The Best Warrnambool Cafes to Make a Pit Stop At

From cute coffee van setups to beachside brunch spots, these Warrnambool cafes are worth a look next time you’re in town.

If you’re driving the full length of the Great Ocean Road, it makes sense to plan pit stops in advance. The good news is that there are plenty of Warrnambool cafes to choose from regardless of whether you’re on the hunt for a strong macchiato in the morning, cake and chai in the afternoon or a long, lazy lunch by the water. Here are some to bookmark before you arrive.

1. Koko Avenue

pastries on display at Koko Avenue cafe, Warrnambool — Take your pick from the delicious pastries and sandwiches on offer.

Open seven days a week for all-day breakfast and lunch, Koko Avenue has fast become a firm favourite with locals. Serving Proud Mary coffee and beautifully plated pancakes, eggs, porridge and more, this café with a white and pastel aesthetic has a vibe that makes you want to return again and again. Don’t forget to look in the bakery cabinet where treats like almond croissants, scones, slices and cookies live.

Address: Shop 13/1-49 Raglan Parade, Warrnambool

2. Day Kitty

Your local go-to for vegetarian, organic and raw foods, at Day Kitty you’ll find healthy but delicious eats that are packed with goodness. Menu items range from colourful veggie and rice bowls to vitamin-packed cold-pressed juices, falafel wraps, rice paper rolls and more. Organic Fairtrade coffee is served here too. Day Kitty is also a good place to stock up on essentials to take home like free-range eggs, plant-based milks and vegan, organic chocolate.

Address: 52B Kepler St, Warrnambool

3. ToTo Town

a hand holding a cup of latte at ToTo Town, Warrnambool — Enjoy a coffee made with blends from Axil Coffee Roasters.

Located near Warrnambool Train Station in the historic Western Hotel building, this buzzy breakfast spot is almost always busy. Whether you want a strong flat white, iced latte or a filtered coffee made with speciality beans, this cafe that serves blends from Axil Coffee Roasters is a reliable favourite when it comes to hot and cold brews. Open for breakfast and lunch, you’ll find menu items like Turkish eggs and seasonal smoothie bowls on the menu. Love a glass of vino with lunch? ToTo Town is licensed and stocks a solid range of local and imported drops.

Address: 1/49 Kepler St, Warrnambool

4. Jude The Cafe

This cute cafe with white and blush-pink-tinged branding is hard to resist. Stop in for a hot chocolate, chai or long black made with Coffee Supreme beans. Take a peek in the cabinet and you’ll find fresh baguettes, savoury croissants and muffins. If you have dietary restrictions, this friendly place has gluten-free bread, muffins and brownies too. If you’re in a rush you can order ahead for pick-up too.

Address: 52A Kepler St, Warrnambool

5. Piccolo Coffee Roasters

the Piccolo Coffee Roasters in Warrnambool — Make a pit stop at Piccolo Coffee Roasters for a takeaway coffee.

Laying claim to being the first coffee roaster in south-west Victoria, this unassuming coffee spot located on a shopping strip often has plenty of people lined up outside. Stop by for a takeaway cup of java or find a table to tuck into a bacon and egg roll. Locals swear by the coffee here so if you’re after a souvenir or gift to take home, buy a bag of Breakwater blend coffee beans to remember Warrnambool by.

Address: 743 Raglan Parade, Warrnambool

6. Rough Diamond

a pastry on offer at Rough Diamond, Warrnambool — This popular Warrnambool cafe offers a delightful selection of pastries that complement its wonderful coffee.

If you’re after a filling breakfast sambo, oozy grilled cheese toastie or strong latte made with small batch beans from Melbourne’s Market Lane, make a beeline for this popular cafe . Located in a converted office space, this minimalist cafe has indoor and outdoor seating – look for the distinctive black-and-white coffee sign out the front.

Address: 203 Koroit St, Warrnambool

7. Bohemia Cafe & Bar

This cosy cafe is open for breakfast and lunch seven days a week. Set yourself up for the day with chilli scrambled eggs, buttermilk pancakes or brekky tacos or stop by for a burger or salad for lunch. Either way, this friendly place with a welcoming, friendly vibe will hit the spot.

Address: 127 Kepler St, Warrnambool

8. The Beach Kiosk Cafe

Open daily from 7am to 3pm, this dog-friendly, casual café is a great place for a bite to eat after a beach swim. If you’re on the go, grab a takeaway brew from the window then take a stroll around the Lake Pertobe area. When the sun is out, nab an outdoor table to enjoy fish and chips, a fresh fruit smoothie or an ice cream from the scoop station – simple pleasures this are heavenly on a warm, summery day.

