The Leopard's Story - A Passion For Everything Continental 

The Leopard Leura opened in February 2026,  in the historic Leura Railway Service Garage.  The new owner, Melissa Emerson, a Leura local, was inspired by her favourite European delis and cafes in Sydney and Melbourne -  “ I really wanted to bring a little bit of Haberfield or Carlton to the Blue Mountains - and most specifically, make available fresh sliced Mortadella and home made Bombolini!”. 

The idea was to cultivate that classic Italian hangout, where you can grab a coffee and bombolone in the morning, a freshly sliced mortadella focaccia for lunch, and return for a Spaghetti Puttanesca and a Tiramisu for dinner.  “The building is so beautiful, I knew that Blue Mountains locals were all dying to be back inside it, whether they remembered it as a functioning service garage, or as the very popular Leura Garage restaurant, everyone wanted it open again. The question was, what are Blue Mountains locals really missing out on? I thought one thing I really missed living in the Upper Mountains -  was a Euro style deli-come-restaurant, that changed over the day, and would always be welcoming to locals.”

Melissa said the lead up to opening was challenging, but also, touched with tremendous serendipity.  Just weeks before opening, French born local, Chef Laurent Cambon, quite literally popped his head through the coffee service window and said “are you looking for a chef?”.   “We started talking and Laurent mentioned he’d worked for the famous Machiavelli Risorante Italiano in Sydney, which was my parents' favourite restaurant!”.  Macchiavelli has been a stalwart of Italian cuisine in the city since 1988, a place famous for its delicious pastas and homemade gnocchi, and walls plastered with Prime Ministers.   And so, with 25 years of Italian cuisine experience under his belt, and just as many years in French kitchens, Chef Cambon’s menu offers pastas like you dreamed your nonna had made, as well as classic French dishes like Beef Bourguignon and Mussels Marinières. “Customers regularly tell me that it's the best pasta they’ve ever tasted, and I think, well - Chef has had 25 years to practice!” says Melissa Emerson.

The Leopard Deli offers a unique mix of specials - with home made focaccias and bomboline featuring on the lunch menu.  “Chef Caroline makes our house focaccia and bombolone every day.  It’s a huge labour to make it, but it’s so tasty. We know it’s worth it when customers tell us it's the best sandwich they’ve ever tasted, and even better than what they ate in Italy!”  There’s even a Maltese sandwich, ‘Hobz u Kunserva’ on the menu too. This is a nod to Melissa’s cultural heritage, having a Maltese mother.  “This sandwich really tastes like summertime - and is a family favourite.  The fun thing is having it on the menu means I’ve met all the local Vellas, Borgs and Fenechs, and they are both amused and delighted to see it on the menu!”. 

When to visit? 

The Leopard is open 5 days - every Wednesday to Sunday.  

Lunch kitchen open 12pm - 2.30pm 

Dinner kitchen open 5.30pm - 7.00pm

Bougie hours and Bar  Menu - open 2.30pm-5.30