There’s something about the Southern Highlands NSW that makes city dwellers breathe a little deeper the moment they arrive. Maybe it’s the crisp air, picture-perfect country gardens, charming villages and grand estates. Or maybe it’s just knowing you’re only ninety minutes away from Sydney, yet gloriously removed from it all.
This is a place where long lunches stretch on in vineyard dining rooms, where afternoons can be whiled away in antique shops, and where slow strolls through the countryside are best followed by a glass of cool-climate pinot by the fire. Whether you come for the food, the wine, the gardens or starry night skies, the Highlands always deliver.
Here, we check out the best places to eat, drink, and stay in the Southern Highlands.
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Best Southern Highlands breakfast spots
Moonacres Kitchen
At Moonacres Kitchen in the sleepy village of Robertson, chef Stephen Santucci (formerly of Vini, Surry Hills) brings refined flair to the Southern Highlands’ café scene. Breakfast and lunch dishes are grounded in organic produce from Moonacres Farm and other local growers, with standout plates including avocado on black beans with poached eggs and smoked chilli, slow roast pork neck with pickled peppers, and the cult-favourite charred broccoli sandwich layered with cashew butter. The menu evolves with the seasons, from house-made charcuterie to retired dairy cow brisket bruschetta. Relaxed yet ambitious, it’s the go-to spot for a produce-driven breakfast.
Plantation Café
This airy, plant-filled café, is situated next door to Harry’s on Green Lane in the Bowral dining and shopping precinct. With lofty ceilings, long trestle tables and earthy interiors, it’s a popular destination among locals and visitors alike. Stop in for an excellent Double Roasters coffee and fresh-baked treats, or for something more substantial try the house beans with chorizo, bacon and maple syrups, or eggs Benedict with house smoked salmon.
Flour Bar
Housed in a beautifully restored 1950s bank, Flour Bar in Moss Vale delivers all-day dining with small-town charm and big-city polish. A favourite with early risers, doors open at 6am to start serving some of the best coffee in the Highlands (Mecca beans) and a full breakfast menu. The bakery turns out fresh seeded sourdough, croissants and pastries daily, as well as classic café offerings including a three-cheese toastie, and crab and corn fritters. By midday the space transforms into a buzzing bar, serving cocktails, wines and relaxed sharing menus, with dinner and tasting plates into the evening.
Best Southern Highlands lunch spots
Osborn House fire feast
Enjoy a leisurely long lunch with a three-course immersive outdoor fire feast at Osborn House. Expect slow-cooked chooks, coal-kissed chorizo and grilled veggies, which emerge from a dramatic fire pit cooking set-up. Based on the asado – a traditional Argentinian barbeque – it’s as much an event as a dining experience. Bookings recommended.
Burrawang Village Hotel
The historic Burrawang Village Hotel is entering a new chapter under new local ownership. Closed temporarily for renovations, the much-loved country pub is expected to reopen in November 2025 with a state-of-the-art kitchen, refreshed interiors featuring antique furnishings, and new outdoor teak from Cotswold Furniture. Celebrated Shoalhaven local, chef Alex Prichard, is curating a seasonal comfort-food menu showcasing the best local produce, paired with an excellent wine and beverage list.
Bendooley Estate
A food and book-lovers dream, the Book Barn restaurant at Bendooley Estate comes with a backdrop of shelves lined with rare and antiquarian books. The seasonal menu showcases Southern Highlands produce, with standout dishes including beetroot and Pernod-cured ocean trout with horseradish crème fraîche, and slow-cooked pork shoulder wrapped in prosciutto with beans, cavolo nero and apple relish, paired with local wines from Berrima. Drop into the cellar door for a wine tasting, or stock up on goodies to take home at the Bendooley Estate Larder in Bowral, just 10 minutes down the road.
Best Southern Highlands dinner spots
Eschalot
Walking into this historic stone building in the Southern Highlands, past fire-place warmed rooms buzzing with locals and travellers alike, feels like stepping into the dining room in a friend’s elegant country home. The seasonal menu, complemented by a chef’s generous “feed me” option, showcases the best of the region: think whole plate fish with cherry tomato and walnut agrodolce, or spatchcock with paprika butter and buttered leeks. The cooking is precise yet soulful, with produce at its peak and service that radiates warmth.
Paste
Paste is the Australian outpost of Thai chef Bee Satongun and her husband, Mittagong local Jason Bailey. The award-winning duo reimagine centuries-old Thai recipes through a modern lens, layering Australian produce with aromatic spice pastes and unexpected textures. The light snack plates pack a serious punch, from aromatic choo chee prawns to watermelon salad with Huon river trout caviar. For mains, expect classics with a twist, such as duck salad made with roasted larb paste, crisp duck liver, banana flower and hot mint, or a fragrant Northern Thai curry of chicken, pickled garlic and ginger.
What If Society
As part of thriving food co-op What If Society, The Studio is a coffee shop by day and wine bar by night. As evening falls, the focus sharpens on snacky plates that showcase the region’s freshest produce, with a menu designed to pair perfectly with your tipple of choice. The “Trust the Chef” menu is the highlight, a spontaneous procession of courses that evolves with the week’s harvest. Dinner here is seasonal and spontaneous, a celebration of community and connection.
Coming soon: Three Blue Ducks Burradoo
As they celebrate 15 years, Three Blue Ducks are set to open a sixth venue in the Southern Highlands in the coming months. The working farm in Burradoo (owned by Annie Cannon-Brookes, a major backer of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation) will comprise a restaurant, bakery and produce store, in the style of The Farm in Byron Bay. “This venue is an opportunity to bring together everything we love by sourcing ethically grown produce direct from the farm, baking the bread, serving it all on-site and, most importantly, sharing that experience with our guests,” says co-owner Andy Allen.
Best Southern Highlands accommodation
Osborn House
Southern Highlands charm is distilled into stylish, modern manor living at Osborn House. Leaning into its stately bones, the property invites you to settle in and soak up the intimate atmosphere. The common spaces are the work of former Soho House group design director Linda Boronkay, combining art and whimsy to create thoughtful spaces that beckon you to sink back with a magazine, book or glass of wine. With fireplaces aplenty, Osborn House is the perfect cool-climate retreat.
Moss Manor
Statement fabrics and marble fireplaces bring a modern elegance to this grand Georgian manor in the Southern Highlands town of Moss Vale. Once home to the mayor and his council chambers, the residence now features eight character-filled suites, including the opulent Sophia suite, with its freestanding marble bath. A modern, glass-walled extension by award-winning architect Luke Moloney houses the manor’s dining room and lounge, where guests can enjoy a fireside drink or bespoke private dinner, as well as the daily artisanal breakfast.
Burrawang House
Burrawang House seamlessly blends polished modern living with warm country character to create the perfect spot for group getaways or multi-generational gatherings. Set on an acre of land, this sprawling country home can sleep up to 16 guests across its five bedrooms, including a cleverly designed bunk room that sleeps eight. With indoor and outdoor dining areas and a fully equipped farmhouse kitchen, the house is made for entertaining, with plenty to occupy guests of all ages, including a separate games room located away from the main house. And as you sip a glass of rosé and lounge poolside (fully heated with a spa) it’s easy to forget you’re still only a 90-minute drive from Sydney and not in the south of France. Sunsets are best enjoyed fireside, overlooking the pool deck, where the home’s original 19th-century fireplace completes the scene.
Getting around the Southern Highlands
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