Places to Eat

Dubbo has a huge variety of places to Eat. If you are after Good quality food you can’t go past Essence, Borsalino’s Sticks and Stones or Two Doors. For more Pub style food, you might like to try West Dubbo Bowling Club or the Pastoral Hotel. Rose Garden Thai and Jaya Raya are two good options for Thai and Asian food.

Browse some of the articles below for more information, or check out our entries on Take Away, Gluten Free,and Seafood. 

Also, the Dubbo Visitor’s Centre has published a list of all the places to eat in Dubbo. You can download it here.

Essence

For the best food in Dubbo you can’t go past Essence restaurant at the South end of Macquarie Street. Creative, full of flavour, well presented. If you like reading delicious magazine, you’ll love essence.

They do some great entrees including Tasmanian scallops on a bed of sweet potato and various styles of fresh oyster.

They have the most tender lamb I’ve tasted, on a warm beetroot salad. Their dessert menu includes treats such as coffee brulee, lime tart with pistachio ice cream, bannana date pudding with caramel sauce, rhubarb spring rolls. The menu changes quite regularly.

They have a good range of wines, and reasonably priced kids meals.

Sorry I don’t have a photo. I get so absorbed with my meal I keep forgetting to take a photo.

It’s near Centro Mall at the South end of Macquarie Street - 248 Macquarie Street.

Blue Lagoon Restaurant

The Blue Lagoon (Main highway, opposite McDonalds and up a bit).

It’s all about atmosphere at the Blue Lagoon. A great place for a romantic dinner overlooking the pool at night time. I have taken my wife for our wedding anniversary and dropped in some flowers earlier in the day to be waiting at the table for her.

Which brings us to the food. Well, it’s better than a bistro, but in my opinion it’s not as good as Borsalinos or Sticks and Stones or Essence or Rose Garden, but as I’ve said, Blue Lagoon is hard to beat for a classy atmosphere.

I’d only take kids here if they are well behaved.

Borsalinos

Best French food. For an expensive night out in Dubbo you might try Borsalinos, the restaurant at the Forest Lodge.

The chef is fantastic - trained in France, a very impressive CV, but most importantly, passionate about his food. The slow cooked beef is wonderful, and for an entree you can’t beat the garlic king prawns. A warm underground brick feel with a light hearted french touch. Doesn’t feel as classy as some other places, but the food truly makes up for it.

On the corner of Myall Street and Wheeler’s lane. Phone 6882 6500 for reservations.

In terms of food, I’d say it’s as good as Essence, but Essence meals are lighter, more delicate, more subtle, Borsalinos a bit heavier and stronger. It depends on my mood as to which I’d say in the best.

If you go to borsalino’s it’s much more private as it’s never very busy there. I can only think that’s because of the price, and perhaps the plastic tablecloths and the boppy french music. The food is certainly better than the atmosphere.

Dubbo - Hot Bread Shop

The name is nothing flash, but the pies are great.
The only pie shop in Dubbo that has no MSG in their pies.
In my opinion, better than the Villiage Hot Bake even though the Villiage Hot Bake have won lots of awards.

Dubbo - Jaya Raya

Jaya Raya, in the Bowling Club on Wingewarra Street, behind the tennis courts, about 3 blocks East of the main street, between the fire station and the Old Dubbo School. Has great asian food, especially if you know what you are ordering.

Open for lunch and dinner all days except Mondays.

They will cook a stir fry to your dietry specifications. We’ve been there on a special diet and asked for a chicken and garlic stir fry with cabbage and beans and it came out tasting surprisingly good.

Dubbo - Pizza Runners

Not only are the gourmet pizzas great here, but this pizza shop gives the kids pastry to roll out into shapes while they are waiting for Pizza to cook! Then they cook them for you in the oven while you eat, so you can take home your cooked shapes. Be sure to ask for this if you take your kids to Pizza Runners, and be sure to try one of their gourmet Pizzas.

The phone number if you want to order a delivery is 02 6884 4333. And I should mention that their razorback pizza, pork or chicken, is great - not like any pizza you’ve ever tasted.

Dubbo - Two Doors

Great new place to eat in Dubbo. Rustic yet modern. A bit different. The food is fantastic. The desserts are even better! Great selection of flavours. South end of Macquarie St opposite the RTA. Click here to read more.

Dubbo - Villiage Hot Bake

A treat for the kids.

Our boys’ favorite family coffee shop is the Village Hot Bake, just over the railway line on Darling Street. It has an upstairs eating area, where you can look down on everyone, an outdoor eating area, a little animated puppet who rolls out bread all day, and a wide selection of pies, pastries, sandwiches and coffee. Standard bakery kind of food - sugar and coloring and flavour enhancer and sends our kids up the wall, but tastes good. I wouldn’t’ go here for the coffee, but we go here regularly because the kids love it so much. Great atmosphere and service.

Wins awards for best pies in Australia.

Villiage hot bake takes out the Great Australian Meat Pie competition award for best Australia’s Best Meat Pie for the second year in a row.

Dubbo - West Dubbo Pub Bistro

(right behind Hungry Jacks and the bottle shop, just over the bridge on the way to the Zoo) - cheap solid bistro feed. Good steaks.