Spoiled for choice: Eight of the best restaurants and cafes in Dubbo
If you’re looking for a fabulous venue for your next lunch or dinner date, look no further, we’ve done the ‘hard’ work for you. Discover Dubbo’s best restaurants and cafes.
Dubbo News
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From Mediterranean-inspired fare to fine Indian cuisine, there are a long list of popular eateries you don’t want to miss in Dubbo.
Whether you’ve lived here for years, or are stopping for a visit, there’s plenty of options available.
We’ve done the ‘hard’ work for you and put together a list to help you decide on your next lunch or dinner date.
ROYAL INDIA RESTOBAR, 29 Bultje St, Dubbo
It’s Dubbo’s best restaurant according to TripAdvisor and former Dubbo local turned popular sports podcaster Edward Simpson.
“It is f*****g terrific,” Mr Simpson said on the Hello Sport Podcast following his visit to Dubbo over the Easter long weekend.
“It’s just about appreciating phenomenal Indian when you eat it, it is best in class.
“This (place) stacks up globally. I think that this Indian (restaurant) should be awarded some sort of global recognition because it is … outstanding.”
In the spirit of celebrating Easter festivities, Mr Simpson went on to claim the Restobar’s cheesy naan bread was enough to “bring Jesus back from the dead”.
Open for only four hours every night (5-9pm), guests are welcomed by the golden lights of the restaurant, a theme continued inside with perfectly presented tables laden with gold cutlery and crockery.
But it’s the delicious Indian cuisine that has earned it many loyal customers, and the award for ‘Dubbo’s Favourite Hospitality Business’ in 2021.
The Restobar’s owners – Pratap Dey Sarkar and head chef, Pradip Kumar Rai – made the move from Orange in 2016, believing that there was a hole in the market for Indian cuisine.
“When we were hungry and looking for good Indian food, we couldn’t find any,” Dey Sarkar said.
“We thought, ‘why not Dubbo?’, there is no good Indian restaurant there.”
Since establishing the restaurant, Dey Sarkar has been blown away by the local community who he said had been “tremendously supportive”.
“We are genuinely thankful that they provide us the opportunity to serve (them),” Dey Sarkar said.
“This is a small community and everyone has showered us with warmth and love.”
According to Dey Sarkar the most popular dish is the butter chicken, although the cheese and garlic naan – championed by Simpson – is another standout dish on everyone’s menus.
PRESS, 33 Bultje St, Dubbo
Press has become a household name in Dubbo ever since it was opened by local Alister Dyson-Holland in 2015.
Back then, Dyson-Holland saw a gap in the market, and instead of setting up a cafe in Sydney, he decided to create a new setting for locals and travellers alike, to enjoy good food and design in the former office building of The Land newspaper.
“I had the opportunity to buy a really beautiful building, that was mostly the reason why,” Dyson-Holland told The Dubbo News.
Currently, Dyson-Holland says customers are generally attracted to healthier options on the menu with avocado on toast and the falafel bowl two of the leading meals.
With strong support from the local community, Dyson-Holland recently expanded the business to cater for incoming travellers.
“We had the idea for quite a long time but obviously Covid restrictions were pretty limiting,” Dyson-Holland said.
“It’s only been open since December last year – it’s been crazy, we’ve been full pretty much since it (opened).
“Both businesses work really well together because we can offer breakfast at Press as a part of your accommodation which is a great selling point and service.”
DAHAB CAFE, 197 Brisbane St, Dubbo
Mediterranean-inspired Dahab Cafe has become another leading eatery in Dubbo.
So much so, the cafe was awarded the best in Dubbo by The Dubbo News voters in February 2021.
Having opened in 2011, owner Mali Khattab worked two jobs to get the business up and running and is pleased to see the cafe now flourishing, attributing the success to the overall vibe of the location.
“We try to make it a home feel,” Khattab told The Dubbo News.
“We say, ‘come as a guest, and leave as a friend’, that’s what we’re looking for.
“We want everyone to be a part of the business, rather than just a client and customer.”
With its growing popularity in the community, Khattab says the menu speaks for itself, saying “we don’t have something that doesn’t really sell”.
Khattab points to the “unique” style of coffee which he believes is a major selling point for his business along with the Dahab chicken and crepes.
“We try to listen to the feedback from the (customers), that’s why we have been running for the past 11 years,” Khattab said.
ROSE GARDEN THAI RESTAURANT, 208 Brisbane St, Dubbo
If you’re looking for delicious Thai food, then look no further than Rose Garden Thai Restaurant.
Ponpun Changkept, best known by customers as Judy, bought the business in 2010 after working at the restaurant as a chef for a decade, and with the growing success, she now has two venues on Brisbane Street – the original – and Whylandra Street.
It means customers are spoiled for choice.
“There’s a lot of people travelling to the area, that’s why we have the two (locations),” Judy said.
