13 Excellent Mudgee Restaurants To Try Now

Mudgee over-delivers on everything from fine dining to sophisticated wine bars and cosy cellar doors.

With about 40 cellar doors, a distillery, breweries and countless restaurants and cafes, it’s little wonder that Mudgee has become a household name among Australian foodies. Most restaurants here would be perfectly at home in the fine-dining streets of Sydney or Melbourne, without any pretence. It might be down to a regional focus on local produce, or perhaps innovative chefs perfecting their flavours.

Explore the wining and dining scene with our pick of the best places to dine and wine when visiting Mudgee and its surrounds.

The shortlist

Best For Large Groups: Pipeclay Pumphouse
Best farm-to-table: The Zin House
Best casual eats: Mudgee Brewing Co.

Pipeclay Pumphouse

The rustic Pipeclay Pumphouse  restaurant at Robert Stein Vineyard takes its paddock-to-plate philosophy seriously. Most of the veggies and herbs are grown on site; the cattle, chicken and sheep are farmed here; and they make their own prosciutto and cured meats.

Main meals include the likes of Sweet potato with burrata, orzo, walnut and sage, and apple cider pork shoulder, rosemary. But it would be a mistake not to start with the Panko crumbed haloumi, dressed with honey, lime and pistachio.

While the restaurant is well known for its dinner sittings, you needn’t overlook its impressive six-course degustation long lunch offering. Add matching Robert Stein wines for a truly delicious experience.

Cuisine: Flavours of the Mediterranean and Middle East
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Friendly and elevated
Location: Pipeclay Lane, Budgee Budgee

The Zin House

Serving as the cellar door restaurant at Lowe Wines & Co., The Zin House’s extensive orchard and zinfandel paddock supply most of the restaurant’s organic produce, which is then prepared from scratch using classic techniques. What they don’t grow themselves, they source from local producers to provide a truly local experience.

Long lunch sittings are popular, so be sure to book in advance. The optional wine pairing is highly recommended, featuring a mix of regional and estate-produced wines.

Cuisine: Elevated modern Australia
Average price: $$$$
Atmosphere: Relaxed and open-plan
Location: 327 Tinja Lane, Mudgee

Mudgee Brewing Co.

Food at a brewery can go one of two ways: lacklustre pub grub or upscale regional fare. Thank goodness Mudgee Brewing Co. delivers the latter.

Gary Leonard left the coal mining industry to open Mudgee’s only microbrewery in 2007. The 100-year-old former wool store has served as one of the town’s favourite watering holes ever since, with eight taps pouring the latest onsite craft brews.

Find an extensive food menu featuring beer snacks, pizzas and a variety of mains; confit duck, prawn pasta and mussels will satiate sophisticated appetites, while the fish and chips, schnitzel burgers and wings are for those who don’t mind getting their hands dirty. Live music adds to the ambience and, unlike most breweries, this one goes the extra mile with table service.

Cuisine: Pub grub
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Location: 4 Church Street, Mudgee

Roth’s Wine Bar

The oldest wine bar in the country, Roth’s Wine Bar hits all the right notes for an incredible local wine menu, perfect bites to share and local stories full of flavour.

Robert Roth originally opened the space as a general store, serving a sneaky tipple to thirsty farmers on occasion before licensing the premises as a wine bar in 1923. Today, local characters keep their weekly bookings to drink, dine and dance (there is live music on Fridays).

There are now over 100 premium Roth wines on offer, along with an increasing number of local drops. Don’t be shy to order a cocktail or two, either – friendly bar staff will pour them with expertise and local liquor. Aside from wine, cocktails and craft beers, the bar serves a perfect selection of bites, like a wood-fired pizza menu and share plates like lemon pepper squid.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual for a night out
Location: 30 Market Street, Mudgee

Jumbucks at the Woolpack Hotel

Not your stock-standard pub grub, the Woolpack Hotel sidesteps expectations with its casual Asian-fusion eatery, Jumbucks . You can get everything here from garlic prawns to san choy bow, gyoza and a range of stir-fries and omelettes. But this is still an Aussie country pub, so be comforted with an additional classics menu that doesn’t leave anyone out.

Cuisine: Chinese-fusion
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Casual
Location: 67 Market St, Mudgee

29 Nine 99

Artist-turned-tea-house-owner, Na Lan, has been steaming handmade dumplings at 29 Nine 99 in a quaint sandstone building in Rylstone since 2008.

Find a spot amid the eclectic artworks and gifts, then settle in for rounds of tea and pillowy-soft dumplings. While Na Lan never trained as a chef, you’d never know it. She says she likes to “spoil her taste buds", which leads to deliciously crafted dim sum. This diminutive restaurant is hugely popular, so book ahead on weekends.

