14 top Port Macquarie restaurants to try in 2025

Carla Grossetti Carla Grossetti
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Explore Port Macquarie restaurants with our in-depth guide featuring the best restaurants in Port Macquarie. Discover hidden gems and top dining spots in 2025.

Port Macquarie restaurants barely made a blip on our radar a decade or so ago. But it’s only natural that Port Mac follows the trend that sees road-trippers wanting to eat and drink their way around regional Australia. With culinary tourism on the rise, here is the ultimate guide to the best Port Macquarie restaurants to add to your food-focused itineraries while on the traditional lands of the Birpai people.

THE SHORTLIST

Hottest new opening: Zebu Bar & Restaurant
Best views: Boathouse Bar & Restaurant
Best date spot: Whalebone Wharf
Fine dining gem: The Stunned Mullet
Budget-friendly: Moo and Bean
Best Farm to Table: taste @ Cassegrain
Best outdoor dining: Rivermark
Best for seafood: Bills Fishhouse & Bar

1. Whalebone Wharf

waterfront views at Whalebone Wharf, Port Macquarie
Whalebone Wharf boasts spectacular waterfront views. (Image: Destination NSW)

There’s nothing quite like dining by the water at Whalebone Wharf in Port Macquarie. The seafood restaurant is one of the best in Port Macquarie for its envious location on the banks of the Hastings River. Established in 1971, the waterfront diner is a landmark destination that rises above the river’s choppy shores where paddleboarders and kayakers pootle past. Keep your sunglasses on and get a little tipsy over cocktails paired with fresh lobsters from the tank or a magnificent seafood platter. You can also choose a fish, the style it should be cooked (baked, steamed, crumbed etc) and then a side dish.

• Cuisine: Modern Australian
• Average price: $$$$
• Atmosphere: Bright and breezy
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 269 Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie

2. The Stunned Mullet

seared scallops from The Stunned Mullet, Port Macquarie
Enjoy elevated food and wine at the iconic The Stunned Mullet. (Image: Destination NSW)

It’s not a guide to Port Macquarie without including the OG fine diner The Stunned Mullet. It’s the place to go for elevated food and wine. Yes, it can be busy and it attracts a well-heeled crowd of sea changers, but the people-watching is all part of the fun. Go for lunch so you can drink in the views over the arc of sea and sand that is Town Beach in the Paris end of Port Macquarie. Explore the flavours of the region with offerings such as watermelon carpaccio splashed with a green gazpacho, silk tofu, jalapeno and asparagus salsa. The Glacier 51 toothfish with shiitake suimono, savoy cabbage, black rice, and daikon with an enoki crisp is another showstopper.

• Cuisine: Modern Australian
• Average price: $$$$-$$$$$
• Atmosphere: Bright and lively
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 24 William St, Port Macquarie

3. Boathouse Bar & Restaurant

alfresco dining at Boathouse Bar & Restaurant, Port Macquarie
Soak up the beachy vibes at Boathouse Bar & Restaurant.

The seafood at the Boathouse Bar & Restaurant is so fresh it looks like it’s been caught by Neptune’s net. The bar and restaurant is at Sails Port Macquarie by Rydges, which is one of the best places to stay in Port Macquarie. Step inside and the Boathouse will still whisk you away to Nantucket with its picture windows, blond timber tones and beach-chic colour scheme. Moor your superyacht outside and strut inside in your deck shoes for freshly shucked oysters, scallop crudo and a seafood tower. This restaurant is the ideal destination year-round if your idea of a holiday involves great food and a tranquil time on the water.

• Cuisine: Modern Australian.
• Average price: $$$$
• Atmosphere: It’s giving Nantucket.
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 20 Park St, Port Macquarie

4. Zebu Bar & Restaurant

waterfront views at Zebu Bar & Restaurant, Port Macquarie
Dine by the water at Zebu Bar & Restaurant. (Image: Remy Brand Photography)

Spend the day out on the water in Port Macquarie and then tie up your yacht and join your sailing group for cocktails at Zebu Bar & Restaurant. The restaurant is on the ground floor of the newly refurbished Rydges Port Macquarie. The ‘jewel in the town’ overlooks the Town Green with manicured lawns stretching all the way to the Hastings River. And it celebrates the very best of what Port Macquarie restaurants have to offer. The sophisticated setting is giving Amalfi Coast where diners enjoy live tunes and delightfully fresh seafood beneath an endless blue canopy of sky. Start with hiramasa kingfish, saffron crab risotto and barramundi with zucchini, tomato, spring herbs and verjus.

• Cuisine: Modern Italian
• Average price: $$$$
• Atmosphere: Amalfi Coast
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 1 Hay St, Port Macquarie.

