Kalbarri Restaurants & Cafes | Local Dining Guide 2026

Kalbarri Restaurants & Cafes — Your Local Guide to Eating Well on the Coral Coast

Your complete visitor guide to the best handpicked hotels, motels, and premium Kalbarri Resorts.

Kalbarri restaurants and cafes punch well above their weight when it comes to food. For a small coastal town six hours north of Perth, the dining scene is genuinely varied, passionate, and in several cases outstanding. Fresh local seafood, award-winning craft beer, riverside breakfasts with pelicans for company, wood-fired pizza after a big day in the gorges — it’s all here at Kalbarri restaurants.

Kalbarri’s dining scene reflects everything that makes this town special — fresh ingredients sourced locally, operators who genuinely care about what they serve, and a coastal lifestyle that makes every meal feel unhurried. Whether you’re after a quick coffee before the gorges, a long lunch on the river, fresh fish and chips by the water, or a proper sit-down dinner to end a big day exploring the Coral Coast, Kalbarri restaurants and cafes have you covered at every turn.

We’ve eaten at every café, restaurant, and takeaway in town over the past 30 years. The places on this page are the ones we’d actually recommend to a friend visiting Kalbarri for the first time — and the ones we keep going back to ourselves.

Kalbarri Restaurants — Dine In

From riverside breakfasts to candlelit dinners, Kalbarri restaurants cater for every mood, budget, and occasion.

Upstairs Restaurant

Upstairs Restaurant a fine choice of kalbarri restaurants
Just 250 metres from the Murchison River, Upstairs Restaurant is Kalbarri’s go-to for a proper sit-down dinner that feels like a genuine occasion. The menu focuses on Modern Australian cuisine built around the finest local produce — think fresh Coral Coast seafood handled with real skill and presented with care. Warm hospitality, exceptional food, and the kind of atmosphere that makes you linger over a second glass of wine. Bookings recommended — call 0408 367 488.

Edge Resort Restaurant

The Edge Resort Restaurant brings à la carte dining to Kalbarri’s most comprehensively equipped resort, with a menu crafted by a talented chef who takes the brief seriously. Air-conditioned and elegantly set with linen tablecloths, it’s Kalbarri’s most formal dining experience — ideal for a special occasion, a birthday dinner, or simply a night when you want someone else to do the cooking properly. Professional, friendly staff and a kitchen that consistently delivers. Call 9937 0000 for bookings.

Pelican Cafe

There is no better breakfast in Kalbarri than the one you have at Pelican Cafe on the river foreshore, watching the pelicans work the water as the morning light comes in off the Indian Ocean. Open daily from 7am, the fully licensed and pet-friendly venue serves fresh Western Australian produce for breakfast and lunch, alongside excellent coffee and house-made sweet treats. Indoor and outdoor seating, open until mid-afternoon — get there early on weekends. Call 0439 432 241.

Buddhas Bites

Buddhas Bites is Kalbarri’s most eclectic dining option — and one of its most popular. The menu ranges from flavourful Asian cuisine and street food to classic Aussie grill, fresh seafood, and burgers that genuinely satisfy. Vegetarian options are well catered for, and the takeaway service is fast and reliable for those nights when you’d rather eat back at the holiday home. The kind of place that surprises first-timers and becomes a regular stop for everyone else. Call 0488 054 693 for bookings.

Gorges Cafe

Set on the Kalbarri river with one of the most calming outlooks in town, Gorges Cafe is a Wednesday to Sunday operation running from 7am to 2pm — and worth planning your morning around. Fresh salads, gourmet burgers, wraps, cakes, and a full breakfast menu are all on offer, paired with exceptional coffee that locals will tell you is some of the best on the Coral Coast. The gift shop stocks gourmet treats worth picking up on your way out. Call 9937 1200.

Finlays Kalbarri

Finlays is Kalbarri’s standout dining experience for those who want something genuinely special — an award-winning brewery setting, fresh local seafood, a menu built around Coral Coast produce, and a curated selection of Western Australian wines alongside locally crafted beers. No BYO, and you won’t need it. The outdoor dining area under the trees is the kind of place that makes a Kalbarri evening feel like exactly what a holiday should feel like. Book online — this one fills up.

Seahaus Kalbarri

12 Porter Street, Kalbarri | (08) 9937 1968

SeaHaus is Kalbarri’s relaxed coastal pub — and it has quickly become the heartbeat of the town’s social scene since opening. Set by the coast on Porter Street, it’s the kind of place where long lunches drift into sunset drinks without anyone complaining, locals and travellers mix easily, and the food is genuinely good rather than just pub-adequate. The menu caters for vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diets, the verandah is dog-friendly.

