Torquay fish & chips on Gilbert st has been a popular venue due to its' location off the esplanade.

The service is as expected of a standard fish & chippery, where you can place your order then go for a walk to wait out the time. I have found this place to be slipping in quality over the past year which is disappointing to see as they have previously been quite good.

The fish now appears generally small and the presentation of either the grilled or battered leaves you feeling like you might have to go for a jog later.

Approximate cost: $16

Nördenfine ice creamery freshly make their own ice cream in a sensational variety of flavours that are available via a cone (plain, waffle, chocolate dipped) or cup and you can even buy it by the 1L tub.

Staff on hand are generally casually employed but are always terrific with their service times. The shop itself is opened Fri-Mon during the winter time and fills up quickly during the summer, so get ready to form a queue.

The boost bar flavour is a personal favourite and this is one ice creamery sure to serve up repeat business.

Approximate cost: $5

The Drive Inn cafe provides breakfast and lunch daily for the mainly trade based clientele. Main staples of pies, chips and sandwiches are available with a full salad selection.

12pm to 12:30 is the main rush of the day, so with limited staff the wait can be up to 10mins; though these guys know their locals so are quite pleasant to deal with.

The earlier you get your food the better as it is kept in the bain-marie, which leads to soggy meats and fat soaked other items.

Overall this place is suitable if you need to fill up or you forgot to bring your own lunch

Approximate cost: $7

going to fairfield boathouse for an afternoon of sun river and devonshire tea is a an absolutely delightful way to spend a day. the serene surrounds are perfect for taking your scones or other items and exploring the park land.

the service is adequate, and gets fairly busy on better weather days, so be prepared to take a walk from the car to get to the cafe. outdoor seating is the main staple and the pine seats aren't the most comfortable, but this amounts to little compared to the view of ducks and geese on the pond as you enjoy a nicely brewed coffee

Approximate cost: $12

pizza and pasta smack bang in the middle of bell street, opposite the caravan park; the waves can give you a nice italian meal or delicious coffee. These guys home deliver (great!) including any drinks or desserts that you require

Approximate cost: $12

when you just need a quick snack on your way to or from the beach, munchies has all the right options. located across from the tatts agency; munchies has great esplanade seating to see just who is doing what where.

Approximate cost: $10

mmmmm- can that be my rating? you can't really go wrong with chocolate, and these guys hold true to this statement.

In a bit of a lost spot, you can hunker down out of the wind on a cool beachside day and select from up to 20 different hot chocolate flavours to warm you up. Belgian chocolate is the chocolate weapon of choice here and on any day of the week you can pop in to satisfy a craving.

These guys are simply amazing with their special pizzas. From small to the family size all options are available with pastas too. You cannot go past the superb spaghetti pizza for a mouthwatering and filling dish. dine in or take away they even deliver.

atmosphere inside is fairly noisy with hard surfaces all around. This place is probably more suited to take away, you can grab your food and walk down to the beach for a meal on the grassy hill.

Approximate cost: $15

fancy a rice dish out and about in torquay? well this is the place for you.

like most places in Torquay this is open from Tues- Sun and then from 5-9pm. whilst not a late night out you will be more than happy with the well priced dishes available to you.

Approximate cost: $16

traditional thai with an eye for banquets, this place can cater for many or few and is exceptional at delivering quality imported teas.

outdoor eating is a possibility though your not paying for the views, being on the surfcoast highway.

Approximate cost: $15