Local’s Guide to the Best Restaurants and Bars in Byron Bay
What better way to cap off a perfect day than with a top class dining experience?
Foodies know the quality and energy of our beachside town’s restaurant scene, many of them award-winning.
It’s multi-faceted, eclectic and ever-fresh with new ventures popping up all the time. And why not? Byron Bay’s natural beauty and relaxed vibe has made it a magnet for all sorts, including world-class chefs and hatted restaurateurs.
With good food playing an important role in any trip, we thought it was time to highlight a sizzling selection of the town’s best and newest kids on the block.
On Resort
1) Azure Bar and Grill
Elements of Byron
144 Bayshore Drive
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Mon – Sun
Breakfast 7.00am – 11.00am
Lunch 12.00pm – 2.30pm
Pizza Bar 3.00pm – 9.00pm
Bar Snacks 3.00pm – 9.00pm
Dinner 5.00pm – 9.00pm
Azure Bar and Grill boasts a fresh, contemporary, and quintessentially modern Australian menu that changes seasonally. Sit on the terrace for a hearty breakfast with a lively atmosphere or dress for celebration with dinner in the dining room. This Elements of Byron venue also boasts an award-winning wine list and inspired spaces to have pre and post dinner cocktails. Sit at the bar, have a talented mixologist guide you through an extensive, wine craft beer and artisan spirit menu. Then relax and drink by the firepit. Executive Chef Ebony Baker’s menu reads like the pages of her passport with the refined technique of her haute cuisine resume.
Walking Distance
2) Barrio
Habitat, 1 Porter Street, Arts and Industry Estate
Brunch and Dinner
The Arts and Industry Estate is packed with hidden gems and presents a great getaway from Byron’s bustling summer crowds. It’s also right down the road from Elements of Byron. Barrio, which means “neighbourhood” in Spanish, is a feel-good spot in the shopping precinct known as Habitat. Executive Chef Daniela Maiorano peppers the menu, with Mediterranean flavours and Italian flare. Try the smoked eggplant, prawn and fennel pollen tortelli.
In Byron Village
3) Moonlight Hibachi Grill and Wine Bar
Jonson Lane, Byron Bay
Dinner
A dramatic black and white setting, Moonlight Hibachi Grill and Wine Bar serves classical Japanese dishes re-interpreted into utterly delicious, punchy modern plates. Take a seat at the marble puzzle bar, in the dining room or alfresco space. Pair the hokkaido scallops or eggplant katsu sando with the perfect wine or a smoky Japanese whisky. On this drinks menu you’ll be spoiled for choice.
4) The Smoking Camel
3/17 Lawson Street, Byron Bay
Dinner
The Smoking Camel is traditional middle eastern food served through a modern lens of party vibes. The design aesthetic is rich and giddy with excess in the most playful way. Share mezze plates and middle eastern inspired cocktails make everything about this Byron foodie destination feel like fun. From the same team that brought Bryon Light Years and Moonlight.
5) No Bones
11 Fletcher Street
Dinner
The all-female quartet behind No Bones has answered the prayers of vegans and vegetarians alike with the launch of its plant-based food and cocktails venue. While Byron Bay’s hippy roots has blessed the town with its fair share of vegetarian options, No Bones takes things to a whole new level. We know they’re onto something because carnivores love it too! The vegan calamari and house made gnocchi with almond ricotta are definite winners.
6) Light Years
139 Jonson Street, Byron Bay
Lunch, Dinner and Cocktails
Splashes of pink accent this fun, art deco space where you’ll find share-style Asian cuisine served to the rhythm of the cocktail shaker dancing behind the funky bar. Spicy Korean fried chicken, hot and tingly BBQ lamb ribs or cumin spiced cauliflower, Light Years will lure you in with delicious scents and keep you coming back with its personality.
7) Pixie Food and Wine
139 Jonson Street, Byron Bay
Lunch, Dinner
Cosy booths and a long smooth bar, vintage lighting and traditional Italian dishes that are both hearty and humble. While the bar and service staff create a laid back atmosphere, Chef Matteo Tine confidently creates contemporary dishes with Sicilian roots. Start with a Pixie Bellini then move on to an Antonio Pinot Gris with your king prawn tagliatelle or Stoney Rise Pinot Noir with your wagyu ragu paccheri – Pixie is little in name but big on flavour.
8) Beach
2 Massinger Street, Byron Bay
Lunch and Dinner, Breakfast at Beach Kiosk
Beach is a romantic and elevated Byron Bay restaurant where fresh cuisine competes on center stage with stunning ocean views over Clarkes Beach. Think crisp white tablecloths and the Pacific Ocean stretched out in front of you. The region’s freshest seasonal produce and seafood are curated into artful plates of delicious food that honours the perfection of each ingredient. Beach is a top Byron restaurant pick for a special occasion.
9) The Roadhouse
6/142 Bangalow Road, Byron Bay
Breakfast, Lunch and sometimes Dinner
The Roadhouse has the timing of espresso shots down perfectly, an inspired Spanish-style menu made for sharing and an atmosphere all of its own. It’s no wonder you’ll find it full of locals who know good food and drink. There’s flare added to traditional montaditos and pinchos speared with love. Tables under umbrellas outside or a cosy inside aesthetic of brick and wood make everyone feel welcome – including well-behaved pups.
A Pleasant Drive
10) La Casita, Brunswick Heads
3 Fawcett Street, Brunswick Heads
Dinner
La Casita’s story began when a popular chips, chilli and chimichangas joint was taken over by two of the Australian food world’s brightest young stars. Owners of renowned restaurant Fleet, Astrid McCormack and Josh Lewis have created a hip and casual Mexican offshoot with a smart cocktail list. This spicy little senorita is unforgettable.
11) Ciao Mate!
33 Byron Street, Bangalow
Dinner
With sleek leather booths, soft lighting and an effusive Italian welcome, Ciao Mate has attracted Melbourne’s best to re-invigorate one of Bangalow’s most-loved restaurant venues. Rating high on the pizza scorecard, punters line up for mouth-watering, wood-fired pizza and pasta, house-made pickles, cocktails and a fine selection of Australian and Italian natural wines and beers.
12) Trouble San
2 The Terrace, Brunswick Heads
Dinner and sometimes lunch
Marked by its dried thatched awning and killer views of Simpsons Creek, Trouble San combines the precision of Japanese cuisine and ancient cocktail making techniques with the relaxed attitude of the seaside village it calls home. Pop chilli edamame for an entrée, dip seasonal sashimi in ponzu sauce then dive into a plate of ryukyu pork. Each dish matched with a cocktail as delicious as it is stunningly presented.
13) Frida’s Field
76 Booyong Road, Nashua
Lunch
Just 10 minutes from Bangalow in Nashua, Frida’s Field is a 120 acre farm and restaurant which offers contemporary country dining. Deliciously languishing, long-table lunches are a communal feast offered on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Carefully curated by award-winning chef Alastair Waddell, they celebrate the best of seasonal produce, ecological farming practices and showcase the beauty of the Northern Rivers region.
14) Shelter Lennox Head
Where: 41 Pacific Parade
What: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
It’s a little drive to Lennox Head, but Shelter makes the trip well worth it. Located across the road from the ocean, there is an amazing ambience to Shelter whether you sit down for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Artisanly-minded chefs seek out the region’s finest ingredients and serve them up with an outstanding wine selection worth getting jealous over. This can be our shelter in a storm any time!
Want more inspiration for things to do in Byron Bay? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Byron Bay.