Kalbarri Motor Hotel Restaurant

188 Grey Street, Kalbarri

The recently renovated Kalbarri Motor Hotel isn’t just a great place to stay — the restaurant is a solid, reliable dining option right in the heart of town on Grey Street. Comfortable, unpretentious, and convenient for guests and visitors alike, it’s the kind of dependable local pub meal that hits the spot after a long day on the gorge trails or the coast. Cold drinks, good food, and friendly service — exactly what Kalbarri does best.

Kalbarri’s cafes and takeaway options are just as impressive as the sit-down restaurants — fresh, local, and genuinely good

Kalbarri Fish & Chips

Locally owned, proudly run, and serving Western Australian fish caught fresh — Kalbarri Fish & Chips is exactly what a good fish and chip shop should be. Salads are made fresh daily, the fish is sourced locally, and the focus on sustainability and quality over shortcuts shows in every serve. The kind of takeaway you drive six hours for and still think about on the way home. Call 0417 716 311 to order ahead.

The Milkyway Kalbarri

Milky Way is Kalbarri’s dessert destination — ice cream, crepes, thickshakes, and coffee served with genuine care and a smile. Locals will tell you the thickshakes are the best in town, and after 30 years of experience in Kalbarri we’re not going to argue. The perfect stop after the pelican feeding, before a sunset walk, or whenever the afternoon calls for something cold and sweet. Find them on Facebook for current hours.

Jetty Seafood

The Jetty Seafood Shack takes the fish and chip concept and runs with it — classic Australian fish and chips, burgers, fresh salads, chocolates, ice creams, and a fresh and frozen seafood counter selling Kalbarri fish, octopus, lobster, Shark Bay whiting, tiger prawns, cockles, and daily specials. If you’re self-catering in a holiday home, the fresh seafood counter alone is worth the visit. Call 9937 1067 to order.

Little Leaf Kalbarri

Little Leaf is Kalbarri’s newest dining gem and already one of the most talked-about — fresh, locally sourced meals made with obvious love, available for delivery and takeaway Wednesday to Sunday from 5pm to 8pm. Sweet treats baked fresh daily, homemade granola, and a menu that changes with what’s good and in season. Order online at littleleafkalbarri.com — and don’t sleep on the baked goods.

The Bluff Cafe

The Bluff Cafe is famous for its cheese pies, freshly made doughnuts, and sushi — an unlikely combination that somehow works perfectly. The kind of café that becomes a ritual for return visitors — you stop in on the way to the coastal cliffs, grab a pie and a coffee, and wonder why everywhere can’t be this good. Call 9937 1045.

Kalbarri Pizza and Pasta

Logo for "Pizza and Pasta Kalbarri" featuring a stylized orange pizza slice forming a sunset over blue ocean waves on a black background.

On Hackney Street and open from 5:30pm, Kalbarri Pizza & Pasta is the perfect end to a long day on the gorge trails or the coast. Crowd-pleasing pizzas, pasta classics, outdoor seating, and the kind of warm country hospitality that makes a simple dinner feel like a proper night out. A firm local favourite that visitors quickly adopt as their own. Order online at kalbarripizza.com.au.

Frequently Asked Questions — Kalbarri Restaurants & Cafes

What is the best restaurant in Kalbarri?

Upstairs Restaurant and Finlays Kalbarri are consistently the top two picks for a special dinner out. Upstairs focuses on Modern Australian cuisine near the Murchison River, while Finlays combines an award-winning brewery with fresh Coral Coast seafood and local produce in an outstanding outdoor setting.

Where is the best breakfast in Kalbarri?

Pelican Cafe on the river foreshore is the local favourite for breakfast — open from 7am daily with river views, fresh WA produce, and excellent coffee. Gorges Cafe is also outstanding for a mid-morning breakfast in a beautiful riverside setting, open Wednesday to Sunday.

Is there good seafood in Kalbarri?

Absolutely. Kalbarri is a fishing town and the seafood reflects that — fresh, local, and exceptional. Finlays, Upstairs Restaurant, and Jetty Seafood Shack all feature locally caught seafood. The Jetty Seafood Shack also sells fresh and frozen seafood to take home including lobster, tiger prawns, Shark Bay whiting, and daily specials.

What takeaway is available in Kalbarri?

Kalbarri has several excellent takeaway options including Kalbarri Fish & Chips, Jetty Seafood Shack, Buddhas Bites, Little Leaf, and Kalbarri Pizza & Pasta. Most open for dinner service from around 5pm — call ahead during peak season as hours can vary.

Do Kalbarri restaurants require bookings?

For Upstairs Restaurant, Finlays, and Edge Resort Restaurant bookings are strongly recommended especially during peak season from July to October and school holidays. Cafes and takeaways generally don’t require bookings but calling ahead during busy periods is always a good idea.

Thirty years of eating in Kalbarri — these are our honest picks.

Every venue on this page has been included because we genuinely rate it — not because of a paid listing or a sponsored arrangement. Kalbarri’s food scene has grown enormously over the years and we’re proud to showcase what this town’s local operators have built.