Everything to eat and drink in Byron Bay, starting with this brekkie burger

Byron has changed, they say, and in some ways it has. But some things are the same, too. This is Bundjalung Country, cared for by Arakwal Bumberlin people, and the connection of the locals to the sea and the hinterland endures, as does Byron’s countercultural spirit. Byron Farmers Market still runs on Thursdays, and as swish as some of the new cafes are, you’ll find herbs and elixirs alongside (or in) your cold brews and lattes, and the low-intervention drinking and dining is still de rigueur. Then there’s the industrial area north of town, where plucky operators are breaking new ground.

Our tip? Hole up in an Airbnb in or out of town, stock the pantry at the markets and at the best local bottle shops (Luna Wine Store here, Bottle & Hoop in Brunswick Heads), then between pastry runs, trips to the beach and drives into the hinterland, you can spend the rest of your time discovering the best of old and new Byron in its restaurants. Want to know where to start? Here’s what should be top of your list.

Happy Days

Make for Byron’s industrial area just north of the town centre, and Happy Days is one of a few plucky operators breaking new ground in and around its Arts and Industrial Estate. Plenty of it has to do with Wilma, the cafe’s prized sourdough starter, which is the driving force behind the spelt sourdough loaves and the menu of toast toppers. Build your own, or choose from the once-secret staff menu, where combinations such as avocado, local ham and sauerkraut or goat’s cheese with a boiled egg and chilli jam come preloaded. Sandwiches are a mainstay, Beam coffee is roasted next door (Reece and Stacey Cooper founded the coffee brand in 2020, and own Happy Days with another couple, Hamish Boller and Ebony Robins), and the space has just enough polish to make sitting in as appealing as takeaway. Happy Days? Bet on it.

17 Banksia Drive, Byron Bay, instagram.com/happydays_byronbay

Byron Bay Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant

You’ll find this bistro in the handsome Marvel Hotel on (you got it) Marvel street, a handful of blocks from Main Beach. Oysters are a big deal here – you can have them however you like, including straight up, Kilpatrick, with a miso butter or martini style (which comes with olive brine, guindillas and vermouth). There’s oyster happy hours, events in the leafy courtyard, like unlimited oysters with bottomless prosecco and live music, and a takeaway service so you can eat your freshly shucked beauties on the beach. There’s plenty of other things too, like house made tagliatelle with crab, an impressive seafood tower or rib-eye.

4 Marvell Street, Byron Bay; byronbayoysterbar.com.au

Bar Heather

Step into Bar Heather and it’s into Byron buzz, tempered by banquettes, pendant lights and miles of wood in a space that shakes up tried-and-true layouts for something more fun. The bar arches into the centre of the room; a couple can perch at a curve in the kitchen counter for an 11-course set menu. For the rest, there’s the hour-long snacks and drinks booking, or a booking proper. The latter lets you choose from Ollie Wong-Hee’s singular menu, which plays hits, just not as you know them. A curl of shallot-pancake-channelling fried bread served with spring-onion butter; cuttlefish thrumming with white pepper; rib-eye with house-made oyster sauce and Kampot pepper. Meanwhile, fleet-footed staff pour drinks from one of Byron’s best lists.

G9 Jonson Lane, 139 Jonson Street, Byron Bay, barheather.com

Beach Byron Bay

With views along Byron’s crescent-shaped bay and beyond, Beach sparkles as much as the champagne that almost feels like a prerequisite here. Equally essential are oysters, grilled crisp-skinned market fish (dry-aged in-house) and spaghetti with king prawns. An entree of raw yellowfin tuna from Coffs Harbour is almost as pretty as the view. It pops with blood orange and grapefruit, the whole thing encircled by buttermilk brightened with dill oil. The contrast of citrus and cream is a seaside delight. Get it all and a glass of Burgundy aligote and let the good times wash over you.

2 Massinger Street, Byron Bay, beachbyronbay.com.au

Raes Dining Room

This breezy dining room might boast postcard views of Wategos Beach, but it’s all eyes inside when the “cornetto” hits the table – a cracking brik pastry cone concealing cultured dashi cream and cured egg yolk under pops of smoked salmon roe. Chef Jason Saxby and Raes’ eternally hospitable team also command attention by drawing the best from Australian ingredients, such as an entree of “tuna, tuna, tuna” that’s all precision and detail, featuring perfect cubes of raw fish, tuna-bone soy, nashi compressed in vinegar and dashi emulsion. Equally appealing is the golden bug pithivier, stuffed with shellfish mousse. Gabby Fury’s wine list spotlights organic makers among international benchmarks, and while dessert is tempting, nothing beats a dip out front to finish.

