The Best Daylesford Cafes For Brunch And Coffee

From hearty breakfasts to indulgent sweet treats, here are the best cafe spots to fuel your Daylesford adventure.

With so many incredible things to do in Daylesford, starting your day with the right fuel is essential. Whether you’re craving a hearty breakfast, a decadent brunch, or just a quick coffee to get you going, this picturesque pocket of Victoria has you covered.

Here’s a round-up of some of the best cafes to visit during your visit to Daylesford.

1. Cliffy’s Emporium

food and drinks at Cliffy’s Emporium, Daylesford — Dine on Cliffy’s numerous breakfast options. (Image: Pauline Morrissey)

Brimming with vintage charm, Cliffy’s Emporium has been a Daylesford institution since the 1950s, offering a relaxed yet character-filled brunch outing. Inside, rustic corrugated iron walls and weathered timber evoke the history of this beloved spot, where crowds gather for top-notch coffee and delectable dishes.

Start your day with the famed ‘Cliffy’s Benedict’ or branch out with their eclectic breakfast options, like laksa scrambled eggs or tasty French toast. Farmers still deliver fresh produce here, stocking the deli shelves with local bread, pies, and cakes, so don’t leave without grabbing a few treats for the road.

Address: 30 Raglan St, Daylesford

2. Wombat Hill House

the exterior of Wombat Hill House, Daylesford — Enjoy the fresh country air at Wombat Hill House. (Image: Pauline Morrissey)

Tucked within the lush Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, the Wombat Hill House cafe offers a peaceful retreat for brunch enthusiasts. With a seasonal menu that showcases local produce and fresh ingredients from their own Dairy Flat Farm, every dish highlights the region’s flavours. Indulge in slow-fermented sourdough and viennoiserie, paired with ST.ALi coffee, while soaking up the garden’s tranquillity.

In the warmer months, enjoy alfresco dining under one of the heritage-listed trees or at a nearby picnic table. When the temperature drops, the inviting warmth of the fire inside provides a cosy spot to relax while admiring the stunning natural surroundings.

Address: Wombat Hill Botanic Gardens, Daylesford

3. Bad Habits Cafe

Bathed in natural light, Bad Habits Cafe inside The Convent Daylesford offers a serene and sundrenched setting for breakfast or lunch. The turquoise walls and glass-fronted atrium provide a charming, sun-drenched backdrop for enjoying a locally inspired menu, featuring daily specials alongside beloved classics like calamari, croquettes, or the pie of the day.

For an extra special sitting, reserve their two-hour High Tea, which begins with a mimosa on arrival, followed by an exquisitely arranged three-tiered stand filled with freshly baked scones, savoury bites, and decadent sweet treats. Enjoy your treats in the sunlit atrium with views of the gardens, or in a private room surrounded by art. As an added bonus, this booking includes access to the Convent Gallery, Chapel, and Museum.

Address: 7 Daly Street, Daylesford

4. Pancho Cafe

lunch at Pancho, Daylesford — Rock up for an early breakfast or mosey down for lunch.

Set against stripped-back interiors featuring exposed brick, an elegant wrought iron staircase, and ivory walls, Pancho Cafe is wonderfully laid-back. With a concise yet expertly crafted menu, it’s a steadfast favourite in Daylesford. Melbourne’s Wide Open Road coffee beans and milk sourced from Western Victoria ensure every coffee is a treat, and for those who prefer something stronger, there’s an enticing range of cocktails, beers, and cider.

Taking a hands-on approach, the cafe makes its own yoghurt, pickles, sauces, and cakes in-house, giving the menu its distinctive flavour. Whether grabbing an early breakfast of apple and buckwheat fritters or sitting down for a roast beef roll at lunch, this place delivers. On sunny days, the cute, dog-friendly courtyard is the perfect spot to relax.

Address: 117 Vincent Street, Daylesford

5. Larder Cafe

a table-top view of meals at Larder, Daylesford — Choose from an enticing menu of brunch classics.

