Gluten Free Byron Bay
Naked Treaties, Byron Bay
This raw vegan cafe has a cultish following. They offer a wide variety of delicious fresh superfood smoothies, cold pressed juices, raw desserts, cold pressed coffees, herbal teas and more. They are only open until 4pm every day and seem to be busy at every hour that the doors are open. They are so popular that they get away with charging a 10% surcharge on weekends!
Cardamom Pod, Byron Bay
We went to the Cardamom Pod Vegetarian cafe on the Gold Coast a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. The second location is in central Byron Bay. This cosy small restaurant with a very earthy feel is hidden in the back of an alley way off one of the main streets. Order at the counter and choose from a selection of hot Indian vegetarian dishes that are displayed in chafing dishes. We stopped into the cafe for a quick afternoon snack and ordered a plate of Dahl and chickpeas with a side of basmati rice.
Italian at the Pacific, Byron Bay
This Italian restaurant is situation right near the beach and has a really charming dining environment. The courtyard is lit up at night with fairy lights. Our service was very attentive and the food was tasty. The restaurant offers any pasta dish on the menu with a gluten free penne substitution. The gluten free Fettuccine con Melanzane was just as good with the penne sub (I tasted both). The pasta is tossed in a homemade tomato sauce with grilled aubergine, fresh mozzarella, basil and parmesan. It definitely hit the spot for our Italian food craving! Dessert was the highlight of the meal. The Cioccolato Torta is a warm Flourless chocolate cake with a soft inside, Nutella sable biscuit, salted toffee & homemade banana yoghurt ice cream. The mixture of the nuttella, banana, salted caramel and chocolate flavors was just incredible! I would almost just go back there for the cake!
Graze at Elements Hotel, Byron Bay
Our wedding anniversary falls on Valentine's day, so we usually get stuck eating dinner at a restaurant with an over-priced pre-fixed menu. Luckily, the restaurant at the newly opened Elements Hotel in Byron bay was offering their full menu for V-Day dinner, so we decided to give it a try. The service was dreadful, but the food was incredible! They were understaffed and underprepared for such a busy night as Valentine's Day. In fact, it took so long for the server to take our drinks order that we ended up going over to the bar-tender ourselves and designing our own cocktails. The bar-staff was very accommodating and enjoyed being challenged by Josh's discerning pallet! Everything that we ordered was sensational. My personal favorite was the Smoked Burrata served with tomato jam and really delicious gluten free bread. Josh's favorite dish (pictured above) was the gluten free truffled potato, goats cheese and onion flatbread. I have to say that I was very impressed with the quality of the gluten free flatbread, so much so that when they brought it out we thought they for sure brought us the normal version. Once I tasted it, I could detect a difference, but the presentation was so impressive.
The Three Blue Ducks on The Farm, Ewingsdale
The Farm at Ewingsdale is touted as an institution in Byron Bay and is on everyone's list of "must eats." I have been to the Three Blue Ducks in Bronte and was unimpressed by the limited breakfast menu there. The menu at The Farm is much more extensive and the coffee was the best I had during my time in Byron. The food is as fresh as can be, as it is literally "Farm to Table." We ordered a whole smorgasbord of dishes, since Josh wanted to try almost everything on the menu! Many of the menu items were naturally gluten free and marked as such. Inside the restaurant, there is also a market with beautiful products from local manufactures of chocolate, muesli, crackers and other specialty grocery items.
Quattro, Lennox Head
Lennox Head is another beach town about a 15 minute drive from Byron. Walk along the charming main street across from the beach and you won't miss Quatro restaurant from the big sign outdoor and the busy terrace dining spot. All of the pizzas are available gluten free and there is a whole menu of pizza varieties. We had already eaten lunch at Lime Cafe but Josh was too excited and made me promise to come back here for lunch before heading to the airport the next day. The gluten free Pizza Margherita (pictured above) was ACTUALLY the size of a regular pizza! Kuddos for that! This was one of the only times that Josh and I ordered pizzas (mine regular and his GF) and I didn't feel bad that mine was 2x the size of his. The restaurant buys their GF crust from a local bakery. It is very rare to find a restaurant that makes their own gluten free pizza dough these days. The gluten free pizza was very delicious- we especially enjoyed the sauce. We ordered some salads too, which were fresh and flavorful and filled with tasty herbs. The best part about eating lunch at Quattro is being able to look out on the beach just across the way the whole time.
Harvest Cafe , Newrybar NSW
Harvest Cafe is a quaint and expensive cafe in the tiny town of Newrybar. The restaurant looks like a cottage with outdoor seating on a charming deck that is surrounded by nature. In fact, we ate lunch with an iguana! The food was delicious and the fish was especially fresh. The most memorable part of my dining experience at Harvest cafe (aside from the iguana) was that this was my first time trying an LSD (stands for dandelion soy latte) and now I'm HOOKED! This drink is caffeine free but delivers the beautiful spicy tasting notes and warm sensation of drinking a chai latte. And best of all, it's filled with health benefits for those of us who suffer from tummy and digestive issues (celiac, IBS, etc)!