| pocketguides |
Byron Bay Byron Arts & Industry Estate Mullumbimby & Northern Region |
| pocketguides |
Byron Bay Byron Arts & Industry Estate Mullumbimby & Northern Region |
As an introduction to the great food available in Byron Bay, we offer the following brief tour. Phil Shayer, whose loves include food and music, thanks the restaurants and cafes which helped him produce this guide, a culinary tour of Byron Bay. Look forward to this guide being expanded and updated as Phil explores more Byron delights.
Byron Bay can be a cheap place to eat. For just $20 to feed two, get a chicken burger from Belaportos. It’s a little kiosk that make the best chicken burgers on the planet. Big enough to cut in half and share. Then head for the ocean via In The Pink home made ice cream.
Try a classic take-away fish ‘n’ chips from Fish Heads for $10 each, Pizza from places along Jonson St from as little as $5 on Tuesdays. The bakery on Jonson St hardly ever closes, and has tasty, easy food, like a sausage roll for $3 at 4am.
Great coffee and quality feeds can be had from Espresso Heads. Nearby, visit the Bollywood Kitchen for a proper curry. The Byronian Café has great iced chocolate and the best Israeli minced kebabs. Orgasmic Foods sells the best falafel in the region.
A hidden secret of Byron is Luscious Foods (see map2). They have wood-fired pizza, with a great atmosphere and fabulous organic food, open for lunch weekdays and dinner on Thursday and Friday nights. Fresh is an all-day spot for coffee or a healthy delicious meal at night. Savvy Tepanyaki has it all - great entertainment and food, upstairs relaxing in a cool breeze. Try the Buddha Bar (map 4) for Byron Bay’s own beer, brewed on site, great meals and live music.
Light and airy, near main beach. Informal Lunch, Yum Cha, Dinner. BYO.
| Food Style: | Eclectic Asian – share plates available. |
| Sampled: | ‘sang choi bau’, Barbeque pork bun, Shitake mushroom with coriander, carrot & ginger. Thai salad, Yum Cha. (really yum) Delicious value. |
Stylish Casual, open and airy. XXXL Coffees for those early morning starts.
| Food Style: | Breakfast, Lunch, Eclectic Euro |
| Sampled: | Poached eggs served in a really good size bowl on a portion of light polenta embraced in herbs, Parmesan shaved and laid on top amazingly timed to melt before your eyes. |
| Things to Try: | Great Coffee and Early |
Stylish Casual 1950's
| Food Style: | Lunch, Dinner, Pasta and Pizza |
| Sampled: | Light but firm crust pizza with spinach, fetta, olives, onions, garlic and jalapenos. Vegetarian pizza layered with mushroom, onion, sun-dried toms, fetta cheese, artichokes, garlic, ginger and sweet chili… simply fabulous. |
| Things to Try: | Pizza and Pasta, including Gluten free pizza, Home-made desserts. |
Beach style café lunch restaurant
| Food Style: | Eclectic Euro |
| Sampled: | Sausage apple and sage pot pie and the Bayleaf burger. Pie with perfectly done puff pastry. Melt in the mouth burger pattie with rocket and herbs, fresh salad. Don’t miss it. |
| Things to Try: | Superb Coffee, Gourmet Pies and Burgers |
Beach views, breakfast/ Lunch
| Food Style: | Quality takeaway, Eclectic Euro |
| Sampled: | “BBB”, tender fresh made burger pattie with rocket, beetroot, carrot, lettuce and coriander. Big enough for two, and surprisingly healthy. |
| Things to Try: | Coffee and Breakfast menu, “Byron’s Biggest Burger”, pies, cakes, smoothies and Gourmet local ice creams and juices. |
Upstairs dining close to beach
| Food Style: | Tepanyaki Japanese cuisine |
| Things to Try: | Well thought out set banquets such as the Ebi set for a great mix of sea food and meats, fantastic fun watching juggling cook and food games while you eat some precisely cooked specialities. Top bar and speciality beers. Loved it. |
Fine dining in central Byron. Relaxed comfortable, sophisticated main dining area, adjacent bar lounge with plenty of room to relax.
| Food Style: | Nouvelle cuisine, varied menu, excellent and guided wine selections. |
| Sampled: | Fresh crispy pan fried local whitebait and asparagus, divinely tender and flavoursome scallops in mustard sauces, sweet corn and sour cream & coriander, rich venison veal on white sauce, beautiful dessert platter of crepe suzette, brandied pear, crème brulee, pear coulee and handmade ice cream. True artistic flair. |
Organic Fresh, relaxed dining and lounge bar, warm wood ambience excellently presented private romantic corners.
| Food Style: | Eclectic and Mediterranean |
| Sampled: | Original wild fig and seafood “starter” Pizza entrées, rich, aromatic flavours. Superbly cooked local Snapper on Thai salad, caramelized to perfection rib eye and rump steak pieces with huge hand cut wedges on salsa, for dessert supremely rich hot chocolate and Chameleon waffle. Find this hidden treasure. |
| Things to Try: | Fresh local produce, House stone-ground organic pizza bases. Cocktail menu. |
Back street charm near the beach, Classic Seafood and Chips.
| Sampled: | Beautifully light Battered Sea Bream, Peppered Salmon Steak. Side order of Tempura, lightly battered sweet potato pieces, courgette, red peppers, mushrooms and sweet-corn sections. |
| Things to Try: | Hand cut chips, spectacular seafood. |
Stylish Dining, Lunch and Dinner – Traditional Italian, seafood specialties.
| Sampled: | Great value muscles, creamy textured pesto pasta with spectacular rocket and pear salad, including cherry tomatoes in a light balsamic dressing, topped by grated Parmesan. A gluten free marinara pizza with king prawns Sticky date pudding with cream and ice cream. |
| Things to Try: | Seafood specials, gelati. |
Thai/Eastern, Lunch and Dinner.
| Sampled: | Perfect spring rolls, satay chicken skewers with spring onions, fish cakes with sweet chili sauce and grated fresh vegetables, a tender Pad Kaprao duck chilli, veggies and ginger coriander. Excellent Red curry, steamed banana pudding, ice cream, garnished with mint and coconut. |
| Things to Try: | Mixed selection plates, chilli dishes. |
Sophisticated and child friendly. Traditional french.
| Sampled: | Torte chaude (Rabbit pate) and French onion with croutons and Gruyère cheese made to perfection, Barramundi filet in a Riesling wine and creamy sauce, creamy curried pumpkin and potato mashes, venison veal wrapped in bacon served with shallots. A crème brulee to die for, Rum Baba with double cream and Glacé Cherry. A magnifique dining experience. |
| Things to Try: | Full French cuisine, extensive wine list. |
North African inspired, Informal, relaxed dining out and take away.
| Sampled: | Banquet meal with vegetarian rice balls… Jamaican pie and Akara black bean cakes, Delicious Aponche (spiced goat), Akkoko (North African Chicken), Abe Nkwan, a gently spiced lamb dish with cassava, accompanied by a great Fufu (vegetable stew). For dessert ‘Tartarlea’ (coconut, lime and honey) Just Not to be missed. |
| Things to Try: | “Tastes of Africa” Banquet, chocoholic platters. |