Where to Eat and Drink in Byron Bay

Byron Bay is a bustling beach town with a boho vibe. There are lots of places to shop and even more options for food. Here are the best places to eat and drink, with some things to do & where to stay in Byron Bay!

Let’s start with coffee and breakfast. Sparrow is a local favorite and is a hole in the wall cafe next to an Aldi Supermarket on Byron St. They use AllPress Espresso which is actually a Kiwi company, but were quick and in the center of town.

Combi is on the corner of Fletcher St & Byron St and is a raw kitchen with lots of vegan options. Known for their brunch and smoothies, the interior is Insta-worthy with its bright pink and pastels colors. This is more of a dine in option than grab and go.

Another breakfast option is The Rocks @ Aquarius. A few blocks back from the beach, this cafe is always packed so good luck finding a table if you have a large party. They offer daily specials and have big plates.

Slept in? Time for lunch? Head over to The Balcony (Bar & Oyster Co) on Wednesday’s for happy hour (5-6pm) of $1.50 oysters. The oysters are very small compared to what we get in NZ but still worth booking a table if you love them. I loved people watching from the balcony while staying out of the sun and getting a nice breeze.

The Tree House, off of Belongil Beach, is another great lunch spot. Their specialty is pizza and they often have live music. I enjoyed the atmosphere in terms of the couches, pillows and sitting mats; very hippie.

Down the street from the main Byron Bay beach and across from the Balcony is Loft Byron Bay. Take advantage of their balcony as well, as you can actually see the water and beach from here compared to the Balcony.

Dinner offers even more options! Beach Byron Bay had an amazing view of the water and is great for sunset even though it faces East. We had a lunch deal that was a starter, main and drink for $30.

Continue East to you find Raes. This hotel, Raes on Wategos, offers a cellar bar and dinning room. We stopped here for drinks before dinner and loved having a view of the water. Nothing beats a cool drink, salty air and the sound of crashing waves.

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Looking for tapas? Look no further than St Elmos. Known for its Spanish style plates, dishes come out as they are ready. The menu was basically in Spanish so I asked lots of questions. There were not too many veggie options but I would say it was one of the best places we ate at in Byron Bay.

I recommend making a booking at the busy Bang Bang. This Asian fusion spot was worth the late reservation. The food was delicious and the service was great too. It was quite dark during our entire meal, even with candles on every table; I guess it set the ambiance.

Time for nightlife! Locura was our first bar and only club stop in Byron Bay. Upstairs they have a nice patio stairs for smokers, and inside a cool rectangular room with lights and a live DJ. We listened to some jams while sipping local beer as we arrived too early for the dance party.

Gotta love the name of this Gin & Whisky bar: The Bolt Hole. This bar seemed a little out of place as it had a hunting house feel. The front door is a vintage church door and inside there are references to steam boats & nautical escapades. Either way, we were one of the only people in there and grabbed a seat by the window. Great views with lots of choices on drinks!

Get your brewery fix at Stone & Wood. Offering tours and tastings, this brewery had my favorite flavors on our entire trip. We even bought a growler and came back to fill it twice before leaving the area!

A short walk from downtown, on the border of Skinner Shoot, is the iconic Byron Bay Brewery. Mark and I each had a taster and headed to the courtyard where they were having an open mic night. The brewery was very large and could accommodate multiple large parties at once. Between the 2 of us we tried every beer and were excited to know they would be pouring drinks at the Byron Bay BluesFest.

Our Airbnb was actually in Skinners Shoot. We got lucky in finding something close to town, yet tranquil and relaxing. Our room consisted of a side toilet, deck with hammock and large room with a king bed. In the middle area was a shared kitchen, showers and bon fire. All of this looked onto a farm with rescued cows near 2 lakes.

The owners let us feed a baby cow who was born premature and needed to be assisted until its mother welcomed it back. Mark went SUPing while I read, watching him from another hammock.

One activity I would suggest to walk off all the great food you are eating in Byron Bay is the Cape Byron Walking Track. This takes you up to the Lighthouse and the Eastern Most Point on mainland Australia! (This is closest to Raes if you need a drink afterward).

Byron Bay is for foodies. It had a great vibe, plenty of nice boutiques, beaches and breweries. I would add it to your list of places to visit in Oz, along with the surrounding Byron Shire, as I will be returning to eat more and chill harder 🙂
P.S. Special thanks to Carren Walker-Raos who gave me a great list of places to start my food journey in Byron Bay!

Tip: New to Airbnb? Use my link and get $50NZD off your first booking, plus $15NZD off of an Airbnb experience worth $66NZD or more!