious. We hadn't had such great food in a very long time.

We had a starter (aubergine with scallops and macadamia cream), 2 mains (pork belly and the duck) and the Mars cheesecake. We were absolutely full by the time we finished our mains but couldn't resist the cheesecake.

The setting is lovely which also helps.

If you're in Maggie or planning to go, make yourself a favour and book a table.

We were so lucky to happen to drive by this place. We had plans on going somewhere else but it ended up being fully booked and passed this place and decided to see if they had anything available. They were able to squeeze us in as a table was leaving soon. It’s BYOB with is great. The food was amazing. The ambiance, stellar. The service was so friendly and informative. Everywhere we read told us to go to this other restaurant on the island for sea food but this place ended up being the creme de la creme (did I spell that right?). Anyway, this dining experience was by far our favorite on the island. Definitely go here on your trip to the island at the beginning of your stay. You’ll want to return before you leave!

A most enjoyable dining experience in a tropical outdoor setting. THE place to go for dinner on Maggie. Dont miss out, so book at least a week ahead!
Truffle oysters 😋 The Duck is the best we've had on the blue marble 🤩

Perfection!
Loved it so much that had to come back before leaving the island. We tried 4 different starters and mains and all of them were superb, flavourful and amazingly presented.
Do not come starving as you’ll probably have to wait. Totally understandable as this is not fast food, definitely worth the wait.
You cannot leave magnetic island without coming to Saltwater.
Will definitely come back!

Lovely place, very busy and nearly didn't get a table. Limited, but fine dining menu, with prices to match. I had scallops and cheese tempura starter, barramundi in Thai red curry for main. My friend had the pork belly. It was all delicious. It's bring your own bottle and $3 each for corkage. Friendly staff and nice atmosphere for a good night out.

Outstanding service as soon as we walked in the door. It was a busy night. We did have to wait to be seated though we came early. Waiting wasn’t an issue as you get seated just after your booking time. The BYO alcohol is a bonus as we brought champagne and wine. The service is exceptional. Compared to other venues on the island. The waitstaff is very confident with knowledge about their menu. Very generous flavourful cuisine. We had the salmon tartare, cheese leek, the miso mornay tasting platter, grilled duck and salmon. And dessert to share. Wonderfully presented and we couldn’t fault it. Definitely can see how much work is placed into these dishes.
The garden area and terrace with lights is the perfect outdoor setting. Intermittent and buzzy. Smart but casual.

Our group of 15 was impressed with the detail of the beautiful flavours of the food.
They really should open another restaurant in Townsville. It would be very well received.
The waitstaff very helpful and attentive.

High quality food and staff. Extremely fresh and flavourful seafood. I recommend the oyster tempura for a truly unique experience, unlike any other. Book in advance to ensure a spot. When visiting magnetic island this is a must do!

Fancy restaurant on an island
+Pros: great food, BYO, lovely outdoor eating area. Steak and seafood curry were amazing
-Cons: Rare restaurant where mains better than entrees! Entrees still good but mains exceptional

Great food! It was lovely seating outdoors with fairy lights on the shade cloth. The only downside was when it started raining that there were a couple gaps so some of us just got a bit wet. The food was delicious and definitely worth the price! Will be coming back here.

Really enjoyed the dinner, they have a good selection of entree and mains to choose from, and dessert too! Nice ambience and setting outside and great service!

Oh my God, Townsvillians, Jump on board the Ferry and Book yourself a Table here for Dinner. This is by far better than a lot of restaurants in the city and As Good as Jam!
This is a relaxed, Tropical Garden setting venue, with BYO... But the bottle shop is only next door!! And less than a ten minute walk down Sooning St. From the Ferry terminal in Nelly Bay, Bookings are essential, and if last night was an indication, word is already getting out about this establishment, not many places can gloat about being booked out on a Sunday night!! From all accounts by the signage you may need to book via email/text before 1000am.
We were staying at Peppers, and they recommended it days prior, our arrival, in an email advising us there restaurant still is not open for dinners.
We tried Sashimi salmon, crumbed Oysters and three cheese stuffed leek tempura style, for Entrees.
Followed by Miso glazed Salmon and the Moreton Bay Bug/King Prawn dish for mains.
Desert... Which we often dont do if we have entrées, we did try the simple martini glass of ice cream, caramel and coconut i.c.,and the vanilla, coconut i. c.& Caramel parfait, which were a nice light finish to an all round sumptuous meal.
As I said before.. Lets keep this place going for many more years to come, jump aboard the Ferry, and dont forget to book ahead!!

What a lovely dinner we had at Saltwater! We were so dissapointed to see all restaurants in the neighbourhood with reviews that their food is not fresh, and then we bumped on this restaurant. Such good food, and very friendly waiters. Prices are of course more than a regular burger bar, but you are getting so much better food than at a regular burger bar. We booked for another night, because this is undoubtly the best around Nelly Bay.

Beautiful meal in a gorgeous location. Nice to be able to dine out in this romantic outdoor setting with local, friendly and helpful staff. Thanks for the hospitality. Highly recommend.

The food was superb. Front of house service could do with some improvement. We were left standing at the entrance for more than 5 minutes, feeling a bit uncomfortable, while staff walked past us and ignored us. We were treated to some sarcasm when we suggested that someone could have, at least spoken to us or greeted us. It was a bit Fawlty Towers. However, the food made up for the poor start - the best meal that we've had for a long time - great ingredients and flavours and perfectly cooked - a five star food experience.

Best modern fine-dining we had on our weekend at Maggie. The food was really good, every dish we ordered was executed well. The BYO thing is a bit strange, but there is a liquor store next door with a good selection. The servers will chill your wine and pour it for you, so it's just a matter of walking in with a bottle.

They were slightly slow, and we were there at 5pm when it wasn't too busy, so I can see how some people may have had bad experiences if the kitchen was overwhelmed. So maybe best to go here on a less popular day or early around opening at 5pm?

Amazing dinner experience.
My partner and I arrived and within 2 minutes had been welcomed by three staff members, all extremely kind and professional.
Then we found out it’s BYOB, so save some money there, get yourself a bottle at the liquor store that’s literally next door.
We were given a lovely table outside even though we didn’t have a reservation, on a Sunday night, which made us feel very much welcome.
The entree, main dish, sides and dessert were all amazing.. I recommend the Bay bug entree, Miso salmon and Land&Sea meals. Nothing to say about those ones except YUM. The cooking was perfect, melt-in-your-mouth experience, the flavours are delicious, and honestly, for the amount of food we ordered? The prices are very reasonable. We were both expecting a bigger bill considering the quality and quantity that we were served.
I highly recommend this lovely restaurant.
Thank you to the team. Your passion and hard work shines through your food and service.
See you soon!!!