Check out our pick of the best places to eat and drink on the Central Coast
LIKE MINDS
Only a three minute drive from Avoca Beach is an old corner store housing specialty coffee cafe, Like Minds. It's evident, once stepping inside, however, that Like Minds is so much more than just a place to drink coffee. It's also an art gallery, creative hub, design venue and market garden — a community space to be used and enjoyed. 
HARDY'S BISTRO
Nestled at the bottom of Killcare Road on Araluan Drive, Hardys Bay – Hardys Bistro is a haven for locals and visitors alike. You can enjoy breakfast, lunch, or just pop in for great coffee, cakes and pastries. We always offer a Daily Specials Board to compliment our All Day Menu.. We are fully licensed with a great selection of reasonably priced beers and wines. We offer buckets of 4 beers for $24 as well as “Wine & Beer of The Week” Specials. BYO is not permitted. 
YELLOWTAIL
Yellowtail Restaurant Terrigal offers a sought-after dining experience - the most tantalising modern Australian Cuisine on The Central Coast. Opening late in the Spring of 2016, Yellowtail is the first solo restaurant from Queensland Chef, Scott Price. Located within a small shopfront on Campbell crescent in Terrigal, the 35-seater is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 5.30pm and Lunch from midday Friday, Saturday. 
BOX ON THE WATER
Experience stylish, casual 'fun dining' with arguably the best outlook on the Coast!The BOX on the Water is situated in prime position on the newly redeveloped foreshore in Ettalong Beach. Its absolute waterfront location has panoramic views out across Broken Bay to its namesake, Box Head, and over to Sydney's northern beaches. 
SAFRAN
Inspired by Turkey’s rich culinary history: from the Ottoman Palace kitchens, Istanbul meyhanes, street food, & traditional village meals, Chef Suleyman Kirbancioglu draws upon authentic recipes and techniques, presenting them with contemporary interpretation. 
THE FAT GOOSE
When it's a favorite with the locals you know you're onto a good thing! Check out this little cafe and bakery nestled in the waterfront village of Killcare. Dine in or take away for breakfast or lunch from their mod Aus menu. Alternatively, grab a coffee and some delicious baked goods and head over the road to watch the water. 
THE BOAT HOUSE AT PATONGA
The Boathouse Hotel Patonga is located in the idyllic coastal town of Patonga , surrounded by the Hawkesbury and Brisbane Waters National Park. The Hotel offers a fabulous beer garden for waterside eating and drinking, as well as a fish and chip shop for takeaways. 
BELLS @ KILLCARE
The Wild Flower Bar & Dining is inspired by the food of the sun, from the Mediterranean to Morocco. Food for the well travelled, creating theatre and fun within the restaurant environment. De-mystifying the ‘special occasion’ and reinventing elegant chic casual dining. The new menus are grounded in our core values of authenticity, simplicity and freshness, featuring seasonal dishes inspired by the produce grown and harvested in the Bells at Killcare famous vegetable garden. |
SHADY PALMS Describing themselves as an eclectic surf shack inspired by Hawaiian and Californian surf culture, you just know the team at Shady Palms will dish out the vibes and deliciousness. Just a skip, hop and a jump from the Central Coast's beloved jewel—Avoca Beach—this quaint but spacious restaurant and bar is separated into two distinct sections: the main house, which serves up a slew of delicious share plates and street food, and the pizza bar, which is a large and relaxed outdoor terrace with a mega woodfire pizza oven. 
SADDLES MOUNT WHITE
Inspired by its surrounding dense bushland, Saddles bakehouse, eatery and nursery is an inviting and idyllic restaurant with a rustic approach to all things delicious. Seamlessly blending casual dining with formal, the restaurant is situated on a picturesque dam and sports a piano bar, a traditional sandstone fireplace, bespoke saddle bar stools and a homestead-style, wrap-around verandah that’s begging to be to be enjoyed. 
Arc Restaurant
You’ll notice there’s not a lot of difference between the lunch and dinnertime menus at this Modern Australian restaurant in Terrigal — and that’s because no matter what time you dine, you should start off with half a dozen oysters, sourced from Corrie Island Nature Reserve, and one of the bottles of wine from Eden Valley, Beechworth, Margaret River (among others). 
REEF RESTAURANT TERRIGAL
With the Central Coast’s most exclusive waterfront views, an amazingly passionate team, and delicious meals designed to bring the best from each season, the Reef experience is unlike any other. Situated literally on the waters edge at the Haven, Terrigal, only a one hour drive from Sydney, Reef enjoys a stunning north easterly aspect with floor-to-ceiling glass and beachwood timber flooring. 
LUCKY BEE
Helmed by chef Matty Bennett and his partner Rupert Noffs, this street-food inspired South-East Asian diner is located just off the beach in the picture-perfect village of Hardys Bay. 
BAR BOTANICA
A captivating food and drinks destination set in the lush garden grounds of Distillery Botanica in Erina. Find a spot in our leafy courtyard and graze on garden-inspired dishes, freshly-roasted coffee, refreshing gin cocktails and award-winning Mr Goaty Gelato. 
WOY WOY FISHERMANS WHARF
If you’re looking for a laid-back lunch or dinner with stunning water views and sustainably-sourced seafood, Woy Woy Fisherman's Wharf is where it’s at. Open for lunch and dinner during the warmer months, this award-winning 40-year-old restaurant is a favourite among Woy Woy locals and visitors alike with its pared-back decor, relaxed atmosphere and community spirit. |