No. 35 Kitchen & Bar is all raw timber and polished concrete – a look that owes more to an industrial shed than the white-on-white beach cafes dotted up and down the Tweed coastline. The restaurant from Rachel Duffy and Daniel Medcalf, both formerly of Sydney’s Icebergs Group, swaps big-city polish for something altogether more Cabarita casual. Enjoy a glass of something natural at the bar before progressing to pastas and a tiramisu regulars order every time. 35 Tweed Coast Road, Cabarita Beach; @no35cabarita

This intimate venue housed in a heritage Art Deco building is run by sisters Dani and Nikky Martinez alongside Ewen Crawford (ex-Melbourne’s MoVida and Carlton Wine Room). Regularly ranked as one of NSW’s top regional restaurants, Bistro Livi champions Northern Rivers produce through an inventive lens of pickling, fermenting and open-fire cooking. Expect an ever-changing menu of Spanish-accented share plates paired with natural, low-intervention wines. 1A, 1-3 Brisbane St, Murwillumbah; bistrolivi.com

There was a time when you could get a sick fade or bowl cut at Keith in Murwillumbah. But the barber side of the business has been snipped so the retro-fitted cafe in the centre of the Art Deco town can focus on specialty coffee and sweet and savoury treats. Keith is known for its killer quiche and sausage rolls as well as sourdough crumpets with whipped ricotta and blueberry syrup. There’s also a simple breakfast menu that includes a banging B&E burger. 132 Murwillumbah St, Murwillumbah; @keith.murwillumbah

The historic Imperial Hotel has been pouring pints in Murwillumbah’s cane country since 1931. Known locally as ‘The Impy’, the landmark sorbet-pink Art Deco pub underwent a multimillion-dollar restoration in 2022, reviving its place as one of NSW’s best country pubs. Far more than just a drinking den, the revitalised venue is a vibrant community hub housing a boutique hotel, public bar, bistro and bottle shop. Visit during Savour the Tweed in October to experience the pub at its lively best. 15 Murwillumbah St, Murwillumbah; impy.com.au

Heads swivelled when Paper Daisy at Halcyon House appointed Baxter Newstead as executive chef. Newstead has serious mileage on the clock, with stints at Vue de Monde, Wildflower, Noma Australia, Saffire Freycinet and fire-fuelled Ekstedt in Stockholm. That grounding now guides the menu at Paper Daisy, set to remain one of NSW’s enduring dining destinations. Where to start? Crispy green rice with king prawns, green mango and herb salad or local swordfish. 21 Cypress Crescent, Cabarita Beach; halcyonhouse.com.au

Executive chef and co-owner of Pipit Ben Devlin cooks with a deep allegiance to the Northern Rivers: its coastline, its growers, its sustainable fisheries, its seasons. And the menu at Pipit pivots according to what’s being pulled from the sea or harvested locally, much of it cooked over a wood fire in Pipit’s open kitchen. Devlin’s experience in exacting kitchens such as Noma has sharpened his technique, but the soul of the restaurant remains resolutely regional. Shop 4/8 Coronation Avenue, Pottsville; pipitrestaurant.com

Rob Roy Deli & Drinks demands a detour from the vintage and vinyl stores on Bay Street. Part bottle-o, part pantry, this is where funky pet-nats sit alongside small-batch spirits, beer and cider and an epic collection of tequila and mezcal. Named for Scotland’s own outlaw folk hero, Rob Roy has got the same defiant streak. Sign up for an educational master class so you can talk the talk when you next meet with your wine snob mate. 20 Bay St, Tweed Heads; robroy.com.au

Ventura Brewing launched as Australia’s first commercial hard kombucha brewery in 2020. Inspired by North American craft kombucha culture, local founders Dom Hurley and Shanu Walsh blend live cultures with fresh botanicals, herbs and teas. It’s a very symbiotic culture indeed. Beside the flagship kombucha, the boochy bros craft seltzers, iced teas and easy-drinking lagers designed for sunny afternoons. 10/141 Lundberg Dr, South Murwillumbah; venturabrewing.co

Uki is one of the cosiest regional towns in NSW to visit over winter. But the town in the Tweed-Byron hinterland also ‘sends it’ year-round thanks to specialty coffee roaster, Bastion Lane, housed in the heritage-listed 1909 post office. The specialty coffee roaster still serves as the town’s post office but delivers so much more besides (such as gourmet good and souvenirs) and is impossible to, ahem, pigeonhole. Order the Post Master’s Roast blend online. 1464 Kyogle Road, Uki; bastionlane.com

A paddock-to-plate lunch at Farm & Co presents a compelling case for that tree change you’ve had tacked onto your vision board all year. Fields of sunflowers flank the working farm in Cudgen, tracking the sun from east to west under an enamelled-on blue sky. Take the kids to visit the resident pigs Hank and Pepe and then nudge them into the playground while waiting for your food to arrive at Farm & Co. Think home-style smoked lamb shoulder, confit chicken terrine and roast potatoes. 529 Cudgen Rd, Cudgen; farmandco.com.au

One of the best breakfasts in the Tweed can be found at Black Drop Cafe in Pottsville. Morning brews at Black Drop Cafe are built on beans sourced from Beam Coffee, a specialty coffee roaster based in Byron Bay. Pick up a few fragments of gossip from local characters while enjoying favourites like the Mooloolaba spanner crab hash with poached eggs, or smashed avocado on focaccia with stracciatella and a funky dollop of shell oil. 4/18 Philip Street, Pottsville, NSW; blackdropcafe.com.au

Potager will pull on your heartstrings long after you’ve sat down to lunch at this award-winning eatery where the menu is shaped entirely by what’s growing in and around that farm. Guests at Potager, perched in the crayon-green Carool hills, dine on ceramics crafted by local Tweed artisans amid kitchen gardens shaped by sustainable, zero-waste principles. It’s an evocative taste of place. Those visiting during the annual Savour the Tweed festival should book a stay up the road at Hillside Carool. 502 Carool Rd, Carool; potager.com.au

This neighbourhood joint, from the brains behind Bombay Cricketer’s Club, Farm & Co. and Spice Den, to name a few, serves up classic bar bites like Manchego cheese croquetas, octopus with chimichurri and Olasagasti anchovy toast. Bar Bruto is good for groups wanting a couple of glasses of wine and casual dinner in Casuarina. The sophisticated space, all rustic bricks, teal and charcoal tones, is surrounded by a tangle of trees and has an impressive array of bottles behind the bar. Shop 3, 480 Casuarina Way, Casuarina; barbruto.com.au

Mavis Kitchen sits hugged by temperate rainforest off the winding road up to Wollumbin-Mt Warning, an easy drive from Murwillumbah or Stokers Siding. At the heart of a 10-hectare former dairy farm, the restaurant spills out from its white-washed Queenslander into the happy kitchen gardens, which guide what lands on the plate during the languid lunch seatings. Guests of the on-site cabins are encouraged to help themselves to these vegie patches, for dinners cooked back in their rooms. 64 Mount Warning Rd, Uki; maviseskitchen.com.au

Savour the Tweed returns from 21 to 25 October in 2026, with an expanded program of almost 30 events co-curated by chef Christine Manfield and local food advocate Amy Colli. A highlight this year includes a producer lunch at Tropical Fruit World in the hinterland. Bundjalung chef Mindy Woods and Tweed legends Ben Devlin, of Pipit, and Baxter Newstead, of Paper Daisy, are among this year’s names. Pair a farm stay with a few Savour the Tweed events and you’ve got an October long weekend in The Tweed sorted.