“It’s a good business to have, there’s a lot of people moving around, we’re very busy, especially on weekends, we never stop.”
At the top of everyone’s orders is the massaman beef and lamb, and Judy has hit back at perceptions claiming all Thai food is “too hot”. She wants customers to know that there are “plenty of options” at her restaurants to cater to everyone’s tastes.
With 12 years of experience as an owner, Judy loves the “country people” of Dubbo, saying “everyone is so nice”, and she’s thankful for the continued support.
OLD BANK RESTAURANT AND BAR, 232 Macquarie St, Dubbo
A former school and a bank in the 1800s, the Old Bank Restaurant and Bar is the perfect place to enjoy great food while you listen to live music and drink an assortment of craft beer.
After a trip to America, Michael Picton bought the building in 2012 with a vision of offering the people of Dubbo an American-style blues bar feel.
Publican Ryan Mackintosh took over ownership in 2016 and has maintained the overall vibe introduced by Picton.
“We’re heavily revolved around music, the venue itself has a lot of classic guitars along the walls, we have a great playlist playing,” Mackintosh said.
“The atmosphere is heavily tailored towards muso’s, so people who really enjoy their music.”
Mackintosh pointed at Old Bank’s burgers which are a “highlight” of the food on offer, using meat from Fletcher’s in Dubbo – Australia’s biggest exporter of lamb.
“We get access to the export quality lamb, it’s lamb they don’t sell in Australia, it’s exported and we serve it here, and that’s a big drawcard,” Mackintosh said.
The music themed burgers aren’t the only attraction for customers, with Mackintosh saying “architectural nuts” often come to check out the building.
He added: “There’s just nothing like it here”.
CHURCH STREET CAFE AND BAR, 15 Church St, Dubbo
The people of Dubbo were first introduced to Church Street Cafe (CSC) and Bar in 2013 when Errin Williamson, a chef by trade, wanted “to go out on my own”.
Williamson takes pride in the consistency of the business, a key reason for the success during Covid and thereafter.
“We had a lot of support from the locals who have been coming since we started,” Williamson said.
“We stayed open the whole time of Covid and we were only able to do so because of (that) support.”
Nowadays the cafe, which is in the heart of the Dubbo CBD, has seen CSC become one of the main locations for lunch.
“Obviously that morning coffee rush is crazy, but we are very busy at lunchtime, we do a lot of lunch trade everyday, because it’s beautiful, it’s in the sun, it’s outside,” Williamson said.
“People can have business meetings outside, it’s nicely positioned. We even get to meet all the MPs when they come to visit.”
In preparation for a menu change coming in the next couple of weeks, Williamson’s special corn fritters is staying on the menu, a popular choice for regular customers ever since it was listed in 2013.
In 2021, CSC was named Dubbo’s Best Brunch Cafe in a poll of Dubbo residents.
SHORT STREET STORE, 11 Short St, Dubbo
The Short Street Store, owned by Krysten Hedger, is one of the most accessible eateries in Dubbo.
There’s an app available for customers which makes picking up a coffee as easy as a few clicks on your phone.
“People can order in advance and they can just come up to our window, they don’t even have to walk inside anymore,” Hedger said.
Having taken over the ownership in 2014 following her stint as a publican in Sydney, Hedger wanted to introduce “an alternative and fun option to Dubbo” with a hint of European influence from her time working in cafes in Austria and England.
“We focus a lot on gluten free, people think I’m coeliac but I’m not, it’s just obvious that some people really need that in their diet these days, but we have a lot of options here,” Hedger said.
“We also try to offer a lot of vegetarian and vegan options as well.”
Hedger hasn’t forgotten about the meat eaters with Matty’s chicken burger the best-selling item on the menu and although the menu changes seasonally, the favourite options always remain the same.
“We’re continually making changes to make the cafe more comfortable for our customers,” Hedger said.
DOWN THE LANE, 215B Macquarie St, Dubbo
A relatively new restaurant on the streets of Dubbo, Down The Lane has captivated the hearts of many locals and it was a “homecoming” for owner Errin Williamson who completed her apprenticeship in the same building, years prior.
In partnership with her husband Vince, the pair opened Williamson’s second business after the first major Covid lockdown in 2020 when they noticed that the venue was left empty.
“We opened up at a good time because it was coming into the Christmas season, and so we were able to secure lots of parties and people had really good times and first experiences because of it,” Williamson said.
“The venue was a really special place for me, so when I saw that it was empty I really wanted to come back.”
The modern Italian inspired restaurant gives customers a complete experience with live music on weekends, a long list of beer and wine, focusing on local and craft suppliers and an appealing cocktail menu.
“It’s a real garden party type vibe here,” Williamson said.
“Our bar is great and we have some really amazing chefs, and they do some outrageous things with pastas and stuff so it’s quite a strong menu.”
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