Address: 65 Pertobe Rd, Warrnambool

9. Pleasant Hill Coffee Van

You’ll find this gem of a vintage coffee van in the Fletcher Jones Gardens. This easy-going, family-friendly spot is the ideal place to relax outside in the fresh air on a sunny day. Order a cheese toastie and chocolate milkshake, kick back at one of the outdoor tables and watch your kids run around on the lawn. It’s easy to see why locals love this chilled-out coffee spot so much!

Address: 83 Flaxman St, Warrnambool

10. Allee Espresso

cafe staff busy preparing at Allee Espresso, Warrnambool — Stop by Allee Espresso for a warm brew to kickstart your day. (Image: Christian Barkla/ Hearken)

This little laneway espresso bar joined the scene in 2022 and is doing great things when it comes to sustainability. The 100% electric building is powered by rooftop solar and supplemented with certified green power. All the coffee and iced drink cups and lids are fully compostable too. Serving top-quality coffee by Melbourne roaster MAKER and a range of guest roasters, you’ll also find a small range of savoury and sweet bites here including pastries from local artisan bakery Jane Dough. Travelling with your pooches? You’ll be pleased to know there’s an outdoor, dog-friendly seating area here.

Address: 1 Dispensary La, Warrnambool

11. Pavilion Cafe & Bar

al fresco seating at Pavilion Cafe & Bar — Enjoy brunch on the beachfront terrace. (Image: Josh Robenstone)

Floor-to-ceiling windows and a beachfront balcony make this cafe, bar and function space one of the best spots to have brunch with waterfront views. Visit early in the morning to fuel up with a breakfast burrito or maple-toasted granola or plan a special seafood lunch here complete with wine and cocktails. The lovely views of Lady Bay and the Southern Ocean make this cafe a top spot for a celebratory meal to mark the end of your trip.

Address: 50 Viaduct Road, Warrnambool

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Located just an hour north-west of Melbourne, the largely undiscovered Macedon Ranges quietly pours some of Australia’s finest cool-climate wines and serves up some of Victoria’s best food.

Mention the Macedon Ranges and most people will think of day spas and mineral springs around Daylesford, cosy weekends away in the countryside or the famous Hanging Rock (of enigmatic picnic fame). Or they won’t have heard of the Macedon Ranges at all.

But this cool-climate destination has been inconspicuously building a profile as a high-quality food and wine region and is beginning to draw serious attention from oenophiles and epicureans alike.

The rise of Macedon Ranges wine

liquid gold barrels at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — Barrels of liquid gold at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

With elevations ranging from 300 to 800 metres, Macedon Ranges vineyards are among the highest in the country. This altitude, combined with significant day/night temperature swings, makes for a slow ripening season, in turn nurturing wines that embody elegance and structure. Think crisp chardonnays, subtle yet complex pinot noirs and delicate sparkling wines, along with niche varietals, such as gamay and nebbiolo.

Despite the region’s natural advantages – which vary from estate to estate, as each site embodies unique terroir depending on its position in relation to the Great Dividing Range, soil make-up and altitude – the Macedon Ranges has remained something of an insider’s secret. Unlike Victoria’s Yarra Valley or Mornington Peninsula, you won’t find large tour buses here and there’s no mass marketing drawing crowds.

Many of the 40-odd wineries are family-run operations with modest yields, meaning the wineries maintain a personal touch (if you visit a cellar door, you’ll likely chat to the owner or winemaker themselves) and a tight sales circle that often doesn’t go far beyond said cellar door. And that’s part of the charm.

Though wines from the Macedon Ranges are just starting to gain more widespread recognition in Australia, the first vines were planted in the 1860s, with a handful of operators then setting up business in the 1970s and ’80s. The industry surged again in the 1990s and early 2000s with the entry of wineries, such as Mount Towrong, which has an Italian slant in both its wine and food offering, and Curly Flat , now one of the largest estates.

Meet the new generation of local winemakers

the Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. — The Clydesdale barn at Paramoor. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Then, within the last 15 years, a new crop of vignerons like Andrew Wood at Kyneton Ridge Estate , whose vineyard in 2024 was the first in the Macedon Ranges to be certified by Sustainable Winegrowing Australia; Geoff Plahn and Samantha Reid at Paramoor , who have an impressive cellar door with a roaring fire and studded leather couches in an old Clydesdale barn; and Ollie Rapson and Renata Morello at Lyons Will , who rapidly expanded a small vineyard to focus on top-shelf riesling, gamay, pinot noir and chardonnay, have taken ownership of local estates.