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5. Rivermark

food plates by the Hastings River at Rivermark, Port Macquarie
Enjoy a sit-down lunch by the Hastings River. (Image: Rivermark)

This casual neighbourhood cafe serves up some of the most spectacular waterfront views in Port Macquarie. And if there’s one thing Port Mac locals like to do it’s revel in the great outdoors. Rivermark has been earmarked as one of the best cafes in Port Macquarie for coffee and a bite of brekkie. But the captivating views it commands over the Hastings River and surrounding greenery also calls for a proper sit-down lunch. The laidback local is not fancy; it’s more of a casual place for fish and chips, salt and pepper squid, burgers and schnitties. Great for watching the ebb and flow of customers.

• Cuisine: Modern Australian
• Average price: $$
• Atmosphere: Super chill.
• Review: 3/5
• Location: 261 Hastings River Drive, Port Macquarie.

6. Florence Jones

Florence Jones is a dinky little wine bar that sits alongside the Hastings River and offers a one-two punch with its cellar and deli. Sit at the long communal counter overlooking the water where you can watch joggers puffing past looking envious of your platter of charcuterie and glass of wine. Be sure to offer them the peace sign with a pout. Or choose from the thoughtful selection of wines, craft beer, artisan cheeses, pates and terrines to take home to your Port Macquarie accommodation. Florence Jones has large glass windows so you watch boats bobbing by while enjoying sunset sips.

• Cuisine: Charcuterie.
• Average price: $$$
• Atmosphere: Laid-back local vibe.
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 74 Clarence St, Port Macquarie

7. Bills Fishhouse & Bar

a spread of food on white background at Bills Fishhouse & Bar, Port Macquarie
Bills Fishhouse & Bar takes pride in their sea-to-plate menu.

Bills Fishhouse & Bar provides a compelling reason to make your dream of a sea change a reality. It’s the place to go when you’ve had your fill of sun, sea, surf and sand. As a destination diner, Bills is a broad church drawing a diverse group of people together who cherish conversation and connection. Channel your best mid-life slacker energy and cast yourself adrift for the day over a sea-to-plate selection of seared scallops, torched squid, swordfish sashimi and crisp-skinned ocean trout. The fun-as fishhouse is housed within the new Clarence House development. BYO bib.

• Cuisine: Seafood
• Average price: $$$$
• Atmosphere: Contemporary coastal-chic.
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 2/18-20 Clarence St, Port Macquarie

8. Moo and Bean

You won’t have to shell out a tonne of coins for a casual meal at Moo and Bean. In fact, you get a lot of bang for your back with a line-up of local musos such as Max Marvell served alongside $1 oysters. The North Haven cafe overlooks the pristine waters of Camden Haven, some 30 minutes south of Port Macquarie. The Sunday sessions here will defo up your chances of meeting someone IRL as the layout of the bright and airy venue enables a certain kind of alchemy. Trim your neckbeard so you can better impress with those moves you learned on TikTok.

• Cuisine: Ribs, wings and smokey things
• Average price: $$$$
• Atmosphere: Clean, beachy aesthetic.
• Review: 4/5
• Location: 613 Ocean Dr, North Haven.

9. Black Duck Brewery

wood-fired pizza at Black Duck Brewery, Port Macquarie
Wood-fired pizza fresh from the oven at Black Duck Brewery. (Image: Destination NSW)

We spent a lot of time fishing around to find the best places to eat and drink in Port Macquarie. And Black Duck Brewery certainly gave us something to quack about. Cue the sound of a guitar being furiously strummed on Friday nights as the brew bar hosts its weekly pizza night set to live music. Black Duck also curates BBQ lunches and platters designed to pair well with its rotating roster of craft beers. You will find this vibrant local brewery in the middle of a scattering of buildings in the town’s industrial estate.

• Cuisine: Beer and bites.
• Average price: $$
• Atmosphere: Jovial
• Review: 4/5
• Location: 6b Acacia Avenue, Port Macquarie

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10. Little Shack

a small kiosk of food at Little Shack, Port Macquarie
Pop into the Little Shack for a quick seafood snack.

Port Macquarie was somewhat of an under-the-radar coastal paradise until places like Little Shack popped up. Lovers of a sundowner are known to camp out here for an afternoon in anticipation of cocktail hour. It’s like a portal to a posh seafood shack in Key Largo with the crowd a perfect cross-section of backpackers, Port Mac locals, and fishos. The Little Shack is now a long-standing landmark by the sea. And, as you correctly assume from the name, Little Shack mastered the art of serving seafood-centric cuisine in an al fresco environment.  Swing by the Town Green to nab a table under one of the towering pine trees festooned with fairy lights.

