Best cafes in Katoomba

Best cafes in Katoomba, ranked

1. #1Little Village Co for a relaxed lunch and a long catch-up

   $$🐕 Dogs outsideOutdoor seating🌳 Thorpe Street Reserve, 4 min walk

   Little Village Co is the top pick when the meal is the point. Order the pulled beef toastie, which comes pressed golden with beef and spinach showing through, or the Turkish eggs, which one diner called delicious. Board games on the tables suit a slow catch-up, and the menu says gluten-free and vegan diets are catered for. It opens from 8am on Tuesday to Friday and until 2pm on Saturdays.

2. #2On The Soul Side Cafe for coffee to the sound of local bands

   $Outdoor seating🌳 Brownie Park, 5 min walk

   On The Soul Side Cafe operates from the front bar of the historic Gearin Hotel, where local bands play most days. The cappuccino is served extra hot, and regulars come as much for the chat at the bar as the cup. Food is a sharing board of cured meats, cheese and pickles, with toast on the side, which suits a long sit. Weekday trading ends at 2pm, while Sunday runs from 10:30am to 7pm. Brownie Park sits about five minutes on foot from the front bar.

3. #3Mountains-Ama Cafe for Tibetan momo soup and crepes

   $$🌳 Dr Alex Allen Park, 2 min walk

   Mountains-Ama Cafe is the place for Tibetan food on this list. Locals come back for the beef momo soup and the Then-Thuk soup, and the momo dumplings arrive in a small bowl with an orange dipping sauce. Crepes with sweet or savoury fillings come dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with chocolate. Slow service is a shared complaint, with long waits for food and coffee, so plan for a long, unhurried meal. It is open from 9am to 5pm.

4. #4Café Lurline for breakfast from many countries

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Selby Street Reserve, 4 min walk

   Café Lurline is the breakfast pick for a menu that travels between countries. Many orders go to the kiwi skillet, a toasted base with chorizo, onion and two eggs, and to the shakshuka. Egg lovers also reach for the omurice, with furikake sprinkled over the rice. Coffee drinkers say the coffee holds its own beside breakfast, with latte art on milky drinks. Portions run small for some diners, so order a second dish if you are hungry. Selby Street Reserve is a four-minute stroll from the door.

5. #5Bang Bowls for a casual lunch in handmade bowls

   $$Outdoor seating🌳 Dr Alex Allen Park, 2 min walk

   Bang Bowls serves its meals in handmade, locally crafted ceramic bowls, so a lunch here feels different from the usual plate. Order the burrito bowl, built on rice and black beans with corn and a creamy dressing. Visitors mention the butterscotch latte, and lactose-free milk is on offer. Staff stay friendly and unhurried when the room fills up. It closes at 3:30pm most days, and at 3pm on Sundays.

6. #6Cassiopeia Coffee for coffee first and a cinnamon croissant-scroll

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

   Cassiopeia Coffee puts coffee first on this list. The flat white is smooth and creamy, the long black is clean and aromatic, and oat milk is available for cappuccinos. The cinnamon croissant-scroll is the pastry visitors single out, coated in cinnamon sugar with a caramelised outside. The cafe roasts its own beans, sold by the bag. It opens at 6am every day and closes at 2pm on weekdays.

7. #7CafeXpresso for a quick coffee before the train

   $🌳 Brownie Park, 5 min walk

   CafeXpresso is a takeaway counter beside the entrance to Katoomba train station, so it suits a quick stop. Visitors rate the crema and taste of the espresso, and staff are happy to adjust orders. One visitor picked the crumbed eggplant sandwich as among the best they have eaten. Weekday hours start at 5:30am, which suits commuters. The walk to Brownie Park takes around five minutes.

8. #8The Dingo cafe for a breakfast by the window

   $$🌳 Brownie Park, 4 min walk

   A window seat at The Dingo cafe looks across the park and the Carrington Hotel, which suits a slow breakfast. Diners often choose the Dingo bagel or the HCT toastie, and one picked the chipotle chicken sandwich. The flat white earns praise, and fresh orange juice gets a mention too. Visitors find the team warm and quick. Brownie Park is reached in four minutes, with the window seat as the view.

Compare best cafes in Katoomba

The grid below lines up each cafe's price, brunch, outdoor seating, dog rules and nearest park.

How we picked best cafes in Katoomba

Cafes are ordered by a score that gives more weight to feedback from many customers than from a handful. Each pick then has to offer something the others lack, whether a menu, a coffee style or a spot to sit. Each cafe's own page supplies the food and coffee notes, and a complaint shows only when several visitors made it.