As the name suggests, Treehouse Cafe feels like a secret hideaway. You’ll find it in a former country cottage with timber floors and high ceilings, an old-school arcade packed with dodgems, pinball games and air hockey machines. 

Turn inland at Milton and you’ll enter a world of rolling paddocks and winding streams — just one section of the little-explored south coast hinterland. After a few minutes, look out for an old, high-ceilinged building surrounded by veggie gardens.

Native is quite possibly the healthiest cafe on the south coast — and also one of the tastiest. Perched on Ulladulla’s pretty harbour, this eatery serves up dishes loaded with superfoods and veggies grown by neighbours. 

Before setting up Hampden Deli, owners Nick Gardner and Stevie-Lee Bounader spent years in fine dining restaurants. Head chef Nick trained at Nelson Bay’s Zest, before working at some of Sydney’s best restaurants, including Quay and Tetsuya’s.

Get ready for a serious lift because Hyper Hyper Coffee delivers on its name. In an unassuming shed in north Nowra, barista Pip de Pulford roasts and serves coffee as it’s been done in Italy since the 1950s: dark, rich and strong. 

Step into the 1950s in The Dairy Bar. Hidden down a laneway off Berry’s main drag, this old-school milk bar is the new offshoot of The Treat Factory, which has been doling out sweet goodness for years. 

Chances, you’ll smell Maverick before you see it. Tucked away behind a car dealer and Ulladulla Macca’s, this isn’t just a cafe, but a microroastery, too.