• Cuisine: Good vibes only.
• Average price: $$$$
• Atmosphere: Chill
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 1 Munter St, Little Shack

11. The Local

What a lot of visitors to Port Macquarie don’t realise is the city rivals Newcastle and Wollongong for its live music scene. Yes, Port Macquarie has a chain of beautiful beaches and waterways that keep visitors smitten with the place.  But there’s nothing like tapping into the town’s zeitgeist through its schedule of live performances. Lunch at The Local Flynns Beach is a great way to get to know the city while tapping your feet to live music performed by local acts such as Chris Rose. Soak up Port Mac’s culture while enjoying smokey BBQ pork ribs, Malaysian lamb curry and chicken parmis.

• Cuisine: Bistro food.
• Average price: $$-$$$
• Atmosphere: Laidback beachy
• Review: 4/5
• Location: Ocean St, Port Macquarie

12. taste @ Cassegrain

pouring a bottle of Cassegrain wine into a glass,
Cassegrain wines are as good as the food. (Image: Destination NSW)

Port Mac locals take the restaurant renaissance in Port Macquarie in their stride. Expect the wine list at Cassegrain Wines to be as dynamic as the menu at taste @ Cassegrain, an offshoot of the estate. The Cassegrain family’s history of winemaking dates back to 1643 France and winemaker Alex Cassegrain proudly married the traditions of French winemaking with Australian innovation. Dining here is worth a detour for dishes such as the cured salmon, chicken liver pate, confit duck with sauteed cabbage and bok choy and white fish with baby capers and leek. There’s also a very considered kids’ menu with options such as grilled sirloin and chips paired with sparkling grape juice. We love to see it.

• Cuisine: Modern Australian
• Average price: $$$$
• Atmosphere: Relaxed yet refined
• Review: 5/5
• Location: 10 Winery Drive, Port Macquarie.

13. Bago Vineyards

morning mist at Bago Vineyards
Morning mist hugs the lush landscape at Bago Vineyards. (Image: Destination NSW)

Bago Vineyards is surrounded by a tall eucalyptus forest in Wauchope that caters to the East Coast’s largest koala population. The vineyard – one of five in the region – blankets the surrounding hillside, its healthy appearance belying the effort it takes to successfully grow grapes in this region. The family-run vineyard is very much a family affair and includes a maze to keep kids entertained. Tell the kids to ‘get lost’ while you enjoy a glass of verdelho and a cheese platter and the kids bounce happily around the pruned pathways. Visit for Sunday Music Days once a month and keep your eyes peeled on Bago’s socials for seasonal pop-up mazes.

• Cuisine: Charcuterie platters.
• Average price: $$
• Atmosphere: Family-friendly
• Review: 4/5
• Location: 197 Lambs Road, Herons Creek.

14. Little Fish Cafe Restaurant Vineyard

Having access to the Mid North Coast’s bounty hasn’t hurt The Little Fish Cafe & Vineyard.  Add a Michelin-trained chef who hails from the Cotignac, in Provence, France, and you have more than a few legit reasons to extend your stay in Port Macquarie. Chef Steve Delandemare started his career working at his family’s vineyard and restaurant and he pays homage to French culinary traditions on the Little Fish menu. Order the feuilleté de chêvre au miel et au poivre, salade de mesclun (honey-drizzled goat’s cheese tart with cracked pepper and a mesclun salad) or bouillabaisse to see what the fuss is about. Little Fish is also a must for coffee. Open every Friday for dinner.

• Cuisine: French Australian
• Average price: $$$
• Atmosphere: Charming and boutique
• Review: 4/5
• Location:  147 The Ruins Way, Innes Lake Vineyard.

Discover the best cafes in Port Macquarie.

Carla Grossetti
Carla Grossetti has written across print and digital for Australian Traveller and International Traveller for more than a decade and has spent more than two decades finding excuses to eat well and travel far. A prestigious News Corp cadetship launched her career at The Cairns Post, before a stint at The Canberra Times and The Sydney Morning Herald gave way to extended wanders through Canada, the US, Mexico, Central America, Asia and Europe. Carla was chief sub editor at delicious and has contributed to Good Food, Travel & Luxury, Explore Travel, Escape. While living in London, Carla was on staff at Condé Nast Traveller and The Sunday Times Travel desk and was part of the pioneering digital team at The Guardian UK.
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Slowing down in Moree: a guide to the Artesian Spa Capital of Australia

(Credit: Destination NSW)

    Kassia Byrnes Kassia Byrnes
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    The Artesian Spa Capital of Australia offers the perfect destination to escape the grind and reset.

    The world moves more slowly in Moree, and that’s how it should be. Here, country charm and heritage buildings fill the town’s wide streets. While the surrounding farmland mixes with lush riverways to create a fascinating landscape.

