Tempus Katoomba - Katoomba, New South Wales

Andriy O.

My partner and I had an incredible dining experience at Tempus. The food was absolutely delicious—every dish was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The service was just as outstanding; the staff was warm, attentive, and genuinely passionate about making sure we had a great time. From start to finish, everything exceeded expectations and was a fantastic finish to a week in Katoomba. Definitely keen to come back and explore the other half of the menu :)!

Chrissie F.

Really lovely space. Great service and delicious food. The reason it’s not 5 stars is I feel some of the flavours are just not quite “complete”. The steak needed a lift in both acid and umami. Left the palate wanting something more. The mango again needed an acid to cut through. The salty beetroot needed something creamy or sweet to carry it. But honestly the whole experience was truly great. Tasty, fresh and seasonal. Love the majority of vegetarian dishes, very rare for a menu to be so diverse and inclusive. We will be back seasonally to try more things. Definitely get the roasted gem lettuce. Nice wine list too that will not break the bank. We tried a few by the glass. Very tasty.
Lastly the menu design means you can have lots of sharing plates and be totally satisfied if you’re not a main meal kinda person.

Michela Z.

“Tempus” started “allegro” but finished “lamentoso”.

This is a local restaurant with an old world charm. Local beers and mocktails warmed the cockles and were a great way to settle in. We enjoyed the cosy atmosphere and the starters - the fennel and rabbit dishes were tasty. The duck main course was also very delicate and the roast potatoes were crunchy. We were really enjoying ourselves.

And then came the most expensive item on the menu, the 30-day aged grass-fed steak. What a total disappointed - tough and chewy, like an old boot. Cooked medium - we like it medium-rare - we left half of it. When we complained to the waiter he brushed us off as ignorants. He confidently imparted that grass-fed beef is not the soft and melt-in-your mouth type you find in the cheaper, supermarket variety; where farmers finish the cattle off with grains to soften the meat. Tough and chewy is what real quality tastes like. Well, excuse us for our ignorance. Our local butchers in Sydney, Bologna and Treviso who also had grain-fed beef that was exquisite must have it all wrong. We’ll clearly need to go back and educate them.

The cheesecake to round-off was ok.

Such a shame - we were excited to dine and left deflated. Never mind, the audience left the hall before the final notes were played.

Luiz M.

My partner and I stopped by for breakfast, and everything went smoothly. The toast with jam aside was good, the omelet with extra toast was well-made, and the latte was creamy and hot. The staff were friendly, and the prices were fair. Overall, I would recommend this place!

Gary F.

Excellent service, great coffee, food was delicious, must try breakfast bacon roll n salmon benedic. Suitable for couple to enjoy coffee breakfast here.

Tyan B.

Always a solid choice in blue mountains! Delicious food. I’d say though that the pace of food coming out is rather quick which is okay if you’re after a quick food after a full day of hiking. Friendly staff.

Alicia Z. F.

We came here for its good reviews and were not disappointed! Indeed all items we ordered are excellent. The only thing I can mention is that we asked for medium for the steak , but I would say it’s more considered as medium-well done. We should have asked for medium-rare. A bit dry but it’s still very delicious.

Peter H.

This is arguably currently the best restaurant in the Blue Mountains for anyone who likes real and fresh food prepared from scratch in the kitchen. It is small and intimate and not corporate run. Is it the most amazingly designed restaurant trying to impress? No, it’s a converted historic bank with a vault in one corner, fun its own way. The focus is on the food and the service. This is a restaurant where you can tell people care. Fabulous food, fabulous service and (always informative for a restaurant), the toilets are clean, as is the entire restaurant. If you want a burger and fries, Tempus isn't for you. But if you know about food and delight in different ways ingredients can be used, you won’t find better in the Blue Mountains.