Good Food Guide 2023: Meet the NSW Regional Restaurant of the Year finalists

A recent flurry of restaurant and bar openings has made the Northern Rivers officially the most foodie region in NSW, according to the editor of The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2023, Callan Boys.

The region, rich in excellent produce and creative spirit, has pushed through the pandemic lockdown and devastating natural disasters to become one of the most exciting dining destinations in Australia, says Boys.

The forthcoming issue of the Guide, out on November 22, will feature 20 of the best restaurants from the Northern Rivers, which covers the stretch of coast from Ballina in the south to Cabarita Beach in the north, and inland to Murwillumbah. In contrast, the 2013 edition featured seven venues from the region.

"These days, the Northern Rivers is a foodie mecca with an endless choice of different styles, cuisines and price points to choose from," says Ben Kirkwood, who co-owns Beach Byron Bay with wife Belinda.

"These choices aren't limited to Byron any more. Now Bangalow, Lennox Heads, Brunswick Heads, Ballina and the Tweed Coast are all home to some fantastic dining destinations.

"Those in the know are now venturing out a little further."

Since June, Roco Ramen has opened in the tiny Brunswick Heads space that once housed hatted restaurant Fleet; the team behind Luna Wine Store has opened Bar Heather, a natural wine bar and Parisian-inspired restaurant in Byron Bay; chef Matt Stone has teamed up with Matt Rabbidge and Luke Sullivan of Eltham Hotel to create "the jewel of Bangalow", restaurant You Beauty; and the Light Years group has swung open the doors to Moonlight, an intimate venue with a hibachi grill and wine bar in Byron Bay.

Ewen Crawford, co-owner of Murwillumbah restaurant Bistro Livi, says: "There's a real buzz around the Northern Rivers at the moment; there are a lot of new things popping up."

Crawford, like Stone, is a "blow-in": one of about 43,000 Australians who moved to regional areas in 2020, the first year of the pandemic.

For Crawford, the Northern Rivers offered a financially viable alternative to Melbourne, a place where he could set up shop in a historic art deco building with co-owners Nikky and Danni Wilson.

The quality of local produce is another major drawcard, particularly for Ben Devlin and Yen Trinh of hatted Pottsville restaurant Pipit. Devlin grew up in Byron Bay before leaving to hone his fine dining credentials at Noma (Copenhagen) and Urbane (Brisbane).

When the chef returned in 2015, he found himself drawn to "the climate, the lifestyle, and the like-minded people".

"We have a unique microclimate here owing to the mountain range, the caldera rim formed by the volcanic eruption at Wollumbin [Mount Warning] that helps to trap in a pretty good subtropical climate, with regular rainfall and warm, rich, volcanic soil," Devlin says, noting how the distinct beginning and end of each season creates eight harvest seasons.

Businesses such as Tropical Fruit World, Boon Luck Organics and Living Agricology offer food enthusiasts the opportunity to source hard-to-find produce, such as babaco (champagne fruit) and casimoroa (Aztec peach).

"There are lots of weird and wonderful things that just don't exist everywhere," Trinh says.

"But it's also the people. The culture of the Northern Rivers attracts people who are creative and entrepreneurial, with an interest in permaculture.

"There are so many opportunities for people here."

The growth looks set to continue with the expansion of Light Years flagship restaurant in Byron, the region's inaugural two-day food and culture festival Casper kicking off this month, and hospitality supergroup Merivale's first foray into the scene with its $13 million takeover of Cheeky Monkey's, slated to reopen some time next year.

Regional Restaurant of the Year finalists

Bistro Livi, Murwillumbah

The Northern Rivers' best new restaurant is a place engineered with locals in mind. The kind of spot you can pop into for a solo martini, nice anchovies and chargrilled quail, plump and juicy in a sweet-sour sauce of pomegranate molasses, raisins and pine nuts. However, it is still best to book as a group and order as much of the Spanish-influenced menu as possible.

Corner of Brisbane Street and Proudfoots Lane, Murwillumbah; bistrolivi.com

Pipit, Pottsville

Life moves slowly in Pottsville, just like the gently bubbling ferments and ageing concoctions that take up every available space in the open kitchen of this handsome restaurant. Chef Ben Devlin manipulates local ingredients into the best versions of themselves. The wine list is all Australian, staff are all smiles and locals are loving the new "bistro Mondays", when the usual tasting menu is switched to a la carte.

Shop 4/8 Coronation Avenue, Pottsville; pipitrestaurant.com

Beach Byron Bay, Byron Bay

They don't come much closer to the beach than this, a whitewashed weatherboard kiosk and restaurant surrounded by patches of bushland on both sides and the ocean in front. Not a bad spot to splash out on Pouilly-Fuisse from a cracking wine list; an even better place to fold tropical painted crayfish into a crepe and drizzle it with lemon butter sauce. Alanna Sapwell leads the kitchen and sends out smart, produce-championing dishes.

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

Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin

Pokolbin has no shortage of spots to let loose with oysters and champagne during the day, but big-ticket dinners are harder to find. Thank heavens for Muse, then, where owner-chef Troy Rhoades-Brown has been lifting the level of Hunter dining since 2009, and training a crack kitchen and floor team that are among the state's best. Local produce is king, and a superb wine service completes the package.

2450 Broke Road, Pokolbin; musedining.com.au

Small Town Food + Wine, Milton

Alex Delly and Jo Thomas marked 10 years on the South Coast in 2021, and what started with farmhouse restaurant St Isidore now continues in this pint-sized establishment. The husband-and-wife team have quietly built Small Town into the most exciting restaurant in the region, and Delly works with local goods where he can. Floor staff, meanwhile, balance easy charm with big-city credentials, then back it up with rare and interesting wines.

4/41 Wason Street, Milton; smalltownmilton.com.au

The Good Food Guide 2023 magazine is on sale from November 22 for $9.95 at newsagents and supermarkets or pre-order from thestore.com.au.