Where to discover Orange’s cafe culture

Bean there…

The name Bills Beans is synonymous with good coffee in Orange, and you’ll find them in your latte or cappuccino in many of the best cafes in town. If you want to go straight to the source, Bills Beans East Orange serves up its own brews and a tasty breakfast/brunch menu seven days. On bustling Lords Place, drop into Good Eddy for a coffee and a toastie – the owners are Orange locals who spent time living in coffee-crazy Melbourne before bringing their expertise back home.

Good Eddy, Orange - Credit: Good Eddy

In nearby Millthorpe, start your day with a latte from Millthorpe Providore, set inside the historic village’s old butcher shop. You’ll also find lots of tasty treats and local produce on the shelves if you’re planning for the day ahead. Across the road, The Old Mill Cafe & Restaurant does fantastic coffee alongside freshly baked cakes and pastries. The leafy courtyard makes a lovely perch on the warmer days, or cosy up next to the fire in winter.

Old Mill Cafe & Bakery, Millthorpe

The Village Grocer, located in the main street of Carcoar, serves coffee from Academy Coffee Roasters as well as housemade cakes, pastries and sweets. It also serves as a general store, so you can pick up some local goods to take home with you.

The Village Grocer, Carcoar

Breakfast, brunch, lunch

A true heavyweight on the Orange cafe scene, Byng Street Local Store is always a popular spot for breakfast and lunch. If you can’t get a seat inside, there’s also a takeaway window where you can grab a drink and take a walk past the beautiful heritage homes that line the surrounding streets. Groundstone is a bright and sunny Scandinavian-chic-cafe in Orange’s cultural precinct (home to the art gallery, museum and library). There’s a menu of cafe classics as well as healthy options like veggie bowls, warming soups and fresh salads.

Byng Street Cafe, Orange

For more grab-and-go delights, Racine Bakery (from the team behind the now-closed Racine Restaurant) specialises in organic sourdough, pies and sausage rolls, and pastries and cakes made with real butter. Set in the quiet streets of East Orange, Nile Street Cafe is known for its warm welcome (it’s both kid- and dog-friendly) and sunny courtyard.

Racine Bakery, Orange

As the name suggests, Factory Espresso is inside a converted factory space with large communal tables and murals on the walls. Grown-ups will love the house-roasted coffee and kids will love the cute teddy bear milkshakes. Owner Nick Gleeson is the brother of comedian and ABC host Tom Gleeson, so it’s no surprise that the cafe hosts fortnightly comedy events that attract plenty of big names. Meanwhile, you could happily spend the whole day at The Agrestic Grocer. As well as serving breakfast and lunch in the cafe, there’s a large grocery section stocked with local delicacies, cellar door tastings for Badlands Brewery and Pig in the House wines, and live music most weekends.

The Agrestic Grocer, Orange

Surrounding villages

You won’t go hungry when exploring the small towns and villages that surround Orange. In Cudal, The Platypus Cafe is the place to get a barista coffee along with housemade pies, sausage rolls and croissants. Finns Store in Canowindra is both a licensed cafe and a sprawling shopping emporium, stocked with local art, fashion and homewares. In Lucknow, Larder & Home is from the team behind Byng Street Local Store, serving coffee, sandwiches, salads and sweets from a pretty cafe overlooking Summer Hill Creek. On the weekends, they also serve woodfired pizza.

Finns Store, Canowindra