14 Best Restaurants In The Blue Mountains

Inspired by the stunning landscape and rich produce of the region, these beautiful Blue Mountains restaurants invite diners to relish local flavours with their innovative menus.

Ranging from ornate, heritage dining rooms to forward-thinking eateries with a rustic and sustainable ethos, the restaurant scene in the Blue Mountains is thrillingly diverse and ever-expanding. With an unwavering focus on local and seasonal produce to bring vibrancy to the plate, the area attracts serious culinary talent and is well-endowed with plenty of eateries to match any occasion.

1. Blaq

Best for: Intimate date nights

Local chef Mate Herceg has Mountain blood in his veins, which he calls upon to bring a deep respect for the land and the seasons to the table.

the contemporary dining restaurant at Kyah Boutique Hotel — Dine in the contemporary fine restaurant at Kyah Boutique Hotel. (Image: Steven Woodburn)

Helming the contemporary fine diner at Kyah Boutique Hotel, Herceg keeps his kitchen focussed on the provenance of the fare by working with local farmers and producers. The approach sings on the plate with dishes such as brined kangaroo with broad beans and goat’s curd to a classic Junee lamb rump.

pouring sauce over a dish at Blaq, Kyah Boutique Hotel — Try not to miss the decadent menu at Blaq. (Image: Steven Woodburn)

Address: 13–17 Brightlands Avenue, Blackheath

2. Ates

Best for: Good times with good friends

Firing up Mediterranean share plates from the depths of a 150-year-old ironbark-fuelled oven, Ates (which, incidentally, means ‘fire’ in Turkish), is a place to clink glasses of beautiful wine over well-considered, locally crafted food.

the dining interior at Ates restaurant, Blue Mountains — Pull up a chair inside the pastel-hued dining space at Ates.

Relish the char on dishes such as slow-roasted Rangers Valley sirloin or Clarence River octopus and toast to a good time with a local Darragh Chardonnay from the Megalong Valley.

a meaty dish at Ates restaurant, Blue Mountains — Dine on Mediterranean share plates.

Address: 33 Govett’s Leap Road, Blackheath

3. Arrana

Best for: Special occasion fare

This yearly, twice-hatted fine diner in Springwood has levelled up the culinary scene in the mountains since opening in 2022. Inspired by the area’s rough-hewn, bush-bound beauty and history, the kitchen, led by executive chef Daniel Cabban, deliciously entwines native ingredients within each dish. Fold your napkin across your lap and settle in for dishes of quail with muntries and white asparagus or spanner crab with yoghurt and lemon myrtle. Choose from the four-course ‘darrbi’ menu or the seven-course ‘marri’ menu.

Address: 9–12, 125 Macquarie Road, Springwood

4. Tempus

Best for: Relaxed and refined evenings

A restaurant underwritten by the values of sustainability, community and place, this sleek but welcoming Katoomba favourite serves incredible modern Australian fare designed to delight without costing the planet.

A dining table set in Tempus in the Blue Mountains — Expect a warm and inviting dining space. (Image: Maja Baska)

Share in freshly plated flavours that savour the current season, while also preserving it for later, such as in pork terrine with fennel jam, snapper with smoked tomato and za’atar, and confit trout with chive puree. Designed to share and enjoy alongside interesting Australian wines, this is uncomplicated yet elevated dining.

dishes on the table at Tempus — Taste your way around the menu at Tempus. (Image: Maja Baska)

Address: 66 Katoomba Street, Katoomba

5. Darley’s Restaurant

Best for: Dining with the in-laws

Refined elegance is the order of the day at Darley’s Restaurant at Lilianfels Resort and Spa. With views that tumble over manicured gardens and across the Jamison Valley, it’s one part Jane Austin setting, and one part Man from Snowy River.

the main dining at Darley’s Restaurant — Darley’s Restaurant offers a refined and elegant dining experience.

