Restaurants in Kiama for dinner, lunch, views and takeaway

Find Kiama's restaurants on three streets and the harbour

Kiama is small enough that almost every restaurant is in one walkable patch. Manning Street runs along Surf Beach, Terralong Street is the main shopping strip, and Collins Street has the heritage terraces with bars and small restaurants. Kiama Harbour and Blowhole Point are a few minutes' walk from all three.

From Kiama Ridge Waters, the town centre and Kiama station are about a 27-minute walk (2.2 km), Silica on Surf Beach is about 22 to 24 minutes (about 2 km), and the harbour is about 33 minutes. By car, the town centre is about 3 minutes away and the harbour about 6. Book Friday and Saturday dinners ahead, and do the same through school holidays, when town is busiest.

Here are the main sit-down options at a glance. Hours are each venue's published hours and change through the year, so check before you go.

Book dinner in Kiama

These are the places to book for a proper night out. Most take online bookings; Olive & Vine takes them by phone. If you are here midweek, read the opening days closely, since several of them rest early in the week.

Eat with an ocean or harbour view

Tables with a water view fill first on sunny weekends, so book these early. Kiama Ridge Waters sits in a quiet residential street without ocean views, but all of these are a short drive away.

• Silica looks straight over Surf Beach from Manning Street.
• YVES Social at The Sebel Kiama has an ocean-view deck for long lunches and sunset drinks. Sunday Sessions run from 2pm to 5pm with live acoustic music.
• Diggies sits on Blowhole Point Road next to the Kiama Visitor Information Centre, with sea views. It opens seven days from 7am for coffee and all-day brunch, with flathead fish and chips on the menu and a licensed bar. It closes at 3pm most days and 5pm on Saturdays.
• Stonewall Cafe at Shop 2/8 Manning Street has tables out the front facing Kiama Harbour.
• Mystics at the Golfie in the Kiama Golf Club clubhouse at Kiama Downs has views across the course to the Illawarra escarpment, about a 9-minute drive north.
• The Hill Bar and Kitchen at 98 Fern Street, Gerringong, looks down over Werri Beach, about 8 minutes' drive south.

Time a drink for sundown with our Kiama sunrise and sunset guide.

Start the day with breakfast, coffee and lunch

Breakfast and lunch are easy in Kiama, where the main streets are lined with cafes and most open early. Destination Kiama names Native Cafe, KG on Terralong, Stonewall Cafe and Nova Kombi as local favourites for coffee.

Choose a restaurant in Kiama by cuisine

For a town of its size, Kiama covers a lot of ground. Here is where to go for each style of food.

• Seafood: Silica for a sit-down meal, Jaws Seafood and By the Sea for takeaway.
• Italian: Trinità Ristorante (3/10 Bong Bong St) and Zia's (45 Collins St), a family-owned restaurant with handmade pasta and takeaway pizza.
• Vietnamese: Hanoi on Manning (10 Manning St), family owned and serving traditional and modern Vietnamese.
• Indian: JJ's Indian (2/127 Terralong St), open in Kiama since 2011.
• Mexican: Frida's Cantina (40 Collins St).
• Greek: Souvla and Grill (94 Terralong St), for gyros, souvlaki and slow-cooked lamb.
• Middle Eastern: Miss Arda (62 Terralong St).
• Asian street food: Uncle Fuku's (42 Collins St).
• South African: KG on Terralong (42 Terralong St).

Get fish and chips by the harbour

Fish and chips on the grass by the water is the classic Kiama meal. Pick up from one of these, then walk down to the harbour foreshore, Black Beach or Blowhole Point to eat. Watch your chips, as the gulls here are bold.

• Jaws Seafood at 106 Terralong Street does fish and chips, prawns, calamari and a fisherman's basket, with outdoor seating.
• By the Sea Takeaway at 72 Terralong Street serves fish and chips, burgers and breakfast rolls, plus a tandoori menu after dark.
• Saltwater Kiama at 104 Terralong Street does fish and chips to eat in or take away.
• Diggies on Blowhole Point Road sells fish and chips right at the harbour.
• Silica-to-go is Silica's takeaway window at 72 Manning Street, open daily.

Pair dinner with a walk out to the Kiama Blowhole, or read up on fishing in Kiama if you would rather catch your own.

Take the family to a pub or club

For a group with kids, the pubs and clubs are the easy answer: big menus, no fuss and, in some cases, a play area. They also tend to open seven days.

Bring the dog to dinner

Cin Cin Wine Bar has its own booking option for diners with dogs. The Original Ice Creamery at Shop 9, 106 Terralong Street even sells gelato for dogs. Elsewhere, dog rules for outdoor tables vary from venue to venue, so call ahead.

Pets are welcome on request in most apartments at Kiama Ridge Waters, with a $200 cleaning fee. See pet-friendly apartments in Kiama for the rules.

Plan around Monday and Tuesday closures

A midweek stay is quieter and often cheaper, but several of Kiama's dinner venues rest early in the week. Here is what the venues' own sites show. Check before you go.

On a quiet night, the apartment kitchen is a good fallback.

Drive to Gerringong, Gerroa and Jamberoo for a long lunch

These tables in the neighbouring villages are 8 to 15 minutes' drive from Kiama Ridge Waters.

Pair lunch with a winery or brewery

Destination Kiama also points to The Noble Restaurant and Bar and Stoic Brewing in Gerringong, and to Crooked River Estate and Coolangatta Estate for food and wine among the vineyards. See wineries near Kiama, and our guides to Gerringong, Gerroa and Jamberoo.

Finish with ice cream, or shop the farmers' market

• The Original Ice Creamery at Shop 9, 106 Terralong Street is family run, with ice cream, gelato, sorbets, sundaes and shakes.
• Cafe Kiama & Scoops Ice Creamery at 60 Terralong Street has 50 flavours of ice cream, sorbet and gelato, plus extra-thick shakes.
• The Treat Factory & Dairy Bar and Kiama Sweet Company are two more sweet stops on Destination Kiama's list.

The Kiama Farmers' Market runs every Wednesday afternoon at Coronation Park on Manning Street, from 3pm (2pm outside daylight saving), starting with the ringing of a bell. Expect fresh produce, local wine, beer and spirits, baked goods and an eat street of food stalls. Details are on our Kiama markets guide.

Get to dinner and back

Walking into town takes about 27 minutes and the way home climbs uphill, so after a long dinner most guests drive or book a lift. Each apartment has secure parking for two cars, and the town centre is 3 to 4 minutes away by car. Cin Cin and Kiama Bowling Club both run courtesy buses; call ahead to ask whether they cover Surfleet Place.

Some nights, staying in wins. A farmers' market haul or a fish-and-chip run makes an easy dinner for a family or group, with a full kitchen (oven and gas cooktop), a dining table for six, and a covered balcony with outdoor dining and a BBQ in every apartment. See the three-bedroom apartments, family stays in Kiama, or book several apartments for a group.