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9 cosy Leura cafes to start the day at

Credit: Lily’s Pad

Lara Picone Lara Picone
For Leura-based explorations of the Blue Mountains, these seven cafes will top up your caffeine levels and fortify your day with delicious food.

It’s easy to while away a day cafe-hopping in lovely Leura. Go from latte to lunch at these eateries that serve beautiful, locally focused fare with laidback mountain vibes. From a long-time favourite tucked behind a red door, to a deli counter loaded with incredible cheeses and meats, there are plenty of Leura cafes to fuel a day hiking, shopping or simply relaxing in town.

The shortlist

Best Design/Most Instagrammable: Little Sista
Family-Friendly Spot: Lily’s Pad
Best coffee: The Laneway
Best for dog-friendly dining: Freudian Sip

1. Red Door Cafe

Red Door Cafe, Leura
Stop by for brunch at Red Door Cafe. (Image: James Horan/Destination NSW)

Best for: Relaxed sipping and snacking.

On a cherry blossom-lined street sits Red Door Cafe, a Leura local favourite. Stop by for breakfast, lunch or just to cradle a latte and have a chat in the courtyard. It’s not fancy or fussy, but you’ll find all the classics made well, from eggs however you like them to salads and sandwiches. Bigger meals may include bistro-style plates such as Tuscan-style sausages or confit duck Maryland. Cosy and much-adored in the community, a visit here offers a slice of mountain life.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 134 Leura Mall, Leura

2. Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli

Best for: Gathering provisions for your Leura staycation.

Swing by Leura Gourmet Cafe and Deli for smoothies, juices, coffee and a range of tempting morsels under the deli counter, from salads and sambos to pasta and sugar-dusted cannoli. It’s hard not to shop with your stomach with a range of beautiful condiments and pickles that promise to level up the excitement in your pantry and everything you could ever need to build the ultimate antipasto platter. If you’re planning a picnic out in the national park, Leura Gourmet is an obligatory stop to gather provisions.

Cuisine: Cafe classics

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 159 Leura Mall, Leura

3. The Laneway

Best for: Coffee lovers.

Drop into the cosy Laneway coffee shop that has local Cassiopeia beans running through the candy-pink coffee machine from 6.30am through to 2pm on weekdays, and 7am–11am on Saturdays. You’ll have plenty of baked and fresh toasted delights to tempt you, such as the roasted pumpkin and gorgonzola toastie or a lemon and blueberry syrup cake.

Cuisine: Toasties

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 146–148 Leura Mall, Leura

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4. The Wayzgoose Diner

The Wayzgoose Diner, Leura
The Wayzgoose Diner is famous for its flowerpot scone.

Best for: Big, diner-style dining.

Meals are made from scratch using locally sourced produce wherever possible at the bright-hued Wayzgoose Diner set in the oldest commercial building in Leura (once home to a printing press). It’s all about big, comforting favourites here, from hot cakes to waffles and hot dogs to burgers. Breakfast is served until 11.30, but the all-day menu means you can indulge your fish and chip craving at breakfast, too. It’s also home to the original flowerpot scone, which has remained unchanged since the 1980s when it was invented by a former owner.

Cuisine: American diner

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 174 Leura Mall, Leura

5. Lily’s Pad

avo toast at Lily’s Pad, Leura
Make a pitstop for breakfast. (Credit: Lily’s Pad)

Best for: Sweet treats to share.

Humble and homely, Lily’s Pad cafe is an adorable spot for a sweet treat come morning or afternoon tea. If you can overlook the ceramic frogs and the pun and turn your eye to the selection of beautifully baked goods, you’ll be very quickly taken in with this charming spot. Think sugar-crusted doughnuts, mini cheesecakes and all manner of muffins. There is a more savoury side to things, too, with breakfasts of eggs and lunches of salads, sandwiches, and even rice paper rolls.

Cuisine: Cafe classics

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 19 Grose Street, Leura

6. Little Sista

hot cross buns at Little Sista, Leura
Hot cross buns are a must-try. (Credit: Little Sista)

Best for: Focaccia!

