Hands down, my favourite place in NSW to buy snacks. Even with the distance from Sydney and…read moreconstant season-independent fog and rain factored in, there's nothing like being able to buy as much or as little as you want of delicious food unsullied by corporate greed and glaring fluorescents. The Blue Mountains Food Co-op is the largest and most well stocked Food Co-op I've come across. I could lose hours examining all the different varieties of flour, exotic spices and dried fruit in their clean perspex tubs and jars. They have a great range of oils and condiments like mirin, tahini and Pukara Estate vinegars, plenty of locally grown, seasonal organic produce, a few hard-to-find bush foods and even fresh yeast in their fridge. Coming back to the snacks, I never visit Katoomba without buying some of their delicious dried fruit. It's none of that sugary, sulfur-y junk you get in weirdly greasy plastic bags in supermarkets. Nope, just beautiful fruit, dehydrated to lock all their glorious summer flavours and colours in. The dried apple slices and dried mango are my favourites, but I got my friend hooked onto their dried pineapple rings. The tamari almonds are super addictive too, and who can pass up freshly ground, natural peanut or almond butter - getting to operate the machines yourself is half the fun! And don't forget to bring your own clean jars and tupperware! Saves yourself a pretty 5c per paper bag and all that plastic waste.

'10 to 15 minute queue potential' said the handwritten sign. Electrical problems and cash only for…read morethe day. You've got to appreciate the care taken to warn us of the wait. Not that anyone who shops here'd mind. You spend longer waiting in a generic supermarket to buy over-processed, allegedly food-approximating substances anyway. I wish I lived closer to Katoomba and could do all my shopping here. Dragging your own containers up and down Katoomba street and then on the train make it a bit beyond even my patience. Yet I pop in when I go past for the odd fresh-as-anything locally grown vege, or the odd unusual ingredient hard to find elsewhere. The place is always buzzing with warmly clad, healthily fed people. The staff are lovely, and it's worth becoming a member if you shop here often, you get 10% off. Prices are fantastic to begin with, and the quality top notch organic-y, fair trade-y goodness. Sigh, I live too far away. Ha'Penny Lane is tucked behind the Post Office, and between Fresh and the Korean place if you're coming from Katoomba Street. Come armed with your own storage/packaging and be prepared to struggle out under a load of foodstuffs that'd make a doomsday prepper proud.

Lovely service. Beautifully laid out shop with lots of gorgeous fabrics to choose from. I come here…read moreevery time I come to the Blue Mountains from Qld.

While visitng Leura last January, my friend and I stumbled across this treasure of a store. The…read moreproprietor was joyful and helpful and we only wish we had more time to visit with her. The fabrics were gorgeous and our only regret was that some of our favorites were not in stock and though they could be special ordered, we were too close to the end of our visit. Next time we go down under, this will be one of our first stops.

If you like chocolate this is the place for you! My kids tried several things and they loved them…read moreall. I had a milkshake and that tasted great. My only negative is that being in a tourist area its a little overpriced for what you get.

Friendly staff. More tourist cafe atmosphere than a quiet local retreat. Really good hot chocolate…read morewith novel serving that lets you add the chocolate drops yourself to hot milk. Lots of chocolate related memorabilia to look at and a viewing window into the inner workings of chocolate making. Worth the visit.

Leura's a visitor driven village, for the most part. Fancy-schmancy boutiques, posh restaurants,…read morecafes for weekenders to rest weary feet and wearier wallets. Leura Health Foods is one of a tiny few stores left actually serving the local community. Even fewer since the Woolworths incursion that I still shudder at every time I go past. Doesn't belong. At all. Sigh. So it's a welcome thing to wander in here and find everyday service and real advice, as well as a way-better-than-average range of healthy goodies. From Tibetan incense to organic inca berries, wasabi powder and lots of gluten free foods not easy to source elsewhere up here, this little store is a fav. Not as pricey as you'd expect for Leura (although health food's never cheap) I love picking up something oddball and interesting. Rhino coffee this time (I'm a sucker for a good name). Not fancy. Not schmancy. Just good.

After indulging ourselves at Rubyfruit vegan bakery, we wandered over here to gather a we bits and…read morepieces for the drive home. I was surprised to find walls and walls of vitamins, potions, gifts and snacks. As a vegan, I'm always keen to be pointed in the direction of food I can eat without having to read ever label. The staff here are all over it and promptly had a selection of foods for me to choose from, followed by a lovely chat you can only find in a country town.