EatClub Wollongong: We Tried It & Here’s How It Works
We’re big fans of eating out at The List.
We’re also big fans of supporting local Wollongong restaurants and cafes.
What we’re slightly less enthusiastic about is how much eating out can cost these days.
So when we heard about EatClub, an app offering discounts at local restaurants during selected times, we wanted to know whether it was actually useful, or whether it was one of those apps you download, spend ages setting up and then never look at again.
There was really only one way to find out.
I downloaded it and took Mum out for breakfast.
And, spoiler alert: it was actually really easy to use.
What is EatClub?
EatClub is a dining app that allows participating restaurants, cafes and bars to offer discounts when they have tables they’d like to fill.
Instead of offering the same discount all day, venues can choose when they want an offer available, how big that offer is and how many are available.
That means you might find a great deal for an early dinner, a quieter afternoon or a midweek lunch, while the same restaurant may have no offer available during its busiest periods.
EatClub told The List that there are now 60 participating venues across Wollongong and the wider Illawarra, stretching from Bulli and Bellambi through Wollongong and Port Kembla to Shell Cove.
When I opened the app while testing it, there were 34 Wollongong venues showing at that particular time (probably a distance setting I’m guessing).
So there was certainly enough choice to have a decent stickybeak.
Is EatClub easy to set up?
Yes.
And I say this as someone who isn’t particularly techy.
Downloading and setting up the app was quick and it prompted me through each step rather than leaving me staring at the screen wondering what I was supposed to press next.
The only part that gave me a slight pause was having to connect my credit card.
You do need to be comfortable adding your card details because you pay through EatClub when you use an offer.
Once that was done, though, using the actual app was very straightforward.
How do you find EatClub deals in Wollongong?
You can browse the offers showing around you or search for a particular venue or type of cuisine.
When I checked recently, the discounts showing around Wollongong ranged from about 26% to 46% off, with some of the highest percentage discounts highlighted prominently in the app.
EatClub says participating venues can offer savings of up to 50% off food and drinks where applicable, although the exact offer depends on the restaurant and time.
What I particularly liked was that everything was pretty clear.
The app tells you:
- the percentage discount
- the time the offer applies
- whether it’s for dining in
- and how many offers are left to redeem.
For example, when I looked at BASTA Trattoria again while preparing this article, there were two offers available.
One was for diners arriving before 4pm and another was for arrivals between 5pm and 9pm. Both were showing 46% off, but there were only a limited number left to redeem.
So if you spot a particularly good one, don’t necessarily assume it’ll still be sitting there later.
We tried EatClub at BASTA Trattoria Wollongong
I already had BASTA Trattoria at Hotel TOTTO Wollongong on my list of places I wanted to try, so when I noticed it was participating in EatClub, the decision was pretty easy.
Mum and I headed in for breakfast.
There’s no strange EatClub menu or awkward discounted dining experience once you arrive.
We ordered our breakfasts and coffees just as we normally would, sat down and enjoyed ourselves.
The staff were lovely, Mum really enjoyed having some time out and a chat, and we got to try somewhere new that I’d been meaning to visit anyway.
That’s probably the thing I liked most about the whole experience.
The discount got us through the door, but it didn’t feel like a “discount experience”.
It was just a nice breakfast out.
How do you pay with EatClub?
When you’ve finished eating, instead of paying directly with your card as you normally would, you make the payment through EatClub on your phone.
The first time I tried tapping my phone it didn’t work, so there was a very brief “right, what have I done?” moment.
I asked one of the staff for help, tried it again and it went straight through.
No drama.
One feature I really liked comes immediately afterwards.
The app gives you a summary showing exactly how much you saved.
On our breakfast, we saved around $10 on two breakfasts and two coffees.
And that wasn’t even one of the bigger discount periods available.
Ten dollars isn’t going to fund my retirement.
But if we’re already going out for breakfast, I’d much rather that $10 stayed in my pocket.
A cheaper way to take the kids out these school holidays
With the school holidays coming up, this is where I think EatClub could be particularly handy for families.
Taking the whole family out for lunch or dinner can add up frighteningly quickly.
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat after a day out with the kids, checking EatClub first could mean getting a decent discount simply by choosing a participating restaurant or being a little flexible about what time you eat.
