Top 10 restaurants in Batemans Bay

The mood is mellow in Batemans Bay, where there’s no pressure to dust the sand off your feet for breakfast and a dozen oysters can be enjoyed at a rustic boat shed with a side serve of water views.

Get a feel for Batemans Bay’s small-town charms at a slick bar serving dumplings and tacos or a hidden gem where a Michelin-trained chef is at the helm. Here are a few of the best cafes and restaurants in Batemans Bay for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

1. Rivermouth General Store

The Rivermouth General Store is located in Tomakin, just 15 minutes’ drive from Batemans Bay and it’s a lovely spot to retreat. Hang around in Tomakin long enough and you will get a taste of what life is like in this vaguely hippie town with a surfie vibe. Wear your best pair of tattered jeans and slouchie beanie and order brekky wrap, which specialises in farm-to-table produce.

The Rivermouth General Store is the perfect place to retreat to after a long day. (Image: Rivermouth General Store)

2. Tribe Café

Let’s start with coffee. Tribe Café is a breakfast hub for Batemans Bay locals who sit outside on the sun-splashed deck to enjoy nutritious soul bowls surrounded by statues of Buddha and glorious grey-green foliage.

Create your own fresh cold-pressed juice or enjoy a bespoke Coast blend of creamy Guerrilla Roasters coffee in this cute café slash homewares store with a beach-house vibe.

Soak up the beach house vibes of Tribe Cafe. (Image: Tribe Cafe)

3. Crumb

The Flamin’ Hot Cheetos eggs benedict with bacon from Crumb has cult status in Batemans Bay. It’s a Franken-benny. A beautiful freak show of canary-yellow hollandaise atop two poached eggs on sourdough that will kick off your carb fuelling for the day.

Get in early to avoid missing out on our other must-have: buckwheat waffles with coconut foam and banana and a Black Betty blend of ONA coffee.

The eclectic interiors of Crumb Cafe. (Image: Crumb Cafe)

4. Cafe Three66

Expect a lot of tradie traffic at Café Three66, an industrial-chic venue that draws high-vis-vest-wearing locals in their droves for the takeaway-only bacon-and-egg roll deals on offer from 5am till 10am.

Perched just metres away from Mosquito Bay, the waterfront café is clean and spare, with polished concrete and rustic timbers softened by hanging greenery. Expect surprises on the menu to be served with the changing seasons.

The industrial-chic facade of Cafe Three66. (Image: Cafe Three66)

5. The Oyster Shed on Wray Street

Sit by the big wide windows facing the Clyde River to best enjoy a dozen oysters slurped down in situ at The Farm Gate and Oyster Shed on Wray Street.

Plates of freshly shucked oysters at The Oyster Shed. (Image: Eurobodalla Coast Tourism)

Of course, the tranquil scene here is part of the journey: there’s a fire pit in winter or outside and sun-splashed tables over summer to enjoy just-shucked oysters harvested straight out of the Clyde River. It’s one of the best things to do in Batemans Bay.

6. Broulee Brewhouse

There’s every style of beer going at Broulee Brewhouse, which has become a happy seaside hub for hipsters and salty-haired surfers.

The North Broulee brewhouse was established by a couple of locals who wanted to curate a beer list with as much care as a sommelier. Six styles are on offer all up, including sweet lagers, a hazy pale ale and XPA paired, if you please, with artfully prepared charcuterie boards.

Sunny Broulee Brewhouse is a happy seaside hub for hipsters and salty-haired surfers. (Image: Broulee Brewhouse)

7. Stock up on local produce

Visitors to the NSW South Coast are spoilt for choice when it comes to farm-fresh produce. Pop into River Road Providore in Nelligen to procure smoked wild trout, Bakerdave sourdough and homemade pickles.

The providore is located at the Edward Road Market Place, a collective endeavour that brings together a diverse mix of makers and growers. Listen to the buskers over coffee from the @skyehighcoffeevan.

Pop into River Road Providore in Nelligen to procure smoked wild trout. (Image: Getty)

8. Sandbar Restaurant at Quays Hotel

Dinner at Sandbar is the gold standard in Batemans Bay thanks to the arrival of chef David Tinker who trained under Pierre Gagnaire at his Michelin-starred restaurant, Sketch, in Paris.

The menu at Sandbar, located under the Quays Hotel in Batemans Bay, has a regional focus. Let David and his wife Tomoyo guide you through a degustation menu of delicate dishes that marry French technique with Japanese tradition.

The Sandbar is located under the Quays Hotel. (Image: Quays Hotel)

9. Mami’s Bar

This fun neighbourhood bar gets lots of praise for its drinks list which includes top local drops from Jervis Bay Brewing Co. as well as natural wines and cocktails that are a joy to drink.

Mami’s Bar also receives applause for its darling dumplings, a weekly Wednesday night special. Check out the venue’s slick social media feed as there is lots of colourful merch to purch. Come to Mami’s for the tequila-fuelled Jalisco Disco: Tacos, Tecates and Tommy’s.

Mami’s is a fun neighbourhood bar with a rockin’ drinks list. (Image: Mami’s Bar)

10. Merinda Cruises

If you really want to push the boat out, enjoy fresh fish and chips and a side salad as part of your twilight dinner cruise onboard the MV Merinda.

The cruise, a highlight on the self-drive Batemans Bay Explorer itinerary of the Gourmet Coast Trail, coasts along the calm waters of the Clyde River all the way to Nelligen onboard the wooden boat while you graze on fresh seafood and listen to commentary on wildlife and local history.

Enjoy fresh fish and chips while out at sea. (Image: Gourmet Coast Trail)