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The mystic mountainside town of Bellingen is well known for its vibrant atmosphere, diverse cuisine, and booming local arts scene. Home to delicious coffee and bakeries, quirky cafes, fine dining restaurants, and places you can grab and go while on the road, Bellingen is the picturesque haven all foodies dream of visiting. And with a wonderful collection of places to shop and beautiful accommodation to stay in, it’s no wonder this mountainside town is such a popular travel destination. Here are our top picks for Bellingen restaurants.
1. Charlie’s at Church
Searching for rustic Italian-style dining? Well, you’ve found it. Enter Charlie’s at Church, an institution on our list of Bellingen restaurants serving both delectable and visually stunning dishes right in the heart of town. Specialising in delicious sourdough pizza, handmade pasta and to-die-for Tiramisu, as well as being fully licensed (did someone say cocktails?) this restaurant will have you returning every time you’re in town. Offering indoor and alfresco dining as well as takeaway, Charlie’s at Church is THE place to be from Wednesday to Saturday.
7 Church Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | 0448 537 653 | Website | Instagram | Tuesday to Saturday 5.00pm–8.00pm | Every third Saturday Market Day Lunch 12.00pm–2.00pm
2. Za’atar Bellingen
Whether you’re a seasoned lover of Middle Eastern cuisine or a newcomer looking to explore fresh flavours, Za’atar, another of the Bellingen restaurants in the heart of town, is a great place to start. Serving up authentic Israeli street food daily, Za’atar is a popular destination for locals and travellers alike. Offering both dine-in and takeaway options, you can watch the world roll by or order something to takeaway and enjoy on a picnic somewhere along the scenic Waterfall Way. We recommend trying their Falafel Pockets and pink lemonade. Trust us, it’s a foodie combo you NEED in your life.
66 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 0017 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Saturday 11.00am–7.30pm | Sunday 11.00am–7.00pm
3. Osteria Fiume
Osteria Fiume is the vision of restaurateurs Fiona Richardson and Megs Black, who have succeeded in establishing one of the best restaurants in Bellingen. Meaning ‘river’ in Italian, Osteria Fiume pays tribute to the water that surrounds the beautiful town, and to the original Osteria owners of Italy. Inviting you to come as you are, enjoy a simple meal and leave feeling refreshed and revived, Osteria Fiume offers a place for you to enjoy simple yet delicious food and wine.
58-60 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | 0425 267 694 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Friday to Saturday 12.00pm-10.00pm | Sunday 5.00pm–10.00pm
4. 5 Church Street
Looking for laid-back vibes, a delicious menu, strong coffee and live music among our picks for Bellingen restaurants? Look no further – 5 Church Street is your place! Cafe by day and restaurant by night, this venue has a vibe all on its own. Serving up wholesome and delectable meals made from local and organic ingredients and beverages of both the hot/cold and alcoholic/non-alcoholic variety, this little cafe offers you a place to kickback with friends, unwind with a book in a corner, or hang out of a night time as you soak up tunes and enjoy the lively atmosphere.
2454/5 Church Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 0873 | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Tuesday 7.00am–5.00pm | Thursday 7.00am–5.00pm | Friday to Saturday 7.00am–9.00pm | Sunday 7.00am–4.00pm
5. Black Bear Cafe
Serving breakfast and lunch under the lush trees of Church Street, Black Bear Cafe aims to provide its customers with simple, locally sourced and preservative-free meals jam-packed with delicious flavours. And their coffee? Just as good! Open seven days a week from 7.30am to 2.00pm, Black Bear Cafe is a great choice out of our favourite Bellingen restaurants to relax and enjoy the town’s bustling atmosphere.
7F Church Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 1947 | Website | Instagram | Monday to Saturday 7.30am–2.00pm | Sunday 7.30am–1.00pm
6. HYDE Bellingen
Started by mother/daughter duo Jenni Bienfield and Elyse Wright, HYDE Bellingen offers a space that focuses on bringing people together. Serving delicious coffee and cafe-style food, a boutique shopping space and plenty of tables to sit and read, work, meet with friends or host your group gathering, HYDE Bellingen has a lot to offer and is the perfect place to stop, shop, drink, eat and relax of the restaurants in Bellingen.
