Mr Watkins Bar

05/06/2026

We are closed tonight for a private function.

Back to regular programming tomorrow 🥰

21/05/2026

Tonight from 7pm. with the tunes and we bring the drinks, food and cosy vibes.

Walk ins welcome 🤗

21/05/2026

Trivia from 7pm tonight. Our Watkin’s Social menu from 5pm til 7pm.

Come and join the fun

20/05/2026

You let this guy in the kitchen once and now he wants 47% of the business 🤦🏻‍♀️

Small business owners build something from absolutely nothing, work stupid hours, risk everything, survive lockdowns, rising costs and sleepless nights… and now you’re telling us one day we hand over nearly half?
In the wise words of Darryl Kerrigan -
Tell him he’s dreaming 🇦🇺

14/05/2026

Soup season has officially arrived.

This week’s special: Moroccan sweet potato soup with all the warm, cosy vibes. Served with grilled bread and best enjoyed tucked away.

Available daily in the caf.

08/05/2026

Acoustic Fridays tonight with Elina Roberts-Turner on the mic from 7pm.
Good tunes, flowing drinks and the kind of night that makes you want to stay for one more.

Walk-ins always welcome 🥰

30/04/2026

New artist alert! 🚨 come check out the amazing Zoe Rain tonight at Mr Watkins! Free live music, banging drinks and delicious eats!

28/04/2026

Mother’s Day is creeping up (how is it already that time of year?).

We’ll be open from 7.30am with all your breakfast and lunch favourites — no set menus, just the good stuff you know and love.
Bar’s open from 10am if Mum feels like a little something extra with brekky 🥂

Book ahead to secure your spot, via the link in our bio or call 02 4708 0605

23/04/2026

Trivia tonight from 7pm, Watkins social menu available from 5pm to 7pm.

Book your spot or just rock on in.

22/04/2026

Anzac Day Opening Hours.

Caf: 8am to 2pm

Restaurant / Bar: 5pm til late

16/04/2026

Tonight from 7pm.

Come join us for drinks, food and live tunes.

Walkins welcome 🤗

09/04/2026

Friday nights are better when they sound like this.
Marko Bogic live from 7pm.

Walk in, find a spot, stay a while.

09/04/2026

Trivia from 7pm tonight.
Good people, a few drinks and something to do.

Get in early for Watkins Social (5–7pm) —
$15 cocktails + eats $20 and under.

09/04/2026

Join us 🙌🏼

Save the date for Penrith After Dark! 🍴🎵

The streets of Penrith will come alive for a bespoke evening of outdoor dining, live entertainment and late-night fun at Penrith After Dark!

Immerse yourself in the heart of the Penrith CBD for Council’s newest night-time event to be held on Saturday 2 May from 5pm to 10pm.

Savour the best of Penrith’s local eateries by dining on a long outdoor dining table whilst enjoying live entertainment from musicians and roving performers.

Gather your friends and family for an evening of delicious food and drinks as you won’t want to miss this exciting late-night dining extravaganza in the heart of Penrith City!

🍴🎵Penrith After Dark
📅 Saturday 2 May
⏰5pm to 10pm
📍 Penrith CBD (Memory Park, High Street and Woodriff Street)

Penrith After Dark is delivered as part of the Permit/Plug/Play Pilot Program, proudly funded by the NSW Government, in association with Penrith City Council.

To find out more visit the link in the comments.

03/04/2026

Bar & restaurant open from 5 tonight

Drinks pouring, kitchen open, the perfect long weekend vibe.

Walk ins welcome 🤗

02/04/2026

01/04/2026

Free school holiday fun at Watkins.

Kids bingo, face painting + prizes

10:30 arrival | 11am start

Limited spots — book now
📞 (02) 4708 0605

31/03/2026

Mama Lana’s is calling out for some help. Their role in our community is an important one. If you can help, please do 🙏

Hi everyone, it’s Mama Lana here.

I need to vent this morning… so bear with me.

I was just on the radio with Hamish Macdonald on ABC, and it’s stirred something in me that I just can’t shake.

Because honestly… I’m frustrated.

I’m frustrated that we run a completely free service — and yet somehow we’re expected to carry the same financial weight as businesses that actually make a profit.

