Top regional chefs reveal where they eat, drink and shop locally in Byron Bay, Hunter Valley and beyond

They’re in charge of some of Australia’s best kitchens, so who better to ask for local intel on where to eat, drink and stock up on provisions across New South Wales than our top regional chefs? From the best brewery in Bangalow to the coolest cafe on the Coffs Coast, here are the places to seek out in holiday hotspots according to those in the know.

Byron Bay and surrounds

Ally Waddell

Frida’s Field, Nashua

Glasgow-born and classically trained, Alastair “Ally” Waddell leads the hatted kitchen at Frida’s Field, showcasing Northern Rivers-grown vegetables and beef raised onsite at the restaurant’s regenerative farm.

Best coffee: The best coffee in the region is to be found in, of all places, the Ballina industrial area at Old Quarter. It’s just a minute or two’s drive from Ballina Byron Gateway airport – be sure to grab a cup on your way in or out. oldquartercoffee.com.au

Best wine bar: Bar Heather in Byron Bay is a beautiful space with an incredible wine list and amazing dishes from chef Ollie Wong-Hee. Start with a half martini before working your way through a selection of well-executed, delicious dishes, paired perfectly with top natural wines rarely seen by the glass. barheather.com

Best casual meal: I always have a great night at Ciao, Mate! in Bangalow. Be greeted by amazing staff, start with a couple of plates of anchovies with your negroni, then follow with fantastic pizza and pasta. Make sure to get a side of ranch dressing to dip your crusts in. Genius. ciaomate.com.au

Best food store: Kat Harvey Cheese at the M-Arts Precinct in Murwillumbah has an amazing selection of Australian and international cheeses. Kat will knock up the finest raclette and duck chorizo toastie while you pick out a few things to take home. katharveycheese.com

Best brewery: Some local lads are brewing great beer at Common People in Bangalow. Go for an ice-cold ale and stay for a slice of wood-fired pizza. commonpeoplebrewing.com.au

Best local secret: The recently established Livemore Deli in Lennox Head is filling the finest focaccia from Morelli Fresh (also based in Lennox Head) with such daily changing fillings as prosciutto cotto, gruyere, violette moutarde and cornichons, or mortadella, whipped ricotta and Lombardy peppers. Get in early before they sell out. livemoredeli.com.au

Best local pub: The Eltham Hotel is the quintessential country pub: Aussie tap beers, great pub dishes coming out of the kitchen and an incredible line-up of live music. Enjoy the chilled atmosphere and sunshine in the outdoor seating area. elthampub.com.au

Best farmers’ market: My favourite time of the week is collecting ingredients for Frida’s Field from the Byron Farmers’ Market, which is on every Thursday, 7am-11am. It is very special, as a chef, to have weekly face time with our growers and producers, chatting about what produce is coming up and catching up with other local chefs. Wonderful coffee and breakfast options, too. byronfarmersmarket.com.au

Best casual lunch: Majorcan-born Javi Mayrata, at Ambruna’h in Byron Bay, is a master of the Spanish tortilla. Four flavours are available as a slice or in a bocadillo (sandwich) with a salsa and maybe a side of perfect tomato gazpacho. Amazing. ambrunah.com.au

Wollongong and surrounds

Matt Taylor

Franco Pizza Bar, Thirroul

Beachside Thirroul welcomed chefs Matt Taylor (formerly of Monopole) and Jo Taylor-Watkins (ex-Glass) to town in 2021, with the opening of Franco Pizza Bar. The husband-and-wife team sling the Coal Coast’s best pepperoni slice and plenty of Italian-inspired snacks too.

Best coffee: Not only is Ain’t Nonnas in Wollongong a great Italian restaurant but it also opens as a cafe on weekdays and Saturday mornings serving ONA coffee. They offer a mug-size cup for those who enjoy an OG cup of coffee to get them going. aintnonnas.com.au

Best breakfast: When I do go out for breakfast I’m always attracted to the “big breakfast”, and the feast at Lower East in Wollongong is ace. They also offer it in a vego format. lowereastcafe.com.au

Best wine bar: A great wine bar is pretty much the one thing that’s really missing in Wollongong, but Restaurant Santino and Babyface Kitchen are a couple of restaurants that have more interesting wines on their lists. restaurantsantino.com.au; babyfacekitchen.com.au

Best casual meal: Jin’s Place in Corrimal is a tiny 10-seat restaurant that serves a mix of Korean and Japanese cuisine. When I’m too tired to cook, I turn to Jin for his yangnyeom Korean fried chicken. His japchae and other noodle dishes are the best in town. instagram.com/jins_place

