Chihuahua Taqueria

Chihuahua Taqueria is a casual Mexican kitchen and cocktail bar at 8 Byron Street, a couple of blocks off the beach end of town, and it is one of the genuinely dog-friendly dinner options in Byron. The outdoor seating includes a courtyard set up for dogs, which makes it a natural end point after a beach or headland walk with your dog on the lead.

The dog setup

Well-behaved dogs are welcome in the outdoor seating areas, including the Byron Street courtyard, and staff are good with dogs; water bowls are usually around but carry your own as a backup. Dogs stay on-lead and settled near the table. The venue gets busy, so phone ahead for an outdoor table with room for a dog rather than chancing it on a summer evening, when the courtyard fills fast.

The food

Tacos are the point here, built on fresh corn tortillas made by a local Mexican family, with free-range, hormone-free meat from local farms and locally caught fish. The fish and calamari tacos, slow-roasted brisket quesadillas and jalapeno poppers are the regular picks, with grilled corn and Mexico City fries alongside. The bar leans tequila and mezcal, with margaritas and a daily happy hour from 4:30pm. Doors open 11am daily, running to 8:30pm most nights and 9pm Friday and Saturday.

Getting there and parking

Byron Street sits between the main strip and the foreshore. Street parking on Byron Street itself is hotly contested; the Jonson Lane parking station is about a five-minute walk, which is usually the easier bet on weekends.

Close by with the dogs

Note that Main Beach next to Apex Park is off limits to dogs in Byron, so for the pre-dinner run head to the Belongil Beach South dog exercise area, the council's 24-hour off-leash zone a short drive north-west, or Tallow Beach at Suffolk Park if you are coming from the south. After dinner, Miss Margarita and Bang Bang are the other big Mexican rooms in town, and Folk Byron Bay covers the morning coffee with outdoor tables.

Worth knowing: the courtyard is the pick over any tight footpath spot, and a dog that has already had its beach run settles far better in the evening crowd.