Everything we do is free.

Free hot meals.
Free groceries.
Free food hampers.
Free clothing.
Free toiletries.
Free sleeping bags.
Free blankets.

Everything that leaves our doors goes out with no cost attached… just kindness. Completely free.

But here’s the part that people don’t always see…

There is nothing free about running our free service.

We still have to pay for ingredients that go into those meals.
We still have to pay for the electricity to cook them.
We still have to pay for the containers to package them.
We still have to pay for the rubbish that comes from producing hundreds of meals a night.
And we still have to pay rent just to have a roof over our heads so we can do what we do.

And here’s the part that really gets me…

We are a not-for-profit charity.
We do not make money.

Yet businesses — who do make profit — are now passing on rising costs to us, like fuel increases, because they “can’t absorb it anymore.”

And I sit here thinking…

How is a charity supposed to absorb costs… when we don’t make anything to absorb them with?

It just doesn’t make sense.

Every donation we receive, every grant we are blessed with — that money should be going straight back into feeding our community.

Not just trying to keep the lights on.

We’ve already noticed in the last month that both monetary and non-perishable donations have slowed down considerably.

Even the small, more affordable and tax-deductible donations of as little as $2 were a massive help and we see next to none of those these days.

Let me put it into perspective for you, because I think people need to see this:

• Rent – $50,000
• Electricity – $20,000
• Van running costs x 2 – $20,000
• Meal containers – $19,000
• Rubbish removal – $9,000
• Foodbank supplies – $22,000
• Coles – $26,000
• Bidfood – $23,000
• Insurance – $15,000

That’s a conservative
annual cost of $201,000 per year…

And that’s just what I can think of off the top of my head… there’s plenty more.

Yes, we do have some incredible sponsors — and I will never stop being grateful for them as we don’t get any ongoing government financial assistance.

But we have to work hard for every grant.

And the truth is… we need more.

Because right now, we are cooking between 300 to 400 meals every single night…
6 nights a week…
52 weeks a year.

We don’t stop.

Covering all of these costs takes a monstrous amount of effort - and while we have been continually putting in that effort for years on end, we are in need of help.

While I greatly understand that not everybody is in a financial position to help out, any donation over $2 is tax-deductible and at this point is a necessity.

What started 14 years ago as cooking meals for firefighters during a crisis… has grown into something I don’t think any of us could have imagined.

We’re no longer just feeding the homeless.

We’re feeding families.
We’re feeding mums and dads.
We’re feeding people who go to work every single day… and still can’t afford to put food on the table.

The working poor.

And that… that breaks me.

Because this should not be happening.

And I’ll be honest with you…

I worry.

I worry about what happens if one day we simply can’t keep up with these costs anymore.

Because if we stop… where do all these people go?

Times are tough right now.
And everything I’m seeing tells me they’re only going to get tougher.

So, yes while this is a bit of a rant…
It is also a reality check.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for listening to me.

And if you know a business — any business — that could support us in any way, please reach out or share this post.

Because what we do here… it matters.

More than ever.

Love always,
Mama Lana 💛

⸻

Bank: IMB Penrith
BSB: 641-800
Acc: 200698795
Name: Mama Lana's Community Foundation

ABC Sydney

30/03/2026

Staying local this Easter?
So are we. Hours are up 👆

27/03/2026

Friday nights are better when you’ve got somewhere to be.

Acoustic Friday. David Skinner live from 7pm

Book a table or just swing by.

26/03/2026

Things are a little tight — we feel it too.

So we’ve kept it simple.
$15 cocktails, share plates under $20 and a space to be with your people.

Watkins Social.
Thursdays & Fridays, 5–7pm.

24/03/2026

After nearly 9 years, we still get people grabbing a coffee who have no idea what’s behind these doors… which kind of blows our minds.

Open daily for you to enjoy —
by night, it turns into a space for food, drinks and good company.

If you know, you know.
If you don’t… this is your sign.

23/03/2026

Inflation might be everywhere… but it hasn’t touched this.

$13 brekky roll + regular coffee - All day, every day.

And for the early crew —
Tradie special before 7am:
Brekky roll + hash brown + regular coffee for $13

See you in the morning

Go on and tag your tradie mates 🤝