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Inner Light Tea Rooms - Café in Nelson Bay

Come for the view, stay for the food!

Divine Food and Views

Inner Light Tea Rooms is a heritage-listed Nelson Bay café overlooking the picturesque Shoal Bay. Sparkling waters and moreish meals at Inner Light Tea Rooms make for the perfect spot for breakfast and lunch. Open 8:30am-3:00pm every day, we provide a warm and relaxed dining experience. Our focus is on fresh, hand-made food at affordable prices. Quiche, waffles, banana bread, burgers, and more. We have a range of tasty bites to satisfy your cravings. Our fluffy scones filled with cream and jam are especially popular with locals and visitors alike. If you’d prefer a drink, we offer hot and cold beverages and BYO alcohol. We are completely accessible by wheelchair and our menu features gluten-free meals and options for the kids. To reserve a table, call today – we book out fast!

MAKE A BOOKING

A Place to Unwind

From our café you can see Boondelbah Island and the clear waters of Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay. Nestled between the lighthouse and maritime museum, Inner Light Tea Rooms is a wonderful place to sit, eat and then explore. After your refreshments, why not head over to the maritime museum in the old lighthouse keeper’s cottage nearby? If you’re looking for a souvenir to remember the trip, there’s also a gift shop next to the museum.

Our team are welcoming and professional; we provide fast service with scenic views; and the atmosphere of our café is peaceful. You’ll feel like you’re on holidays every time you walk through our door! To relax and dine in one of the most beautiful cafes in Australia, book a table and drop in.

BOOK A TABLE

Gallery

Perched on a beautiful headland overlooking Port Stephens, Inner Light Tea Rooms’ cuisine is picture-perfect. To sample our delicious food and drinks, contact our team!

Who We Are

Heritage-listed and family-run, Inner Light Tea Rooms is a unique lighthouse café in Nelson Bay. Find out more about our story and how we came to be!

Testimonials

Gorgeous views! Went there for breakfast without a booking and luckily they were able to fit us in as we were there at 8:30am when it opened. Highly recommended for great ambience & reasonable priced food.

Christal H.
Sometimes, restaurants in great locations offer food that is complacent and over-priced. Fortunately, this is not the case at the Inner Light Tea Rooms perched on a picturesque headland overlooking Shoal Bay. This simply lovely cafe offers more than a stunning view. Cheerful, caring and professional staff coupled with a fresh and varied menu make the Inner Light Tea Rooms a must visit. Lorraine and her team work hard to make all guests feel welcome and well looked after. We loved our mid week lunchtime visit and can’t wait to return.

Sonja W.
Beautiful Location with great coffee and cakes. This is a nice place on a sunny winters day or a hot summers day to relax and take in the views while enjoying a coffee (or a cold drink). A bonus is the interaction with the local bird life.

Sap C.
Nice staff with good food to eat. The views are spectacular.

Jereme L.

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We had a great experience at the cafe - although they were busy they fit us in and our coffees came out quick! The scones were the best we’ve ever had with lots of jam and cream. Billie served us and she was polite and welcoming. Couldn’t recommend enough!

Laura H.
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Best scones, great service, lovely people and a fantastic view.

Sarah S.

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