Best cafes in Avalon Beach

Best cafes in Avalon Beach, ranked

1. #1The Sneaky Grind for a quick coffee and a breakfast wrap

   $🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Dunbar Park, 4 min walk

   The Sneaky Grind is a small coffee shop down a laneway in the middle of Avalon Beach. Order the bacon and egg roll or the chicken avocado wrap, and the pancakes if you want something sweet. Coffee drinkers speak well of the coffee, and the high chairs suit toddlers. Weekday trading runs from 6am to 1pm, and Dunbar Park is a four-minute stroll from the door.

2. #2Café Relish for an early breakfast or a salad lunch

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Careel Bay Tennis Courts, 3 min walk

   Café Relish keeps the doors open from 6am to 2:30pm every day, which covers an early breakfast as well as a late salad lunch. Salads come up more than anything else on the menu, and the chicken and haloumi salad is the one to order. The acai smoothie and the chocolate shake are the cold choices. Careel Bay Tennis Courts sits three minutes off on foot, and the outdoor tables take dogs.

3. #3Girdlers Café - Avalon for vegan and gluten-free plates

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Catalpa Reserve, 2 min walk

   Girdlers Café - Avalon has a deck under gum trees, and brickwork shows inside. It is the place on this list for vegan and gluten-free eating, including a poke bowl where you choose the fillings. Try the prosciutto crêpe with a poached egg and pistachio. Trading begins at 7am, and Catalpa Reserve is two minutes on foot.

4. #4The Hungry Ghost for a toastie with a flat white

   $🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Dunbar Park, 2 min walk

   The Hungry Ghost is a laneway stop on Patterson Lane that serves Single O coffee. The Breakfast Jaffle and the Reuben toastie are the two to order, and one visitor found the Reuben more than they could finish. Dunbar Park lies two minutes on foot from the laneway, and the window runs 7am to 1pm.

5. #5Nourished Wholefood Cafe for healthy food after a swim

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Dunbar Park, 3 min walk

   Nourished Wholefood Cafe is on Avalon Parade, a short walk from the beach, so a swim and a bite fit together. A kids menu runs next to the vegetarian dishes, and local produce features in the kitchen. Smoothies, juices and a ham and salad toastie are worth ordering. Weekday hours stretch to 4pm and weekend hours to 4:30pm, among the latest closes on this list.

6. #6Swell Cafe for an outdoor breakfast with the locals

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Dunbar Park, 2 min walk

   Swell Cafe on Old Barrenjoey Road is where regulars and locals eat breakfast outside. Eggs your way with mushrooms and haloumi and the poached egg bowl are the dishes to order. Service gets praise, but two recent reviews say toasties came out wrong, so check yours at the counter. Early risers can be seated from 5am, and Dunbar Park is two minutes away.

7. #7Chillbar for gelato by the scoop and avocado toast

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Dunbar Park, 2 min walk

   Chillbar sells gelato by the scoop from a counter case, with honeycomb, rum and raisin and mint on show. For something savoury, the avocado toast is topped with tomato and microgreens. Its terrace faces the street under umbrellas, and Dunbar Park is a two-minute walk. No opening hours are on file for it, so ring before you make the trip.

Compare best cafes in Avalon Beach

The table below sets out price, outdoor seating, dog access, weekend hours and the nearest park for each cafe.

How we picked best cafes in Avalon Beach

Order starts with the average customer score, weighted by how many customers left one, so a cafe with a long run of feedback counts for more than a newer one with a handful. The menu then settled the order: food, coffee, and whether a cafe's listing gives a clear reason to visit. Brunch, weekend trading and outdoor tables were checked as well.