North Coast Restaurants
We’ve compiled the best of the best in North Coast - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
We’ve compiled the best of the best in North Coast - browse our top choices for Restaurants during your stay.
Dining at Arajilla Retreat at least once during a stay on Lord Howe Island is a must. The cuisine, which changes daily, uses fish straight from the ocean and lovely homegrown vegetables. Begin with a drink at the cozy bar, decked out just a little like a gentlemen's club with leather armchairs, and then take a seat at the restaurant with its white walls and one dramatic burgundy-color feature wall. The three-course menu changes weekly, based on what is fresh and in season. Desserts are irresistible and may include black sticky rice with lychee sorbet, toasted coconut, and kaffir lime. In-house guests take precedent over those not staying at the resort, so bookings are essential.
This is a fine place to socialize with the locals and tourists and enjoy some honest, unpretentious food. The on-site Sunset Bar & Grill is open for dinner on Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, and the menu includes a variety of roasts (such as roast chicken or lamb), steak with garlic butter, schnitzel, fish, and salads, plus pizza on Sunday nights. Friday night is the "big night out" on the island, when almost everyone turns up for the sunset barbecue—try the barbecue kingfish and grab an ice-cold beer. Desserts include what appears to be the island staple—sticky-date pudding—and ice cream. It's best to come early to take in the view over the golf links and the lagoon beyond.
A Byron Bay legend, this open-air café is a perfect place to sit in the morning sun and watch the waves. Breakfast runs the gamut from wholesome (award-winning locally produced Brookfarm Macadamia muesli with yogurt and banana) to hearty (corned-beef hash, sautéed spinach, fried egg with béarnaise sauce). For lunch, there's everything from local seafood to the region's finest steak. The café is open for cocktails. It also has an attached takeout section for those who want to have light meals on the run.
Perched right on Newcastle Beach, Estabar is known for its great coffee, organic foods, superb Spanish hot chocolate drinks, and wonderful gelato. Open all day from breakfast until sundown, it's a small space with little tables and a short menu, but it draws a big local following. Breakfast favorites are the porridge with poached fruits and brown sugar on the side, and the homemade baked beans; lunchtime salads include lentil, walnut, and feta. The views over Newcastle Beach, the closest one to the downtown area, are also delectable at any time and if you are lucky, you may see whales offshore in winter months.
This friendly vibrant café is found just outside of Byron and is a firm favorite with locals. It's surrounded by a beautiful garden and native trees with plenty of birds. The focus here is on serving ethical coffee and only local produce. The menu is 100% vegetarian and vegan but even if you're a meat eater you won't feel like you're missing out. Each dish is created with care and packed with flavor. Open every day from 7:30 am.
Opened on the site of the Merewether Beach's original surfhouse (a lifeguard station), this stunning three-story venue has fantastic ocean views from all three of its eateries. The ground floor café, pizza, and gelato bar are steps from the beach, while the top-level restaurant has expansive panoramas and is open for lunch and dinner. You might begin with the local Port Stephens oysters with shallot vinegar before moving on to a seafood main. The dessert list is extensive and the wine list features wines from the Hunter Valley. The café is open for all-day breakfast and lunch daily, offering burgers and salads.
This waterfront restaurant with views of Coffs Creek (which is spotlighted at night—look for stingrays swimming by) is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and leaves no culinary stone unturned in its search for novel flavors. The menu in the open-air dining room includes lunch dishes like prawn and scallop red curry. If you want a table on the deck in summer, book ahead. Service is friendly and attentive.
With views of moored yachts and tropical gardens, there’s a real vacation vibe to this eatery. There are espresso coffees available at breakfast and espresso martinis at night, with live bands playing on the weekend as rowdy tables pop champagne bottles. The menu is heavy on seafood with the seared squid salad as a superior starter. For main, the fish of the day is always a winner. Or for meat lovers, the glazed pork belly with fennel and cabbage slaw is delicious. There are also classic Aussie desserts, like pavlova with fresh fruits, but really, this is the place to enjoy a few cocktails into the night instead.
This stylish, contemporary café packs in the crowds, thanks to its fabulously tasty meals, though you may need to exercise a little patience, as service can be a bit slow at times. Try the Corner Breakfast (A$24), which has everything from eggs the way you like them to ham hock--braised beans. Return for lunch or dinner and enjoy wagyu beef steak or ricotta gnocchi. As the name suggests, it sits on a corner and is part of the Macquarie Waters Hotel & Apartments complex.
Found at The Farm, a working property near the main entry point into Byron Bay, Three Blue Ducks is the sister restaurant to the hugely successful Sydney eatery of the same name. This is the perfect spot for breakfast or lunch, with the coffee counter always heaving. The farm-to-table movement is in full flow within this barn-style restaurant, with everything on the menu grown or butchered on-site. And nothing goes to waste here, with the chefs creating innovative dishes that ensure all parts of plant and animal are used. The chicken liver parfait is a must try and their take on a simple beef burger is really a culinary delight. It's probably best to weave through the farm after feasting, just so you feel a little less guilty about eating the many cows', pigs', and chickens' friends.
Named by locals as the best brunch in Newcastle, this iconic café has been in action for over 20 years and is still as popular today. The menu is extensive, with everything from loaded cookies to savory beef mince on toast with poached eggs. Best known for its unique smoothies, with 20 different varieties. Open every day from 7:30 am.
Please try a broader search, or expore these popular suggestions:
There are no results for {{ strDestName}} Restaurants in the searched map area with the above filters. Please try a different area on the map, or broaden your search with these popular suggestions: