Microbreweries, Mexican Eateries and All-Day Brunch Spots: Eight Penrith Food Stops You Need to Add to Your List, Stat
Head west on your next foodie adventure for craft brews, intimate wine bars, funky Mexican joints and more.
Microbreweries, Mexican Eateries and All-Day Brunch Spots: Eight Penrith Food Stops You Need to Add to Your List, Stat
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Head west on your next foodie adventure for craft brews, intimate wine bars, funky Mexican joints and more.
Penrith is the best-kept secret of the greater Sydney gastronomic scene. The eateries here aren't dishing up ho-hum suburban spreads. Hearty Italian fare with a chic, Riviera-style vibe. Classic Spanish tapas prepared with local and seasonal produce. Funky Mexican-inspired share plates. Casual bars where you'll feel like a local with extensive wine and cocktail lists to rival any in the city centre. And plenty of breweries to while away your afternoon on fresh, frosty froths.
We've put together a hitlist of the top spots to eat, drink and be merry all day — and night — long in Penrith. We hope you're hungry, this is going to be one delicious outing.
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You’ll find this cafe inside a restored police cottage overlooking the Nepean River in the Regatta Park Precinct. The family- and dog-friendly spot has a bright and all-around homey decor to make you feel welcome indoors, as well as picnic tables out on the lawn. On Saturday nights and Sundays at lunch, live tunes from local artists add to the relaxing atmosphere.
The all-day brekkie menu has treats like buttermilk scones, a deep-dish macadamia pancake, the Man Bun (a full fry-up stuffed into a soft milk bun) and pork belly benedict on offer. Meanwhile, the lunch menu brings a luxe lobster and prawn roll, burgers, nachos, poke bowl and salads.
The venue is also open for dinner, Wednesday through Saturday, with an eclectic range of modern classics available — think cheeseburger spring rolls, crispy maple pork ribs and chargrilled octopus. And don’t skip the cocktail menu, with signature tipples named after former residents of the cottage. Perhaps you’d like to try the Constable Thorsby (a mango and lime caprioska) or Constable Musgrove (lychee martini).
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Ever heard of a bread pie? According to Mr Watkin’s on Penrith’s High Street, it’s a “jacked-up jaffle” — and it’s a heck of a way to start your day. Pick from hefty fillings like spag bol, Philly cheese steak, mac and cheese or brekkie bacon and eggs. If you want something more traditional, opt for french toast, truffle scrambled eggs, smashed avo or the full works.
As day turns to night, your brekkie cafe transforms into a pub-style restaurant, complete with cheese and charcuterie boards and fun snacks like dim sims, lamb ribs, polenta nuggets and onion bhaji rings. For heftier meals, share the peri peri chicken, sticky pork hock or spiral sausage, and slap on a side of cauli cheese or potato bake before finishing on a cheesecake or banoffee pie. Ensure you peruse the cocktail list complete with all the standards and house riffs, like the black forest espresso martini.
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Checho’s opened in 2020, bringing contemporary Mexican dining to Penrith. The aesthetic is breezy, almost coastal chic, with pastel tones and tiles and neon feature pieces.
But you’re here for the food: expect vibrant flavours that pop. We’re talking Tex-Mex-style snacks like jalapeño poppers with maple bacon; Latin-inspired zesty ceviche or steak with chimichurri sauce; and melt-in-your-mouth brisket tacos. The plates are made to be shared, especially larger dishes like sizzling fajitas and lamb shoulder. And the fresh house guac is, of course, non-negotiable.
For bevs, there are classic margaritas and signature agave-focused cocktails, with tropical fruit flavours, spices and citrus.
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Have a leisurely lunch that extends into the evening at the vibe-heavy GellaFrenda. This spot exudes mid-century Mediterranean style, and the menu is similarly simple and elegant — and, most importantly, designed to share with many.
Start by building your own grazing platter — think airy focaccia with whipped confit garlic butter, cold cuts, burrata, heirloom tomatoes and charred prawns. Next, pasta. Silky ribbons of pappardelle topped with rich lamb ragu, pillowy ricotta gnocchi with porcini and truffle and the ultimate classic: spaghetti carbonara. Want to try that on a pizza instead? You’re in luck.
