Brekkie in a surf town
Torquay gets up early. Surfers are in the water at first light, dog walkers are out on the beaches, and plenty of cafes have the coffee machine going by 6am. Breakfast is the meal this town does best, and you can have it with your feet nearly in the sand.
The beachfront places are on The Esplanade, a few minutes' drive from north Torquay, with the Salty Dog right on Fishermans Beach and Bomboras and Pond across the road from Front Beach. Then there are the cafes in town, a couple by the surf shops, one in the Dunes Village shops in north Torquay, and Swell over the creek in Jan Juc. Hours and prices below are from each cafe's own website or menu in October 2026.
At a glance
| Cafe | Where | Opens | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Salty Dog Cafe | 50 The Esplanade, Fishermans Beach | 6am daily | Beach kiosk, dogs welcome, all-day menu |
| Bomboras | 37 The Esplanade | 6am weekdays, 7am weekends | Breakfast 7.30-11am, walk-in |
| Pond Cafe | 39 The Esplanade | 6.30am daily | Seven Seeds coffee, all-day breakfast |
| Doc Hughes | 23 The Esplanade | 8.30am daily | Sit-down breakfast, Mikro coffee, walk-in |
| Swell Cafe | Stuart Avenue, Jan Juc | 6am daily | Big breakfasts and juices since 1998 |
| The Kiosk Torquay | 3/61 Geelong Road | 6am daily | Mikro coffee and jaffles to go |
| Cafe El Nido | 222 Fischer Street, north Torquay | 7am (8am Sunday) | Filipino-inspired breakfasts |
| Bells Bakery | 15 Bell Street | 7am daily | Pies, sausage rolls and Honeybird coffee |
| Mortadeli | 4-6 Gilbert Street | 9am daily | Pastizzi and cannoli with coffee |
By the beach
The Salty Dog Cafe Host favourite
Our favourite breakfast in Torquay. It's a kiosk on Fishermans Beach, next to the boat ramp, with tables outside looking over the water. It opens at 6am every day, the dogs are welcome (there's a $2 doggaccino), and the all-day menu runs from eggs on sourdough ($16.50) and smashed avo ($24) to eggs Benny, Turkish eggs and vanilla French toast. The kitchen closes at 2pm.
Bomboras
The green weatherboard cafe on the foreshore at 37 The Esplanade, with a big deck and the sea across the road. Breakfast is from 7.30am to 11am, walk-in only. The bread is ZBS sourdough, and the list goes from toast with house jam ($10) to a croissant waffle ($24) and Turkish eggs with chorizo ($28). The coffee window opens at 6am on weekdays and 7am on weekends.
Pond Cafe
Next door at 39 The Esplanade, open from 6.30am every day with Seven Seeds coffee and breakfast all day. The menu runs from crumpets ($15) to the full Pond breakfast ($31) and banana bread with toffee sauce ($24). No bookings, and there's a 10% surcharge on weekends.
Doc Hughes
A little further along at 23 The Esplanade, across from Front Beach, and a later, slower start: it opens at 8.30am every day. Mikro coffee, a big breakfast ($34), eggs benedict ($27), a chilli scramble on croissant ($29) and tiramisu-style French toast ($26). Breakfast is walk-in, there's a kids' menu, and dogs get a puppaccino.
Third Wave Kiosk
The rusty steel kiosk at Torquay Surf Beach, 1 The Esplanade. It's more coffee than breakfast, with a short food menu, but it's the one with the surf right in front of you.
In town
Bells Bakery
The bakery at 15 Bell Street, open from 7am to 3pm every day since 1999. Breakfast here is a pie or a sausage roll with a Honeybird coffee, at a table inside or out. It's a short walk to the beach.
Mortadeli
A later start, at 9am, but worth knowing. The Maltese caffetteria in the courtyard at 4-6 Gilbert Street does pastizzi (flaky pastries filled with ricotta or peas) and cannoli piped to order in the morning, with Everyday Coffee. Sandwiches start at 11am.
More on Gilbert Street
The main shopping street has a few small cafes too: Mavis Mavis (1/9 Gilbert Street), Torquay Larder (5 Gilbert Street) and Sandbah (21 Gilbert Street). They're handy if you're in town for the shops or the bakery anyway.
