Alby & Esthers

Off Mudgee's charming Market Street, an unassuming alleyway leads to Alby and Esther's beautiful stone courtyard, a lovely space shaded by the leaves of established grape vines. At this popular coffee spot, the savoury breakfast bowl comes with preserved-lemon labneh, roast pumpkin and Turkish bread to dip in a jammy boiled egg; the spiced, textural granola is made in house and served with Greek yoghurt and sweet-tart stewed fruit. The best-known dish though is the Esthers jaffle, a golden toastie of smoked ham, eggs and melting Swiss cheese all balanced with tomato relish. Pay attention to the paintings that adorn the walls inside – the cafe doubles as an exhibition space for established and up-and-coming regional artists.

Alby & Esthers, Mudgee

Roth's Wine Bar and Cellar

You’ll only find Mudgee wines on the menu at Roth’s Wine Bar and Cellar, including the venue’s own range of local drops, Grapes of Roth. Share plates of chicken wings, pulled beef sliders and sticky-sweet pork belly accompany the 100-strong wine list. There are also pizza options like the simple confit garlic with olive oil and mozzarella; or the Española topped with smoked ham, chorizo and olives. Opened in 1923, Roth’s is one of NSW’s oldest wine bars and it has a lovely heritage shopfront with picture windows to match. On the weekends, live music sets the mood and there are also regular comedy club events where seasoned talent and amateurs take to the stage.

Roth's Wine Bar and Cellar, Mudgee - Credit: Amber Hooper | Mudgee Region

Mudgee Fine Foods Farmers’ Market

At one sunny stall at Mudgee Fine Foods Farmers’ Market in Robertson Park, amber-coloured local brandy glistens in a crystal decanter; at another, baskets of sesame-seed-crusted and plain bagels wait to fill paper bags or tempt shoppers wandering the stalls. Proud farmers, growers and makers come together every third Saturday of the month to celebrate the region’s abundant, delicious produce. Gather a bouquet of fresh flowers or pick up a bottle of exquisitely floral olive oil, then choose a spot to loll on the grass and listen to a local musician. Stop by the park on the first Sunday of every month for the Makers’ Market for handmade jewellery, original artworks and sustainable clothing designs.

Mudgee Fine Foods Farmers' Markets, Mudgee - Credit: Amber Creative | Mudgee Fine Foods Inc.

Pipeclay Pumphouse

Through the enormous bi-fold glass doors that surround Pipeclay Pumphouse's dining room, you see beautiful, open space: the vines that stretch across Stein Winery, the sprawling Cudgegong River Valley, Mount Buckaroo in the distance. It’s the perfect backdrop for a long lunch of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-inspired dishes like lamb shoulder in a punchy pomegranate glaze, chicken shawarma with a bright tabouli or baked haloumi with smoked tomatoes. The family-run restaurant forms part of the Stein family’s winery, which has been cultivating grapevines and making wine in Mudgee since 1976 (an ongoing legacy of the surviving riesling vine Johann Stein bought from Germany in 1838).

Pipeclay Pumphouse, Mudgee

29 Nine 99

In a charming, heritage-listed sandstone building, chef-owner and artist Na Lan brings authentic dumplings to Rylstone at her yum cha and tea house, 29 Nine 99. People travel for the fluffy, generously filled barbecue pork buns and elegantly folded, pan-friend chicken dumplings with pretty lace bases. There are dozens of handmade dumplings on the menu, including beef, lamb and mixed pork varieties that represent Na Lan's native Xi'an. There are also plenty of vegetarian options – garlic chives, egg and bean vermicelli; water chestnut and taro; spinach and mushrooms in rice flour wrappers – as well as steamed dim sims; steamed buns; glutinous rice rolls; and sticky Peking duck served with delicate pancakes, shallots and hoisin sauce. Named for the date Na Lan married her husband, artist Reg Buckland, the restaurant doubles as an exhibition space where the couple and other local artists show their work. Stop in for dumplings and a pot of tea, then purchase an emotive landscape painting done in broad strokes of India ink.

29 Nine 99, Rylstone

The Barn at Blue Wren Farm

Surrounded by 20 hectares of vineyards, The Barn at Blue Wren Farm is a quintessential wine country experience. Local and seasonal produce are on the menu at this Central West casual diner: figs and fresh mozzarella to balance San Daniele prosciutto, lamb cutlets crumbed in parmesan and served with olive tapenade. Pick a sunny day to sit in the pretty gardens and peruse the wine list featuring riesling from Mudgee, Chablis from France and nebbiolo from Italy.

The Barn at Blue Wren Farm, Eurunderee - Credit: Amber Creative

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Copyright: The Barn

Warakirri Dining

Warakirri Dining by Indigiearth is a way for chef-owner Sharon Winsor, a proud Ngemba Weilwan woman, to celebrate her Aboriginal heritage and foster appreciation for the longest-surviving culture in the world. Over four hours, guests will experience a five-course degustation menu of dishes like bush tomato quiche and wild barramundi as well as campfire kangaroo, a dish that pays respect to the way the protein has been cooked for tens of thousands of years. The food is served alongside storytelling, music and rituals that explore a millennia-old connection between food, land and spirit.

Warakirri Dining Experience, Buckaroo - Credit: Indigiearth

Zin Food and Wine

When all of Mudgee is so imbued with idyllic charm, it’s hard to stand out, but Zin Food and Wine manages it handily. Permaculture gardens and wildflower fields on the Lowe Family Wine Co property are a beautiful backdrop for the restaurant’s indoor and outdoor seating. With its communal seating and grazing menu, it’s the relaxed evolution of chef-owner Kim Currie’s celebrated original, Zin House. Much of the produce on the set menu is grown in the kitchen garden or surrounding farms. That might include roast eggplant and chickpeas with tahini-laced yoghurt or corn fritters with saffron creamed corn served alongside chicken kebabs with tabouli and garlicky toum. Bread is from sibling patisserie and bakery, Althea by Zin.

Zin Food and Wine, Eurunderee - Credit: Monique Lovick

Mudgee Wine and Food Month

Every September, Mudgee rings in spring with a celebration of the region’s exquisite produce with Mudgee Wine and Food Month. There are intimate dinners for 20 hosted by winemakers, twilight wine tastings held during golden hour, walking events through biodynamic and organic wineries like Lowe Family Wine Co or Botobolar Vineyard. The month culminates in the Flavours of Mudgee Street Festival where live music performances and over 60 food and wine stalls fill the town centre.

Mudgee Wine and Food Month, Mudgee

Gigi's Restaurant

Located in the Clairfield Hotel, Gigi's is a modern timber-and-tile dining room with a cosy fireplace as a centrepiece. The menu celebrates the abundance of Mudgee produce, featuring braised beef so tender it can be pulled apart with a spoon; rich, grilled lamb rump cut with tangy pomegranate molasses; and handmade pastas – agnolotti with smoky eggplant, squid ink fettuccine with clams and preserved lemons, orecchiette mixed with slow-roasted pork ragu. The blush-and-burgundy-hued marble bar offers a tight list of mostly Mudgee-region wines.

Gigi's Restaurant, Mudgee - Credit: Alan Jensen