Gerringong restaurants and cafes, from Werri Beach views to the winery

Pick a Gerringong cafe or restaurant by what you want

Gerringong is small, and almost everything sits within a few hundred metres of the corner of Fern Street and Noble Street, on the hill above Werri Beach. Destination Kiama sums the village up as cafes and restaurants with seascape views, plus wineries and a microbrewery on the edge of town.

The hours below are each venue's published hours, from its website or social page. Small venues change hours with the seasons and school holidays, so check before you go.

Eat breakfast above Werri Beach

The view is the reason most people pick a Gerringong cafe. Two places on the hill look straight over the curve of Werri Beach to the headland and farmland north of town.

Sea Vista Cafe calls itself the cafe on top of the cliff. It has indoor tables and an outdoor deck that the cafe suggests for a spot of whale watching in season. The menu runs from a big breakfast with sujuk (Turkish sausage) to shakshouka, chilli fried eggs and a green bowl with falafel, and many dishes can be made gluten free. Its website lists 8am to 3pm every day.

The Kiosk next door to The Hill Bar and Kitchen opens at 5.30am with specialty coffee and goods baked in house, which makes it the early stop before a surf or the Kiama Coast Walk.

Get coffee and a bite on Fern Street

Fern Street is the main street, and several cafes sit around the bakery arcade at numbers 117 to 123. Most close by early afternoon, so plan lunch before 1.30pm.

For more coffee back in town, see our Kiama cafes guide.

Book dinner in the village

Gerringong has more dinner choice than its size suggests, but the dining rooms are small and fill on summer weekends. Book ahead from Thursday to Sunday.

The Noble Restaurant and Bar on Noble Street is led by Antonio, who sees cooking as a way to bring people together. It opens Thursday from 4.30pm, and Friday to Sunday for lunch from noon and dinner from 4.30pm. It is closed Monday to Wednesday.

The Hill Bar and Kitchen is the busy all-rounder on Fern Street, with panoramic ocean views. It serves lunch, a bar menu and dinner seven days, plus a pizza menu, with happy hour from 3pm to 5pm. Visit NSW points to it for a lunch overlooking Werri Beach.

Jack's Grill by Smith St. Foods runs the bistro inside the historic Cronin's Hotel, near the station. Expect classic pub food, a few fancier dishes and weekly specials. Book by phone.

Bella Char is the restaurant at the Mercure Gerringong Resort at 1 Fern Street. It serves breakfast and dinner every day, with a seasonal menu built on produce from Illawarra and Shoalhaven suppliers, and seats inside, in the courtyard or on the terrace.

Gerringong Thai sits in the Fern Street arcade, with dine-in and takeaway. It serves lunch on weekdays and dinner every night.

Catch live music at The Courtyard

The Co-Op Gerringong was once the hub of the village's dairy industry. It is now a wedding and events venue, and its covered outdoor dining space, The Courtyard, opens to everyone from Friday to Sunday.

The kitchen cooks coal-fired flatbreads from a Marana oven alongside a seasonal menu of share plates, and there is a toddler play area. Local musicians play on Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday afternoons; Destination Kiama lists Live Music Saturdays from 6pm. Walk-ins are welcome, but Destination Kiama recommends booking to secure a table.

• Friday: venue 4pm to 9pm, dinner 5pm to 8pm, happy hour 4pm to 6pm
• Saturday: venue 12pm to 10pm, lunch 12pm to 3pm, dinner 4pm to 8pm
• Sunday: venue 9am to 7pm, brunch from 9am to 11.30am, all-day dining 12pm to 6pm

The Courtyard is a 2-minute walk from Gerringong station, so it works with the train from Kiama.

Eat with the kids at the bowlo by Werri Beach

Gerringong Bowlo sits on Pacific Avenue at Werri Beach. Werri Waves Bistro handles meals, The Dairy does coffee, and you'll find barefoot bowls and a fully covered kids' playground. Visit NSW suggests it for a classic pub meal.

The club trades from 10am every day, until 10pm Sunday to Thursday and 11pm on Friday and Saturday, and runs free live music on Saturdays. Call (02) 4234 1414 to check bistro times.

Spend an afternoon at the winery and the brewery

Two of Gerringong's food stops sit just west of the village, close to the Princes Highway, and both are about 9 minutes' drive from the apartments.

Crooked River Estate has a restaurant looking over its vineyard, with seasonal menus from Executive Head Chef Jason McCauley and estate-grown wines from its Gerringong vineyard. The restaurant opens for lunch Wednesday to Sunday, with last lunch bookings at 2.30pm, and for dinner on Saturday. The cellar door runs a more casual menu from Tuesday to Sunday, and Kick Back Fridays run from 5pm to 9pm. Visit NSW notes regular live music and a Winter Wine Festival.

Stoic Brewing is a family brewery founded in 2018 by Gerringong locals Steve and Andrew, a father and son, who brew beer on Rowlins Road; Visit NSW picks out the Hazy Pale Ale and the Cloudy Apple Cider. Its website lists the Gerringong brewery open Wednesday to Sunday from midday, closing at 7pm on Wednesday and Sunday and 8pm Thursday to Saturday.

Taste more cellar doors around Berry with our wineries near Kiama guide, and book a driver if you are drinking.

Drive on to Gerroa for lunch by the river

Five minutes further south, Gerroa sits where the Crooked River meets Seven Mile Beach. Visit NSW suggests The Blue Swimmer there as a dining option near Gerringong.

The Blue Swimmer is a beachside cafe and restaurant on the Gerroa foreshore, run by owners Daniel and Paul Dewhurst with head chefs Fannie Rousseau and Lauren Brown. It serves breakfast and lunch Wednesday to Sunday from 7.30am to 2.30pm, plus dinner on Friday and Saturday from 5pm to 8.30pm. It is closed Monday and Tuesday, hours change in school holidays, and it is not BYO.

Plan around opening days and the train

Early in the week is the quiet time. The Noble opens only Thursday to Sunday, The Courtyard only Friday to Sunday, Stoic Brewing Wednesday to Sunday and The Blue Swimmer is closed on Monday and Tuesday. On those nights The Hill, Jack's Grill, Gerringong Thai and Bella Char all serve dinner, and the bowlo trades every day.

Many cafes close between 1pm and 3pm. If you finish the Coast Walk at Werri Beach in the afternoon, the bowlo, The Hill and the bakery are the safest bets for a late lunch.

Gerringong station is on the South Coast Line, the stop after Kiama. The Courtyard is 2 minutes' walk from the station, Jack's Grill about 4 minutes and the Fern Street cafes about 16 minutes (1.2 km). Check times on Transport NSW, and see our Gerringong guide for the beaches, pools and whale platform.

Stay in Kiama and eat in Gerringong

Gerringong's restaurants are about 8 minutes' drive from Kiama Ridge Waters, so you can book dinner at The Noble or The Hill and be back at the apartment soon after. Each of our three-bedroom holiday apartments at 2 Surfleet Place sleeps up to six and has a full kitchen for the nights you stay in.

Closer to home, Easts Beach is a 15-minute walk and Kiama station about 27 minutes on foot. For dinner in town, read where to eat in Kiama.

Most of our apartments take pets. Check-in is from 3pm. See the apartments, pet-friendly stays or book the whole building for a group, then check dates.