Named for Wildlife Warriors, the non-profit conservation organisation founded by Steve and Terri Irwin in 2002, Warrior Restaurant and Bar is as unique a dining destination as the Sunshine Coast has to offer. Housed inside the Crocodile Hunter Lodge at Australia Zoo in Beerwah, this is a fine dining restaurant that uses the wild and the beautiful as its backdrop: an open kitchen visible from the dining room, high timber ceilings in a rust-toned interior and a deck overlooking kangaroos, emus and koalas going about their day just metres from your table.
The menu is modern Australian with deep roots in native ingredients and a kitchen led by Executive Chef Craig Milne, who sources from local Sunshine Coast farms and producers with a genuine commitment to paddock-to-plate cooking. Fresh local sourdough with native salted butter, Queensland tiger prawns with native pepperberry aioli, eye fillet with red gum-smoked salt and warrigal greens, beef rendang with pickled cucumber and crispy rice noodles, and desserts built around macadamia, wattleseed and lemon myrtle that honour both the produce and the First Nations tradition of using these plants. The menu changes seasonally so that every item is at its natural peak when it reaches the table.
The cocktail program is a highlight in its own right, with mixologists combining local spirits and native fruits with genuine theatre to open the meal. An extensive Australian wine list and a selection of local craft beers round out the drinks offering for those who prefer something more traditional. The private dining room is available for special occasions and corporate events, and monthly curated events including degustation evenings, wine tastings and meet-the-producer afternoons fill the social calendar throughout the year.
Open daily to the public for breakfast from 7:30am, lunch from 11:30am to 3pm and dinner from 5pm to 8:30pm. No Australia Zoo admission is required to dine at Warrior. Reservations strongly recommended via thecrocodilehunterlodge.com.au or by phone on (07) 5436 2310. Located at 88 Irwin Road, Beerwah.