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11 excellent Katoomba restaurants to dine at now

Lara Picone Lara Picone
Whether you fancy a fine dining affair or a more low-key night out, you’ll find a menu to whet your appetite in the beautiful mountain-side town of Katoomba.

From grand hotel dining rooms to a restaurant set in a historic picture theatre and even an old church, Katoomba’s hospitality scene is varied and rich. It encompasses everything from casual ambience to consciously crafted menus, all showcasing the incredible produce of the Blue Mountains region and its exceptional culinary talent.

Here are the best Katoomba restaurants to book to keep you fuelled for all of the must-do activities.

The shortlist

Best Date Spot: Tempus
Great for Special Occasions: Darley’s Restaurant
Casual Eats: Bowery
Family-Friendly Spot: Boiler Haus Restaurant

1. Darley’s Restaurant

Darley’s Restaurant, Katoomba
A refined dining experience awaits at Darley’s Restaurant. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Take your velvet, buttercup-yellow seat at the lavish dining room of Darley’s Restaurant at Lilianfels Resort and Spa and give yourself a moment to absorb the ornate styling and sweeping views across English gardens and the Jamison Valley beyond.

Glinting crystal chandeliers, two fireplaces, and coloured stained-glass windows cast soft glows on the elaborate black-and-gold wallpaper and thoughtfully selected paintings. With starched-white tablecloths and such stately furnishings, you can’t mistake Darley’s for anything but special-occasion fare. The fine-dining menu is seasonal and local and may include the likes of duck breast with fermented cherries, Kinross lamb backstrap or Hokkaido scallops with samphire, all plated as if standalone works of art. Take your time; this is a place to relish the elegance of times past.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Location: 5/19 Lilianfels Ave, Katoomba

2. Echoes Restaurant and Bar

Meals unfold back-dropped by the large-format beauty of the vast Jamison Valley that seems to sprawl endlessly onwards. Plates of modern Australian flavours blended with Asian inspiration do well to compete for diners’ attention against the attention-seeking views. Set in the boutique hotel of the same name, Echoes Restaurant and Bar is open from breakfast through to dinner and serves classics such as Riverina lamb backstrap to more novel dishes of beluga lentil gnocchi, all alongside an astute local and international wine list. The perfect place for a pre-dinner drink, we suggest arriving in time to catch the nightly light show as the sun retreats beneath the mountains beyond. Keep in mind, there is a minimum of three courses for Saturday and Sunday dinner. On other nights, two courses are available.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Location: Echoes Boutique Hotel, 3 Lilianfels Avenue, Katoomba

3. Jamison Views Restaurant

dining at Jamison Views Restaurant
Tuck into comforting classics overlooking scenic mountain vistas. (Credit: Jamison Views Restaurant)

This Katoomba classic is a lovely, casual spot for a breezy breakfast, long lunch or dinner out. Tuck into comforting classics and inventive plates executed elegantly with a menu that spans everything from ham hock and duck liver terrine to beef bourguignon and twice-cooked pork belly. When it’s cold out, there’s plenty of rib-sticking flavour and for the warmer months, fresh seafood brings a lighter touch. Set in the Mountain Heritage Hotel, you’ll dine overlooking fabulous mountain vistas.

Cuisine: Classic European

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual but elegant

Location: Cnr Apex and Lovel Streets, Katoomba

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4. Tempus

dinner at Tempus Katoomba
The menu celebrates the region’s produce. (Credit: Maja Baska)

Bringing a community-minded and sustainable ethos to everything they do, the team at Tempus champions eating locally and seasonally with beautifully crafted food that crowns the region’s produce with the halo it deserves. Pickling, dehydrating and preserving ingredients to ensure nothing is wasted, the menu is both inventive and thrilling, leaning toward Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours. Relish plates such as the wild rabbit and duck manti and lamb rump with hummus and green sauce, all paired with an all-Australian drinks list. Bright, stylish and accented with warm wood tones, this diner heralds in a new generation of Blue Mountains hospitality.

Cuisine: Australian with Mediterranean and Middle Eastern sensibilities

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Refined but casual

Location: 66 Katoomba Street, Katoomba

5. The Bootlegger Bar

fried meat at The Bootlegger Bar, Katoomba
Enjoy the crisp crunch of barbequed meats at The Bootlegger Bar.

Settle in for an evening of smoky flavours and punchy drinks at this bar and smokehouse where low and slow wins the race. Taking cues from the Southern US barbecue culture and Cajun cuisine, here you’ll tuck into saucy, tender cuts licked by delicious curls of smoke, from pork ribs and brisket to tomahawk steaks and smoked mac-and-cheese. It all goes well with a cocktail or a fresh, chilled beer and is exactly what you need to replenish calories following a long hike in the mountains. If you’re eager to lean into the theme, you can select a whisky flight, where you can choose from a tasting of bourbon, Japanese, Australian, rye or Islay whiskies.