62 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | 0468 731 833 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Saturday 6.30am–4.30pm | Saturday 7.00am–3.00pm | 7.00am–2.00pm
7. Three Blue Ducks Bellingen
Born from a love of delicious food, sustainable living, surf and friendship, the Three Blue Ducks now has five locations across Australia – the most recent of which has opened in this very region! Taking up residence at The Lodge in Bellingen, the Three Blue Ducks restaurant is set on 16 lush acres of land just on the edge of town. With the stunning Dorrigo National Park mountain acting as a backdrop, Three Blue Ducks offers the perfect location for a scrumptious feast, a jaw-dropping wedding, or an event your guests won’t forget in a hurry.
1381 Waterfall Way | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 5505 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Thursday 5.00pm–8.00pm | Saturday 8.00am–10.30am, 11.30am–3.00pm, 5.00pm–8.00pm | Sunday 8.00am–11.00am, 11.30am–3.00pm, 5.00pm–8.00pm
8. Bruno’s Mediterranean Kitchen
Offering delicious Mediterranean-inspired cuisine, seasonal cocktails, quality wine, tap beer and friendly service, Bruno’s Mediterranean Kitchen is perfect for a romantic dinner in Bellingen or catching up with friends. Aiming to create a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, Bruno’s has inside and outside dining options and a menu that’s perfect for sharing. You may need to book ahead for this one as it can get busy!
2 Oak Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6600 8614 | Website | Instagram | Wednesday to Saturday 4.00pm–10.00pm
9. The Old Butter Factory Cafe
The Old Butter Factory Cafe is iconic in the town’s food and art scene, making it one of the best restaurants in Bellingen. Eat, shop and sit back and watch the world go by in this beautiful building, boasting a history as colourful and diverse as the businesses it now homes. Built in 1906 for a total of 554 pounds by local George Moore, the Old Butter Factory’s history spans across a century. From a butter factory to the addition of a bacon factory to undergoing an expansion in 1926 and being deemed ‘one of the finest butter factories in the state’, the butter factory was in operation until 1963. Standing unused until 1970, the building was then used to store machinery until it was converted into a home in 1973. In 1975? It was privately purchased as a craft and tourism complex and re-opened in 1985. These days, you can find the Old Butter Factory standing proud where it is still very much used as a craft and tourism complex. Front and centre? You’ll find the Old Butter Factory Cafe, serving up delicious breakfast and lunch options seven days a week.
1 Doepel Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 2150 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Sunday 8.00am–3.00pm
10. Federal Hotel Bistro
Open seven days a week, the Federal Hotel, also lovingly referred to as ‘The Fed’, is another among our picks for Bellingen restaurants steeped in rich history. Gaining its name in honour of the federation of the states of Australia in 1901, The Fed boasts an award-winning bistro, some of the best live entertainment in the region and luxury accommodation for those seeking central access to the mountainside town. Serving lunch from 12.00pm-2.30pm and dinner from 5:30pm-8.30pm, The Fed offers both locals and visitors a chance to relax and enjoy a delicious meal and cool drink.
77 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 1003 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Sunday 12.00pm–2.30pm, 5.30pm–8.30pm
11. Perfect Pizza
Serving mouth-watering morsels from Thursday to Saturday, Perfect Pizza in Bellingen is your go-to for, well… perfect pizza (the stone-baked variety to be exact). With a menu that packs a punch – think Philly Steak, Greek Lamb, Vege Masala and Cheeseburger flavours, this restaurant has your taste buds covered. More of a classic kind of pizza aficionado? You got it. Or, rather – they’ve got it. Serving up your Margaritas, your Supremes and your BBQ Meat Lovers with flare, Pizza Perfect has you covered too.
2/82 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 2022 | Website | Instagram | Wednesday to Saturday 4.00pm–8.30pm
12. Diggers Tavern
Offering affordable three-star accommodation, a beer garden, kids’ play area, lounges, live music and a bistro that serves up classic Aussie-pub style meals seven days a week, the Diggers Tavern just might be the perfect place to escape for a midday meal or dinner in Bellingen. With daily specials posted on their Facebook page, you can see what’s on the menu and dine to your heart’s (or stomach’s) desire.
30 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 0007 | Website | Facebook | Monday to Thursday 10.00am–9.00pm | Friday to Saturday 10.00am–11.00pm | Sunday 12.00pm–10.00pm
13. Coastal Harvest
Open from midday until 8.00pm, Tuesday to Sunday, Coastal Harvest is a burger bar with a difference. Aiming to showcase and support the exceptional collection of suppliers and producers in the region, Coastal Harvest uses only the finest ingredients sourced locally from butchers, bakers, growers and artisans. Celebrating food that is simple, fresh and familiar, Coastal Harvest is a takeaway food you can feel good about – on the inside and the outside.
