Foodie Day Trips on the Coffs Coast

Looking for the best foodie day trips on the Coffs Coast? From winery lunches and bread workshops to seafood by the harbour, coastal picnics and village dining, these food-focused day trips make it easy to explore the region one bite at a time.

Beyond the beaches and lookouts, the region is full of places that invite you to slow down, taste something local and build a day around good produce, great coffee, long lunches and enjoyable stops along the way. From hands-on workshops and winery tastings to seafood by the harbour, picnics in beautiful places and village dining with real personality, there are plenty of ways to turn a day out into something delicious.

Some days are about discovering a cluster of venues in one place, while others are better enjoyed at a slower pace, with room for a scenic detour, a market browse or a spontaneous extra stop along the way.

These foodie day trips are designed to help visitors discover the Coffs Coast one bite at a time. Each day out combines a few standout food experiences with enough free time to enjoy the journey between them. Whether you are into artisan producers, seafood, wine, sweet treats or a long lunch in a beautiful setting, these day trips are a practical and inspiring way to taste more of the region. For even more places to eat, drink and explore, you can also use Taste the Coffs Coast: Where to Eat, Drink and Discover Local Flavours as a handy planning tool..

Coffs Harbour Foodie Day Trip: City Bites

For food lovers wanting a day that feels easy, social and full of variety, this is a great option. Centred around Coffs Harbour itself, it combines a polished breakfast start, a tailored tasting experience and a more refined finish, while still leaving room to discover a few extra spots along the way. It is the kind of day that works well when you want structure, but not so much that there is no room for spontaneity.

Morning

Start the day at Stef And Co, where good coffee and Italian pastries make for an easy first stop before the city starts to hum. It is a great place to ease into the day, whether you are after something quick and sweet or a more leisurely breakfast. This kind of opening sets the tone for the rest of the day: relaxed, flavour-led and built around enjoying each stop rather than rushing through it.

Afternoon

From there, move into a private Bite Food Tours experience. One of the nice things about booking a private tour is that it can be shaped around what you are most interested in, whether that is browsing the Coffs Coast Growers Market, discovering specialty food stores or tasting your way through a mix of local produce and hidden gems. Rather than trying to plan every stop yourself, this part of the day gives you a more curated way to explore Coffs Harbour’s food scene while still keeping the experience personal. It also leaves room for the kind of unexpected discovery that often becomes the highlight of the day.

 Evening

As the day rolls into evening, finish with dinner at 99 on Park. It is a fitting final stop for a foodie day in town, giving the day a slightly more polished finish after a relaxed morning and exploratory afternoon. Between breakfast, the tour and dinner, there is still enough space to add in an extra coffee, a quick sweet stop or a little browse through town if something catches your eye. Altogether, this makes for a very easy foodie day trip in Coffs Harbour, with a good mix of structure, flexibility and flavour.

Sawtell Food and Wine Day Trip

For food lovers wanting a slower, more indulgent day out, Sawtell is a very easy place to build a day around. With its village atmosphere, walkable main street and strong mix of cafés, delis and bars, it suits the kind of day where you want to browse, linger and leave room for an extra stop if something catches your eye. This day keeps things intentionally simple, pairing a relaxed daytime food stop with an evening centred around good wine and shared plates.

Morning

Start the day at Bello e Buono, where the Italian café and deli atmosphere makes for a warm and easy first stop. The menu is built around traditional Italian favourites, from focaccia and piadina to cannoli and other sweet treats, and the Ona coffee makes it an easy place to settle in for breakfast. It is the kind of place that encourages you to slow down a little, settle in over coffee and breakfast, and ease into the day before wandering further through the village.

Afternoon

The beauty of keeping this day open is that it gives you time to actually enjoy Sawtell. Spend the afternoon browsing the village, popping into a few shops and leaving space for another spontaneous food stop if something catches your eye. With the beach only a short walk away, you can easily mix food with a little coastal air, making this part of the day feel relaxed rather than overplanned.