Cuisine: Steakhouse

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Location: 92 Bathurst Road, Katoomba

6. Bowery

Bowery restaurant in Katoomba
This all-day eatery is set in the former St Andrews Church. (Credit: Bowery)

Find your holy side with a visit to a 1914 Federation Romanesque church. Despite setting up shop in the former St Andrews Church, Bowery, perhaps sacrilegiously, only pays mind to the deity of a more bacchanalian nature. All about simple, beautifully prepared food enjoyed with good people, Bowery is a relaxed, light-filled dining hall where you can allocate many hours to sampling small plates and sipping well-mixed drinks. From brunch to lunch, dinner and drinks, it’s an all-day eatery ready to welcome with dishes that amble across cuisines, such as plant-based tacos, prawn koliwada and duck spring rolls.

Cuisine: A bit of everything

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Location: 56-64 Waratah Street, Katoomba

7. Boiler Haus Restaurant

Boiler Haus Restaurant in Katoomba
Sip on great wines amidst scenic greenery at Boiler Haus Restaurant.

Located in the grand Hydro Majestic Hotel, Boiler Haus is a laid-back alternative to the hotel’s white-clothed Wintergarden Restaurant. Serving comforting, universally adored classics of pizza, pasta and a few classics alongside some truly dazzling scenery and great wines, this casual eatery is all polished concrete and industrial style, as opposed to the opulent stylings of Wintergarden. There’s even a dedicated kids’ menu to make life just a little bit easier.

Cuisine: Italo-Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Casual and family-friendly

Location: 52–88 Great Western Hwy, Medlow Bath

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8. Wintergarden Restaurant

If you’re going to partake in high tea in the Blue Mountains, this is absolutely the place to do so. Winged velvet chairs, crisp linens and captivating Megalong Valley views set the scene for an elegant soirée at Hydro Majestic’s refined restaurant. While it’s best known for its high tea service, Wintergarden also offers a daily dinner service, where guests can enjoy a two- or three-course dinner. However, this is the spot for early birds, as dinner is done and dusted by 9pm.

Cuisine: Contemporary

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Location: 52–88 Great Western Hwy, Medlow Bath

9. Avalon Restaurant

Avalon Restaurant, Katoomba
The scenic Avalon Restaurant is a local favourite.

This main street Katoomba restaurant is secreted behind an unassuming entrance, but once inside, you’ll discover you’re dining in the old dress circle of the historic, 1930s-era Savoy Picture Theatre. Filled with the ambience of bygone glamour, Avalon Restaurant and Bar is a little bit quirky and a lot of fun. A bit like dining in an antiques store, you’ll be served robust classics, such as slow-roasted lamb, pulled beef croquettes and duck breast, amid mannequins dressed as flappers and vintage curios. The drinks list favours local breweries and Australian spirits and wines, which you can sip as you tap toes to local musicians at the Friday night Supper Club.

Cuisine: A bit of everything

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Location: 18 Katoomba Street, Katoomba

10. Miss Lilian

dining at Miss Lilian in Katoomba
The menu is a tour of full-flavoured Asian dishes. (Credit: Destination NSW)

Another of the well-curated restaurants that form the dining options at Lilianfels Resort, Miss Lilian is set in a sweet cottage with high ceilings, from which hang delicate birdcage lanterns. The scene here is set for a rollcall of Asian flavours, from Vietnamese to Thai and Cantonese dim sum. From crowd-pleasers of spring rolls and Wagyu beef gyoza to the larger Thai beef salad and ‘heo nuong’ pork chop, the menu is a tour of full-flavoured hits. You can dine a la carte, but if you’re with a group, you may be better to go for one of the set menu options. Don’t skip one of the fruity and fun cocktails or a sweet and peppy Vietnamese coffee.

Cuisine: Asian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Location: 5-19 Lilianfels Ave, Katoomba

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Lara Picone
Working for many of Australia’s top publications, Lara Picone has had the distinct pleasure of writing, editing and curating content about the finer things in life for more than 15 years. Graduating from Macquarie University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication, her editorial foundation began at Qantas: The Australian Way magazine, before moving on to learn the fast-paced ropes of a weekly magazine at Sunday Magazine and picking up the art of brand curation at donna hay magazine. Pivoting a near-problematic travel lust into a career move by combining it with storytelling and a curious appetite, her next role was as Deputy Editor of SBS Feast magazine and later Online Editor of SBS Food online. She then stepped into her dream job as Editor of Australian Traveller before becoming Online Editor for both International Traveller and Australian Traveller. Now as a freelancer, Lara always has her passport at-the-ready to take flight on assignment for the Australian Traveller team, as well as for publications such as Qantas Magazine, Escape and The Weekend Australian. As ever, her appetite is the first thing she packs.
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The secret Sydney suite life: a luxury under-the-radar stay right on the harbour

    Kate Bettes Kate Bettes
    Continue
    This winter, these secret Sydney harbour suites are the staycation we’ve been looking for.

