Lovers Lane

Sitting pretty on Lawson Street in Byron Bay is Lovers Lane, a rambunctious bar and restaurant known for hosting some of the biggest parties in town.

Ex-Ksubi designer George Gorrow is one of the creatives (along with Adam Grygoruk) behind the design here. And like Gorrow’s designs at Ksubi, the aesthetic at Lovers Lane is a tad grungy, yet lifted by luxe touches. Black and white artworks hang from textured whitewashed walls, while greenery and comfy brown lounges soften the space. The room opens to a vast open-air verandah that takes full advantage of Byron’s subtropical climate.

There’s a strong chance you’re here for a drink, and house cocktails riff on the classics. An Americano is jazzed up with the addition of strawberry soda, bitters and fortified wine, while the White Negroni is a concoction of pineapple gin, gentian (bitters), white vermouth and lemon myrtle. Options on the wine list – which is mainly Australian – are helpfully annotated as vegan, organic, and/or biodynamic.

The food, by executive chef Tyler Preston (ex-Chin Chin), is geographically agnostic: Sydney rock oysters with finger lime vinaigrette, and tacos stuffed with slow-cooked pork, slow-cooked lamb or mushroom.