Evening

As the day rolls into evening, head to Bar Que Sera for aperitivo or dinner. Located right in the heart of Sawtell, the venue pairs Mediterranean-inspired share plates with a carefully curated wine list of more than 120 bottles, shaped by co-owner and winemaker Duane Roy. It is also home to Duane’s Cellar Raid, where bottles from his private cellar are opened and poured by the glass until they are gone, giving the experience a sense of discovery that suits a foodie day perfectly. It is a nice way to experience Sawtell at a slower pace, with good food, good wine and plenty of room to follow your appetite.

Northern Beaches Foodie Day Trip: Workshop and Tasting

For food lovers wanting a day that feels hands-on but still relaxed, this Northern Beaches option is a great option. It combines a workshop experience with a long lunch and an easy tasting finish, while still leaving enough room for a slower pace and a scenic detour if you feel like one. The appeal here is in the mix: you are not just eating and drinking, you are learning something new, then carrying that sense of discovery through the rest of the day. For travellers after foodie day trips with a workshop element, this day offers a little more depth than a standard lunch-and-dinner plan.

Morning

Start with a Breadology Workshop at Sapphire Beach, where the classes are designed to be small, hands-on and approachable, even if you have never baked sourdough before. The workshop is built around learning real skills in a relaxed setting, which makes it a rewarding way to begin the day and gives the day a little more substance than a standard breakfast stop. It is the kind of experience that suits food lovers who enjoy coming away with more than just a full stomach.

 Afternoon

After the workshop, head to Wylde Oak Café for lunch. Set within Coffs Harbour Garden World, it gives you the chance to settle in over a meal and then spend a little time browsing through the nursery before moving on. That combination works particularly well after a morning workshop, because it keeps the day feeling enjoyable and unhurried rather than too tightly scheduled.

Evening

From there, continue north to Critters Distillery for a tasting. Known for its small-batch, paddock-to-glass approach, it is an easy way to finish the day with something distinctive and locally made. By this point, there is still enough time to add in a scenic stop around Woolgoolga or simply let the day wind down naturally. It is a nice way to finish a foodie outing that balances making, tasting and a little exploring along the way.

Emerald Beach Foodie Day Trip: Makers and Coastline

For food lovers wanting a day that feels coastal, relaxed and a little creative, this is a strong choice. It combines one of the Coffs Coast’s great simple pleasures, a coastal breakfast and a headland walk, with a hands-on workshop that gives the rest of the day its focus. Rather than trying to fit in too many stops, this day works best with an easy start and letting the workshop be the main event.

Morning

Start at E.B General with a takeaway coffee and a bacon and egg roll, then head up to Look At Me Now Headland before the day gets too busy. The easy sealed path and sweeping coastal views make it a rewarding first stop, and the headland is well known for its scenery and resident kangaroos. It is the kind of beginning that immediately makes the day feel local, coastal and unrushed.

Afternoon

From there, head to your Artisan Cheese & Cooking School workshop. The Coffs Coast site highlights the school’s range of classes, from cheese to pasta, burrata and cultured butter, so this part of the day is really about settling in and enjoying the experience rather than squeezing in too much else. It gives the day a hands-on, maker-style feel that suits travellers who want to do more than simply eat and drink their way through the region.

Evening

After the workshop, keep the rest of the day open. You might choose to stay in Emerald Beach a little longer, take another wander, or let the day lead you to one more casual food stop nearby. That extra flexibility is part of the appeal here. It turns the day into something more relaxed and personal, shaped as much by the location as by the booking itself.

Coffs Harbour Seafood Day Trip

For food lovers wanting a day that feels unmistakably Coffs Harbour, this is a natural choice. It is built around one of the region’s classic local flavours, fresh seafood by the water, and works best when you keep the pace slow and leave room to enjoy the harbour atmosphere. Rather than stacking in too many bookings, this day gives you a simple anchor point and plenty of freedom to let the Jetty precinct shape the experience.

Morning

Ease into the day with a slow start around the Jetty precinct, where the marina, harbour and foreshore set the tone for what follows. This is a good part of town to wander before lunch, whether that means a coffee stop, a browse through nearby shops or simply taking in the waterfront atmosphere before the main food stop of the day.

