Fuel Up At The Best Mount Gambier Cafes

Fuel your body at Mount Gambier’s best cafes before taking in the stunning scenery and history around you.

Located halfway between Melbourne and Adelaide, it is one of Australia’s must-see gems, though it may not always get the attention and recognition it deserves. South Australia’s Mount Gambier, found on the breathtaking Limestone Coast, is nestled on the slopes of a dormant volcano and is also home to the aptly named Blue Lake which occupies one of the craters of the maar volcano.

If you’re planning a road trip or a getaway to this picturesque location with its stunning natural sinkholes, lush greenery, and mesmerising caves, there’ll be plenty of hikes and history to take in – but first, most importantly, it’ll be imperative to fuel up for a day exploring.

Luckily Mount Gambier boasts many high-quality cafes with delicious coffee and mouth-watering breakfast options, and we’ve rounded up a selection of the best.

1. Bricks & Mortar Coffee Co.

Coffee aficionados need to head straight to Bricks & Mortar Coffee Co. upon rising. This speciality roaster boasts its own brew bar where you can witness their coffee and brewing techniques. Sit down with a cup of coffee (roasted in-house, of course) or take your coffee to-go and stroll around Vansittart Park across the road.

Address: 2A/4 Wehl St N, Mount Gambier

2. Metro Cafe

With a huge range of cakes, pastries, baked goods, and savoury dishes, it’s easy to see why Metro is a hit amongst locals and tourists alike . Plus, they cater for all, with a great range of gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options for those with intolerances. Treat yourself to the mouth-watering fluffy pancakes with your morning coffee and start the day with a spring in your step.

a close-up photo of food at Metro Cafe in Mount Gambier — Go and grab a hearty brunch at Metro Cafe.

Address: 15 Commercial St, Mount Gambier

3. Bay Blue Espresso Bar

With the charm of a cosy inner-city coffee joint, Bay Blue Espresso is just a hop, skip, and jump away from the Blue Lake. While the smell of roasted coffee will entice you in, the house-baked goods are a must-try (and you won’t want to stop at just one freshly baked Cinnamon Scroll!). The staff are friendly, the menu is simple but stacked with high-quality breakfast favourites like bircher muesli and tasty toasties, and the cafe is pet-friendly, so if you’re travelling with your pooch, they’ll also feel right at home.

Address: 45 Bay Rd, Mount Gambier

4. Presto Eatery

This super popular cafe is constantly busy for a reason – the coffee is to die for, and the meals are Instagram-ready. Not big on caffeine? The fresh juices are the perfect accompaniment while you kick back outside and soak in the morning rays.

Presto eatery smashed avo — Take your pick from a delicious meal selection. (Image: Andy Nowell)

The breakfast options will suit everyone’s needs, from delicious big breakfasts to the nourishing porridge option, and if your sweet tooth is activated in the AM, try the cinnamon ‘donut’ French toast – you won’t regret it.

Even when you leave Mount Gambier, you can take a piece of it home with you, with Presto’s coffee beans available to purchase in-store.

Address: 37 Commercial St E, Mount Gambier

5. San Piero Coffee Bar

Attention coffee lovers! This charming cafe boasts some of the region’s best coffee, and they’ve got awards to prove it. San Piero serves up fresh local blends , house-made cacao, and delicious cold drips that will reinvigorate you for the day ahead. Don’t forget to take home a bag of their drinking chocolate, the perfect treat during the cooler months.

Address: 54 Commercial St E, Mount Gambier

6. Cafe Melzar

Tucked away down a quiet little laneway, Cafe Melzar brings some inner-city culture to the area. With excellent coffee that will bring a pep back into your step, fresh juices, and a seasonal menu, this hidden gem will fulfil all your brunch needs. If you’re looking for something sweet, the Banoffee Delight or Apple & Rhubarb Crumble will not disappoint.

a hand slicing a sandwich at Cafe Melzar, Mount Gambier — Get your brunch fix. (Image: Cafe Melzar)

Plant-based friends will love the delicious vegan options like the aptly titled Earth Lovers vegetable medley, consisting of sourdough toast, grilled vegetables, house-made beans, and smashed avo.

Address: 5/7 Englebrecht Ln, Mount Gambier

7. Nalou Kitchen

With its indoor plants and a soothing palette of greens and blues, Nalour Kitchen is a peaceful spot to start your day. If you’re craving the classics, they sling smashed avo, bacon and eggs, and croissants, or if you’re up for something different there’s corn, zucchini, and carrot fritters with smoked salmon, sticky date pancakes, and banana caramel waffles.

Address: 82 Commercial St W, Mount Gambier

8. Mount Gambier Little Saigon Cafe

This lovely little Vietnamese cafe boasts a variety of tasty Viet options as well as traditional breakfast fare. Save this one for a sunny day, as you’ll want to perch up with your coffee and brekkie in the glorious backyard garden setting. Little Saigon also has a great variety of lunch options if you’ve overdone it on the smashed avo, so don’t forget to pick up some fresh rice paper rolls and save them for later.

Address: 34 Sturt St, Mount Gambier

To continue on your food tour of Mount Gambier, make sure to check out our guide to the must-visit Mount Gambier restaurants.

This article was originally written by Carla Grossetti and updated by Tahlia Pritchard and Rachael Thompson

Time your visit to Margaret River just right, and you can spend the ultimate weekend wining, dining and exploring the region with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

Wine, world-class produce, surf, sun and beaches: it’s an alluring combination. And the reason so many pin the Margaret River region high on their travel hit-lists. There’s drawcard after drawcard to the southwestern corner of Western Australia, and the Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover food and wine festival showcases the best of it over the course of one weekend in November. It’s never been easier to sip, see and savour the Margaret River region.