Best cheap eat: The Pickled Poet in Thirroul is my go-to for a good deli sandwich. Whenever I find a place that makes a good sandwich, I’m so happy as it’s one of my favourite things to eat. pickledpoet.com

Best craft brewery: Principle Brewing at Fairy Meadow has such a great selection of craft beers. There’s always something new on tap to try and the venue has a great atmosphere. principlebrewing.com.au

Best local secret: The Black Cockatoo in Wollongong is hidden behind a cafe. Find it and be surprised by a fun grungy bar with ’80s records spinning all night. instagram.com/blackcockatoobar

Best for the family: Whenever family – who are mostly based interstate or overseas – visit, we always do the drive up to Bald Hill, which gives the best view of the area’s coastline, followed by a lunch stop at The Imperial at Clifton, where its dining room has views overlooking the ocean. The DIY guac is always a hit. theimperialclifton.com.au

Best casual lunch: Vietnamese restaurant An Chut Chut in Wollongong does a super authentic pho. You’ll be hard-pressed to find better. an-chut-chut.business.site

Best bakery: I first came across Millers’ Local Bakehouse in Bulli when a customer brought in one of their birthday cakes – it was so good! But croissants are what they do best, so you’ll always see a line at their shop or pop-ups. millerslocalbakehouse.com

Coffs Coast

Ric Divola

Bar Que Sera, Sawtell

Before Bee and Ric Divola returned to the region where they grew up, Ric was cooking at two-hatted Cutler & Co in Melbourne. The couple opened Bar Que Sera in 2020 for natural wines and seasonally inspired good times, and sibling venue Morty’s Joint more recently launched next door with fried chicken, free pool and plenty of craft beer.

Best coffee: Supply’s head roaster, Todd McCarthy, is one of the country’s most experienced and qualified roasters. Great coffee in a relaxed Coffs Harbour setting with amazing service to match. supplycoffee.co

Best breakfast: You’ll find a short and simple menu executed really well at The Hilltop Store in Sawtell. Nothing beats their burnt butter hollandaise – add it to everything! thehilltopstore.com.au

Best wine bar: I’m loving the new bar addition at The Mermaid Beach House in Coffs Harbour. There’s an extensive wine-by-the-glass list with a focus on Italian varieties. Head in for a vino and snack at the bar, or move over to the deck for the full dining experience. themermaid.com.au

Best casual meal: Perfect Pizza serves takeaway-only Australian-style pizza hidden down a laneway in Bellingen. Outstanding dough stretched to order with all the classic toppings plus fun originals using quality ingredients. The cheeseburger pizza is a must-try. perfectpizzas.com.au

Best food store: New Life Farm in Sapphire Beach is a regenerative farm with organic practices selling produce through its online store. It’s hands down the best produce you can get in the region. newlifefarm.com.au

Best farmers’ market: Every Wednesday afternoon under the trees in Bellingen’s Church Street, you’ll find a variety of niche producers selling hyper-seasonal fruits, vegetables, chicken, beef and smallgoods at the Bellingen Farmers’ and Producers’ Market.

Best bottle shop: There’s an incredible selection of craft beer, wine and spirits at Libertine Liquor in Bellingen. Good tap selection, too, which can be taken away in growlers. instagram.com/libertineliquor

Best local pub: The Pub with No Beer in Taylors Arm is the best pub in the country – fact! They do a great schnitty and other pub staples. Our favourite time to go is Sunday afternoon, when there’s live music in the natural amphitheatre. There’s accommodation on-site or free camping over the road if you want to make a day out of it. pubwithnobeer.com.au

Best bakery: Find outstanding pastries in a quaint country town at Peaches Patisserie. Worth the drive up the mountain. 53 Hickory Street, Dorrigo

Hunter Valley

Troy Rhoades-Brown

Muse Restaurant, Pokolbin

Two-hatted Muse, a bellwether of fine dining in Newcastle and the Hunter, has been led for the past 10 years by Troy Rhoades-Brown, a chef and restaurateur with endless passion for the region’s produce.

