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Kiama cafes for breakfast, coffee, bakeries and harbour views

Most Kiama cafes sit on Terralong, Manning, Collins and Shoalhaven streets and around the harbour. For breakfast with a view, go to Diggies or Penny Whistlers. For coffee close to Kiama Ridge Waters, Beck's is a 16-minute walk. For bakeries, try Slow Dough, Parfait Patisserie or Earnest Arthur.

The Little Blowhole at Kiama, near Beck's cafe on Tingira Crescent
Photo: Bluedawe, CC BY-SA 3.0

Pick a Kiama cafe by what you want

Cafe tables on the sunny footpath outside shops on Terralong Street, Kiama, with palm trees
Photo: Maksym Kozlenko, CC BY-SA 3.0

Kiama's cafes are close together, so you can choose by mood rather than distance. Most open by 7am, many close by mid-afternoon, and only a few stay open into the evening. Hours below are each venue's published hours. They change with the seasons, so check before you go.

If you wantGo toFrom Kiama Ridge Waters
The nearest coffeeBeck's, 10 Tingira Cres16-minute walk (1.3 km)
Breakfast with a harbour viewDiggies or Penny WhistlersAbout 3 minutes' drive
Coffee before sunriseShort Black Coffee (5am) or Manning Street Local (5.30am)About 3 minutes' drive
Sourdough and pastriesSlow Dough, Parfait Patisserie, Flour Water Salt24 to 25-minute walk, or 2 minutes' drive
Pies and coffeeEarnest Arthur, 82 Terralong St31-minute walk, or 3 minutes' drive
A cafe with the dogSaltwater, The Hungry Monkey, Earnest Arthur, Diggies3 to 4 minutes' drive
Breakfast by the riverMinnamurra General Store & CafeAbout 11 minutes' drive

Start close to the apartments

The grassy Little Blowhole reserve on Marsden Head, looking north along the Kiama coast towards Blowhole Point
Photo: Maurice van Creij, CC BY 3.0

Kiama Ridge Waters sits in a quiet residential street in south Kiama, and two cafes are within an easy walk. Beck's is the closest, about 16 minutes on foot (1.3 km), on Tingira Crescent by the Little Blowhole. The Brooding Cafe on the southern end of Manning Street is about 22 minutes (1.7 km).

Beck's Kiama

10 Tingira Cres, Kiama

Coffee, food, surf craft and apparel under one roof. Its Google listing shows 6.30am to 2pm daily, with evening trade on Friday and Saturday from 5pm and Sunday from 3.30pm. Dogs are welcome at the outside tables.

The Brooding Cafe

2/160 Manning St, Kiama

Formerly The Brooding Italian, now pouring Cherry Black coffee roasted in a wood-fired oven, with breakfasts, lunches and daily specials. Open 6am to 1.30pm on weekdays and 7am to 1.30pm on weekends, according to its website.

Eat breakfast by Kiama Harbour

The 1915 former fire station on Shoalhaven Street, Kiama, near Penny Whistlers and Flour Water Salt
Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0

The harbour end of town has the cafes with water views. Park once near Blowhole Point and you can walk between them, then on to the Kiama Blowhole or the lighthouse. From the apartments, the harbour is about a 3-minute drive or a 29 to 32-minute walk.

Diggies Kiama

1 Blowhole Point Rd, Kiama

A bright, casual cafe next to the Kiama Visitor Information Centre, with seaside views and an all-day brunch menu built on local ingredients. Its website lists 7am to 3pm on weekdays and Sunday, and 7am to 5pm on Saturday. Table bookings are taken online.

Penny Whistlers

5/31 Shoalhaven St, Kiama

A licensed cafe overlooking the harbour, opened by Pete and Cheree in 2015, pouring Campos coffee from sunrise. Its Google listing shows 7am daily, staying open into the evening Thursday to Saturday. Book a table on 02 4233 2770.

Stonewall Cafe

Shop 2/8 Manning St, Kiama

Breakfast, lunch and pastries with Danes coffee, Australian and Filipino dishes, a plant-filled courtyard, and tables out the front facing Kiama Harbour.

Wild Patch Cafe

14 Manning St, Kiama

A small cafe at the harbour end of Manning Street, open from 7am (6am on Sundays) until 2.30pm, according to its Google listing.

Get coffee on Terralong and Collins streets

Shopfronts on Terralong Street, Kiama's main street
Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0

Terralong Street is Kiama's main street, and Collins Street runs off it past the old weatherboard terraces. This is where you will find the most choice and the earliest openers. From the apartments it is about a 3 to 4-minute drive, or a 31 to 34-minute walk. Parking tips are in our Kiama parking guide.

Native Cafe Kiama

58 Terralong St, Kiama

Run by Harold and Twinkle, with fresh seasonal food and homemade cakes and slices. The coffee is Will&Co's 808 blend. Its website lists 7am to 3pm, seven days. No bookings.

Saltwater Kiama

104 Terralong St, Kiama

Breakfast and coffee, then fish and chips, burgers and schnitzels. Its website lists 7am to 5pm Sunday to Thursday and 7am to 7pm on Friday and Saturday. Its Google listing says dogs are welcome.

The Hungry Monkey

5/32 Collins St, Kiama

A cafe and restaurant just off Manning Street, brewing White Horse coffee. Coffee from 6.30am Monday to Saturday and food from 7am, with dinner on Thursdays. Sundays run 7.30am to 3.30pm. Dine in, take away or order delivery.

Cafe Kiama & Scoops Ice Creamery

60 Terralong St, Kiama

Coffee from Hyper Hyper beans roasted in Nowra, Vietnamese street food such as banh mi and rice paper rolls, plus 50 flavours of ice cream, sorbet and gelato, according to Destination Kiama.

Short Black Coffee

88 Terralong St, Kiama

The earliest opener on the main street: its Google listing shows 5am to 2pm, seven days. Dogs are welcome.

Manning Street Local

43 Manning St, Kiama

A small coffee bar on Manning Street. Its Google listing shows 5.30am opening every day, closing at 2pm on weekdays and 1pm on weekends.

Buy sourdough, pies and pastries

A round sourdough loaf with decorative scoring on its golden, floury crust
Photo: SueRostvold, CC BY 4.0

Kiama has a strong bakery line-up for a town its size. Pick up a loaf for the apartment, or pastries for the beach. Slow Dough and Parfait are a short walk from Surf Beach, and Flour Water Salt is on Shoalhaven Street near Penny Whistlers.

Slow Dough

19 Bong Bong St, Kiama

A sourdough bakery in the old minister's cottage on the corner of Manning and Bong Bong streets, with coffee and seats outside. Open Friday to Sunday only: its website lists 7am to 1pm Friday and Saturday, and 8am to 1pm Sunday. Popular items can sell out.

Parfait Patisserie

38-40 Manning St, Kiama

Croissants, quiches, breads and French-inspired cakes made on site overnight, plus custom cakes. Open 6.30am to 2pm Sunday and Monday, 6.30am to 3pm Wednesday to Saturday, and closed Tuesday.

Earnest Arthur

82 Terralong St, Kiama

A pie shop and cafe, with a second store in South Nowra. Open 7am to 4pm, seven days, according to its website, and its Google listing says dogs are welcome.

Flour Water Salt

49 Shoalhaven St, Kiama

A family-owned bakery cafe making hand-shaped sourdough, cakes and pastries, with barista-made Ambrosia coffee and grab-and-go breakfast and lunch. Its Google listing shows 8am to 3pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

Bring the dog to breakfast

A dog lying on a woven rug under a cafe table, resting with its eyes closed
Photo: Shixart1985, CC BY 2.0

Plenty of Kiama cafes welcome dogs, mostly at outdoor tables. On their Google Business Profiles, Saltwater, The Hungry Monkey, Earnest Arthur, Diggies and Short Black Coffee allow dogs inside and outside. Beck's, Stonewall, The Brooding Cafe and Manning Street Local allow dogs at their outside tables. Rules change and busy mornings can be tight, so ask staff before you sit down.

Pets are welcome on request in most apartments at Kiama Ridge Waters, with a $200 cleaning fee. See pet-friendly apartments in Kiama for the rules.

Head north to Minnamurra for a quieter morning

Paddle boarders on the Minnamurra River below the village, with the escarpment behind
Photo: MrActiniuM, CC BY-SA 4.0

North of town, the Minnamurra General Store sits by the Minnamurra River. Pair breakfast with a walk at Minnamurra or a swim at Bombo.

Minnamurra General Store & Cafe

1A Rangoon Rd, Minnamurra

A general store and cafe near the Minnamurra River, about 11 minutes' drive away. Its Google listing shows 8am to 2.30pm daily, with dogs welcome outside. Tables can be booked online.

Drive to a garden, a roastery or a country bakery

Heritage weatherboard buildings of the Collins Lane shops in Kiama
Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0

A few of the region's most distinctive cafes sit just outside the town centre, each under 15 minutes' drive from the apartments.