The graceful dining room is full of knock-out bygone charm with crystal chandeliers, white-clothed tables, lead-light windows and ornate fireplaces. The food is as equally embellished but, despite the gilt dining room, undeniably contemporary with dishes such as coral trout with zucchini and koji, and marinated scallops with lemon myrtle.

Address: 5–19 Lilianfels Avenue, Katoomba

6. Bowery

Best for: Come-as-you-are casualness

A place to worship flavours and friends, this restaurant and bar is set in the former St Andrew’s Church, but these days, the service here is geared to more convivial congregations and everyone is welcome to come along and partake in fresh eats and some well-shaken cocktails.

the restaurant interior of Bowery, Blue Mountains — The bones of the former church building bring an interesting aesthetic to dining at the Bowery.

From brunch to dinner and drinks, enjoy dishes of lemon-garlic roast chicken, slow-braised osso buco and bush tomato spiced barramundi.

a plate of food on the table at Bowery — Expect fresh eats and well-shaken cocktails.

Address: 56–64 Waratah Street, Katoomba

7. Megalong Restaurant at Lot 101

Best for: Purposeful paddock to plate

With organic produce plucked from right outside the dining room to land artfully on your plate, this fine diner set on a working farm certainly practices what it preaches. And what it preaches is to eat well, regionally and seasonally. You’ll do all of the above here as you take your place in the elegant, warm-textured, 60-seater restaurant and embark on a set menu that may meander from a smoked Murray cod starter to simple but beautifully cooked lamb, and a sweet fig leaf semolina.

Address: 3–7 Peachtree Road, Megalong Valley

8. Echoes Restaurant and Bar

Best for: Gazing outwards

Set in the boutique hotel of the same name, this is the place to choose if you just can’t get enough of those hazy blue peaks. Perched for panoramic views of the Jamison Valley, Echoes Restaurant still manages to draw your attention back to the table with plates of well-finessed classics, such as grass-fed lamb rump backstrap crusted with herb butter and served on a bed of couscous or the char-grilled angus tenderloin with parsnip gratin. Sunny outdoor dining is the top billing, but dinner here on a wintry evening is just as lovely.

Address: 3 Lilianfels Avenue, Katoomba

9. Pins on Lurline

Best for: Cottage vibes

It doesn’t get more Blue Mountains than dining in the charming heritage cottage that houses Pins on Lurline . A Katoomba icon built in 1898, the cottage has lived many lives, but perhaps is living its best yet as this light-filled and elegant dining room where a degustation of six or 10 courses are enjoyed alongside wines from the region and beyond.

the charming cottage restaurant at Pins on Lurline, Blue Mountains — Pins on Lurline oozes country charm from the moment you arrive. (Image: Heather East Photography)

You may encounter slow-cooked wagyu beef cheeks or black garlic and rosemary pork belly, but you’ll most certainly encounter a good time.

the food at Pins on Lurline — Expect comfort food down differently. (Image: HEP Photography)

Address: 132 Lurline Street, Katoomba

10. Archibald Hotel

Best for: Casual sessions

Beginning its life as the Kurrajong Heights Hotel in 1928, this vast establishment was purposefully built with eyes clamped on the scenic vistas toward Sydney. Its modern incarnation is as the Archibald Hotel and this Hawkesbury Hideout on Bells Line of Road is the perfect place to raise a glass to a hike well-completed or a weekend away from it all. Gastro pub classics of braised beef cheeks and sausage linguini are pleasingly rib-sticking in the cooler months, while burgers and pizza will fuel summer walks.

Address: 1349 Bells Line of Road, Kurrajong

11. Mayfield Garden Restaurant

Best for: Long lunches in the garden

Set in the exquisitely manicured 15-hectare Mayfield Garden, Mayfield Restaurant makes a lovely bookend to a day strolling the elegantly landscaped green spaces. Start with a coffee before you explore the gardens, then return for a luxurious lunch in the seasonally-driven restaurant.