Going back to the early days, Llew Knight’s family was one of the pioneers of the 1970s, replacing sheep with vines at Granite Hills when the wool industry dwindled. Knight is proud of the fact that all their wines are made with grapes from their estate, including a light, peppery shiraz (some Macedon wineries purchase fruit from nearby warmer areas, such as Heathcote, particularly to make shiraz) and a European-style grüner veltliner. And, as many other wineries in the region do, he relies on natural acid for balance, rather than an additive, which is often required in warmer regions. “It’s all about understanding and respecting your climate to get the best out of your wines,” he says.

farm animals atKyneton Ridge Estate — Curious residents at Kyneton Ridge Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Throughout the Macedon Ranges, there’s a growing focus on sustainability and natural and low-intervention wines, with producers, such as Brian Martin at Hunter Gatherer making waves in regenerative viticulture. Martin previously worked in senior roles at Australia’s largest sparkling winemaking facility, and now applies that expertise and his own nous to natural, hands‑off, wild-fermented wines, including pét‑nat, riesling and pinot noir. “Wild fermentation brings more complexity,” he says. “Instead of introducing one species of yeast, you can have thousands and they add different characteristics to the wine.”

the vineyard at Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The estate’s vineyard, where cool-climate grapes are grown. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Most producers also focus on nurturing their grapes in-field and prune and pick by hand, thus avoiding the introduction of impurities and the need to meddle too much in the winery. “The better the quality of the fruit, the less you have to interfere with the natural winemaking process,” says Wood.

Given the small yields, there’s also little room for error, meaning producers place immense focus on quality. “You’re never going to compete in the middle [in a small region] – you’ve got to aim for the top,” says Curly Flat owner Jeni Kolkka. “Big wineries try to do things as fast as possible, but we’re in no rush,” adds Troy Walsh, owner and winemaker at Attwoods . “We don’t use commercial yeasts; everything is hand-harvested and everything is bottled here, so we bottle only when we’re ready, not when a big truck arrives.” That’s why, when you do see a Macedon Ranges product on a restaurant wine list, it’s usually towards the pointy end.

Come for the wine, stay for the food

pouring sauce onto a dish at Lake HouseDaylesford — Dining at Lake House Daylesford is a treat. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

If wine is the quiet achiever of the Macedon Ranges, then food is its not-so-secret weapon. In fact, the area has more hatted restaurants than any other region in Victoria. A pioneer of the area’s gourmet food movement is region cheerleader Alla Wolf-Tasker, culinary icon and founder of Daylesford’s Lake House.

For more than three decades, Wolf-Tasker has championed local producers and helped define what regional fine dining can look like in Australia. Her influence is palpable, not just in the two-hatted Lake House kitchen, but in the broader ethos of the region’s dining scene, as a wave of high-quality restaurants have followed her lead to become true destination diners.

the Midnight Starling restaurant in Kyneton Ridge Estate Winery — The hatted Midnight Starling restaurant is located in Kyneton. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

It’s easy to eat well, whether at other hatted restaurants, such as Midnight Starling in the quaint town of Kyneton, or at the wineries themselves, like Le Bouchon at Attwoods, where Walsh is inspired by his time working in France in both his food offering and winemaking.

The beauty of dining and wine touring in the Macedon Ranges is that it feels intimate and unhurried. You’re likely to meet the winemaker, hear about the trials of the latest vintage firsthand, and taste wines that never make it to city shelves. And that’s worth getting out of the city for – even if it is just an hour down the road.

Delicate dishes on the menu at Midnight Starling. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

A traveller’s checklist

Staying there

the accommodation at Cleveland Estate, Macedon Ranges — Stay at the Cleveland Estate. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Soak up vineyard views from Cleveland Estate near Lancefield , embrace retro charm at Kyneton Springs Motel or indulge in lakeside luxury at the Lake House .

Eating there

Enjoy a four-course menu at the one-hatted Surly Goat in Hepburn Springs, Japanese-inspired fare at Kuzu in Woodend or unpretentious fine dining at Mount Monument , which also has a sculpture park.

Drinking there

wine tasting at PassingClouds Winery, Macedon Ranges — A tasting at Passing Clouds Winery. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Settle in for a tasting at Boomtown in Castlemaine, sample local drops at the cosy Woodend Cellar & Bar or wine-hop around the many cellar doors, such as Passing Clouds .

the Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar signage — Boomtown Winery and Cellar Bar. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Playing there

a scenic river in Castlemaine — Idyllic scenes at Castlemaine. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

Wander through the seasonal splendour of Forest Glade Gardens , hike to the summit of Hanging Rock, or stroll around the tranquil Sanatorium Lake.

purple flowers hanging from a tree — Purple flowers hanging from a tree. (Image: Chloe Smith Photography)

11 of the best Warrnambool cafes to try on your next visit