Gellafrenda slathers the guanciale, mozzarella, egg yolk and parmigiano onto a traditional style pizza base. It’s also slinging classic toppings via the Amanti Della Carne (meat lovers), a top-notch margherita and the Bee Sting (salami, ricotta, confit garlic, fior di latte and chilli honey).
With solid mains, including meaty cuts of steak and the beloved veal schnitzel, as well as an extensive cellar list, you can settle in for a big one of enjoying good food with good company, the Italian way.
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Mountain Culture’s Emu Plains location is here to solve your beer-focused explorations out west. The Factory, as it’s called, is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from lunch till dinner — with takeaway or dine-in options, so you’re really covered on all bases.
From the outside, it looks like any other industrial building. It’s inside where the magic happens. See where the talented crew brew the lush IPAs, crisp pales, wild ales and pillowy oat creams that they’re famous for. Then, settle in for a fresh pour of the core range, seasonal specials, weekly new releases and whatever other experiments are on the go.
There’s always a food truck on site, slinging everything from barbecued meats to woodfired pizza and even Polish fare — all bona fide fantastic pairings for your frothy.
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If you’re looking for a fusion of Spanish and Portuguese in a city wine-bar setting, The Union is where you’ll find it. At the upstairs restaurant, a considered focus on the freshest local produce awaits. Small plates are prepared simply, to be shared generously with family and friends. It’s an unassuming spot, with a hand-scrawled chalkboard menu, the glow of bare bulbs and an easy, convivial atmosphere.
Your meal could see you dive into tapas classics like patatas bravas, “cheeky” spicy chorizo alongside mint and aioli, and the smoky bite of paprika-doused fried squid. But, it’s not just small plates here. There are plentiful serves of paella and a set menu complete with carne de porco à alentejana (the happy marriage of pork and clams), green beans swimming in a zesty sherry dressing and all the sides.
On Fridays and Saturdays, you’ll find “Penrith’s smallest bar” in the street-level spot — with live music on Fridays from 6pm. The drinks list heroes Australian and Spanish wines, sherries and house riffs as well as beers — much to keep you fed, watered and entertained in one teeny-tiny spot.
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Tucked away down a laneway sits AG Bar & Restaurant, the standout venue from the Henri Marc team born out of love for Penrith. With rich-green scalloped tiles, sage velvet booths and a concise menu, this elegant place is here to welcome in locals and blow-ins alike.
Thursday to Sunday, from 5pm until late, intriguing little numbers are served up. On the menu, you’ll find a plate of capocollo — the cured pork dressed up with the delight of spicy margarita compressed pineapple — alongside fiery skewered chicken enlivened with a herbaceous edge courtesy of a fresh shiso chimichurri. Simple classics are elevated, like the dish of broccolini, grilled quickly and topped with sugary plum and crème fraîche, or everyone’s favourite: fries with house-fermented chilli sauce and oregano salt. In our opinion, you’re best placed to take all the tricky choices out of your dining with the $80pp feed-me menu.
It’s Allan’s Hour from 5–6pm from Thursday to Sunday, with $10 ‘cocktail minis’ and a varied (and very delicious) snack menu — think $5 crumbed pork sandos, $4 oysters and teensy serves of the capocollo. It’s time you made a date to head to this laneway, sink into the green velvet booths and savour a delightful repast.
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Drink West is the fresh-to-the-scene brewery and brewpub backed by Sydney UFC legends Tai Tuivasa and Tyson Pedro plus Penrith Panthers’ Nathan Cleary. The range of crisp west-born frothies includes the flagship lager, which apparently “pairs perfectly with a fresh pair of TNs and tall stories about how your old man nearly played for Penrith”. Luckily, it also pairs with the loaded hotdogs and burgers, which both grace the menu of the instant hotspot.
If lager doesn’t tickle your fancy, there’s also a nitro stout, oat cream XPA, pale, pils and hibiscus lime gose — plus a zero-carb mid.
From Wednesday to Sunday, you can swing by or book a table in the huge brewery space (complete with a staggering mural of the athletic owners), catch some live music, cheer on the big game or just hang out on the lawns beneath the palms.
It’s clear that Penrith is a spot high on the list for a foodie day out in the Greater Sydney area. For more information on the vibrant area, head to the website.
