Famous for its laid-back surfing vibes, and postcard perfect beaches Byron Bay is home to a wide variety of mouth-watering restaurants fit for any foodie. From beach-side dining’s to instagrammable interiors, Byron offers the freshest local produce that will leave any visitor wanting more.
1. The Smoking Camel, Byron Bay
The latest opening from the Light Years group, Smoking Camel brings a modern twist to traditional Levantine cuisine, with influences from Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and beyond. The theme is Arabian Nights dance party, with neon lights, bright blues and oranges, a chequerboard floor and even a few disco balls. On the plate, expect mezze, fire-cooked meat and grilled pita bread.
2. Rae’s Dining Room, Byron Bay
Located in the postcard-perfect Byron Bay, serving up contemporary Australian cuisine with Mediterranean influence, Raes Dining Room overlooks the sparkling waters and pearl white sands of Wategos beach. Sourcing the freshest and finest local produce from Byron and surrounds, Rae’s is an influencer’s heaven with a classy and refined interior, dazzling views and picture-perfect plates of fresh seafood.
3. Harvest, Newrybar
A Northern Rivers institution, Harvest is a cafe and destination in its own right. Set in the village of Newrybar, about 15 minutes from Byron, it’s a restaurant, deli and bakery spread across multiple historic buildings and surrounded by a kitchen garden. Start your day with coffee, sit down for a long lunch or just grab a loaf of sourdough from the 120-year-old woodfire oven.
4. Light Years, Byron Bay
From the day it opened on the main street of Byron Bay in 2017, Light Years became an instant favourite. It’s since moved to a larger space in the new Jonson Lane precinct but still serves up the same fun, modern Asian menu accompanied by a funky soundtrack and the lights down low. The cocktails are a highlight, like the Netflix and Chill’ combining popcorn-infused rum, passionfruit and lemon.
5. Ciao, Mate!, Bangalow
Acclaimed zero-waste chef Matt Stone is behind this compact and charming Italian diner in Bangalow. It’s the kind of place you wish was in your neighbourhood so you could join the locals for a negroni at the bar or bring the kids for wood fired pizzas and hearty pastas in the retro brown booths. On balmy Bangalow nights, grab a table in the fairy-lit courtyard.
6. Pixie Food and Wine, Byron Bay
Chic coastal Italian is served in a 70s-Milan-meets-Byron style dining room at Pixie Food & Wine. From the Light Years group, it’s set in the new Jonson Street precinct and is a sophisticated spot for dining, cocktails and snacks. The menu is traditionally Italian with a contemporary beachside flavour – start with oysters and charcuterie, move on to the pasta course, choose from a few hearty mains and leave room for dessert.
7. Bistro Livi, Murwillimbah
A moody Melbourne-style small bar in the heart of one of the Northern Rivers’ hippie hubs, Bistro Livi was just named the 2024 Regional Restaurant of the Year by the Good Food Guide. This intimate, Spanish-inspired diner has an impressive pedigree; its three co-owners and chefs come from Melbourne’s famed Movida and Carlton Wine Room.
8. Pipit, Pottsville
Chef Ben Devlin is a Byron local who honed his craft at some of the world’s best restaurants, including the famed Noma in Copenhagen. He opened Pipit with his wife in 2019, promising unique local produce (including Indigenous ingredients and tropical fruits), sustainable seafood and meats, and making everything from bread to vinegar in house. The result is a meal you’ll remember for a long time.
9. Paper Daisy, Cabarita Beach
Part of the retro-chic Halcyon House hotel in Cabarita Beach, 40 minutes north of Byron, Paper Daisy pairs a distractingly beautiful dining room with glimpses of the ocean, a long gin menu and delightful flavours on the plate. The one-hat restaurant serves up a set four-course menu that’s sophisticated yet simple, created from locally and ethically sourced ingredients.
10. Frida’s Field, Nashua
Frida’s Field might just be peak Byron – a regenerative and organic farm in the hinterland with its own herd of holistic Angus-Wagyu cattle, serving a paddock-to-plate lunch three days a week. Award-winning chef Alastair Waddell has been behind the pans at luminaries like Guillaume in Melbourne and Qualia on Hamilton Island and secured a coveted chef’s hat for Frida’s in 2023.