You can also book in for the three-course dinner after the garden closes. Expect prettily plated dishes the likes of sugar-salt cured duck salad, confit chicken Maryland or chilli and lime prawns.

a close-up of food at Mayfield Garden Restaurant — Mayfield Garden Restaurant plates up seasonally-driven fare. (Image: Destination NSW)

Address: 530 Mayfield Road, Oberon

12. Amara

Best for: Hatted elegance

Sourcing their produce from within a one-hour radius, this restaurant located between the Blue Mountains and the Hawkesbury is blessed with a cornucopia of seasonal harvests within easy reach. Awarded a chef’s hat in the Good Food Guide 2023, the kitchen team helmed by chef Will Houia creates playful but uncomplicated dishes that allow the ingredients to speak for themselves. Set in the luxe Spicers Sangoma Retreat and open to all for lunch and dinner seven days a week, you’ll find intricate flavours arranged in plates of spring lamb with peas and jus, corn fritters with zucchini, and charred asparagus with custard and lemon.

Address: 70 Grandview Lane, Bowen Mountain

13. Wintergarden at the Hydro Majestic

Best for: Bubbles and tea with views

A mountains classic, Wintergarden at the Hydro Majestic is a must-do experience when visiting the region. While you can partake in the nightly two- or three-course dinner, the real show-stopper is the daily high tea, which runs from 11am–3pm.

a couple enjoying a high tea experience at Wintergarden at the Hydro Majestic — Partake in a delightful high tea for two at the Hydro Majestic. (Image: Destination NSW)

Between morsels of petit fours and finger sandwiches, take in those drama-filled Megalong Valley vistas and, if you’re in a celebratory mood, be sure to opt in for the Eastern Luxurious High Tea, which includes a glass of French Champagne.

Address: 52–58 Great Western Highway, Medlow Bath

14. Embers Restaurant

Best for: Fireside steak

Floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing the Jamison Valley beyond already places this restaurant located in the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains in our best dining list. But it’s the expertly tended grill that imbues cuts such as ribeye, beef tomahawk and wagyu rump with perfect char that ensures it earns its position. Open daily, the restaurant takes pains not to sideline those who prefer seafood or vegetables with equally delicious dishes such as flame-licked hibachi octopus with chimichurri and globe artichokes with whipped Stracciatella. But if you’re here for the meat, reach for your inner carnivore with the exquisite Angus Reserve bone-in ribeye at $120 per kilogram.

Address: 1 Sublime Point Road, Leura

Aussies might think they know what Port Stephens is all about – but it’s time to take another look.

You might’ve driven through this NSW coast town. Maybe even stopped for fish and chips or a quick dip. But spend a long weekend in the new Port Stephens , and you’ll seriously regret not doing it sooner. We’re talking treks across beaches, reef dives and up-close time with rescued koalas.

All in all? It only takes a day before you see Port Stephens in a whole new light, and not much longer until it’s locked in as your favourite family destination.

1. Stockton Sand Dunes

Port Stephens incredible Stockton Sand Dunes are the largest moving sand mass in the Southern Hemisphere. They shift like an endless magic trick across the Worimi Conservation Lands , a 4200-hectare coastal co-managed by the Traditional Owners.

Tear over them in a 4WD. Rev through valleys soft as melting ice cream on a quad. Carve down 30-metre slopes on a sandboard. However you choose to cross them, you’re guaranteed a seriously wild ride.

Four rugged 4WDs kick up trails of golden dust as they charge across the sweeping desert landscape. — Chase thrills across shifting sands. (Image: Destination NSW)

2. Scale Tomaree Head Summit Walk

A short climb through bushland opens up to the coastal drama of Tomaree Head . Spot Zenith, Wreck and Box Beaches. See the Fingal Island lighthouse and offshore rookeries where Australia’s rarest seabird, the Gould’s petrel, nests.

History buffs can’t miss the WWII gun emplacements. And if you’re hiking between May and November, bring binoculars. Travelling whales might just be breaching below.

