Fishheads Restaurant & Takeaway Byron Bay

Fishheads sits right on Main Beach beside the Byron Bay Surf Club, and that position makes it one of the easiest dog stops in town: you can walk straight off the sand to an open-air table with the ocean in front of you. It is a casual, licensed seafood spot doing fish and chips, platters and oysters, open from 7:30am to 10pm every day.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the open-air seating that runs along the beachfront boardwalk and footpath, on lead and settled at your feet. Indoors is off-limits, as with any food-serving venue in NSW. Staff will sometimes bring a water bowl, but pack your own to be safe. Keep your dog clear of the boardwalk traffic, which gets heavy through the middle of the day; a table on the edge nearest the sand gives you both more room.

Worth knowing

The draw is the beachfront position as much as the menu: battered flathead, seafood chowder, seafood platters, salt and pepper squid and oyster shots, with a daily happy hour in the late afternoon. The tables are uncovered, so shade is whatever the umbrellas and your hat provide, and they fill fast in summer. Arrive early for lunch or aim for happy hour, when tables are easiest to land and the beach walk is at its best.

Getting there and parking

Fishheads is at 1 Jonson Street, at the bottom of the town centre. Free street parking on Jonson and Lawson Streets goes quickly, and the paid lots near the Surf Club get expensive in peak season. If you are staying centrally, walking in with the dog is far less hassle than driving.

Max: a lap of Main Beach, a boardwalk table, and the smell of battered flathead doing the ordering for me.

Close by with the dogs

Main Beach is directly out front for an on-lead walk and the boardwalk runs north toward Clarkes Beach. Apex Park, the grassy reserve next door, is handy for a quick leg-stretch before or after eating. Other dog-friendly tables in town include The Roadhouse on Bangalow Road with its courtyard dining, Chihuahua Taqueria on the main strip, and The Hum for a morning coffee stop.