6-8 Marine Parade, Byron Bay, raes.com.au

Moonlight

Moonlight, a fun hibachi grill and wine bar, shines bright in a Byron Bay backstreet. Squashy banquettes and soundproofing soften the rowdy hum, while the moody black-white palette reflects both sides of the moon. In the kitchen is Swedish chef Robbie Oijvall, who sources handmade, small-batch tamari and soy from Japan, along with sweet Hokkaido scallops. Served in the half-shell, these beauties are soused in “nippon butter”, a salty flavour bomb of rich kombu. There are two types of sashimi: vegan slow-roasted and tamari-marinated watermelon, or magnificent WA kingfish with ginger-yuzu vinaigrette and crunch from puffed rice. The fusion continues on the excellent drinks list, with cocktail ingredients including shisho syrup, yuzu and nashi; plus a stellar selection of sakes and Japanese whiskies.

Bay Ln, Byron Bay, moonlightbar.com.au

The Hut

Life feels easy at this welcoming restaurant, a former schoolhouse set in grassy grounds. Waiters drop charming anecdotes while settling diners at big tables, perfect for long-lunch debriefs or cocktails and croquettes as the sun goes down. Lobster paccheri is love in a bowl, the sauce a seafood bisque with garlicky bursts of flavour, tossed with blistered confit cherry tomatoes and fennel-zucchini puree. Scallops, meanwhile, are saucy in a cauliflower and saffron puree with a drizzle of ’nduja oil and crisped guanciale. Fish of the day might be butterflied and boned snapper with a hit of marjoram, capers and pine nuts, while wine gives equal attention to European and Australian drops, with plenty of minimal-intervention options in the mix.

471 Friday Hut Road, Possum Creek, thehutbyronbay.com.au

High Life

High Life feels like the perfect meeting of old and new Byron. There’s polish in the shelves stacked with boutique speakers, natural wines, and jars of artisanal gear ranging from magnesium-enriched salt to bottled pickles and olives. But then there’s purpose too, marked by the tagline on the menu: coffee, herbs, snake oils. That’s the reason your organic cold brew might come blended with MCT and lion’s mane mushroom, and why you’ll spy shots of organic ginger, turmeric and lemon coming off the pass. But then, apart from the sunny verandah, High Life’s biggest appeal is that it’s just a very good cafe: one where you’ve got the option to top sourdough, already slathered with grass-fed butter and piled with medicinal mushrooms, with a duck egg; pair it with a cup of bone broth, then come pick up an empanada off the counter for lunch.

Shop 5/103 Jonson Street, Byron Bay, instagram.com/highlifebyronbay

Masa

Still in Byron’s industrial area, and across from the circus school, Masa bakes handsome sourdough loaves too, but it’s the flavoured croissants (pistachio-lime, say, or pecan caramel) that steal the show, on display along the counter in front of the pastry chef, rolling and baking fresh batches nearby. Sandwiches fill the cabinet, doughnuts are on as specials, and the matcha is handled with as much skill as the coffees. Come for one pastry, leave with a whole box.

8/18 Centennial Circuit, Byron Bay, instagram.com/masabyronbay

Top Shop

This longtime Byron breakfast spot is in a 1950s weatherboard milk bar just up the hill from Clarkes Beach. There are plenty of healthy options, but also a choice cinnamon bun and dulce de leche alfajores, plus a brekkie burger loaded with house-made relish, a hash brown, egg and avocado. Top Shop (no relation to the fast fashion brand) is a warm and colourful place to prime you for the day. Just wait an hour before surfing after eating the Ballina prawn roll.

65 Carlyle Street, Byron Bay, topshopbyronbay.com.au

Luna Wine Store

The pretty bottle-o by the one-hatted Bar Heather crew is a decent place to stop by if you want something created by small, independent winemakers from Australia and abroad. It has a similar casual and informative vibe as the restaurant across the road, and helpful staff who can point you towards everything from a cult natural wine to a bottle of gin made in a small farm in nearby Tintenbar. There’s also ales and lovely gifts for sale, including Brian Hirst decanters. Check the Instagram for weekly tasting times.

Shop 2/140 Jonson Street, Byron Bay, lunawinestore.com

Three Blue Ducks at The Farm

Byron’s restaurant scene has changed in the decade or so since the Ducks set up their farmhouse eatery, yet for all the newcomers, this sprawling agrarian amusement park is still packing in locals and tourists aplenty. They’re here from sun-up, feasting on turmeric-tinged chicken to a soundtrack of roosters, pulling the meat from a jumble of roasted bug tails just a few clicks from the ocean, and shattering sheets of pork crackling over plates of porchetta cut with zucchini pickles while the kids run off to feed the pigs. Wines and beers trend as local as the ingredients, and an ice-cream stand, seedling stall and providore give the whole thing a sunny market feel. Can’t score a table? Pick up a hamper and feast on the grass.

The Farm, 11 Ewingsdale Road, Ewingsdale, threeblueducks.com