The ultimate guide to the best Coffs Harbour cafes includes everything from coastal hangouts to hidden hinterland gems and brunches to brag about.

The best Coffs Harbour cafes range from those that source and roast their own beans to cute-as-a-button bakeries tucked away on pretty pockets of farmland. The cafe scene in Coffs Harbour is as vibrant and unique as the coastal city itself.

Here is your definitive list of the Coffs Harbour cafes you need to discover for yourself. Use it as your handbook when exploring from Coffs Coast beaches to the hinterland.

The shortlist

Best coffee: Artisti Coffee Roasters
Best for Vegan/Vegetarians: The Happy Frog
Best outdoor dining: Sandy Spoons Cafe
Hidden gem: Idle In
Hottest new opening and local favourite: Miquette

Artisti Coffee Roasters

This boutique roastery is in the High-Tech Industrial Estate in Toormina. Not only does Artisti Espresso Bar & Roastery source and roast its own beans to the highest standard, but it does so day after day. Like all good roasteries, the air is filled with the scent of freshly brewed coffee. Banter with the baristas about the different brewing methods so you can find the perfect cup according to your preference. Then, order a macchiato and a bag of beans to go. Sign up for Barista Training to take your latte art to the next level.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Industrial-chic, cosy cupboard-sized espresso bar
Location: Unit 3/11 Craft Close, Toormina

The Happy Frog

The ‘Peace, Love and Chickpeas’ tees worn by the wait staff should give you an indication of the vibe at this healthy, inclusive lifestyle cafe and store on the main street in Coffs Harbour. The cafe offers a plant-centric menu, where artfully composed salads are considered the main event. Think Buddha bowls, Moroccan chickpea salads, rainbow salads and frittata. BYO reusable container to get 50 cents off your order.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: This low-key casual co-op is one of the hippest cafes in Coffs.
Location: 16 Park Avenue, Coffs Harbour NSW

Sandy Spoons Cafe

One for the beach lovers, Sandy Spoons has you covered for brekkie, brunch or lunch. Shoes are optional at the low-key Coffs Harbour cafe, which is tucked under the Woolgoolga Surf Lifesaving Club. On weekends, join the queue of mums and dads who trudge across the sand from Nippers to get their fix of coffee and a cheeky vanilla slice. For lunch, try out the mussels cooked in a chunky, chilli-garlic tomato sauce. This popular dish was inspired by a cherished family recipe and is served with a warm wedge of buttery Turkish bread.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Relaxed toes-in-the-sand community hub.
Location: 1 Ocean St, Woolgoolga

Cafe In The Valley

Caffeine is a pivotal part of a road trip, so much so my husband and I hinge entire journeys around where to stop for a cup of coffee and bakery treat. Atmosphere is also important when you’re talking country cafes. And the Cafe In The Valley does just fine in that department, too. Cafe In The Valley doubles as the unofficial Ulong visitor info hub. Cue the sound of insects chirping as you settle into the shaded courtyard for avocado and feta smash on sourdough. Get some hot tips from locals about chasing waterfalls in nearby Bindarri National Park and make plans to return for live music and pizza nights.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: The charming cafe is all leather lounges and moody tones and leans into the valley vibe.
Location: 70 Pine Avenue, Ulong NSW 2450

Key Cafe

Key Cafe serves good food and great coffee with purpose. The community-powered not-for-profit cafe has been creating jobs for people with disabilities across NSW’s Mid North Coast since 1991. With a new outlet in Coffs Harbour as well as the OG in Kempsey, Key Cafe is seeking to change what inclusion in the workplace looks like for those who don’t have a straight line to employment. In addition to supporting this worthy cause, customers can enjoy delicious chicken satay sticks or banh mi. Follow up lunch at Key Cafe with a game of padel at the adjacent courts;

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Vibes are always going to be high at a community cafe where coffee helps create employment opportunities for those with disabilities.
Location: 61 West High St, Coffs Harbour; (490 Macleay Valley Way, South Kempsey)

Split Café

Split Café has been in the bean biz in the charming village of Sawtell since 2005. And while the baristas at the slick cafe are serious about their coffee, the menu is also top-notch and changes with the seasons. Try out the Sawtell Smokehouse nitrate-free bacon supplied from Gooralie Free-Range Pork served on a milk bun slathered with avocado and aioli and stuffed with rocket, tomato, cheese and house BBQ. Another great option, particularly popular with holidaymakers, is lingering over a lazy long lunch on signatures such as the Philly cheesesteak. Pick up some honey or house-made chilli oil from the pantry.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Bright and breezy with breezeblocks and a very particular kind of Coffs Coast chic.
Location: Shop 3-4, 4 First Avenue, Sawtell