Bursting with creativity and local flair, Larder Cafe is a Daylesford main street staple, serving up hearty brunch classics. With its eclectic interiors, designed in collaboration with local artists, this cafe embodies the artistic spirit of the region. The extensive menu includes tried-and-true favourites like baked eggs, a big breakfast, and eggs Benedict, but it’s the specials board that steals the show. Expect inventive dishes such as panko-crusted eggs with an Asian fennel salad or a yoghurt panna cotta with rhubarb.

Whether you’re craving a bespoke DIY breakfast or a lunchtime treat like the famous chicken burger with sriracha mayo or a B.L.A.T., Larder delivers. Pair your meal with their single-origin cold drip coffee or specialty tea for the ultimate brunch fare.

Address: 57a Vincent Street, Daylesford

6. Harvest Cafe

For a feel-good, nourishing meal that celebrates local produce, Harvest Cafe is an essential stop in Daylesford. Catering to vegans, vegetarians, and gluten-free diners, this cosy cafe offers a menu that champions fresh, feel-good options. The interior’s shelves are stocked with pantry staples and local goods, further enhancing the cafe’s welcoming, community-focused atmosphere.

Breakfast keeps it simple yet satisfying, with choices like eggs on toast, acai bowls, and granola. Lunch steps it up with a range of vibrant offerings, including spicy lentil patties, frittatas, savoury tarts, and crisp salads. Be sure to pair your meal with one of their freshly blended smoothies or juices for an added boost of goodness. Or, grab a wrap, roll, or pie for a quick yet wholesome meal.

Address: 9 Albert St, Daylesford

7. The Daylesford Hot Chocolate Company

For those with a sweet tooth, The Daylesford Hot Chocolate Company is bound to deliver a sugar rush. Nestled inside a gorgeous white cottage on the village edge, this cafe exudes warmth and indulgence with its decadent menu and homely space. The rotating selection of pastries is sure to tempt, offering treats like jam doughnuts, chocolate fudge brownies, and strawberry chocolate croissants—perfect for pairing with their signature beverages.

The standout here is the Parisian Hot Chocolate Experience, where a luscious chocolate ganache is served with dollop cream and a warm, crispy croissant for dipping. For an extra sweet touch, you can even request an additional cup to share this delight with someone special.

Address: 22 Raglan Street, Daylesford

8. Trentham General

the cafe exterior of Trentham General, Daylesford — The relaxed outdoor setting is the perfect spot for an al fresco meal. (Image: Pauline Morrissey)

Just a short drive from Daylesford lies Trentham General , a personality-packed cafe in the neighbouring town of Trentham, housed in the beautifully restored old Bank of Australasia. Start your day with the Trentham Happy Hens Eggs Your Way, served on Zeally Bay sourdough toast, or try the flavorful Dukkah Eggs with beetroot hummus, walnut dukkah, and Meredith goat’s cheese.

For lunch, the Halloumi Burger is a standout, featuring fried halloumi, Istra bacon, and fresh mixed leaf lettuce in a Zeally Bay brioche bun. Whether you choose to relax inside its brilliantly restored interior or outside on the sunlit streetscape, you’ll enjoy fresh regional produce, excellent coffee, delicious cakes, and a warm, inviting atmosphere.

Address: 37A High Street, Trentham

Discover the best wineries in Daylesford and beyond.

Abandoned mills and forgotten paper plants are finding second lives – and helping redefine a city long underestimated.

Just 15 years ago, Federal Mills was a very different place. Once among the most significant industrial sites in Victoria, the historic woollen mill was one of a dozen that operated in Geelong at the industry’s peak in the mid-20th century, helping the city earn its title as ‘wool centre of the world’. But by the 1960s global competition and the rise of synthetic fabrics led to the slow decline of the industry, and Federal Mills finally shuttered its doors in 2001. Within a few years, the abandoned North Geelong grounds had become makeshift pastoral land, with cows and goats grazing among the overgrown grass between the empty red-brick warehouses. It was a forgotten pocket of the city, all but two klicks from the bustle of the CBD.