Friends enjoying a scenic walk along the Tomaree Head Summit Walk in Tomaree National Park, Port Stephens. — Climb Tomaree Head for jaw-dropping coastal views. (Image: Destination NSW)

3. Watch out for whales

You’ve seen the spouts of migrating humpbacks and southern right whales from shore. Set sail from Nelson Bay to see them up close. Cruise straight into the action, with tail-slaps, barrel rolls and all.

And they’ve got competition from the local show-offs. Port Stephens bottlenose dolphins leap and play. Some tours even spot pudgy fur seals, spending lazy days soaking up the sun on Cabbage Tree Island.

A whale’s tail on the sea’s surface. — Watch for ocean tails. (Image: Destination NSW)

4. Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary

Pop into the Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary to learn about the rescued koalas who climb, nap, snack and heal in this natural patch of bushland. Wander the immersive Sanctuary Story Walk to discover more about their habits, then head to the SKYwalk – a treetop platform constructed for spotting these eucalyptus-loving locals. Peek into the hospital’s viewing window, where sick or injured koalas may be resting in their recovery enclosures.

Not enough time around these adorable marsupials? Stay overnight in silk-lined glamping tents.

Koala sleeping in a tree at Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary, One Mile — See koalas in their natural habitat. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Diving Port Stephens

Port Stephens has some of NSW’s best dive spots. At Fly Point, float through sponge gardens and coral castles thick with nudibranchs (AKA sea slugs). Halifax Park has blue gropers and crimson-banded wrasse, while Shoal Bay’s seagrass meadows hide pipefish, cuttlefish and octopus.

Accessible only by boat, Broughton Island is home to a vast array of marine (and bird) life. Snorkel with blue devilfish and stingrays at sites like The Looking Glass and North Rock. More experienced divers can head out with one of the many PADI-certified operators.

At nearby Cabbage Tree Island, expect to see shaggy-faced wobbegongs cruising along.

A couple suited up and ready to dive into adventure. — Suit up and dive into Port Stephens’ vibrant marine life. (Image: Destination NSW)

6. Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters

Not quite ready to dive in? Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters is the perfect way to spot local marine life without getting too deep. But there’s no obnoxious glass tank tapping here. Instead, this interactive aquarium allows guests to wade into natural-style lagoons that mimic the real thing.

Gently pat Port Jackson and bamboo sharks, hand-feed rays, and feel their sandpapery skin with your fingertips. It is all under expert guidance. If you want to go deeper, pop on a wetsuit and swim alongside tawny nurse sharks, white-tipped reef sharks and zebra sharks in the lagoon.

Family enjoying an animal feeding experience at Irukandji Shark and Ray Encounters, Anna Bay. — Meet the ocean’s friendliest faces at Irukandji. (Image: Destination NSW)

7. Fish the estuaries

Fishing fanatics will fall for Port Stephens hook, line and sinker. Here, one of the largest estuary systems in the whole state sees tidal rivers and mangrove ecosystems. Waterfronts are thick with oysters, and residential fish that might include anything from bream, whiting and flathead, to blue swimmer crabs, kingfish and longtail tuna.

If you prefer to choose your own adventure and fish offshore, you can hire a boat from one of the marinas and set your own course.

three men fishing on a boat in port stephens — Join a tour or chart your own fishing trip. (Image: Destination NSW)

8. Taste new Port Stephens flavours

With plenty of activity to fill your days, refuelling on delectable cuisine becomes equally important. And Port Stephens answers the call.

Pop into Holbert’s Oyster Farm for fresh-farmed Port Stephens rock oysters and Pacific oysters, Australian king and tiger prawns, as well as a variety of tasty sauces to try them with.

Take a group to Atmos for an authentic Greek experience over large shared dishes and Greek-inspired cocktails. Or feast on sea-to-plate, modern Australian dishes at the pet-friendly Restaurant 2317.

A plate of fresh oysters. — Slurp your way through the region’s best oysters. (Image: Destination NSW)

Start planning your Port Stephens getaway at portstephens.org.au .

14 best restaurants in the Blue Mountains