Cuisine: Yum cha
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Eclectic
Location: 28 Louee Street, Rylstone

Smokin Bro & Co

What could go better with craft brews than Texan BBQ? Find Smokin Bro & Co inside Three Tails Brewery, offering slow-cooked BBQ, cooked with fire and smoke.

Tuck into everything from brisket burgers to a kransky taco and opt in for a stack of sides, such as cornbread, sweet potato casserole and bacon mac. The barbecue is stoked from Wednesday to Thursday nights and seasons the Mudgee air with curls of smoke over lunch on Friday and Saturday.

Cuisine: Texan BBQ
Average price: $
Atmosphere: Casual
Location: 13A Lewis Street, Mudgee

The Oriental Hotel

Known colloquially as ‘The Ori’ , one of Mudgee’s classic pubs has enjoyed a glow in the last year or two to include various indoor and outdoor dining options. There’s something for everyone on the menu, from pizzas to Bangladeshi to a more elevated modern Australian section. As for drinks, find ice-cold brews on tap, as well as a dedicated gin bar for tasty cocktails.

Cuisine: Pub grub
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Warm & welcoming
Location: 6 Lewis St, Mudgee

The Barn at Blue Wren Farm

Taking simple, seasonal ingredients and finessing them to become the best versions of themselves, the fare at the Barn on the idyllic Blue Wren Farm is sustainable, elegant and wholly delicious. Take a seat outdoors and enjoy a procession of plates that pair well with the accompanying wine list.

From prosciutto with persimmon and pickled chilli to larger plates of chargrilled lamb backstrap skewers with lentils and yoghurt and a chicken cotaletta with fried capers, the Italian-leaning menu is long lunch perfection, but you can also dine in the evenings from Thursday to Saturday.

Groups of 10 or more will need to book in for a set menu experience, which is an entirely agreeable way to spend a few hours – just be sure to book a taxi back to your accommodation.

Cuisine: Italian
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Relaxed
Location: 433 Ulan Road, Mudgee

Elton’s Bar + Bites

Once the original 1896 Elton’s Pharmacy building, this now modern hangout with a menu that delivers on its namesake – expect to do lots of eating and drinking at Eltons. While the all-day menu features salads, schnitzels and burgers, it’s the breakfast offerings that really shine. Take a seat in the main bar, the open-air courtyard or on the sunny footpath out front.

Cuisine: Modern Australian
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Location: 81 Market Street, Mudgee

Isabella’s Trattoria

You’ll know you’ve arrived at Isabella’s Trattoria when you spot the sign that says you have found the “food you’ve been looking for". This place ups the ante when it comes to upscale Italian fare.

Maroon awnings feature a cursive decal out the front, transporting customers to an Italian side street from the get-go. An open-plan kitchen allows customers to see the masters at work, manoeuvring around the kitchen with beautiful European finesse. Match the risotto, garlic prawns and seafood pasta with a drop from the lengthy wine list. For dessert, the tiramisu is the sweet pick-me-up your evening needs.

Cuisine: Traditional Italian
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Welcoming
Location: 52 Market St, Mudgee

Warakirri Dining Experience by Indigiearth

Operated by Indigiearth founder Sharon Winsor, a Ngemba Weilwan woman from Western NSW, this intimate dining experience shared by only 30 guests per night unravels native bush tucker and botanicals across five courses.

A deep love and respect for Indigenous food, dovetailing with her culinary mastery, enables Sharon to take diners on an immersive gastronomic journey into ancient skills and flavours. Over four hours, share incredible dishes paired with beverages, while enjoying cultural entertainment such as music and storytelling.

2026 dates will be announced soon.

Cuisine: Australian
Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Casual
Location: Huntington Estate, 641 Ulan Road, Buckaroo

Paragon Hotel

This 1857 gold rush-era hotel has Aussie pub ambience down to a fine art. The pub’s Bushman eatery isn’t reinventing the wheel, and nor does it have to when classic grub comes this well-finished. Tuck into your usual suspects, should you feel like fish and chips, steak or a chicken schnitty, but there are also nouveau pub classics, such as a warm cauliflower salad, grilled fish tacos and pan-fried salmon. The wine list is curated with local-leaning, as expected.

Cuisine: Pub grub
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Casual
Location: 38 Perry Street, Mudgee

Between eats, follow our guide for the 21 of the very best things to do in Mudgee.

The heavens take centre stage at this Outback NSW glamping lodge.