    But the biggest pull? Moree is known as the Artesian Spa Capital of Australia. It’s truly a place to slow down and disconnect, all an easy train ride from Sydney.

    Soak in Moree’s artesian water

    kids at Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre
    Dive in to Moree’s artesian waters.

    Moree is not your typical wellness retreat, replacing pretence with casual and easy. Blessed to be sitting above the Great Artesian Basin, it feeds the town (and surrounding villages) with hot, mineral-rich water. Loaded with minerals like calcium, magnesium, potassium and sulphur, this water is believed to help with skin health, joint function and tissue repair.

    And the town’s crown jewel, Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre, has reopened after extensive upgrades. This state-of-the-art aquatic centre offers accessible facilities with multiple artesian baths of varying temperatures between 38 and 41°C.

    Feel like exploring a little further? About an hour’s drive from Moree, the village of Boomi also offers public access to this same artesian water. Pop into Boomi Artesian Pool to make the most of a 25-metre cold pool, a wading pool and a hot artesian spa pool.

    Just an hour west of Boomi, you’ll also find Mungindi Hot Artesian Pool, another relaxing place to rejuvenate for the afternoon in the mineral-rich water.

    Moree’s best stays

    woman swimming ta Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre
    Stay right by Moree Artesian Aquatic Centre.

    There are several motels within walking distance of the aquatic centre, so you linger longer in its therapeutic waters. A day pass not enough? Really soak in the benefits of Moree at three local stays with their own artesian baths.

    Gwydir Thermal Pools Resort boasts five artesian pools for motel and caravan park guests, ranging in soothing temperatures from 34 to 39 degrees. And that includes a 25-metre lap pool.

    The Phoenix, Artesian Spa Resort & Accommodation features outdoor artesian thermal pools and six indoor artesian spas, all 34 to 42°C, plus regular pools for guests staying in their accommodations.

    While the Artesian Spa Motel matches 46 comfortable budget rooms set across five acres of landscaped grounds, with direct access (for guests) to its own natural artesian hot thermal pool.

    Moree’s location at the crossroads of the Newell and Gwydir Highways makes it the ideal resting place for those road tripping through country NSW. With plenty of accommodation options, including farm stays, quaint bed and breakfasts and affordable motels.

    Delving into nature around Moree

    aerial of moree
    Find plenty of natural beauty in and around Moree. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Beyond the baths, find calm in Moree’s nature. Soak up the impressive Gwydir River from the peaceful Tareelaroi Weir Recreation Area. Popular with locals, this scenic spot is perfect for fishing, kayaking and picnics. Delve into local history at the Terry Hie Hie Picnic Area – a significant Gamilaroi cultural site. The picnic area is still used today as a ceremonial gathering ground, with educational signage sharing the history of the Gamilaroi People and the mission which used to reside here in the early 20th Century. Follow the Yana-y Warruwi Walking Track to explore the area’s box pine forest.

    Combine nature and culture at the Jellicoe Park Open Spaces Aboriginal Art Trail along the scenic Mehi River Walk. Find artworks from local Indigenous artists across a range of different mediums, like carved logs, engraved and painted sandstone and scar tree paintings.

    A taste of Moree

    meal at Moree Country Club
    Sit down for a tasty meal after a game of golf. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Taste the best of local cafes as you wander past the Art Deco architecture of Moree’s tree-lined main streets. Join the locals each morning at Brooker Trading Co as they line up for their morning java. Stay for classic breakfast dishes like eggs benedict and Dutch pancakes, or arrive later in the day for a hearty lunch menu. Inside a gorgeous Art Deco building, 61 Balo is another tasty breakfast option, with pet-friendly service. The recently renovated Cafe Omega is another popular stop for fresh, hearty meals – the chicken burger is a particular crowd pleaser – all served with a smile.

    Get inspired as you wander the CBD’s Mural Trail, stopping at some of Moree’s six art galleries along the way. Bank Art Museum is a must-see, housed in the town’s heritage bank building and home to a collection of First Nations art, plus a changing calendar of touring exhibitions.

    Bank Art Museum Moree
    Step inside the gorgeous Bank Art Museum Moree. (Credit: Destination NSW)

    Get active with a round on the beautiful riverside course at Moree Golf Club (and refuel afterwards at the delicious onsite restaurant) or a game of bowls at Moree Services Club’s state-of-the-art facility. Visit on the last weekend of September to join (or watch) Run the Plains, Moree’s annual two-day running festival.

    Known as ‘white gold’ country, Moree is Australia’s most productive agricultural region. Visit from April to September to join a cotton farm tour and get to know one of Moree’s major exports.

    However long you choose to stay, there’s plenty to soak in around Moree.

    Start planning the ultimate escape at visitmoreeplains.com.au.