Café Leura - Modern Australian Cafe Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

Cafe Leura is absolutely my favourite cafe in the Blue Mountains.

I’ve been coming here for a few years now. It’s a regular haunt for many reasons. Firstly, the staff are absolutely lovely and so thoughtful—from Ingrid's beaming smile, to Diana's gentle presence, and Jacinta and Elodie's warmth and attentiveness. Their service is exceptional. I always feel safe and relaxed here—even when it's busy—knowing that Cindy (the floor manager) keeps the cafe humming smoothly. Nothing gets past her! She's amazing.

My partner and I often comment on how consistently excellent the food and the service both are. No matter when we visit, we know it'll be a great experience, so we feel confident bringing friends and family here, too—unlike some other cafes, which can be frustratingly hit-and-miss, depending on who is rostered on that day. This consistency speaks highly of the beautiful owners, Andrew and Dora, and their immense attention to detail. Their love of hospitality is abundantly clear!

Personally, I love tucking myself away in the corner with my laptop, and just diving into my work. It's fabulous having fresh meals brought to me over a couple of hours, so I can simply focus on writing, haha!

A special shout out to the chefs—the food is always fresh and delicious, and I really appreciate their patience with my dietary requests. (Gluten-free and dairy-free) 🙏 The 12-hour baked lamb with Greek salad is a favourite dish of mine, as is the gluten-free orange almond cake (served with berries on the side - delicious!). And I adore the almond-milk hot chocolates that Jordan, Izzy, and Yung make for me—always exactly how I like them: warm and extra frothy! Perfect. Fabulous baristas!

Another thing I love is that—while very much a popular cafe for the locals—it’s also popular with visitors from all over. One day I’ll be sitting next to a lovely Japanese family, the next, a German couple, American travellers, Korean friends, or fellow Aussies exploring our Blue Mountains. I love listening to the different languages being spoken, and the lively, multicultural energy it brings to the space.

Finally, I really appreciate how the staff allow me to focus when I'm really locked in, writing. Noah, in particular, strikes me as a bit of a ninja—he's so observant and efficient, he'll often clear my plates without even breaking my train of thought! Thank you!

There's so much to love about this place. Highly recommended! I've felt grateful for it many, many times—especially when I'm under a deadline. Seriously, thank you,...

Great location and spacious, with good food..... Unfortunately, service was very disappointing.

Our fussy-eating 3 year old rarely eats anything from cafes and we generally have to get something simple from a bakery when we eat out. One of the waitresses kindly directed us to a bakery, and my partner went out to get something for our daughter. When we brought it in and our daughter started eating, the rather grumpy owner/manager came over to us and, to our astonishment, said our daughter couldn't eat anything from off-premises. We had, by that stage, already ordered 2 large breakfasts for my partner and I, that had just been served. We said that our daughter was a very fussy eater and she wouldn't eat anything on the menu. The owner said he couldn't allow it "because of covid". He said "we don't know where the food came from". We said that one of his girls had directed us to the nearby bakery. He said that didn't mean our 3 year old could eat it on premises. My partner was forced to take my daughter out on to the cold wintry street and feed our daughter, while our breakfasts sat cooling on the table. It was really quite extraordinary.

Haven't ever been to a cafe (including all of the others we went to on the weekend in Katoomba) that had any issue with a 3 year old eating something from elsewhere. Have absolutely no idea how feeding a child a bun in the cafe could possibly be a 'covid' issue. Does that mean mothers can't feed babies milk from off-premises I wonder. If the child is playing with a teddy bear is that an issue too? Maybe I missed the latest World Health Organisation advisory about 3 year olds eating buns in cafes....

Have to say that the village of Leura seems to have completely lost its mojo, with lots of shops and cafes closed. It's kind of sad. I feel sorry for the business owners who have obviously been badly affected by the lockdowns. On the other hand, Katoomba and Wentworth Falls were really buzzing. Maybe it's just a Leura thing, or maybe because Leura was more dependent on tourists. Dunno. What I do know though is if Leura cafes are going to treat visitors like we were treated, then visitors will definitely go to more welcoming places....we...

I recently visited Cafe Leura and unfortunately, I have to say that I was disappointed with my experience. While some of the staff were friendly, others were not, and the overall lack of accessibility and amenities left a lot to be desired.

To start with, I was surprised at how unfriendly some of the staff were. While some were warm and welcoming, others seemed disinterested and even borderline rude. This made for an uncomfortable atmosphere, and I found myself feeling unwelcome and out of place.

But even more frustrating was the lack of accessibility and amenities at the cafe. It was not pram friendly, making it very difficult for me to navigate with my young child. There were no ramps, and the aisles were very narrow, making it difficult to move around. This made for a stressful experience, and I found myself constantly worrying about how to get my pram through the narrow aisles. We ended taking the pram back to the car and holding a new born baby while we ate.

Adding to the frustration was the lack of toilet paper in the bathrooms. Not only were the bathrooms not well-maintained, but the toilet paper was completely absent from both the stalls and the cupboards in the bathroom. This was a major inconvenience, and I found myself having to ask the staff for toilet paper, which only added to my discomfort.

But perhaps the biggest issue with Cafe Leura was the price. This cafe is incredibly overpriced, with menu items that are far more expensive than they're worth. The food was fine at best, and I found myself paying so much for what was ultimately a meal work considerably less at other cafes.

Overall, I would not recommend Cafe Leura to anyone looking for a comfortable, enjoyable dining experience. The staff are hit-or-miss, the lack of accessibility and amenities is frustrating, and the prices are simply too high for what you get. If you're looking for a cafe that is welcoming, accessible, and reasonably priced, I suggest looking elsewhere. There are plenty of other options in the area that offer a better...