Byron Bay: The best places to eat and drink

Byron Bay, renowned for its turquoise waters, laid back vibe, gleaming sand and tropical climate. It is fast becoming famous for its amazing food, drinks and cafe culture. When researching Byron, one of the top things to do was eating and drinking so here is a guide to the best restaurants, cafes and bars in Byron Bay. The brunch scene is the strongest I’ve seen yet and rivals any city I’ve visited. It is paradise for any foodies and coffee lover alike with a plethora of cafes, restaurants and coffee shops lining the streets. The vegan and vego scene is pretty strong here too with many vegan and vegetarian restaurants, vegan menus in places and great vego and vegan options on all the menus.

Dinner:

Daughter in Law. A new Indian restaurant on the scene where St Elmo previously was, it might seem familiar to anyone who has been to it’s sister restaurant, Don”t Tell Aunty, in Surry Hills, Sydney. This authentic The theme is cocktails and curry, bright lights, vibrant colours and tasty food for sharing. It is set at a reasonable price point and the food is extremely tasty. They do a great tasting banquet for $55 per person and you get a bit of all the best dishes.

Opening times: 5pm- late 7 days. Price: $$

Light years. An absolute must try when in Byron. It is a retro fitted Vietnamese restaurant and cocktail bar with a 1950s Hanoi vibe, serving up the most delicious asian fusion food. The portions are decent and it would be middle of the road price wise. Two glasses of wine, two mains and a side of rice came to $85. The sitting is all outside with twinkling lights adding to the vibrant atmosphere. The bao buns are unmissable. They book up in advance so booking well in advance is essential. https://lightyearsasiandiner.com.au/

Opening times: 5- 11pm 7 days Price: $$

No bones a new vegan restaurent serving great food you wouldn’t even know is vegan, with a heavy focus on sustainability. Everything is made solely in house, reducing waste and packaging. No Bones is doing it’s bit for future generations by keeping everything biodegradable and environmentally conscious. The food is great and will be hard for meat eater to tell the difference between the beyond meat patty, plant based duck bao buns and calamari and the real deal.

https://www.nobonesbyronbay.com.au

Opening times: 5- 10pm 7 days Price: $$

Elixiba. A plant based restaurant with a very cool earthy and plant loving atmosphere. The menu is fantastic which so much choice and the staff are very friendly and helpful. The food is made from scratch and so unique. It is definitely one of my favourite vegan restaurants I’ve visited. The coco mari tacos and life by chocolate cake are a must try. The food is beautifully presented making it almost too good to eat. http://www.elixiba.com/

Opening hours: 12- 8pm daily except Fri and Sat: 12-9pm Price: $$

Beach Hotel. The Beach hotel is an institution in Byron and well known for it’s late night live music and busy bar just opposite the main beach. The food here is pretty good for pub grub with limited but tasty vegan and vego options. They have a breakfast menu and an all day dining menu with light snacks and shared bites to wood fired oven pizzas, pasta, steaks and burgers. The food is very reasonable and decent portion sizes and the drinks are cheap by Bryon standards too. It’s perfect for a casual bite to eat or somewhere to have dinner followed by drinks and a night out in the beer garden or bar. www.beachhotel.com.au

Opening times: 8am-late 7 days Price: $

Treehouse on Belongil. Located just opposite Belongil beach, a casual, laid back restaurant with great cocktails, share platters, wine and woodfire pizzas. They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and beach side coffee. The ambience is lovely here and they have live music on at the weekends making it a perfect spot for dinner and drinks or bite to eat after enjoying a day at the beach. https://www.treehouseonbelongil.com/

Opening times: 7.30-11pm 7 days Price: $

Bang Bang: A new late dining South East Asian spot which attracts diners in their droves. It has a great cocktail menu too as well as food menu to suit all types of eaters. The food is designed to share so you can taste more. They do great tasting banquet menus of some of their favourite dishes. They have a vegan/vego, pesecatarian and meat eating banquet tasting menu starting at $55 a head which is pretty great value. The place has a lovely outdoor dining area perfect for summer evenings in Byron. The interior is a blend of rustic industrial decor and has a buzz to it with resident DJs playing in the background. I was so impressed with the food and atmosphere, I have already booked to go back to test the bang-quet tasting menu. https://www.bangbangbyronbay.com/

Opening times: 4.30pm- late 7 days Price: $$$

The Cyprus Tree. Bang smack in the middle of the lively central hub of Byron is this lively Greek restaurant. The vibe is true to Byron Bay, laid back and chilled. They are a BYO restaurant offering alfresco dining serving traditional Greek sharing platters and plenty of veggie options. This place is great for groups and a filling feed. http://www.thecyprustree.com.au/

