Good food is a way of life in the Tweed. We grow it, harvest it, prepare it and share it. Our plentiful farms reap fresh food all year around, found on menus in our awarded restaurants and at relaxed cafes.
From hinterland crops and pastures, we’re blessed with the freshest of fruits and vegetables, dairy milk and creamy cheeses, grass fed meats and free ranging chooks and chook eggs. From the sea and our myriad waterways are sourced salt and freshwater fish, mud and spanner crabs.
And it’s not just food we do well, it's also coffee, teas, beer, gin, rum and juices. Whether it’s calming, celebrating, cleansing or quenching, we’ve got your thirst needs covered too.
GOOD FLAVOURS START HERE
Fish and chips to fine seafood fare, vegan and vegetarian, bush tucker inspired experiences, global flavours and cheery pubs to chef hatted restaurants, there’s a taste of everything for everyone across the Tweed.
Baristas are making their mark too out of modest, hip bolt-holes and spaciously designed spaces are serving wholesome food bowls, turmeric lattes and sustainably caught fish dishes.
The region’s namesake is an ideal combination of fishing and river cruising, world-famous waves and an evolving café culture. Bordering Queensland, Tweed Heads is the boat access point from the sea to the Tweed River, and from here you can book a river cruise or surf lesson, hire a boat or take a SUP, kayak or canoe paddle. There’s a choice of shopping, from boutique to surf and clothing brands, or you can catch a film, grab a bite riverside or opt for fishing on the Tweed River.
Grown here is Madura Tea, Australia’s only sub-tropical tea plantation and harvested from 250,000 tea bushes. From cane sugar fields comes Australia’s only Agricole rum and the adored Ink Gin made in Tumbulgum by Husk Distillers. With its roots in Byron Bay and a brewing plant located in the Tweed, Stone & Wood beer is also made here, along with a range of other tasty local brews.
The Tweed regions fertile volcanic soil produces the most fresh, flavourful produce all year round. Attracting some of Australia’s finest chefs and most awarded restaurants who transform this locally grown produce into mouth-watering delights.
Next time you're staying at BIG4 Tweed Billabong, why not try out a local food gem or two.
TWEED HEADS
Baked At Ancora
- Parisian bakery meets riverside picnic spot, say hello to Baked at Ancora. Watch yachts bobbing in crystal clear water while you devour a fresh croissant or work off their famous Hawaiian bread French Toast by taking a swing in their Insta-worthy hanging chairs.
Hymn Cafe
- Hymn is where you take your out-of-town friends to show off the Tweed cafe scene. In our opinion, they have the best breakfast menu in town (try the Hawker Roll). Owners KC and Kelly have perfectly curated every detail of this inner suburb cafe from the beats to the brews and the brekkie.
The Bread Social
- Do not come here with that one friend who likes to share things because, trust us, you’ll want to keep all of the treats from this modern-day bakery to yourself. The Bread Social can lay claim to making Bay Street cool again and is the ideal post-surf pitstop to pick up a pork and fennel sausage roll or a poached pear and pistachio danish.
Gallura Italian
- Hands down the most exciting restaurant in Tweed Heads, Gallura Italian co-owners Maki and Mike have over 40 years combined restaurant experience and it totally shows with this Sardinian-inspired breath of fresh air to the Tweed Coast dining scene. A must-try is the Tweed king prawn lemon and butter risotto with candied lemon, enjoyed with stunning Italian wines and Sardinian beers you can’t get anywhere else…other than, well, Sardinia.
CHINDERAH
Cubby Bakehouse
- Some things are just better on a fresh baguette and Cubby Bakehouse has all of those things and more; the standout being its eggs benny with delicious house made hollandaise. Grab a table overlooking the Tweed River, or a takeaway to sit on the river bank.
CABARITA
Kartel Espresso
- It’s not unheard of that people will drive past five cafes to get to one that serves Allpress Coffee. Kartel Espresso is making a trip to the seaside town of Cabarita all the more worthwhile with their cute-as-a-button, hole-in-the-wall espresso bar, located just a sandy-footed walk from the beach.
Paper Daisy
- Inside the gorgeous boutique hotel Halcyon House and practically sitting on the coastal sand dunes, is Paper Daisy restaurant. Award-winning chef Jason Barratt has seen Paper Daisy win two chefs hats so far and with creations such as macaroni with king prawn, bush tomato and crab butter, we can easily see why.
MURWILLUMBAH
Keith’s Shop Of Really Really Really Good Things
- Really? Yes, really. Keith and his shop of really good things consists of all manner of delights, from cookbooks to preserves, pickled delights and sauces galore. Grab a coffee, smash a bacon and egg roll or settle in for a sneaky glass of natural wine—indeed all the really, really good things are here at Keith’s.