Best coffee: Mr O Wholefoods in Cessnock serves consistently great coffee with friendly trading hours. mrowholefoods.com

Best breakfast: Head to Cafe Enzo in Pokolbin for genuine smiles, good service and breakfast in a top location. Dine inside by the fire in the colder months and book your table outside in the courtyard in the shoulder seasons. enzohuntervalley.com.au/cafe

Best wine bar: The Wine House Hunter Valley in Pokolbin isn’t exactly a wine bar but if your time in the Hunter Valley is limited and you want to taste a selection of wines and stock up for home, this is the place. A collection of quality independent, family-owned winemakers is here in one place with more than 40 wines available for tasting. winehousehuntervalley.com.au

Best casual meal: Some of the Hunter Valley’s next-gen restaurateurs, Tom and Eliza Boyd, have found their feet at the relatively new Jimmy Joans at Lovedale. It’s casual, share-friendly food with no shortcuts on quality. Grab a rug and park on the grass under a tree if the weather’s nice. Small tidy wine list, good beers on tap. Kid- and dog-friendly, the place is humming at weekends. jimmyjoans.com.au

Best food store: We are so lucky to have Hungerford Meat Co in the beautiful old township of Branxton. You’ll find all the regular butcher shop family favourites or you can level up to a special-occasion barbecue as deep as your wallet goes. They support local farms, promote whole-animal butchery and run an artisan charcuterie, smokehouse and dry-ageing program that challenges any regional butcher shop in Australia. hungerfordmeatco.com.au

Best cellar door: There are so many amazing wineries to tick off in the region, but the new country-luxe Mount Pleasant Cellar Door in Pokolbin should be near the top of the list. mountpleasantwines.com.au/visit

Best bakery: At Fawk Foods in Pokolbin, grab a coffee, an egg and bacon roll and a canele for the road, along with a loaf of sourdough and some loaded crumpets for the kitchen bench. fawkfoods.com

Best local pub: The Royal Federal Hotel in Branxton is a well-run country pub – downstairs offers a stool at the bar for a beer and yarn, TAB, pool table and wood-fired pizzas, while upstairs is a classic Australian pub bistro with the addition of Texas barbecue. royalfederal.com.au

Best farmers’ market: The Newcastle City Farmers’ Market, held every Sunday, is the best for sampling produce from the greater Hunter region. newcastlecityfarmersmarket.com.au

Best local secret: The dry-aged cheeseburgers from Burgers by HMC in Branxton are great, but I am super-keen to visit the new Cafe Marjorie at the Laguna Trading Post on the Great North Road. It’s a quaint little roadside bush restaurant that’s had a gentle facelift, and Joel Humphreys [ex-Rockpool, Bistro Moncur, St. John in London] is now in the kitchen. Win-win. instagram.com/burgersbyhmc; tradingpostlaguna.com/cafe-marjorie

Sapphire Coast

Huw Jones

Banksia, Pambula

Huw Jones and his wife Renee are longtime members of the Oyster Coast community. They ran Merimbula’s hatted Zanzibar Cafe for five years, and bought Pambula’s heritage-listed Old Bank building in 2018 to open their dream restaurant, the charming Banksia.

Best coffee: Wild Rye’s roastery in Pambula makes great espresso as well as a variety of single-origin pourovers. You can also grab a fresh croissant or pastry from their bakery. wildryes.com.au

Best breakfast: We enjoy walking through the Panboola Wetlands on our way out to Oaklands Barn in Pambula. The cafe there does a great breakfast, but there’s also a brewery, a chocolatier and a children’s animal barn. oaklandsbarn.com

Best wine bar: Sunny’s Kiosk, overlooking the Merimbula Lake, does awesome snacks at sunset and has a great wine list. sunnyskiosk.com.au

Best casual meal: Bar Monti in Merimbula has a great buzzy atmosphere. With two young kids, we head in early for antipasti, quality pizza and house-made pasta. barmonti.com

Best food store: We’re super lucky to have Pambula Wholefoods right next door to the restaurant. They have a great range of fresh spices, local honeys, organic flours, every imaginable grain, seed and nut, as well as organic fruit and vegetables. 24A Quondola Street, Pambula

Best distillery: We love the Oyster Shell Gin from North of Eden at Stony Creek. The distillery door is open at weekends – it’s pretty tiny, so book in for a tasting of the full range. northofeden.com.au

Best farmers’ market: Candelo Market is held on the first Sunday of the month, and it’s always an interesting mix of stalls, with local produce, old wares etc. The Candelo General Store does great coffee and brekkie while you’re in town. candelomarkets.com

Best bottle shop: It’s a hard choice. Sapphire Cellars in Merimbula and Super Cellars in Pambula both have a great range of local products and a terrific selection of everything else. instagram.com/sapphirecellars; supercellars.com.au

Best farm gate: We are spoilt for choice for oysters! Broadwater Oysters and Wheelers in Pambula are great to visit. broadwateroysters.com.au; wheelersoysters.com.au

Best casual lunch: The Oyster Barn is perched right on the lake at Millingandi and serves a variety of their own oysters as well as crays, prawns and scallops. Best of all, it’s BYO. instagram.com/the_oyster_barn