True, bagging on Byron Bay may have become something of a national pastime in Australia recently. But let’s face it – the naysayers are probably just jealous. The truth is, the magnetism of the storied NSW surf town is undeniable, thanks to its picture-postcard beaches, famed hikes and walks, and barefooted free spirit.
While Byron’s boom over the last decade has been a boon for the surrounding hinterland and Northern Rivers region, it has also given rise to a robust dining scene right in the heart of it all. Indeed, the best Byron Bay restaurants blend cosmopolitan verve and laid-back polish like few other places in the country. Here’s where and how to do it right.
Best Byron Bay restaurants
Beach Byron Bay
Addresses simply don’t get much better than right here, up on the dunes of Clarkes Beach. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the menu at the only beachfront restaurant in town has a similarly coastal outlook, with a strong focus on stunningly fresh seafood and top-drawer Northern Rivers produce. The experience comes with all the polish you’d expect from the feted Fink Group and co-owners Ben and Belinda Kirkwood, right through to the more casual adjoining Kiosk, which opens daily from 7am for breakfast and lunch. Local fish and chips with sand between your toes? Have at it.
Bar Heather
Savvy natural wine importers and distributors James Audas and Tom Sheer are the brains behind this snug, shadowy 60-seater, which takes its cues from on-the-pulse bars à vin and neo-bistros the world over. In the kitchen, accomplished chef Ollie Wong-Hee takes a free-wheeling approach, melding hitherto discrete flavours and ideas with riveting results – think tare-brushed pork neck skewers with preserved tamarillo mole and hand-stretched roti. The website may call it “a place to drink wine”, but once you settle in with the 700-strong bottle list you’ll quickly realise what an understatement that is.
High Life
Some might deem the menu a bit woo-woo, with its pickles, ferments, medicinal mushrooms and maca-milk turmeric lattes. Deliciousness, however, is very much the byword at weekdays-only High Life, which gets the boho brief just right. The seats to beat here are the street-facing stools out on the timber-and-brick verandah, where the sun seems to shine doubly bright with a strong Allpress coffee in hand. To really kick your morning into overdrive, call for the brown rice and kimchi fritters with avocado, fresh herbs and a heady tamari-chilli jam.
Instagram.com/highlifebyronbay
Light Years
While you’ll now find playful, pastel-coloured outposts of Light Years along the east coast – from Newcastle all the way up to Burleigh Heads and Noosa – the Byron Bay branch started it all, back in 2017. Expect a roll call of modern Asian mainstays that will please all comers: coconut-fragrant kingfish ceviche, say, followed by truffled mushroom dumplings, mi goreng-spiced fried chicken and special fried rice with a signature “flavour bomb”. At $69 and $89, the well-priced banquet menus make it a shoo-in for groups – and the punchy, fruit-forward cocktails certainly don’t hurt, either.
lightyearsasiandiner.com.au/byron-bay
Masa Byron Bay
Decision-making isn’t easy at this cult-favourite bakehouse in the Arts and Industry Estate precinct on the outskirts of town. Indeed, each of the ever-changing 18 or so pastries on offer – all laid out across the concrete countertop – looks more tempting than the last, with cinnamon scrolls and almond croissants pitted against the likes of mushroom Danishes and sausage rolls. Sandwiches, sourdough pizza slices and the dynamite doughnut line-up won’t help narrow it down, so grab a little bit of everything and try your best to save some for later.
Raes Dining Room
Have you even been to Byron Bay if you haven’t spent an afternoon at Raes? Now in its 30th year of operation, the swish boutique hotel and restaurant fronting Wategos Beach has leapt from strength to strength in the last decade, thanks largely to a 2017 refurbishment overseen by designer Tamsin Johnson and the recruitment of gun executive chef Jason Saxby. Native ingredients inform much of the pinpoint-precise cooking on his three-course menu, which culminates in nostalgic desserts like an ode to the Iced VoVo in a vintage Arnott’s tin. More casual innings, meanwhile, can be had in the Cellar Bar downstairs.
The Smoking Camel
An unassuming shopping arcade may not be where you’d expect to find a neon-tinted, technicolour bar and diner that winks and nods to the Levant. But that’s exactly where you’ll find The Smoking Camel – smoke machine, mirror ball, and all. The charcoal-grilled meats are the stars of the show, but you’ll also want to fill the table end to end with pita and dips, smashed falafels and honey-drenched saganaki encased in brik pastry. And if you’re of the opinion that Turkish Delight and ras el hanout don’t belong in cocktails, be prepared to be proven wrong.
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