POTTSVILLE
Pipit
- A restaurant that truly celebrates local produce, Pipit has a modern seaside vibe that embraces local farmers and suppliers. We recommend pulling up a seat at the bar to take in the dynamic atmosphere of the open-plan kitchen and to watch head chef Ben Devlin in action. If you’re hunting for one of the best restaurants on the Tweed Coast, stop the search. Pipit is a contemporary Australian restaurant by award-winning chef Ben Devlin, located in Pottsville (30 minutes between Gold Coast and Byron Bay). It is a celebration of the coastal lifestyle, centered in wood-fired cooking techniques and the unique flavours of New South Wales’ Northern Rivers.
TERRANORA
The Inky Squid
- Sitting pretty in the refurbished Pavilions Market Place, The Inky Squid is a modern day take on the Australian classic fish and chip shop. The lemon pepper squid with crisp salty seaweed will have you finding excuses to drive out to Terranora.
CAROOL
Potager
- Potager is a rustic garden-to-table restaurant sitting in Carool on the edge of the Tweed Valley and is a scenic 25-minute drive from the Gold Coast Airport. Both grown onsite and locally sourced produce makes for a fresh and authentic Tweed Coast dining experience.
CASUARINA
Lolitas
- Inspired by flavours from home, Head Chef Armando Enriquez serves up the best local produce with fresh authentic flavours and exciting modern twists on classic Mexican cuisine. If you’re looking for the Coasts best cocktails, youve found them!
Tucker
- With the owners of Blackboard Coffee Roasters backing the cafe component of The Commons at Casuarina, you know you’re in for a treat. With relaxed yet attentive service in a sun-drenched and texture-filled setting, Tucker has your all-day weekend brunching nosh covered.
KINGSCLIFF
Taverna
- Long Greek lunches under breezy white umbrellas, Taverna is the best spot for a sneaky midday Aperol Spritz or a crispy slice of Byron Bay haloumi drizzled with bush honey and rosemary. Be sure to snap a photo in front of their adorable peppermint door and let those wafting Greek flavours draw you inside.
Kingscliff Farmers Market
- Open on Saturdays from 7am to 11am, at the Kingscliff Farmers Market you can purchase direct from the growers and creators that call this fertile farming region home. Our pick is the super fresh cheese made by Deb from Cheesus Loves You.
UKI
Mavis’s Kitchen
- Sitting in the footprint of Mount Warning, this stunning farmhouse restaurant boasts beautiful lush gardens where you can see fresh produce being grown, before making its way to your plate. Fully licenced and with plenty of spots from which to admire the surrounding countryside, stop at Mavis’s Kitchen to complete a magical day exploring the pristine landscapes of the Tweed Coast and hinterland. Mavis's Kitchen only use fresh and organic produce to serve simple, home cooked and unpretentious dishes in a beautiful environment. Much of what you’ll have for lunch or dinner comes from the vegetable and herb garden that meanders through the orchard on their property. The property is located at the foot of Wollumbin-Mount Warning in the lush Tweed Valley, just an hour’s drive from either Byron Bay or Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. In this tranquil retreat, you’ll feel worlds away.
CUDGEN
Farm & Co.
- If you’re searching for a sweet country drive from the Tweed Coast, we highly recommend Farm & Co. Not only does this working farm produce fresh organic produce, it also has a farm-to-plate cafe, Insta-famous sunflower fields and friendly farm animals to keep the kids entertained. Keep your eyes peeled for Schmokey, the resident farmhouse cat often found lazing on a hay bale.
Earth Brewery
- Earth Brewery is answering your thirsty ale prayers. With views to Mount Warning and frothy cold ones poured straight from the vat, you could easily make Earth your new local. Located five minutes’ drive west of Kingscliff and based on a working avocado farm, Earth Brewing takes its name from the volcanic soil of the fertile Tweed caldera.
MURWILLUMBAH
Tweed River House
- Enjoy fine dining in the magnificently restored century-old grand River House on banks of the Tweed River, with a sweeping view of Wollumbin/Mt Warning and hinterland ranges.
TUMBULGUM
- If you haven’t sampled Husk’s famous Ink Gin or Spiced Bam Bam rum then you’d best book yourself a distillery tour, pronto. Sitting amongst the sugar cane fields, Husk Distillery really is the best place to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon on the grass accompanied by one of their generous grazing boards complete with Ink Gin and tonic in hand. Set on 150acres on the banks of the Tweed River in Tumbulgum, enjoy views across the valley to Wollumbin and the border ranges. Visit the cellar door for a cocktail and lunch, purchase limited release products or join a distillery tour (bookings recommended). The behind-the-scenes distillery tour runs for 45 minutes and includes an Ink Gin and Tonic on arrival and a rum tasting flight in the barrel house. Learn the process of making Husk Rum and Ink Gin from paddock to bottle.
HUSK DISTILLERY
- Husk Distillery is the home of Ink Gin. Made from imported Thai butterfly pea flowers, Ink is Titian blue in the bottle but turns magically pink when mixed with tonic water. Husk, which opened its cafe is just one success story in the Tweed, the far north coast region that's fast becoming a firm favourite with food lovers.
