A great way to spend an afternoon - coffee and book browsing.
Recommend going here when not under time pressure.

We had coffee and the kids had ice-creams; both of which were well received ! Although its not the largest book shop in the world (thats a compliment), there seems to be a reasonable range if interested.

Approximate cost: $10

A real mixed bag - the Daylesford Hotel is your classic country town pub done up quite nicely. The pub has several areas including a wine tasting room which are all spacious and well presented.

Staff at the hotel are very friendly and made a real effort with all patrons.

Its expensive ($5.50 for a lemonade ?) and unfortunately the food quality doesnt justify the prices. We had both lunch and dinner here and both meals were just ok. I had the vegie burger which came with a side order of fries (that were cold). The burger had an eggplant patty and a slice of tomato - hence the vegie. Not sure what I was expecting but perhaps something slightly more elaborate. The other meals from our group were similarly average.

We very much enjoyed sitting with our children in the pub having a drink in the evening - its that sort of place. The evening meal wasnt strong - cauliflower soup can be pretty bland and I probably expected something slightly more memorable. Staff again were great but meals didnt match it unfortunately.

Approximate cost: $20

Two aspects to the convent - the gallery itself and the cafe.

Staff for the gallery were great - informed and interested. If walking around galleries is your thing, then this is quite a nice place. It is setup for weddings and I can imagine it being a fantastic venue - lots of function space, well decked out.

Waiting staff at the convent were lovely and could not be more helpful. As a bucket list item, try the cheese cake there - its enormous calories well spent.

Approximate cost: $13

Central Springs Inn is a 2-star motel masquerading as something it isnt.

Our room was quite average - not unclean or with things not working, it simply had nothing to recommend it. Repairs done to the property appeared to be done on the quick/cheap.

When the people in the next room asked their kids to turn the tv down, I figured that the walls were too thin !

The beds were comfortable and all amenities clean and functional. We didnt try the meal area but they offered this facility and appeared to have several guests there.

Staff in reception could not care less whether we stayed there - in checking in and out (we paid online), they barely raised their heads from the computer. Certainly no 'thanks for staying' !

Given lots of interesting looking places in Daylesford, this isnt one we will go back to.

Approximate cost: $220

We tried Koukla (Fangos & Fanogs) for both breakfast and dinner on a recent stay. Both meals had their strong and weak points.

Its a beautiful building to look at and the inside, like a lot of places in Daylesford has that rustic look. Its warm so all those aspects are very appealing.

We found the staff to be friendly, knowledgeable and quite patient with our table. A strong point !

Coffee was excellent - as good as anywhere we've tried (outside our regular !). The food though, was just ok. The breakfast meals were average ($$ toast !), including a most unusual and disappointing muesli. Frankly, I thought it would be a lot better but seemed to be thrown together. A real let down (particularly given the strong visuals elsewhere) was the packet honey thrown on top. Really ?

In the evening we tried a wood fired pizza - small, tasty and expensive are how I would describe it.

I think the quality of the food needs to improve to justify the meal value and do justice to the setting.

Approximate cost: $21

My wife and I had an excellent breakfast at Larder - its a quirky sort of place but in a cosy way.

Coffee was excellent and the muesli I had very tasty.

We were pretty much the first ones in there so no struggle to find a seat and the food was quick. What was disappointing was the staff - fairly indifferent to our business. They were a little busy so that might explain it but we left with the feeling they couldnt care less.

Cost-wise, nothing is cheap in Daylesford. Its an expensive town to eat & drink in, and Larder is no exception.

A shame given a very nice meal.

Approximate cost: $16

Sad to see them go !
Not all that impressed with the mechanics there but the personal service on the petrol side is something from the past.

The lady that ran this business was a very hard worker & wish her the best.

Approximate cost: $60

I've tried the lunch special a few times - a limited menu for $11. The meals have been quick, tasty and reasonably inexpensive which makes for a terrific work lunch.

The serves are quite generous and the staff attentive. Probably the hardest thing about the lunch is finding parking in Upper Heidelberg Road - always difficult !

I'm not sure how authentic it is but certainly worth a try.

Approximate cost: $11

A very enjoyable evening - reasonably priced food of a good quality in a most interesting venue. Its unclear from the outside whether it is a pub, a pokies venue or some exotic restaurant (its all three !).

Our meals were very prompt and tasty which we chose from a broad menu. I am always a bit reluctant choosing curry at a pub but they were spot on. The only service issue we experienced was the dips ordered as entree's came out with the mains but that was more a function of how attendant they were.

They are currently doing renovations so that means stepping through a bit of a building site but its no trouble and definitely worth it.

Approximate cost: $20

Firstly, a very decent cup of coffee from a coffee chain - something of a rarity.

Secondly, the food - hmmm.... Toasted sandwich was passable but the pastries are not fresh. In a competitive world, its possible to do a lot better.

Thirdly, Gloria Jeans try a ridiculous upsell/con - they suggest/offer the 'regulár' sized coffee which turns out to be a large and price accordingly. This coffee shop isn't in America so a 'regular' size isn't the bucket version. Staff then like to look surprised that you might go with a non-standard cup. Don't like it !!

Keep walking !

Approximate cost: $4