Crane your neck. Look up. If it’s nighttime in a major Australian city, you might see a faint dusting of stars. Now imagine yourself out in the bush. Here, those stars aren’t just scattered dots – instead, they’re smudged across the sky in endless, glittering streaks. Welcome to Wilderluxe Lake Keepit , a new glamping lodge in one of the most picturesque corners of outback NSW.

Between its eight stargazing tents, Gilay Guest Lounge, and shared tales of the Dreamtime night sky, this retreat is designed to exist in harmony with the breathtaking lake and surrounding landscape. Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know.

Bathed in warm light, a couple watches the sun dip beyond the horizon. — Watch the sky melt into magic at Wilderluxe.

Getting to Wilderluxe Lake Keepit

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit is in the NSW Northern Tablelands, bordered by the Great Dividing Range. The lake itself is hard to miss: this mammoth body of water is two-thirds the size of Sydney Harbour.

Just 40 minutes from Tamworth and close to Gunnedah, it’s on the inland route between Sydney and Byron Bay. Drive or take one of the daily flights to Tamworth’s airport.

Aerial view of Wilderluxe. — Let vast waters and towering ranges set the scene for your escape.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit rooms

Don’t settle for a paltry room when you can sleep directly under the cosmos. Wilderluxe offers eight domed ‘Star Tents’ , all named after Aboriginal sky stories – like Djirri Djirri, the sacred messenger bird, Baiame, the Sky Father and great creator, and Dhinawan, the Emu in the Sky constellation.

On a clear night, use your tent’s retractable roof for gazing above or wander to the outdoor bathtub on your private deck to soak under the night sky. No need to go anywhere. You can stay put come evening with a kitchenette inside and a gas barbecue on the deck.

A couple gazes up at a sky ablaze with stars at Wilderluxe. — Sleep beneath the stars.

Style and character

When it comes to aesthetics, Wilderluxe Lake Keepit stays on trend. The encampment blends with its surroundings, building up layers of minimalist visuals that mirror the ever-changing curves of the water.

Earthy tones, natural materials and timber finishes also anchor the retreat in its bushland surrounds. It’s enough to deepen the sense of calm you’ll experience as you drive off-grid, and this is only heightened as you spot kangaroos grazing at dawn or hear the chatter of native birds by the lake.

The dreamy sunset at Wilderluxe. — Go off-grid in style at Wilderluxe Lake Keepit.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit dining

‘Dinner and a show’ hits differently with the property’s Big Sky dinner experience . Hosted in the Gilay Lounge, enjoy complimentary drinks and a grazing table with the host, followed by a screening of Big Sky Dreaming, a film produced exclusively for Wilderluxe guests in which Kamilaroi storyteller Uncle Len Waters narrates tales of the Dreaming above.

Once your imagination has been fed, it’s time to take a seat fireside for a glass of Australian port and a serving of s’mores.

Keen to explore the wider area? Staff can provide barbecue and picnic hampers, stuffed with regional meats, cheeses and organic local fare.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit facilities

While you could very well spend all your time in your tent, sometimes it’s time to hit pause on the celestial show. Instead, make your way up to the Gilay Guest Lounge, where you can relax on the deck overlooking the lake or the outdoor fire pits. It’s a great way to unwind and clink glasses with other stargazers.

The Gilay Lounge with the view of the lake. — Unwind by the fire and raise a glass at Gilay Lounge.

Wilderluxe Lake Keepit experiences

No need to turn nocturnal; when the sun rises, there are still plenty of ways to touch the sky.

Lake Keepit hosted the 2020 Women’s World Gliding Championships, and it’s one of the best places in Australia to stretch your wings. The local Soaring Club operates year-round, meaning you can book a gliding experience any day of the year – or opt for a scenic flight to take in the vast beauty from above.

Prefer to keep your feet on solid ground? There are plenty of walking and cycling trails in and around the area. Luckily, bikes are part of the Wilderluxe package. All you have to do is ask a staff member for their favourite route, throw a picnic onto the back and cycle off into the great beyond.

Alternatively, nab a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) or kayak and head out onto the lake. Or, if you’re feeling lucky, borrow a fishing rod and try your chances.

A person kayaking through serene waters. — Paddle into peace.

The details

A two-night minimum twin-share accommodation package includes Big Sky dinner and drinks experience, plus daily continental breakfast. As well as access to leisure equipment including mountain bikes, kayaks, SUPs and fishing gear.

The interiors of the glamping tent. — Let nature restore you, while luxury takes care of the rest.

Start planning your outback glamping adventure at wilderluxe.com.au.

13 of the best Mudgee restaurants to try now