Pasadena Church Point

Pasadena Church Point – the Grand Dame of Pittwater

Built in 1930 in Spanish Revival style, Pasadena has spent nearly a century as one of Pittwater's most storied addresses. It opened in 1935 as the Pasadena Roadhouse, complete with a post office, general store, boat shed and a first-floor ballroom that hosted Saturday night big band dances through the post-Depression years, before serving as a naval training base during the Second World War. By the 1960s it had become the "Grand Dame of Pittwater," known across Sydney for high-profile weddings and parties around its outdoor pool.

The building fell into disrepair after changing hands in the 2000s, sitting derelict for years before local residents Paul and Sheridan Peterkin bought it in 2012 and spent six years painstakingly restoring it, reopening in 2018 as the boutique restaurant, bar and accommodation it is today. The Peterkins worked from the original blueprints, drawing on the 1930s and '40s design to bring the venue back close to its former self, while updating it for modern waterfront dining.

Today, Palms by Pasadena serves fresh, modern seaside cuisine looking straight out over Pittwater at Church Point, alongside 13 boutique guest rooms and a two-bedroom apartment with direct water access. It's become one of the Northern Beaches' go-to spots for weddings, corporate events and long lazy lunches, with an all-day kiosk keeping the waterfront ticking over from early morning through to evening.