Tuesday 3 November 2026 · Race 7 at 3:00pm
The race that stops the nation, on every screen at the Lappo. Bistro lunch from 11am, a free sweep, and Best Dressed judged after the race — ten minutes from home instead of a day in the city.
Melbourne Cup Day isn’t a public holiday in New South Wales, so we run it as a long lunch rather than an all-day event. Get a table, eat well, and still be out by mid-afternoon — or stay for the lot.
10:00am — Doors open
11:00am — Bistro opens, first sitting
1:00pm — Second sitting
2:00pm — Sweep drawn
3:00pm — Race 7, the Melbourne Cup, on every screen
4:00pm — Best Dressed judged
The room dressed for lunch, the kitchen at full noise, and a Best Dressed field that takes it seriously. Photos from a previous Melbourne Cup Day at Lapstone Hotel.
A short list of Cup Day specials from the bistro, running alongside the regular menu — woodfired pizza, steaks from the grill and pub classics, same kitchen that feeds Blaxland every day of the year. Free sweep entry for everyone dining with us, and Best Dressed judged by our staff after the race.
Half Dozen Oysters (A) — $25
Natural with mignonette, or Kilpatrick.
Prawn & Lobster Roll — $22
Lobster, prawns, chives, shoestring fries.
Prosciutto & Stracciatella — $24
Prosciutto, creamy stracciatella, seasonal peaches, wild rocket, aged balsamic reduction & toasted pistachios.
250g Eye Fillet — $45
Kipfler potato, wild mushrooms, vine tomato, bone marrow jus.
(A) Australian seafood.
Lapstone Hotel is at 15 Great Western Highway, Blaxland NSW 2774, right on the Great Western Highway in the lower Blue Mountains — an easy drive from Glenbrook, Warrimoo, Mount Riverview, Springwood, Emu Plains and Penrith, with parking on site.
Open Monday to Saturday 10:00am–2:00am and Sunday 10:00am–11:00pm. The bistro serves 11:00am–9:00pm, seven days.
The 2026 Melbourne Cup is Race 7 at Flemington and is scheduled for 3:00pm AEDT on Tuesday 3 November 2026. Doors at Lapstone Hotel open from 10:00am and the bistro serves from 11:00am.
No. Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday in metropolitan Melbourne only. It is a normal working day across New South Wales, which is why most Sydney and Blue Mountains venues run a lunch sitting rather than an all-day event.
Bookings are strongly recommended — Cup Day tables at the Lappo are usually gone by late October. Book online or call (02) 4739 1266. Walk-ins are welcome from 2:00pm, subject to space.
Yes. Free sweep entry for everyone dining with us, drawn at 2:00pm before the race. It is run for social entertainment — Lapstone Hotel takes no fee or commission and all stake money is returned as prizes.
Whatever you’d wear to a nice lunch, plus a hat if you’re feeling it. Best Dressed is judged by Lapstone Hotel staff after the race and the judges’ decision is final.
15 Great Western Highway, Blaxland NSW 2774, in the lower Blue Mountains — an easy drive from Glenbrook, Warrimoo, Mount Riverview, Springwood, Emu Plains and Penrith, with parking on site.
Tables go to groups first and they go early. Book online, or call us on (02) 4739 1266.