Brunch. To some, it’s the best meal of the week. This combination of breakfast and lunch is often eaten somewhere between mid-morning and early afternoon, on a weekend. Why? Because the weekend is your chance to sleep in, relax a bit, and break your fast when you want to, not at the crack of dawn before work.
So where can a hungry expat get brunch in Dili? Here are Dili Guide’s top picks.
Beachside and Caz Bar
Areia Branca (“white sand” in Portuguese) is arguably Dili’s most-loved beach, and it is the place to see and be seen on a weekend morning. This curving stretch of tropical sand hosts two restaurants that expats love to brunch at. Forgive us for smooshing them together into one entry, it’s just our way of packing one more fave into a “Top 5” list.
While we’re mock-arguing that this is Dili’s most-loved beach, some expats actually argue about which of our two feet-in-the-sand restaurants is the best. Dili Guide reserves judgment. But, you know, one of them has to be listed first…
Beachside is a Dili expat institution. If you’ve just arrived in Timor, get a new friend to invite you out to brunch here, and you can get a good start on introducing yourself to the international community’s movers and shakers. It’s a great spot to sip your first green coconut, if you’ve never had one, while you wait for your order of eggs benedict or avocado on toast. Kids we know love the porridge – it’s served with cream and brown sugar.
Just down the waterfront is Caz Bar. It has similar food offerings, and it’s literally the same beach. Try both places, for brunch and other meals, and you’ll evolve your own preferences. Some people simply roll past both to see the current atmosphere then make a decision based on data: introverts might choose the quietest option, extroverts the busiest. At Caz Bar, kids we know love the crepes (“pancakes” on the menu), the tree swing, and the foosball and pool table in the pavilion dining area across the road from the beach.
Neither of these brunch spots are luxe. You’ll be sitting in a plastic chair at a worn wooden or plastic table. Food is simple, and ordering mixups or long wait times are as likely to happen on Areia Branca as anywhere else in Dili. But you’ll be relaxing on the sand in a tropical atmosphere, with calm waters and children playing and local coffee readily available – what more do you want?
(Well, ok, if you’re going to sit there for a while, you’ll want sunscreen: those trees you’ll be sitting under provide shade, but not 100%).
Agora
Started under Australian management, local-food stalwart Agora reinvented themselves under Timorese leadership in 2023. Now situated in an airy garden toward the back of the Timor Plaza complex, they are generally open daily for breakfast (except Sundays), making this a great place for weekend (ok, Saturday) brunch. Agora’s mountain-farm hookup means the coffee is always excellent, and their breakfast dishes – like the rest of the menu – do a great job melding Timorese staples with international cuisine. The tamarind turmeric drink is always recommended, whether you are eating early or late.
Ha Ha Cafe
Opened in 2022 as a coffee shop, this cozy indoor/AC spot is becoming known for food as well. Expats like the place for the Western-style cafe feel, and families like it for the small toddler play area. Brunch food is simple but tasty: yogurt and fruit, varieties of breakfast standards on toast. The coffee is consistently good, and inventive smoothies hit the taste buds just right. Many customers praise the baked goods. If there’s a freshly-baked cake under the glass cover on the counter, you just have to have a slice with your latte.
Venture Cafe
The Venture compound in Lecidere is headquarters for several business, well, um, ventures. The cafe part of the operation sits in a lush, 2023-renovated garden with splashing fountains and tropical fish. Wander into the welcoming courtyard through a streetside gateway to appreciate the Calder-like sculpture, fitting in neatly with well designed, corrugated-sheet buildings. An international breakfast and lunch menu, as well as the usual fresh juices and coffee options, makes for a tasty brunch in pleasant surroundings.
Esplanada
Hotel Esplanada closed during COVID, then reopened in 2023. Their second-floor restaurant pavilion just across Avenida de Portugal from the beach probably has the best sea view of Dili city’s ‘oceanfront’ establishments. The brunch atmosphere here is casual and relaxed – well, where isn’t in Dili? The Moroccan breakfast (see photo at the top of the page) is a great option for vegetarians. If it’s whale season, there’s a chance you’ll be able to shout “Thar she blows!” while you sip your flat white.
Breakfast notes:
- The yogurt bowl at Agua de Coco in Timor’s ‘downtown’ area gets consistent praise as a breakfast fave.
- Fans of the English Breakfast have a few places to try their luck: Dili Club, Caz Bar, Spooners, sometimes Padaria Brasao in Timor Plaza, probably other places too. If there’s any readers passionate enough to do an English Breakfast tour and contribute a blog post about it, get in touch with us!
- If you want a buffet-style hotel breakfast, break out at Hotel Timor, all you can eat for less than you might expect.
- Need a quick morning snack out and about? Try the freshly fried donuts from a roadside stall, presented in a plastic tub set on a wooden table in front of someone’s house. If you’re lucky, a kid will sprinkle some powdered sugar on it for you.
- This one isn’t about brunch, but: For those who dislike e-readers, there are leave-a-book, take-a-book shelves at Beachside, Caz Bar, and Ha Ha, to fuel your weekend reading.
Happy Brunching!
As you probably know if you’ve lived here (or done your research before coming), Dili isn’t a super-huge foodie place. But for Dili expats who really love a lazy weekend morning out at a casual brunch spot, there’s more than one place – more than five, in fact – to fit your need.
And, unlike popular cafes in larger cities in more developed countries, you won’t ever have to wait in line to get a table!
Dili Guide 