As the younger, and dare we say, cooler, sibling to longstanding and much-loved Café Leura, Little Sista keeps the original venue’s philosophy of Greek hospitality alive and robust. But here, it’s a much more streamlined operation – selling only focaccia done very well and a few good beverages on the side. The interiors have a funky, vaguely ’70s vibe and lean into the vinyl sub-culture, while the sandwiches are simple but delicious. Wrap two hands around Mama’s Meatballs, which is fairly self-explanatory; The Greca, made with slow-cooked lamb and tzatziki; or the Everything She Wants, which is a cured meats-fest. Have it with an iced matcha or a coffee and enjoy the tunes.

Cuisine: Greek and Mediterranean

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 4/130-138 Megalong St, Leura

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7. Café Leura

coffee at Café Leura
Sit down for a top-notch brew. (Credit: Café Leura)

Best for: Greek hospitality

Family-run Café Leura has been serving the mountain community with Greek hospitality for 20 years. Such a legacy doesn’t happen by accident, so you can be sure you’re in for good food when you sit down here. Come for breakfast, lunch or coffee and a sweet treat with a rambling menu that covers all the usual cafe suspects, such as breakfast rolls, cheeseburgers, avocado toast, as well as a few nods to the owners’ Greek heritage, including the moussaka and Greek lamb benedict.

Cuisine: Greek and Mediterranean

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 180A Leura Mall, Leura

8. Freudian Sip

Freudian Sip, Leura
This cosy, quirky cafe is well-loved for its relaxed atmosphere. (Credit: Freudian Sip)

Best for: Bringing your fur friend

Serving Campos coffee and maybe some Freudian-style advice, this cafe is pretension-free and welcomes your pups to join you outside. A rustic cottage with a crackling fireplace come winter, there are homey touches everywhere from nana rugs to book-lined shelves. The comfort continues with the menu that includes steak sambos, schnitzels and smashed avo bruschetta. Of course, there are scones with cream and jam, apple crumble and carrot cake.

Cuisine: Homestyle

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 156 Megalong Street, Leura

9. The Leopard Deli

The Leopard Deli, Leura
The sunlit cafe is a deli by day. (Credit: The Leopard Deli)

Best for: Coming for breakfast and staying for lunch

This cafe and deli changes its spots Wednesday to Sunday nights to become the hot dinner ticket in town, but every day during the day you can come for good coffee and a delicious Italian-with-a-French-twist breakfast or lunch. Fully licenced and with shelves stocked with deli delights to take home, this is the place to linger over spicy Italian poached eggs for breakfast, The Leopard lasagne at lunch, and chicken cacciatore at dinner.

Cuisine: Italian with a little French thrown in

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Address: 84 Railway Parade, Leura

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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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This surprising regional town is making its mark on the culinary world

(Image: Visit Griffith)

    Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
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    With more than 60 nationalities calling it home and a century of Italian influence shaping its paddocks and plates, Griffith is a regional Australian town with serious culinary cred.

    It might feel surprising to learn that Griffith is one of Australia’s leading food destinations. In-the-know Italians have understood this for generations, drawn to the Riverina region’s fertile soils that reminded them of the terrain they’d left behind more than a century ago. These days, Griffith supplies much of the nation’s pantry: 95 per cent of Australia’s prunes come from the region, it’s the country’s largest citrus-growing area, and it’s a leading producer of almonds and walnuts. Even the pickles in every McDonald’s burger nationwide are produced in Griffith. This is not just a farming town; the Griffith food scene is leading the way.

    Here, culinary confidence is rooted in migration. Italian families began arriving from 1913, with a second wave settling after the Second World War. Today, Griffith has the highest proportion of Italian ancestry of any Local Government Area in Australia. Add to that more than 60 nationalities represented across the community and you have a town where food is driven not by trends, but by tradition. Griffith’s motto, ‘Taste our culture’, isn’t marketing spin; it’s the reality.

    Where the vines tell a story

    A hand pouring wine into a glass, with a table filled with food.
    Uncover the stories behind every glass. (Image: Destination NSW)

    The Riverina has long been dubbed the food bowl of Australia, but it’s also a wine region that remains largely under the radar. What sets Griffith apart is that every one of its wineries is family-owned, many spanning generations.