Afternoon

For lunch, grab takeaway from The Coffs Harbour Fishermen’s Co-operative and enjoy it around the Jetty area. It is one of those classic local experiences that feels best when kept simple: fresh seafood, a spot by the water and no need to rush. If you are visiting on a Sunday, this day pairs especially well with a browse through the Harbourside Markets, which add another layer of local flavour to the day and make the harbour even more lively and enjoyable.

Evening

As the day winds down, head to Latitude 30 for dinner and keep the seafood theme going into the evening. Overlooking the marina, it is a fitting place to finish a harbour-focused food day and gives the day a slightly more elevated final stop without losing that relaxed coastal feel. Before dinner, there is still time for a stroll along the foreshore or a sweet stop nearby, making this a lovely way to round out a foodie day trip in Coffs Harbour built around the water, the harbour and some of the region’s best local flavours.

Bellingen and Raleigh Food and Wine Day Trip

For food lovers wanting a day that feels spacious and a little more indulgent, this is an enjoyable option. It combines a relaxed winery lunch with a destination dinner, while leaving enough time in between to enjoy the drive, explore a little and let the day unfold at an easy pace. Rather than trying to fit in too many stops, this day is best when built around two strong experiences and the journey between them.

Morning

Start slowly and make your way south from Coffs Harbour, giving yourself time to enjoy the scenery on the way. This is the kind of day that benefits from an unhurried beginning, with room for a coffee stop or a short browse if something catches your eye before lunch.

afternoon

Head to Raleigh Winery for lunch and tastings. This is a great anchor for the middle of the day, offering a relaxed setting where you can settle in, enjoy local wine and ease into the slower rhythm of the day. It works especially well as a long lunch stop, giving you the chance to stay a while rather than rushing on to the next thing too quickly.

Evening

Later, make your way to Three Blue Ducks Bellingen for dinner. It is a strong finish to the day and feels distinct from the winery experience, bringing a different atmosphere and a more destination-style end to the day. Between lunch and dinner, there is enough time to explore Bellingen a little, take a scenic detour or simply enjoy the sense that the day is about good food, good wine and taking your time.

Coffs Coast Picnic Day Trip: Coastal Grazing and Mei Mei’s

For food lovers wanting a day that feels scenic, flexible and a little more romantic, this is a beautiful option. Rather than building the day around fixed bookings from start to finish, this day gives you a more relaxed structure, with a beautiful picnic lunch as the centrepiece and one polished food stop later in the day. It suits travellers who enjoy grazing, lingering and choosing the pace for themselves.

Morning

Start the day by either collecting your Taste North Coast picnic or hamper, or letting them do the work for you with delivery and setup at a beautiful spot across the Coffs Coast. That flexibility is part of what makes this day so appealing, giving you the choice between a more DIY experience or something that feels a little more special from the outset. From there, take your time choosing where to enjoy it. For inspiration, you can draw from Discover The Best Picnic Spots On The Coffs Coast, whether that means a headland, a riverbank, a quiet beach reserve or a grassy lookout.

afternoon

Spend the afternoon slowly making the most of your picnic spot, then leave room for one or two spontaneous stops along the way. This could be a scenic detour, a short walk, a coffee break or simply a little more time somewhere beautiful. The day works best when it feels unhurried and a bit open-ended, with food and scenery sharing equal importance.

evening

Later on, head to Mie Mie’s to round out the day with a more polished food experience. This gives the day a nice contrast, starting with a relaxed picnic and finishing with something a little more refined. It is a very easy way to create a foodie day that feels both beautiful and satisfying, without needing to overfill the schedule.

These foodie day trips show just how varied the Coffs Coast can be for travellers who like to explore through food. From coastal picnics and seafood by the harbour to workshops, wine stops and destination dining, there are plenty of ways to build a day that feels delicious, distinctive and easy to enjoy at your own pace. For even more places to eat, drink and discover local flavour, Taste the Coffs Coast: Where to Eat, Drink and Discover Local Flavours is a great companion piece to keep the inspiration going.

If you want to see all of these foodie day trips on the Coffs Coast in one place, head to the interactive day trip map to view them all on one easy planner. It is a handy way to compare locations, get a feel for travel distances and choose the foodie outing that best suits your appetite, timeframe and style of trip.

Frequently Asked Questions