From cellar doors to stellar cafes, bakeries and fine diners, the Central West delivers excellence on tap.
Gee, you can drink well in Orange. Whether you’re a local keen to try some of the most exciting wine coming out of Europe, or a tourist up for exploring the region’s new and established producers, the Hey Rosey team, especially, is always happy to open, pour and educate. Chef Hugh Piper also works closely with local farmers to make sure his short menu of small plates and pasta is never the same each day, but always delicious.
A few blocks over, The Schoolhouse at Union Bank has you covered for a longer lunch at larger tables than Hey Rosey can provide, and we heartily endorse the sirloin with miso bagna cauda butter and “Farmer Doug’s potato scallop” on the side.
Farmer Doug and his spuds are the stuff of local food legend and you can buy his Midnight Pearls and Otway Golds for home use every Saturday morning at East Orange Producers Market. The tiny market is next door to Bills Beans which is our first choice for coffee, and its creamy polenta porridge with stewed fruit is a mighty fine breakfast. Good Eddy is closer
to the main buzz of town and it’s another beaut option for coffee and toasties (albeit one that’s not open on weekends). Racine Bakery is terrific for lumberjack cake, croissants, pies and crusty loaves, not to mention take-home meals if you’re in a short-stay rental.
If you only visit three cellar doors for a tasting, our picks for the best combination of ace views and top juice are Swinging Bridge, Canobolas Wines and Nashdale Lane, but you should really visit a lot more than just those (Hoosegg and ChaLou, for example). If you’re into cider, Small Acres is essential to sample its orchard-to-bottle production, and if you’re in the zone for a quick pasta between tastings, then fit in Fiorini’s for wild boar ragu. Printhie Wines was awarded a hat in this year’s Good Food Guide for its contemporary four-course tasting menu, and is the go-to for a cellar-door lunch with a sense of occasion.
For a pub meal? Anything off the rotisserie at Hotel Canobolas, now run by the same group behind Shell House and The International in Sydney. There’s also a lot to be said for schooners and Thai at “The Gladdy”, technically The Gladstone Hotel. For charcuterie and deli meats, you want Cured Orange. For freshly churned gelato, it’s Spilt Milk Bar. For prawn toast and Australian-Chinese, look no further than Loc Sing.
Meanwhile, if you’re travelling through Bathurst, Bootleg Dining is the hottest ticket in town for house-made pasta and heaving serves of charcoal-grilled meats. In Mudgee, hatted Zin – Food and Wine rules the Central West for farm-to-table dining (with accommodation on-site), and its adjoining Lowe Family Wine Co cellar door is open daily for tasting. Althea by Zin excels at bread and pastries, and The Barn at Blue Wren Farm has an outdoor area primed for chardonnay, good chat and roast chicken.
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