7C Church Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 1132 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Tuesday to Sunday 12.00pm–8.00pm (home delivery from 5.00pm
14. Diavoletto Woodfired Pizza
The North Bank of the River at Lavender’s Bridge is the place to be in Bellingen on Tuesday and Sunday evenings. There are families on picnic rugs, kids on swings, live music and importantly, Diavoletto Wood-Fired Pizza, a mobile wood-fired pizza business run by Italian-born Salvatore Rossano. Diavoletto is on our list of Bellingen restaurants with a laid-back vibe, but take note that the authentic Italian-style pizza is the result of slow fermentation, meticulous research on premium, organic ingredients, and a whole lot of passion, conveniently packed into a ‘pizzeria’ on wheels. Diavoletto is available for weddings, festivals and more.
George Edmund Reserve | Bellingen NSW 2454 | 0422 135 202 | Facebook | Instagram | Saturday 12.00pm–8.00pm | Sunday 12.30pm–8.00pm
15. Bellingen Gelato
Fact: It can get really hot in Bellingen. Fact: Gelato is a good solution to any kind of day, but particularly hot ones. Fact: Bellingen Gelato Bar has award-winning gelato, and alongside being a family-run business, it also makes an effort to reduce its environmental footprint wherever it can. Enter Bellingen Gelato, where passion meets sustainability and flavour meets expertise. Here you’ll find delicious gelato – the kind that is tangy, zesty, sweet, creamy, rich and full-bodied – sometimes all at once. This is the kind of gelato that you’ll relish as you smack your lips in satisfaction. For that, you can thank Danny Sebes and his wife Daisy – but the story doesn’t actually start there. This story starts back in the 80s, when Danny’s dad, Robert, began experimenting with gelato. Opening the Bellingen Gelato Bar some years later, Robert shared his love of gelato with the town, and soon after, passed his knowledge on to Danny. Fast forward to 2012, when a gelato flavour Danny created for the shop in Bellingen won the Grand Champion prize at the Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show, encouraging him to join his dad and open Bellingen Gelato Bar in Sydney. Unfortunately, due to COVID, Danny had to make a choice between the two venues. After deciding that mountainside living was for him, Danny moved from Sydney to Bellingen, bringing his passion for making gelato and his expertise with him.
101 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 1870 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Thursday 2.00pm–6.00pm | Friday 2.00pm–10.00pm | Saturday 12.00pm–10.00pm | Sunday 12.00pm–6.00pm
16. Bellingen Swiss Patisserie & Bakery
Name your favourite baked good – bread, pastries, sausage rolls, pies (and although not baked, coffee). Whatever it is, you’ll probably find it at the Bellingen Swiss Patisserie on Church Street. Serving only the finest authentic pastries, the Bellingen Swiss Patisserie makes each and every product with love.
7b Church Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 0050 | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Friday 5.00am–5.00pm | Saturday 5.00am–2.00pm
17. Healtherfire Bakery
With a passion for all things bread, alongside using local, sustainable and organic ingredients, Hearthfire Bakery owners Sally and Dave set out to create the kind of community they wanted their community to have. So in the year 2000, Hearthfire Bakery was born. After the success of Hearthfire in Bellingen, Sally and Dave opened another branch in Sawtell in 2016. So now, whether you’re leaning into mountainside life for a few days or passing through to the sunny shorelines of Sawtell, this right here is where you’ll find heartwarming treats. Creating delicious bread, pastries, pies and more, the team at Hearthfire are highly skilled artisan bakers, crafting only the best and most delicious treats for their customers.
73 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 0767 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Friday 7.00am–3.30pm | Saturday to Sunday 7.00am–2.00pm
18. Sweet Bellingen
Whether you’re looking to sink your teeth into the sweet, decadent texture of South Australian fudge, or you’re popping by to sample the delectable flavours of handmade chocolates, Sweet Bellingen has you covered. Offering a range of international confectionery and drinks, a lolly cabinet stocked with crowd favourites, and a diverse range of both locally and Australian-made products, Sweet Bellingen is the perfect place to pick up a tasty treat.
87 Hyde Street | Bellingen NSW 2454 | (02) 6655 9585 | Website | Facebook | Instagram | Monday to Sunday 10.00am–4.30pm