And because the offers change throughout the day, it could also be a good excuse to try somewhere completely new rather than automatically ending up at the same family favourite.
If you’ve got several hungry kids in tow, even a 20%, 30% or 40% discount can suddenly become a pretty worthwhile saving.
Could EatClub help you discover new Wollongong restaurants?
This is where I think the app gets really interesting.
You could certainly use it to find a discount at somewhere you already know and love.
But it also gives you a reason to try somewhere new.
BASTA’s Ian Castillo says the restaurant has been using EatClub since May 2026, particularly to help fill quieter afternoon and midweek periods.
He says it has helped introduce the restaurant to new customers:
“It definitely helps attract both locals looking for a great spontaneous meal and first-time diners who end up becoming regulars.”
That was pretty much our experience.
I’d wanted to try BASTA already. EatClub gave me the little extra nudge to actually go, and now I’d happily head back and try it for dinner.
That’s quite a clever outcome for the restaurant too.
Supporting local restaurants without paying full price
The original version of this article was written several years ago, when Illawarra hospitality businesses were dealing with a very different set of circumstances.
Our message then was simple: support local cafes and restaurants whenever you can.
That bit hasn’t changed.
What has changed is the way many of us are spending.
EatClub CEO and Co-Founder Pan Koutlakis says people still want to dine out, but they’re becoming more deliberate about when, where and how they spend their money.
That seems to be playing out locally too.
Restaurant spending across Wollongong increased by 17% in the year to December 2025, while Wollongong CBD restaurant spending increased by 19.3%.
So perhaps we haven’t fallen out of love with eating out.
We just want a bit more bang for our buck.
Our guide to eating out in the Illawarra
The List’s existing eating-out guide brings together local cafes, restaurants, bars and different cuisines if you need some inspiration.
EatClub simply gives you another way to narrow the choices down, particularly if you’re flexible about where or when you eat.
Are Wollongong diners actually using EatClub?
Yep.
EatClub launched in the Illawarra in April 2026 and says local diners have since redeemed more than 11,000 offers and saved more than $250,000 across participating venues.
Those offers have resulted in close to 25,000 diners being seated at participating Illawarra venues.
His Boy Elroy owner Lachlan Stevens says he’s noticed the same shift in how people choose to dine:
“Customers are more strategic about when and how they dine out.”
And that’s where EatClub makes sense.
If you absolutely must have dinner at one particular restaurant at 7pm on Saturday night, it might not be especially useful.
But if the conversation is more along the lines of:
“Where should we go for dinner tonight?”
or
“Let’s grab some lunch somewhere.”
It’s definitely worth having a look.
Which Wollongong restaurants are on EatClub?
At the time EatClub supplied its September 2026 Illawarra venue list, participating Wollongong businesses included some of our favourites, and some of our “soon to be favourites”:
BASTA Trattoria, His Boy Elroy, Daughter Judy’s, Kneading Ruby, Restaurant Santino, Dusty Lizard Brewing, Howlin’ Wolf Whiskey Bar, The Illawarra Hotel, The Illawarra Brewery, The Great Pavilion, RÜH Wollongong, Surfside 22 and plenty more.
There were also participating restaurants in North Wollongong, Keiraville, Fairy Meadow, Balgownie, Corrimal, Bulli, Bellambi, Port Kembla, Warrawong, Lake Heights and Shell Cove.
Because restaurants control when their offers appear, I wouldn’t rely on an old list to decide where you’re going.
Open the app and see what’s available at the time.
So, would I use EatClub again?
Yep.
I already intend to head back to BASTA for dinner, and I’ll definitely open EatClub again when we’re trying to decide where to eat.
It’s easy enough to use that you don’t need to plan your life around it.
Have a look at what’s available, see whether anything takes your fancy and decide whether the time and discount suit you.
It could be breakfast with Mum, a spontaneous dinner, a cheaper lunch with the kids during the school holidays or simply an excuse to finally try somewhere that’s been sitting on your list.
You might save a few dollars at somewhere you already love.
Or, like us, the discount might be the little push you need to try somewhere completely new.
Either way, you’re getting out, eating locally and putting money through the doors of an Illawarra hospitality business.
And if the app tells you afterwards how much you saved, you can obviously spend that saving on dessert.
That’s how saving money works, right?