Opening times: 5:30- 10 pm 7 days Price: $

Lunch

Raes on Wategoes. Raes is an exclusive boutique hotel right on Wategoes Beach. It has a dining room and a cellar restaurant which is more casual and walk ins only. The dining room is a unique and authentic dining experience in a laid back yet elegant al fresco dining space. It is very much a treat and not somewhere we will head back to time and time due to the price but it is a fabulous experience and definitely worth stretch the budget for.

https://raes.com.au/diningroom/

Opening times: 12pm-12am 7 days a week Price: $$$

Manna Haven. This is my favourite place to eat and support in Byron because of the ethos of the restaurant and the staff are what really make it such a great dining experience. It is a non for profit organisation that exists to serve the local community. They are number one restaurant on tripadvisor in Byron and it’s not hard to see why. They open 11am-3pm and by 2pm pretty much all the good stuff is sold out. We rang ahead to see if they would still serve food just before 3 and we were told they were. The waitress was so nice and kept apologising for the lack of choice left. She felt so bad that she made us a delicious mango smoothie for free. Completely our fault we left it so late to get lunch! The cafe is vegetarian and serves mostly vegan options which are homemade daily onsite. They have a great range of fresh salads, hearty mains, mouth watering desserts and smoothies. Get there before 1pm to get the best stuff before it sell outs. It is so reasonable also for tasty, healthy, homemade food.

Opening times: 11am- 3pm Mon- Fri Price: $

Brunch

Bayleaf Cafe. One of Byron Bay’s most popular cafés, it is rare to pass this place without a queue outside for eager diners. It’s great for a robust and healthy breakfast or a pretty wholesome salad for lunch. The treats in the cabinet looked great too. They have plenty of vegan and veggie options and a long list of coffees and warm drinks to choose from. What I liked most about Bayleaf is their produce are all locally produced and sustainably and ethically sourced, from the seafood to the cured meats. One of the few places I’ve ever come across that has a Saturday 10% surcharge, paying $7.60 for a flat white put me off going there again. Although the food is delicious. https://www.bayleafbyronbay.com/

Opening times: 7am-2pm 7 days Price: $$

Dip Cafe. This authentic intimate French bistro/ cafe transports you to a Parisienne venue serving hands down the best eggs benny in Byron. They are full licenced day time restaurant serving up all things brunch and lunch specialising in the hollandaise collection. Meddy bene is an absolute must! https://www.dipcafe.com.au/

Opening times: 7am -3pm Wed-Sun Price: $$

Folk Cafe. This has got to be my favourite cafe in Byron. It is a cute plant based cafe that cares about healthy eating and the health of the environment. It has outdoor and indoor garden seating and a chilled out relaxed atmosphere. It is one of only places that doesn’t charge extra for plant based milk and the presentation of the food makes it nearly too good to eat! https://folkbyronbay.com/

Opening times: 7.30 am – 2.30 pm 7 days Price: $

Combi. Gorgeous pink cafe serving up organic, plant based food with plenty of raw and gluten free treats making it heaven for anyone with allergies or intolerances. Their vegan and gluten free baked goods (and raw) are to die for as are their sizable sandwiches and pancakes. They do acai bowls loaded with peanut butter and all the good stuff too. The coffee is excellent here too. Overall it’s just a very aesthetically pleasing cafe to sit in and it helps the food is great! https://wearecombi.com.au/

Opening times: 7am-3pm 7 days Price: $$

Top Shop. Apparently Chris Hemsworth’s local coffee joint, this small cafe is situated on the top of the hill heading towards Clarkes Beach with a grassy area for patrons to sit outside on. Take away or sit in, it does awesome sandwiches, coffee, acai bowls, smoothies and burgers. https://www.topshopbyronbay.com.au/

Opening times: 6.30am- 2.30 pm 7 days Price: $

General Store. Did you even go to Byron Bay if you didn’t go to the General Store? Established in 1947, it is one of the oldest and long standing buildings in the town which has brought people together since then. The menu is so good with so many amazing things to choose from, I had to go back twice within a 5 day period to try half of it out. The produce are locally sourced and organic and there is a heavy focus on plant based options, although they do have meat dishes on offer too. The smoothie bowls are arguably the best in town and the staff are so lovely. https://www.byrongeneralstore.com/

Opening times: 7am- 2 pm 7 days Price: $$

Goodies Juice Bar. Right in the middle of the main street doing take away acai bowls, smoothies and healthy treats such as protein bliss balls. Great place for an acai bowl or smoothie on the go, one of the few places open at 6am for breakfast before an early surf session. The take away cutlery is all biodegradable too.

