Feb-2016
The Gingerbread House, Katoomba
Nostalgic sweets and a spacious outdoor play area make visiting this café a fairytale experience for families.
Run by the owner of Josophan’s Fine Chocolates and Café Madeleine in Leura, Jodie Van der Velden, The Gingerbread House in Katoomba is a celebration of all things sweet and fun. Housed in a 100-year-old renovated church, inside it’s a wonderland of fairytale-like decorations and treats.
Read: “What to do in the Blue Mountains *with kids* when it’s raining”
The centre of the church has been converted into a Hansel-and-Gretel-dream of a lolly shop selling all manner of temptations, from old-fashioned lollypops and candies to mainstream sweets – all beautifully packaged and colour-themed. Some Josophan’s Fine Chocolates products are on offer plus others from Blue Mountains-based Gingerbread Folk and more locally produced goodies.
Locally produced goodies feature amongst The Gingerbread House’s offerings.
Open for breakfast and lunch, the café menu is simple – made up of toasties, muffins, sandwiches, soup of the day and sweets. Kid-size milkshakes and plain cheese toasties are available, plus a few kids’ snacks at the counter, including dried fruit and popcorn.
But it’s the drinks and sweets where things really start to get interesting…
If you’re in the mood for treating your little ones – or to relive your own childhood memories – you can’t go past the ‘ultimate red spider’ with creaming soda, ice cream, an edible red Twizzler straw and raspberry jelly crystals… hello sugar-high! A smaller treat could come in the form of a mini waffle cone filled with Peanut Butter Disaster, Salted Caramel Swirl or Strawberry Jam ice cream – perfect for little hands; or possibly a signature Josophan’s hot chocolate – traditional, chilli or spiced with gingerbread.
Hot chocolates are made with Josophan’s Fine Chocolates’ signature recipe.
Luckily there’s space for kids to shake off the sugar jitters with a large Astroturf play area complete with cubby house, slide, climbing frame and other fun bits and bobs.
The play area is open-air, so if it’s raining you may have to retreat inside, but the space is big enough to enjoy coffees and snacks with the kids without feeling like you’re disrupting other people’s quiet time. Curl up on a Chesterfield lounge or spread out on one of the big communal tables and give in to temptation.
TIP: The Gingerbread House runs cookie decorating workshops in the school holidays and is available for party bookings… check out their website for details.
- Address: 56 Waratah St (cnr Lurline and Waratah St), Katoomba NSW 2780
- Phone: (02) 4782 6958
- Web: gbhousekatoomba.com
- Opening hours: 7 days 9am–5pm
- Cuisine: Café
- Licensed: No
- Bookings: Call to discuss; children’s party packages available
- Views: No
- Wheelchair access: Yes
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