In partnership with Pair’d Margaret River Region, Range Rover invites you on a seven-day itinerary of refined adventure, where luxury and exploration go hand in hand. It’s the perfect WA road trip, and there’s no better way to do it than in a Range Rover.

Day 1

the pool at Pullman Bunker Bay — Check into Pullman Bunker Bay.

There’s no more popular West Australian road trip route than that between Perth and the Margaret River Region. It’s an easily digestible, three-hour drive, with worthy pit stops along the way.

Make the first of them one hour and 15 minutes in, at Lake Clifton. Here, find a 2000-year-old living thrombolite reef. Drive for a further 40 minutes and chance meeting some of Bunbury’s dolphin population at Koombana Bay.

Pullman Bunker Bay is the final stop, just over three hours south of Perth. This beachfront, five-star resort is the ultimate base for exploring the Margaret River Wine region.

Day 2

After a leisurely morning breakfast with an ocean view, start your Range Rover and head towards the Dunsborough town centre. Browsing the decidedly coastal-themed goods of the town’s many independent boutiques is a great way to while away the hours, breaking up the sartorial with an artisan gelato snack stop, or some good old-fashioned Australian bakery fare.

Leave room; you’ll need it for the Good Natured Gathering dinner at Wayfinder. Indulge in a four-course feast by chef Felipe Montiel, which uses produce from the winery’s market garden to enhance a selection of sustainably sourced seafood and meat. But food is just the support act. It’s organic wine that’s the star of the show, generously poured and expertly paired to each dish.

Day 3

Settle in for cabernet at Cape Mentelle Winery.

With a grand total of 20 wines from vintage 2022 to try, it’s a good thing Cape Mentelle’s International Cabernet Tasting kicks off early. Make your way to the estate for a 10:00 AM start, where a global selection of wines will be poured blind, before a long lunch by Tiller Dining is served.

Given that the Margaret River is responsible for more than 20 per cent of Australia’s fine wine production, it’s only right to delve into it while in the area.

Continue exploring the region via taste and terroir aboard Alison Maree, a whale-watching catamaran, as you cruise Geographe Bay . Admire the rolling green hills and crisp white beaches of Quindalup in sunset’s golden light, all the while sipping through the Clairault Streicker catalogue and dining on canapes.

For a more substantial dinner, venture into Busselton for a seven-course British x Australian mash-up , courtesy of Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion) and Oliver Kent (Updown Farmhouse, UK). They’ll be putting their rustic yet refined spin on the likes of local marron, wagyu and abalone – championing the simple beauty of the world-class ingredients.

Day 4

Wrap your fingers around a wine glass and wiggle your toes into the sand at Pair’d Beach Club x Range Rover on Meelup Beach. Sit down to an intimate wine session with sommelier Cyndal Petty – or a four-course feast by Aaron Carr of Yarri – and revel in the open-air beach club, bar and restaurant’s laidback coastal vibe. It’s a whole new way to experience one of the region’s most renowned beaches.

Follow up a day in the sun with a casual Italian party at Mr Barvel Wines . Purchase wines –including the elusive, sold-out Nebbia – by the glass and enjoy canapes with the towering Karri forest as a backdrop.

If you’d prefer to keep it local, head to Skigh Wines for the New Wave Gathering , where the region’s independent wine makers and their boundary-pushing wines will be on show. Street-style eats, a DJ and complimentary wine masterclasses complete the experience.

Day 5

pair'd Grand Tasting — Taste your way through Howard Park Wines. (Image: C J Maddock)

Spend the morning at your leisure, driving the winding roads through the Boranup Karri forest in your Range Rover. Soak in the views at Contos Beach, and call into the small cheese, chocolate and preserve producers along the way.

Make your next stop Howard Park Wines for The Grand Tasting presented by Singapore Airlines . Numerous wine labels will be pouring their catalogues over four hours, accompanied by food from chefs Matt Moran and Silvia Colloca, with live opera providing the soundtrack.

Cap off a big weekend with one last hurrah at Busselton Pavilion. Six ‘local legends’ – chefs Brendan Pratt (Busselton Pavilion), Mal Chow (Chow’s Table), Aaron Carr (Yarri), Ben Jacob (Lagoon Yallingup), Corey Rozario (Dahl Daddies) and Laura Koentjoro (Banksia Tavern) – will be preparing a dish each. Dance the night away as vinyl spins and the sun sets on another day.

Day 6

Ngilgi Cave western australia — Head underground. (Image: Tourism WA)

After a busy few days of wining and dining, it’s wise to observe a rest day. There’s no easier task than unwinding in the Margaret River Region, also famous for its high concentration of world-class beaches.

Relax on the grassy knoll as you watch the region’s most experienced surfers braving the World Surf League break at Surfer’s Point, or don your own wetsuit and try out one of Gracetown’s more beginner-friendly waves. Swimmers will find their Eden at Meelup Beach, Eagle Bay, or Point Piquet, where the sand is brilliantly white and the water as still as a backyard swimming pool.

Not into sun, sand, and surf? Head underground at Mammoth Cave, just one of the region’s many stalactite-filled caves.

Day 7

Burnt Ends event at Pair'd — Farewell the Margaret River.

Pack up your Range Rover with new favourite wines and newfound memories, ready for the three-hour journey back to Perth.

Prebook your discovery journey through the south-west corner of Western Australia with Pair’d Margaret River Region x Range Rover.

8 of the best cafes in Mount Gambier to start your day