Opening times: 6am- 5 pm 7 days Price: $

Three Blue Ducks- The Farm. Honest, real, nourishing food grown on site that tastes so fresh, you know it has come directly from the ground to your plate. The chefs here work closely with the ethical local growers and producers to delivery healthy, tasty dishes that reflect the goodness of the produced scoured. They have a lovely shop, garden house and cafe on site as well as the restaurant and the surround farm lands. Make a morning out of a visit here and wander around the orchards after eating and buy some local produce or baked goods to take home. They are now doing a two course Sunday roast with a drink on arrival for $45. https://thefarm.com.au/

Opening times: 7am- 4 pm Mon-Thu and 7am – 10pm Fri- Sun Price: $$

The Sunday Sustainable Bakery. Making some of the best cakes and sandwiches in Byron, the SSB is a must try. One look at the cabinet by the counter and your mouth will be watering. The SSB are passionate about making delicious food good our health and that of the planet. Organic, home made and locally produced with the seasons to reduce the number of miles the produce have to travel. This is one of the most reasonable places in Byron for breakfast/lunch. They do a great deal, $12 will get you a coffee and decent sized bacon and egg roll. https://www.sundaysustainablebakery.com/

Opening times: 6am- 5pm 7 days Price: $

Espresso Head.

Long established on the Byron Bay café scene and a popular destination for a caffeine fix and taste of fresh, organic fare. Great pancakes, good breakfast, lunch and coffee in the centre of Byron. https://www.espressoheadcafe.com

Opening hours: 6.30am- 2pm daily Price: $

Drinks

Balcony Bar: Metres back from legendary main beach, Balcony Bar & Oyster Co sits perched high above the hustle and bustle of Byron Bay’s busy streets – drop by anytime for a drink with friends and a few oysters or small plates. They serve lunch and dinner here too and do an incredible sunset happy hour: $13 cocktails, $6 house wines and spirits and $10 pints from 4- 6pm daily and a late night happy hour: $12 espresso martinis 9.30pm- close. They also have daily specials such as $1.50 oysters on a Wednesday and live music at the weekends.

The Loft: Busy cocktail bar just off the busy main street and meters from the beach, The Loft is great for food or some drinks with a laid back easy breeze beachside vibe. They do a great happy hour 4-6pm offer $6 schooners and house wines and 2 espresso martinis for $25 9pm- close daily. https://loftbyronbay.com.au/

Opening hours: 4-11pm daily Price: $

Mez Club: With it’s ceiling to floor doors that open up, white washed walls typical of the Greek Islands, lots of cushions and leather poufs evocative of Turkey and Moroccan dishes will transport you to the Mediterranean. Serving tasty Mediterranean tapas and pretty cocktails, the menu is designed for both nibbles with drinks and bigger meals. Happy hours runs 4-5 pm Mon- Fri.

https://www.mezclub.com.au/

Opening hours: 1-11 pm daily and until late on the weekends Price: $$

Supernatural: Byron Bay’s first wine bar, focusing on all natural vinos made with little to no chemical intervention. Located just behind Beach Hotel, it’s the perfect amount of intimate and chic without being too swanky. The menu is full of share plates made to accompany the extensive wine list perfectly. https://supernaturalbyronbay.com/

Opening hours: 4-10 pm Wed- Mon Price: $$

Outside of Byron

Doma. Located in Federal, 25 min drive from Byron, you will find Doma. A gorgeous authentic Japanese and modern Australian fusion restaurant/ cafe in Federal in a beautiful country wooden cottage that dates back over 100 years. They have two menus- a lunch and dinner menu with everything from sushi, salads, halloumi cheese burgers, sashimi and they have a great vegan dinner menu. Two of my favourite cuisines blended together creating a unique selection of dishes and delicious baked treats.

Opening hours: 12am-2:30pm,  5pm-7pm Wed- Sun. Price: $$

The Happy Dolphin Cafe. Casual cafe serving lunch and all day breakfast with healthy choices like soba salads to full fry ups and your brunch faithfuls like smashed avo and eggs benny. The lunch menu is more substantial with fish, burgers and pasta on offer. Tasty food, great coffee but if you think Byron is chilled, Brunswick Head is another level so don’t be in a hurry for your food!

Opening hours: 7am- 2pm daily Price: $

Suffolk Bakery: Let the queues lined up outside and the smell wafting down the road do the talking. This place is well renowned for its mouth watering baked goods, filled sandwiches, salads, pastries, fresh bread and pies. They do great coffee too. https://www.suffolkbakery.com/

Opening hours: 5.30 am- 5pm daily. Price: $$

Happy eating your way around Byron Bay and tag me in any of the photos you take of gorgeous food in Byron.

Sari