    Calabria Family Wines is one of the region’s standard-bearers. The Calabria story began in 1945 when Francesco Calabria planted his first vines; today, the family continues to shape the region’s identity while also stewarding the historic McWilliam’s Wines brand. McWilliam’s was the first winery to plant vines in the area, and its barrel-shaped cellar door – complete with a soaring stained-glass window – remains one of the most distinctive in regional NSW.

    Yarran Wines, run by the Brewer family, showcases estate-grown fruit across Mediterranean varietals that thrive in the warm climate. Expect bold reds and textured whites that reflect both heritage and innovation.

    Set inside the old ambulance station, Harvest HQ is owned and operated by the Riverina Winemakers Association and pours a rotating selection of local wines under one roof. It also features spirits from The Aisling Distillery, reinforcing the region’s collaborative approach to craft.

    At the table

    A flat lay of a steak.
    Dine where tradition meets a bold new generation. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    If the vineyards tell one story, the dining rooms tell another. Griffith’s restaurants are where tradition and next-gen confidence meet.

    Zecca Handmade Italian occupies the former Rural Bank building, an imposing Art Deco landmark from the late 1930s. ‘Zecca’ means money print, and the name is a nod to the Zecca di Venezia in Venice. Here, find the Riverina’s only producer of dried artisan pasta and traditional Italian recipes. Importantly, the growers and producers supplying the kitchen are listed on the menu as a transparent expression of the region’s farm-to-table ethos.

    Established in 1977 and still run by the Vico family, La Scala puts authentic Italian cuisine on centre stage. Expect handmade pasta, traditional wood-fired pizzas, slow-cooked sauces and dishes that follow recipes guarded like family heirlooms. For something more contemporary, Bull & Bell in Gem Hotel is a shrine to the Euro-style steakhouse that works closely with local farmers and artisans to showcase Riverina produce.

    And then there are the institutions. Bertoldo’s Pasticceria, now in its third generation, draws locals daily for cannoli, biscotti, crostoli and house-made gelato, alongside classic sausage rolls and potato pies. La Piccola Grosseria feels like stepping into an Italian alimentari, its shelves lined with continental goods that wouldn’t feel out of place in Puglia.

    Meanwhile, Limone celebrates local and seasonal produce across breakfast and lunch menus, enriched by the produce and stories of Piccolo Family Farm. Find pastries and sourdough baked daily, and pop into the onsite retail pantry for products from regional producers – including the Piccolo family’s own wine range, Caro Piccolo.

    From the source

    A plated Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod dish.
    Taste world-renowned Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod, straight from its source. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    Behind every menu is a producer. Aquna Sustainable Murray Cod is perhaps Griffith’s most high-profile export; the brand’s Murray cod and Aquna Gold Murray Cod Caviar have achieved global recognition. In October 2024, Aquna presented its products to King Charles III and Queen Camilla at the NSW Premier’s Community BBQ in Parramatta. Impressed by the producer’s sustainable farming practices, the King requested the cod be sent to Buckingham Palace – not bad for a fish farm in regional NSW.

    Mandolé Orchard champions almonds grown on a family-run farm, transforming them into almond milk and value-added products. At Morella Grove, olives are pressed into premium olive oil and pantry staples that speak to Griffith’s Mediterranean heart. These producers are not peripheral; they are central to the town’s culinary ecosystem. Learn about local sustainable farming practices during a farm tour.

    Mark your calendar

    A woman walking past a food mural, something you can spot during A Taste of Italy Griffith.
    Plan your visit around A Taste of Italy Griffith. (Image: Visit Griffith)

    For a town that helps stock Australia’s supermarkets, Griffith has remained curiously absent from the national dining conversation. That’s beginning to change. If you’ve been searching for a regional food destination with substance, heritage and a clear sense of identity, you’ll find it here in the Riverina, right under your nose.

    Time your visit to the Riverina region to coincide with A Taste of Italy Griffith, held every August. This week-long celebration of Italian heritage and culture offers a wide range of Italian-inspired events and experiences to enjoy. Expect long-table lunches, wine tasting experiences, cooking classes and a Makers in the Piazza market. The headline event is a ticketed long lunch – Festa delle Salsicce (Salami Festival) – where winners of the best salami are announced.

    Start planning your foodie getaway at visitgriffith.com.au.