Bello e Buono, Sawtell

This Italian-inspired cafe with curb-side seating is a popular place to perch in the picturesque hip strip of leafy Sawtell. It’s a bit Machiavellian, but I’d recommend setting off for the Italian-style eatery before your family is up and at ’em so you can enjoy a triangle of the Belle e Buono lemon-ricotta cake to yourself. Appease them by returning to your Coffs Coast hotel with a round of homemade sandwiches stuffed between slabs of piadina or fluffy focaccia. Your head will be spinning at the multitude of choices, but my personal pick is the soft prosciutto, bocconcini, tomatoes and basil. Bello e buono, indeed.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Visit the chic little Italian eatery to see what la dolce vita looks like on NSW’s Mid North Coast.
Location: 39 First Avenue, Sawtell NSW

Supply

There’s nothing better than being on holiday on NSW’s Mid North Coast and taking a local’s recommendation on where to go for the best coffee in Coffs Harbour. Supply is one of the best Coffs Harbour cafes to get a decent cup of joe. Wait till the traffic on the beach thins to a trickle of locals, surfers and fishermen before heading to Supply, which caters to all comers. It’s a Supply and demand thing. Supply has serious coffee credentials, using Full Spectrum Coffee Roasters to great effect. Try out a doppio to get that full-flavour hit and follow it up with Turkish eggs or a blueberry bagel.

Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: The white-on-wood layout is defined by open, light-filled spaces.
Location: 15 Orlando Street, Coffs Harbour

Glenreagh Bakery

Ask the family breadwinner to do a loop of the beautiful Orara Valley Tourist Trail to procure lunch on the go. The Guinness steak pie at Glenreagh Bakery is surely a contender for Australia’s Best Pie. The menu also shifts with confidence from savoury to sweet with crisp-edged croissants, raspberry lemon curd cheesecake and tiramisu sponge cakes – all signature treats. Forgo coffee and order a chai to accompany your order. The darling little country bakery also serves as a tourist information centre for the Clarence Valley. Flick through the flyers and maps on offer to see what’s happening in and around the region.

Average price: $
Atmosphere: Country casual, nostalgic and friendly
Location: 27 Coramba Street, Glenreagh

Beachouse Cafe

I love breaking up our family road trips along Australia’s East Coast with a wander around Woolgoolga. It’s where we discovered the whimsical Beachouse Cafe, which has a sandpit to keep little ones (and their parents) happy. Encourage them to get their wiggles out until the banana bread and sunshine smoothies arrive. Beachouse Cafe has been popping off as a place to pull off the highway for a few years now. The cafe is on higher ground than Woolgoolga Beach but filled with flotsam and jetsam you’d expect from a beachside cafe. It’s cafes like this that have been the making of Woopi.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: The cafe is serving Castaway-chic – all faded whites, turquoise and teals.
Location: 42 Sandy Beach Drive, Woolgoolga NSW

Idle In

Idle In is the kind of cafe you visit to manifest your meet-cute with a local Harley Davidson biker. The Coffs Coast cafe is nestled in Nana Glen, one of the hidden gem villages on the Coffs Coast hinterland. And it has that kind of ‘discover by accident and fall in love’ charm you’ve been searching for. Release your grip on the throttle for long enough to idle at the Idle In over the spicy chorizo, lentil and tomato soup and Toblerone and Bailey’s cheesecake. Sidle up to the Coffs Coast cafe on a Thursday for Swap, Shuffle, Share, where you can barter with excess home-grown produce and home-made goods.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: This is a hangout for Harley riders and recreational bikers who like to loop around the Orora Way.
Location: 30 Nana Street, Nana Glen NSW

Peach & Wolf Bakery

The coastal community of Coffs Harbour loves to start the day with a scamper up the beach followed by a morning swim. While the strong pull of the ocean is real in Coffs Harbour, so is the allure of a fresh pastry at Peach & Wolf Bakaery. Once you’ve towelled off, do as the locals do and settle in for the Kevin Bacon brekkie roll or a cinnamon scroll. The eco-conscious caff now has outlets at Park Beach, Yarrila Place and Woopi. Keep your road trip schedule fluid so you can spend an extra few days sticking to the ritual of a morning pastry followed by a perfect little piccolo made using Allpress Espresso beans.

Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Visiting this family-run bakery is a local ritual and the experience is garnished with good vibes.
Locations: 29/87 Ocean Parade, Coffs Harbour; The Marketplace, 4 Market St, Woolgoolga,; and Yarrila Place, 27 Gordon Steet, Coffs Harbour

Dark Arts Cafe & Bar

Coffs Harbour cafes often serve as multifunctional hubs. By day, the Dark Arts Cafe & Bar serves the city’s community of creatives with killer coffee (ethically sourced) and cakes. Order the toasted granola jewelled with berries, orange and date gel and a cup of the wicked house blend: ‘Black Magic.’  When night falls, the space flicks a switch, morphing from cafe to a space playing host to private events. The menu at the Dark Arts Cafe & Bar is as eclectic as the decor, all stained glass, velvet chairs and comic book art. My hot tip: download the free Coffs Coast Explorer app to help you navigate your way along the Coffs Harbour coffee trail.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Think Coffs Coast quirky
Location: Cox Lane, Coffs Harbour NSW

Ground Earth

Ground Earth epitomises cafe culture on the Coffs Coast, clinging to a character all its own. Although the wholefoods cafe has a lovely laid-back feel, the staff are extremely attentive and friendly. Each new menu marks the passing of a new season and the dishes on offer are as beguiling as the local scenery that winds from the mountains to the sea. Find a seat on the footpath to enjoy everything from brekky burgers to savoury lentils on sourdough, and grilled cheese toasties with pickles. Big ups to Barret Espresso’s single-origin coffee made creamy and delicious with milk from the Little Big Dairy Co.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: You’ll want to make friends with the locals here who are all breezy cheerfulness after their morning surf.
Location: 1/18 Market Street, Woolgoolga NSW

Hope Road

This chilled Coffs Harbour cafe is not about fine dining. It’s both raucous and relaxed with a hodgepodge of bare timber tables and chairs that serve as a shared workspace for the local dreadlocked brigade. Find your groove in the terracotta-toned grotto, which is adorned with hessian sacks that promote the provenance of the Drumroll Coffee Roasters beans sourced for your morning brew. Hope Road is a reference to where Bob Marley grew up in Kingston and this lively hub is as much about reggae and music as it is about the coffee and toasted sangas.

Cuisine: Inventive toasties and Brazilian dishes like coxinha (shredded chicken croquette) that reflect the owner’s heritage.
Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Vibrant
Location: 31 Park Avenue, Coffs Harbour

Nyanggan Gapi, Sealy Lookout

Learn about the culture of the Traditional Owners of the Coffs Coast by booking a Giingan Gumbaynggirr Cultural Experience with Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours. The operator is one of the ECO-certified operators that helped the Coffs Coast gain accreditation as a destination for conscious travel. The Indigenous-owned corporation also has Nyanggan Gapi at the Sealy Lookout, where 100 per cent of the profits go back to supporting young Indigenous people engaged in its programs. Open on weekends and school holidays, or on weekdays at the local Tafe.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Cultural
Location: Sealy Lookout Drive, Coffs Harbour

Palate & Ply Cafe and Roastery

Palate & Ply Cafe has literally been cobbled together with palettes and ply. It’s both a cafe and roastery where the best seats in the house will depend on your mood. Sit inside if you want to socialise around lounges your nanna will covet. Or take it outside to the grassy patch to settle in for some people-watching. Wind down the day with new friends over Reuben toasties, mixed berry smoothies or artisan coffees. The chefs know the way to your heart with a creative menu that roams from eggs benny for brekkie to chicken and avocado salads for lunch.

Average price: $$
Atmosphere: Palate & Ply is also a co-working space so expect to share your space with artists, freelancers and budding entrepreneurs.
Location: 37 Vernon Street, Coffs Harbour

Village Pantry

Don’t be fooled by the fact it’s nestled deep within Park Beach Home Base, the suburb’s one-stop-shop retail destination. Village Pantry, right next to Forty Winks behind the kids’ playground, is designed to create a momentary retrieve from the mall. The epic cafe dishes up attentive service, seasonal twists on breakfast classics, generous portions and hyperlocal seasonal produce. Oh, and the coffee here is life. Try out the ‘three best friends’ brekkie, which is a three-way combo of sweet and savoury. You get a mini acai, a mini ‘avo good day’ – smashed avocado on toast with plenty of extras – and a small cup of coffee just the way you like it.

Average price $$
Atmosphere Casual and coastal
Location 252 Pacific Highway, Coffs Harbour

Miquette

There is a little piece of Paris that is thriving on Harbour Drive on the Coffs Coast. That’s thanks to the arrival of Frenchman Edouard who has brought a taste of chic Parisian cuisine to the Mid North Coast of NSW with cafe and wine bar Miquette. Édouard met his wife Jade, a Coffs Harbour local, when they were both working at Edouard’s uncle’s famed le Bistrot Paul Bert in the 11th Arrondissement. The Coffs Harbour cafe transforms into a wine bar by night and offers an array of French classics from dawn to dusk. By day, the cafe will satisfy your cravings for crisp, savoury crêpes and flaky croissants. As night falls, the wine bar’s Paris-style terrase is the place to be for charcuterie boards paired with boutique wines.

Average price: $$$
Atmosphere: Parisian bistro meets Coffs Coast cool
Location: Shop 4, 214 Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour