Best Cafes on the Central Coast

Right on the beach, with a big outdoor space where you can sit with a coffee and look straight out at the water. We go for the almond flat white, a long black, or the milkshakes if the kids are along, and it's all properly good. Owner John and the team are some of the loveliest people on this stretch of Coast, and it's kid-friendly, dog-friendly, and one of the few places around that doesn't slap a surcharge on public holidays. It's closed Mondays, which is worth knowing before you turn up for a coffee.

Started in Umina Beach and has since opened a second spot in Pearl Beach, right next to Kiddie Corner, handy if you're headed that way with kids. Owner Kate and coffee lead Cat set the tone: a real sense of community, a chill vibe, and enough toys scattered outside to keep little ones busy for a while. We go for an almond flat white, the kids go straight for the ice cream, and they do a good breakfast too. They also sell fresh bread, which comes in handier than you'd think, and it's closed Tuesdays, which conveniently means there's always a coffee somewhere close by, since Umina Beach Cafe is closed Mondays instead.

A step up from the usual bacon-and-eggs cafe, Ronto runs a European, Middle Eastern and Asian fusion breakfast menu on Umina's main strip, open every day from 7am to 3pm. Our go-to is the Miso Maple Mushrooms or the Smoked Salmon Tartine. It's not just us either, this one keeps coming up when friends talk about where to eat in Umina.

Right on Ettalong's main street, which makes it the easy stop when you're out running errands in the area. We usually grab a coffee to take away, though it's a good sit-down spot too if there's time. The food's genuinely good, and it's not just us saying so, friends recommend it as well.

Tucked next to the Ettalong markets, this one's dog-friendly, with plenty of corners to settle into and good cold drinks on offer. The coffee's properly good, the staff are lovely, and the breakfast roll is our order every time.

A bit of a hidden gem out in Somersby, and more than one local backs that up, calling it worth the drive and naming it an outright favourite. The Bella Calabria pizza sandwich, mozzarella, capsicum, olives, rocket, salami and a drizzle of sriracha honey, gets singled out, and the staff come up as especially friendly too.

A newer name in Gosford, and locals are already talking about it. The corn fritters get singled out as an absolute standout, and the coffee and service both come up as properly good. More than one commenter called it exactly what Gosford needed, with a warm, welcoming feel to match.