The Quarry Cafe at Burnetts on Barney

80 Barney St, Kiama

Inside a garden centre beneath old basalt quarry walls, a few minutes' drive from the apartments. Homestyle lunches, soups and cakes Monday to Saturday, with live music on Saturdays, according to Destination Kiama.

Daily Grind Coffee Roasters

9 Bergin St, Gerringong

A roastery cafe about 9 minutes' drive south, where you can taste single origins and blends and watch the roasting from the upstairs seating. Its website lists weekday hours only, 6.30am to 1pm Monday to Friday.

Kings Patisserie & Cafe

1/18 Allowrie St, Jamberoo

Fresh bakes and coffee from 6.30am, seven days, in the middle of Jamberoo village, about 14 minutes' drive inland. Sit inside or in the open or covered outdoor area.

Plan around early closing and Tuesday gaps

Kiama Post Office on Terralong Street, a stone Victorian building with a tall corner clock tower
Photo: Ymblanter, CC BY-SA 4.0
  • Get there before 2pm. Many Kiama cafes stop serving food between 2pm and 3pm. For an afternoon coffee, Diggies stays open to 5pm on Saturdays, and Earnest Arthur to 4pm daily.
  • Watch Tuesdays. Parfait Patisserie closes on Tuesdays, and Slow Dough only opens Friday to Sunday.
  • Book on long weekends. Diggies and Penny Whistlers take bookings, and waterfront tables fill first in school holidays.
  • Go to the market. The Kiama Farmers' Market runs on Wednesday afternoons at Coronation Park on Manning Street beside Surf Beach. See our Kiama markets guide.

Make breakfast at the apartment instead

Covered balcony with an outdoor table for four and a view over Kiama

Some mornings, a slow coffee on your own balcony wins. Pick up a sourdough loaf and pastries the day before, then cook the rest in your full kitchen, with its oven and gas cooktop, or on the BBQ. Every apartment at Kiama Ridge Waters has a dining table for six and a covered balcony with outdoor dining, so the whole group can eat together before heading to Easts Beach, a 15-minute walk away.

For lunch and dinner ideas, read where to eat in Kiama. To stay, see the three-bedroom apartments, family stays in Kiama or check dates and book.

Quick answers

What are good Kiama cafes for breakfast?

For breakfast with a harbour view, try Diggies on Blowhole Point Road or Penny Whistlers on Shoalhaven Street. In the town centre, Native Cafe, Saltwater and The Hungry Monkey open by 7am. Beck's on Tingira Crescent is the closest to Kiama Ridge Waters, about a 16-minute walk.

Which cafes in Kiama have a view?

Diggies sits beside the Kiama Visitor Information Centre with seaside views, and Penny Whistlers overlooks Kiama Harbour. Stonewall Cafe has tables out the front facing the harbour. All three are about a 3-minute drive from Kiama Ridge Waters, or a 29 to 32-minute walk.

Where is the bakery in Kiama?

Slow Dough at 19 Bong Bong Street bakes sourdough Friday to Sunday. Parfait Patisserie at 38-40 Manning Street makes French-style pastries and cakes, closed Tuesdays. Flour Water Salt is at 49 Shoalhaven Street, and Earnest Arthur at 82 Terralong Street is known for pies.

What time do cafes open in Kiama?

Most open around 7am and close by 2pm to 3pm. Short Black Coffee on Terralong Street opens at 5am and Manning Street Local at 5.30am, according to their Google listings. Beck's and The Hungry Monkey start coffee at 6.30am. Check before you go, as hours change.

Are there dog-friendly cafes in Kiama?

Yes. Google listings show Saltwater, The Hungry Monkey, Earnest Arthur, Diggies and Short Black Coffee welcome dogs inside and out. Beck's, Stonewall and The Brooding Cafe take dogs at outdoor tables. Ask staff first, and keep dogs on a lead in town.

Which Kiama cafes are open on a Tuesday?

Most are. Diggies, Native, Saltwater, The Hungry Monkey, Earnest Arthur, Penny Whistlers and Flour Water Salt open on Tuesdays. Parfait Patisserie is closed on Tuesdays, and Slow Dough only opens Friday to Sunday. Hours change through the year, so check the venue's website or Google listing before you go.

How far are Kiama's cafes from Kiama Ridge Waters?

Beck's is a 16-minute walk (1.3 km) and The Brooding Cafe about 22 minutes (1.7 km). The Terralong Street cafes are a 31 to 34-minute walk, and the harbour cafes about 29 to 32 minutes. By car, each is 2 to 4 minutes away.

Sources and useful links

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