Light Years - Byron Bay

Light Years is the busy contemporary Asian bar and diner in the Jonson Lane precinct at 139 Jonson Street, doing share plates, tropical cocktails and a long wine list from midday until late, seven days a week. It is one of Byron Bay's busier dinner rooms, and dogs are welcome at the outdoor tables, so a dinner here with your dog comes down to booking the right seating.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the alfresco and outside seating areas, on lead at all times; the main dining room is for service animals only. When you book, leave a note that you are bringing a dog so the team seats you in the outdoor section. The deck fills fast on weekend evenings, so an early sitting is the calmer choice. This is a proper sit-down dinner rather than a quick stop, so it suits a dog that will settle under a table for the length of a meal. Bringing your own water bowl is worth it on busy nights.

Pepsi: Kingfish ceviche, a plate of pork bao and a dog asleep at my feet on the deck. Tell them about the dog when you book or you will be eating inside without her.

The food

The menu is built around modern Asian share plates, with the kingfish ceviche, prawn and scallop dumplings, pork and chicken bao buns, miso corn, firecracker chicken and beef cheek rendang among the regulars, plus a solid run of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. Bookings are strongly recommended for dinner and weekends, though walk-ins occasionally get a spot at the terrazzo bar. Hours run 12pm to late, every day.

Getting there and parking

The address is 139 Jonson Street, a flat central walk from most of town and the beach. There is undercover parking within the Jonson Lane precinct, and timed street parking around it that tightens up in peak season, so arriving before the dinner rush makes the parking simpler as well as the table easier to get.

Close by with the dogs

For a pre-dinner leg stretch, Belongil Beach's dog exercise area is a short drive west, and the cafes along Jonson Street make an easy morning-after stop, with Folk Byron Bay a favourite for coffee before the crowds.

More town options are on the Byron Bay destination page and in the NSW restaurants index.