North Torquay and the surf shops
Cafe El Nido
The most interesting breakfast menu in town, in the Dunes Village shops at 222 Fischer Street. It's Filipino-inspired: a Filipino breakfast bowl with garlic rice, fried egg and achara ($20, add longganisa sausages or pork belly tocino), a Fil-Mex eggs Benedict with beef bistek and chipotle hollandaise ($26), pandan ricotta hotcakes ($24) and chilli eggs on spring onion roti ($25). There's plain toast on Zeally Bay sourdough ($9) for the less adventurous, and kids' waffles ($12). Order at the counter. It's open from 7am Monday to Saturday and 8am on Sunday, until 3pm, and there's a 15% surcharge on public holidays.
The Kiosk Torquay
A takeaway window at 3/61 Geelong Road, by Surf City Plaza, open from 6am to 2pm every day. Mikro coffee, roasted a couple of doors along, with jaffles and homemade sausage rolls. No seats, so it's breakfast on the go before an early surf or the outlets.
Ocean Grind
A coffee roastery at 2 Sawmills Way, in the industrial estate in north-west Torquay near Aldi. It roasts its beans on site, and you can have a coffee there or take a bag home. Go for the coffee rather than a cooked breakfast.
Jan Juc
Swell Cafe
A neighbourhood cafe on Stuart Avenue since 1998, open from 6am to 4pm every day, about ten minutes' drive from north Torquay. Breakfast runs all day: Freshwater Creek eggs on organic sourdough ($14.50), the Big Swell with bacon, avocado, tomato and halloumi ($25), a breakfast burrito ($19.50), a pancake stack ($18.50) and egg and bacon rolls from $11.50. The juices are $9.50, and a coffee is $4. It's a natural stop after a surf or a walk at Jan Juc beach.
Good to know
The earliest starts
The Salty Dog, Swell and The Kiosk are all open at 6am every day, and Bomboras is too on weekdays (its breakfast menu starts at 7.30am). Pond follows at 6.30am, then Bells Bakery and Cafe El Nido at 7am.
With the dog
The Salty Dog is the obvious one, with dogs welcome at its outdoor tables. Elsewhere, outdoor tables are usually the go, but ask first. Our dog-friendly Torquay guide has the beach rules.
With kids
The Salty Dog ($12.50), Bomboras, Pond and Cafe El Nido all have kids' menus, and the foreshore playground is close to Bomboras and Pond. Go early on weekends and in school holidays, when the walk-in places fill up.
Surcharges
Expect one on public holidays: 20% at the Salty Dog and Pond, 15% at Cafe El Nido. Pond also adds 10% on weekends.
Breakfast in Torquay FAQ
Where's the best breakfast in Torquay?
Our favourite is the Salty Dog, the kiosk on Fishermans Beach. For a sit-down breakfast across from Front Beach, Bomboras and Pond are next door to each other on The Esplanade.
Where can I get breakfast early in Torquay?
The Salty Dog, Swell in Jan Juc and The Kiosk on Geelong Road all open at 6am every day. Pond opens at 6.30am.
Can you book breakfast?
Mostly not. Bomboras and Pond are walk-in for breakfast, and the kiosks are casual, sit-where-you-like places. Cafe El Nido takes bookings through its website, and Bomboras asks groups to email ahead.
Is there breakfast by the beach?
Yes. The Salty Dog is right on Fishermans Beach, Third Wave Kiosk is at the Surf Beach, and Bomboras and Pond are across the road from Front Beach.
Where's a dog-friendly breakfast in Torquay?
The Salty Dog welcomes dogs at its outdoor tables and has a doggaccino on the menu.
Is there anywhere different for breakfast?
Cafe El Nido in north Torquay does Filipino-inspired breakfasts, like longganisa sausages with garlic rice, and Mortadeli does Maltese pastizzi in the mornings.
For coffee all day, see our cafes guide, and for later on, restaurants in Torquay and the bakeries. Staying in north Torquay? Check dates at Holyday House.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 21 October 2026. Opening hours, patrols, rules and closures change — check with the source before you go.
- All day menu, summer and winter 2026 (PDF) — The Salty Dog Cafe (official)
- Bookings — Bomboras (official)
- Menu — Bomboras (official)
- Pond Cafe — Pond Cafe (official)
- Menu — Pond Cafe (official)
- Swell Cafe — Swell Cafe (official)
- Our menu — Swell Cafe (official)
- Cafe El Nido — Cafe El Nido (official)
- Bells Bakery — Bells Bakery (official)
- The 32 best coffee shops and cafes in Torquay — Wanderlog