Geelong cellar door wine bar — Geelong has shed its industrial identity to become an innovative urban hub with reimagined heritage spaces. (Image: Ash Hughes)

Federal Mills: from forgotten factory to creative precinct

Today, the century-old complex stands reborn. The distinctive sawtooth-roof buildings have been sensitively restored. An old silo is splashed with a bright floral mural, landscapers have transformed the grounds, and the precinct is once again alive with activity. More than 1000 people work across 50-plus businesses here. It’s so busy, in fact, that on a sunny Thursday morning in the thick of winter, it’s hard to find a car park. The high ceilings, open-plan design, and large multi-paned windows – revolutionary features for factories of their time – have again become a drawcard.

Paddock Bakery andPatisserie — Paddock Bakery and Patisserie is housed within the historic wool factory. (Image: Gallant Lee)

At Paddock , one of the precinct’s newer tenants, weaving looms and dye vats have been replaced by a wood-fired brick oven and heavy-duty mixers. Open since April 2024, the bakery looks right at home here; the building’s industrial shell is softened by ivy climbing its steel frames, and sunlight streams through the tall windows. Outside, among the white cedar trees, families at picnic benches linger over dippy eggs and bagels, while white-collar workers pass in and out, single-origin coffee and crème brûlée doughnuts in hand.

Geelong: Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design

Paddock Bakery can be found at Federal Mills. (Image: Gallant Lee)

“A lot of people are now seeing the merit of investing in Geelong,” says Paul Traynor, the head of Hamilton Hospitality Group, which redeveloped Federal Mills. A city once shunned as Sleepy Hollow, and spurned for its industrial, working-class roots and ‘rust belt’ image, Geelong has long since reclaimed its ‘Pivot City’ title, having reinvented itself as an affordable, lifestyle-driven satellite city, and a post-COVID migration hotspot.

And the numbers stand testament to the change. In March 2025, and for the first time in its history, Greater Geelong became Australia’s most popular regional town for internal migration, overtaking Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. Current forecasts suggest Geelong will continue to outpace many other Australian cities and towns, with jobs growing at double the rate of the population.

Tourism is booming, too. The 2023-24 financial year was Geelong and The Bellarine region’s busiest on record, with 6.4 million visitors making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in the country. It’s not hard to see why: beyond the city’s prime positioning at the doorstep of the Great Ocean Road, Geelong’s tenacity and cultural ambition stands out.

As Australia’s only UNESCO City of Design, Geelong is swiftly shaking off its industrial past to become a model for urban renewal, innovation, sustainability and creative communities. The signs are everywhere, from the revitalisation of the city’s waterfront, and the landmark design of the Geelong Library and Heritage Centre and Geelong Arts Centre, to the growing network of local designers, architects and artists, and the burgeoning roster of festivals and events. That’s not even mentioning the adaptive reuse of storied old industrial buildings – from Federal Mills, to Little Creatures’ brewery ‘village’ housed within a 1920s textile mill – or the city’s flourishing food and wine scene.

The rise of a food and wine destination

Restaurant 1915 is housed within a restored former boiler house. (Image: Harry Pope/Two Palms)

Traynor credits now-closed local restaurant Igni, which opened in 2016, as the turning point for Geelong’s hospo industry. “[Aaron Turner, Igni’s chef-patron] was probably the first guy, with all due respect, to raise the bar food-wise for Geelong,” he says. “People now treat it really seriously, and there’s clearly a market for it.” While Igni is gone, Turner now helms a string of other notable Geelong venues, including The Hot Chicken Project and Tacos y Liquor, all within the buzzy, street art-speckled laneways of the CBD’s Little Malop Street Precinct. Many others have also popped up in Igni’s wake, including Federal Mills’ own restaurant, 1915 . Housed within the cavernous boiler house, 1915’s interior is dramatic: soaring, vaulted ceilings with timber beams, exposed brick, a huge arched window. The share plates echo the space’s bold character, playing with contrast and texture, with dishes such as a compressed watermelon tataki, the sweet, juicy squares tempered by salty strands of fried leeks, and charred, smoky snow peas dusted with saganaki on a nutty bed of romesco.