    Whether it’s the crisscrossing ferries or the white sails of the Opera House rising out of blue depths, Australia’s biggest city lives for its harbour. But while locals might glance at that watery expanse on their daily commute across the Bridge, it can still be hard to truly connect with Sydney’s maritime soul. The secret: seeing the harbour eye-to-eye, right at water level. And what better place to submerge yourself in that energy than sleeping there? That’s where Pier One Sydney Harbour comes in (and with new all-inclusive bed and breakfast benefits, there’s even more to love).

    All-inclusive VIP benefits

    Who Is Elijah Amenities at Pier One Sydney Harbour
    Book in for the all-inclusive VIP treatment.

    The hard truth is that it will be very difficult to tear yourself away from your ultra-luxurious harbour home-away-from-home to explore the city. If you want to make leaving even harder, opt for Pier One’s all-inclusive VIP treatment.

    The Bed and Breakfast with Suite Benefits package turns up the volume on what is already the ultimate staycation, with complimentary valet parking, daily breakfast for two and turndown service. The biggest perk? Enjoy a bottle of French champagne every day during your whole stay

    Pier One Sydney Harbour

    Pier One Sydney Harbour
    Step into a piece of history with all the modern comforts. (Credit: Dave Wheeler)

    The five-star Pier One Sydney Harbour is quite literally old Sydney through and through. Built on what was once a working cargo wharf and the passenger terminal for those heading to the North Shore before the bridge was constructed, the heritage building sits right between the tangle of cobblestones, pubs and alleyways of The Rocks and the historic docking zone of Walsh Bay – at the centre of the city’s old sea trade.

    If knowing the hotel’s history isn’t enough to get your sea-longing going, the interior design certainly will. As soon as you step up to the concierge desk in the lobby of the restored building – which underwent a $15 million redevelopment in 2019 – you’re immersed in Sydney’s seafaring tale. Weathered wood panelling and white marble floors surround you, while loop lighting installations hover above the bar island just beyond, ringed with stools ready for intimate, martini-tinted conversations. Steel rivets and timber beams speak to its past, and glass-walled views anchor you firmly in the present-day life on the harbour.

    Pier One Suites

    Pier One Sydney Harbour admiral suite
    Enjoy incredible views from your suite.

    Across the 189 rooms and suites built on and over the water, the maritime theme continues. Sculptural aged brass fittings, exposed girders, colour schemes that evoke shifting currents, and mirrors that reflect ripples that – depending on your booking – sit just metres from your pillow.

    United on theme yet unique in set-up, each room or suite is different. On the ground floor, dog-friendly rooms with direct access to the pier are all prepped for pampered pups, while others have views and even balconies overlooking Walsh Bay, the Bridge and the Harbour.

    But the 19 suites step things up even more. Gaze out through floor-to-ceiling windows, or get even closer. Your private balcony is made for sipping a Nespresso coffee on as the sun comes up – or soaking in the bathtub of the Admiral Suite on the deck, a drink from the locally stocked mini bar in hand. This mini bar was recently completely transformed, so you have more Aussie favourites to choose from, including alcohol and snacks.

    Dining at Pier One

    Pier Bar Pier One Sydney Harbour
    Settle in for an afternoon of good drinks and views.

    Once you’re checked in, start your afternoon with a spritz at PIER BAR – or arrive by boat via the private pontoon if the occasion calls for it – and settle into one of the cabanas. Weekdays bring Happy Hour (or ‘sunset hour’ at Pier One); weekends bring the DJs. After an even sweeter experience? The Everyday Creamery and Matcha Kiosk is slinging mango and vanilla soft serve – classic and those spiked with Midori and gin alike.

    PIER Dining is an ode to contemporary Australian flavours across the terrace, pier and dining room. On its seafood-leaning menu are Sydney rock oysters from Merimbula, potato scallops with salmon roe and crème fraîche, chicken with melting sundried tomato butter, vodka rigatoni with Shark Bay prawns. And the ‘Pierlova’ – that’s pavlova with chocolate, dulce de leche and banana is worth saving room for. Make sure to ask for the wine list – it’s 100 per cent Australian drops.

    Around town

    luna park, sydney opera house and sydney harbour bridge
    Explore the neighbourhood during your stay. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    If you’re strong enough to polish off just one last pastry from the breakfast buffet and walk out the door, we applaud you. Luna Park across the harbour beckons with its wide grin, while a glance upward might spur you to climb the Bridge’s famous iron arches. The Opera House – just across Circular Quay from the Museum of Contemporary Art – sings out for a concert.

    You’ll want to book ahead for those hot-ticket performances at Sydney Theatre Company and Sydney Dance Company, just a few minutes’ walk south of the hotel. Ten minutes further brings you to the waterfront bars, restaurants and clubs of Barangaroo, or the karaoke, gardens and dim sum of Chinatown further afield.

    Keep the mellow of your weekend getaway going with a stop at Barangaroo Reserve, watching the yachts go by – all before returning for that Sydney sundowner at Pier One.

    Ready to make that Pier One stay a reality? Book the ultimate Sydney staycation at pieronesydneyharbour.com.au