Eat + Drink
Neighbourhood hangout
Barrio (barriobyronbay.com.au) works whether you’re popping in for a brown-rice bowl with avo and seeds at brekkie, grabbing an empanada to go midmorning or lingering from lunch until late. Seating is plentiful – much of it outdoors – and the food is of the Mediterranean persuasion. Think leafy greens, flavourful roasted vegies and locally caught fish.
Destination dining
Harvest (harvestnewrybar.com. au) grew around a 118-year-old woodfired oven – and the village of Newrybar grew around Harvest. This sprawling deli-bakery draws crowds for coffee, smallgoods and baked treats, while at Harvest restaurant full-time forager Peter Hardwick procures native and under-utilised plants for chef Alastair Waddell. The result is a truly Australian cuisine that’s full of nutrient-dense local plants and sustainable meat and seafood.
Raw smoothies
By all means, eat at Combi (weare combi.com.au), where açaí bowls and vegan toasties populate the menu. But some of the most interesting options come in a jar, including superfood smoothies.
Natural-wine bar
Peter Windrim’s pet mission is to bring pét-nat wines into the mainstream. All the vino at his tiny, pumping Supernatural Cellars (supernaturalcellars.com.au) is sustainable; some is biodynamic; much of it’s organic. Regardless, he just wants people to taste it – that’s why Jumpin’ Juice Riesling from Warragul in Victoria is described as “Lime Splice in your wet swimmers on the lawn”. Who wouldn’t want a sip of that? A menu of Spanish-style small dishes devised by ex-El Bulli chef Sergio Perera is equally appealing.
Fine-diner
Over four short years, Fleet (fleet-restaurant.com.au) quietly garnered two hats, which put the Brunswick Heads restaurant on the must-eats map. With just 14 seats, every service is an intimate experience; it feels like having a meal at your mate’s house – if they had access to exquisite produce and an enviable localleaning wine cellar. Dinner is dégustation only and the dishes are tailored to your preferences. Book way ahead.
Virtually virtuous pizza
By day, it’s a coffee and brunch spot but at night The Roadhouse (roadhousebyronbay.com) shines. Woodfired, hand-stretched pizza is the main event – with nary a barbecue meatlovers in sight. The Break on Through combines a cauliflower purée base with vegan mozzarella, artichokes, olives, sauerkraut and basil oil.
Farmgate fare
A 32-hectare working farm just outside Byron serves as a home base for a collective of growers, restaurateurs, producers and educators. They share a common goal: to grow and raise produce in a traditional, sustainable way, with no chemicals, and serve it simply. The Farm (thefarm.com. au) is a genuine paddock-to-plate enterprise, where Highland cattle, heritage-breed pigs and some of the happiest chooks you’ll meet supply eggs, meat and dairy to its eateries and stores.
Morning hotspot
Line up with linen-clad locals at Folk café (folkbyronbay.com) for a latte – matcha, turmeric, maca – or if yoga was at sunrise, caffeine by Dukes Coffee Roasters.
Byron at Byron
A deep breath of clean rainforest air is an excellent way to begin a restorative escape. Take it a step further at Byron at Byron (hotel.qantas.com.au/thebyronatbyron) with shinrin yoku or “forest bathing”. This Japanese tradition is believed to rejuvenate and replenish, especially for those of us whose only connection to nature is watering pot plants. Here, it’s an exercise in mindfulness: wander the 18 hectares of subtropical rainforest, meditate then finish with a tea ceremony.
To use a local word that’s as common as modality, Byron at Byron is on a “journey”. The property, situated about 10 minutes from town in Suffolk Park, was once a pleasure garden complete with lotus-filled lakes and pedal boats. Now, the land has been returned to its natural state and the resort’s delights revolve around a luxurious spa, elegant infinity pool, daily yoga sessions and the lush green forest run through by Tallow Creek.