The Woolstore , one of The Hamilton Group’s most recent hospo projects, opened in February. It occupies a century-old riverside warehouse and exudes a more sultry, fine dining ambience. Much like Federal Mills, the blueprint was to preserve the original brickwork, tallowwood flooring and nods to the building’s former life. That same careful consideration extends to the well-versed, affable waitstaff as well as the kitchen. Head chef Eli Grubb is turning out an eclectic mix of ambitious and indulgent mod Oz dishes that deliver: strikingly tender skewers of chicken tsukune, infused with hints of smoke from the parrilla grill, and glazed with a moreish, sweet gochujang ‘jam’; nduja arancini fragrant with hints of aniseed and the earthy lick of sunny saffron aioli; and golden squares of potato pavé, adorned with tiny turrets of crème fraîche, crisp-fried saltbush leaves, and Avruga caviar, to name but a few stand-out dishes.

Woolstore menu — Woolstore’s menu is designed for sharing.

Breathing new life into historic spaces

On the city’s fringe, hidden down a winding side road with little fanfare, lies a long-dormant site that’s being gently revived. Built from locally quarried bluestone and brick, and dating back to the 1870s, the complex of original tin-roofed mill buildings is lush with greenery and backs onto the Barwon River and Buckley Falls; the audible rush of water provides a soothing soundtrack. Fyansford Paper Mill is one of few complexes of its time to survive intact. It feels steeped in history and spellbindingly rustic.

“We were looking for an old industrial place that had some charm and romance to it,” explains Sam Vogel, the owner, director and winemaker at Provenance Wines which moved here in 2018. When he first viewed the building with his former co-owner, it was in such a state of disrepair that the tradie tenant occupying the space had built a shed within it to escape the leaking roof and freezing winter temperatures. “To say it was run down would be an understatement,” he notes. “There was ivy growing through the place; the windows were all smashed. It was a classic Grand Designs project.”

Provenance Wines moved to Fyansford Paper Mill in 2018. (Image: Cameron Murray Photography)

The team has since invested more than a million dollars into their new home. Where paper processing machinery once sat, wine barrels are now stacked. Vaulted cathedral ceilings are strung with festoon lights, and hidden in plain sight lies a shadowy mural by local street artist de rigueur Rone – one of only three permanent works by the artist.

While the award-winning, cool-climate pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay naturally remain a key draw at Provenance, the winery’s restaurant is a destination in itself. Impressed already by whipsmart service, I devour one of the most cleverly curated and faultlessly executed degustations I’ve had in some time. It’s all prepared in a kitchen that is proudly zero-waste, and committed to providing seasonal, ethical and locally sourced meat and produce under head chef Nate McIver. Think free-range venison served rare with a syrupy red wine jus and a half-moon of neon-orange kosho, shokupan with a deeply savoury duck fat jus (a modern Japanese take on bread and drippings), and a golden potato cake adorned with a colourful confetti of dehydrated nasturtiums and tomato powder, and planted atop a sea urchin emulsion.

handcrafted pieces — Bell’s handcrafted functional pieces on display.

The complex is home to a coterie of independent businesses, including a gallery, a jeweller, and its latest tenant, ceramicist Elizabeth Bell, drawn here by the building’s “soul”. “There’s so much potential for these buildings to have new life breathed into them,” says Bell, whose studio is housed within the old pump room. “Even people in Geelong don’t know we’re here,” she says. “It’s definitely a destination, but I like that. It has a really calming atmosphere.”

A Melbourne transplant, Bell now feels at home in Geelong, which offers something Melbourne didn’t. “If this business was in Melbourne I don’t think it would’ve been as successful,” she notes. “It’s very collaborative in Geelong, and I don’t think you get that as much in Melbourne; you’re a bit more in it for yourself. Here it’s about community over competition.”

A guide to the best Daylesford cafes for brunch and coffee