Bluewater survives because it is busy from better times and people assume because it is busy it must be good. This just becomes perpetual. Don't be fooled, the service is usually too cool for school, the food is ok but there's not much care given to it and it's probably a little overpriced for what you receive. There are better nearby and, if you are willing to splurge a little, its big brother up the road, is 10 times the restaurant.
Very hit and miss - service isn't constant. Drinks are usually awful, they don't even know how to make a good coffee. Food is average at best. Very loud inside due to the tiled area, not a place I'd go to for a quiet dinner with friends.
Everytime I have been here, it has been absolutely atrocious service. The manager is no better than the backpacker staff. No-one seems to want to seat you and as they can rely on just tourists and passing trade, they don't seem to care how bad they are. Their only saving grace is their food which is pretty good.
I have had OK experiences at Blue Water. It is usually a go when you want to take friends visiting Manly (I live here) somewhere waterfront. One fateful day I was there with a friend who also lives locally. I ordered a Mango smoothie. What was delivered was a tall glass of frothy milk (white in colour) with a slight scent of mango.
When I complained, the backpacker waitress just shrugged her shoulders and said something along the lines "dont like it, whatever". No apologies, no offers to make another one. Sure thing I did not bother paying for it. Never since went back and won't ever be going. One thing is to receive an average service, another is to be totally disregarded as a customer.
Memo to restaurant owners and waiters: Customers go to your restaurant to (1) have a good time, (2) eat great food, and (3) not have snooty waiters think it's below their station in life to oblige the first two points. Lose the attitude, kiddies! Remember, you are providing a service, and we, the customers are paying you for it. Nothing more, nothing less. The food and especially the breakfast, incidentally, is not bad at all.
We went on a very busy Saturday night and the service was efficient. The food was tasty. Very relaxing even if it is a tad noisy and busy, great for people watching.
I ate here for lunch yesterday, the food was fantastic and the service was spot on. It was the busiest restaurant on the strip and I can see why. I will definitely be coming back.
I have always found the food really good at Bluewater and reasonably priced. The staff have always been efficient and pleasant. My biggest problem with Bluewater is that it can be very noisy and it is hard to hear people when you go out to dinner. If it wasn't so noisy I would frequent this place a lot more.
The Menu is a mixed bag. I highly recommend the Espatada (a-ma-zing, if you don't like rocket you can get vegies instead, highly recommended) or the stuffed chicken. The chicken penne is also good, as is the Lamb salad and the beef. It changed ownership recently so the staff were I think fairly new. Its a great relaxed (and BYO) place, as locals we go there a lot.
A great first date restaurant as it's busy and has a great atmosphere. Fantastic view of Manly Beach for those from out of town looking for a quintessential Northern Beaches Cafe. The menu offers something for everyone catering to the pleb palate as well as the gourmet - recommended cheerful and cosy!