Wow.. a hidden gem! We could not get into the Amex Club.. so ended up here, and I'm glad we did!…read moreSuper friendly staff, warm and inviting atmosphere. Honestly, I was not expecting much, given we did not need a reservation for dinner here. But the meal was amazing. Basic but well done. Oysters were fresh, garlic bread...omg .. sooo yum! Our steaks were done to perfection. Only down side was the risotto on the side, which I expected to be creamy and luxurious was unfortunately not. Everything else was really lovely. I am happy to recommend this place for a good dining experience. Reef & beef mostly, but really done well and good service with reasonable pricing. Check it out when in Byron.. particularly if you can't get in elsewhere for dinner. It's right next to the Woolies!

We had a group of 5, we all had beer wine and variations of steak, the service, view and food were…read moreup there with the best , if you go to lennox heads, you have to try this restuarant above the pub. Make sure you book as it gets busy. Cici the maitr'd was unreal, she was on fire, definately made us feel welcome, and could have been organising a complicated brain surgery, deserves a huge pay rise

After a very stressful poor and upsetting experience at Shelly beach cafe and leaving this morning…read morewe came to Ballina's lighthouse beach cafe where we were treated with respect. From booking a table to being served efficiently by friendly welcoming and accommodating staff Good food good prices wonderfull vibes and view Thank you turning what was an awful morning into an enjoyable one

Fantastic view. Chilled atmosphere. Food was average and so was the service (took 10 mins to get a…read morefork etc). Well worth the view on a sunny day.

Taste of Thailand! This cute little restaurant in the main…read morestreet of Ballina is only 3 weeks old and the staff are super friendly and eager to please. We ordered a tom yum prawn soup, beef salad and king prawn and cashew stir fry. We asked for Thai hot with less sugar and the food was just delicious - the flavours were so authentic with lots of chilli, galangal, lemongrass and coriander. The Thai egg custard with coconut rice and mango sorbet we had for desert was amazing! The food was very reasonably priced and BYO for $2.00 per head was a bonus!! This is highly recommended!

The service was very quick. I ordered a latté (amazing by the way) , sat down and before I knew it…read morethey were putting a jug a water on my table. They then proceeded by serving my latté after only 3 minutes. The coffee tasted very fresh and the staff were friendlier than most. Definately recommend this café for a coffee with friends!!! Xx

didn't mind the service was great and the price was a bit high but the food was also greatread more

Sasha's Fine Food offers excellent choices for lunch and dinner. We accidently bumped into this…read moreplace and I'm very glad we did. Everything from salads to Curried Lentil patties, to rolled chicken risotto, to Ricotta and Vegetable Slice. Also the orange couscous salad and the Ham and Beef Rissoles tasted amazing as well. The service was also fantastic. I'm so glad to have visited this place. I hope they would open a location in Los Angeles.

From the owner: We are located on River Street, Ballina, right in the heart of the CBD…read more We offer you a great selection of food, either take away service or you can enjoy at our tables inside the shop. Sasha's prides itself on the quality of the products we create and sell. Most of the food in our shop is made on the premises. Providing catering to suit any function or event. We hope that you enjoy the quality of service and food we offer.

Great fish and chips it's about time we see more modern takes on a classic…read more Absolutely amazing.!

I really didn't find this place all that great, though of course with the number of cafes around…read morethe place it can be pretty hard to meet the bench mark at times. This place was one of those places that really didn't come all that close. The service wasn't all that great. In fact it really didn't stand out all that much. The other thing was that the tea was just that little too strong, so it really wasn't all that enjoyable. Yeah, this is one of those places that I'll no doubt pass on in the future.

For myself , I'm more for a relaxing quieter cafe…read more As what I could see ... Cafe Swish , is more of a catch up with friends / family cafe My order of ice coffee arrived quick Service was with a smile

Lunch. There are so many places to eat in Ballina that it can be hard to choose. Luckily, Lyn had a…read moreplan. Beanz is basically a healthy sandwich bar. It's a small, hole-in-the-wall, eclectic looking place with seating for maybe 20 people. Do not expect a smorgasbord of choices - the owners take (justifiable) pride in their menu and believe it better to do a small number of things perfectly rather than many things fairly well. So they had a small range of wraps, burgers, and sandwiches all involving a number of core (salad-based) ingredients and sauces combined with a choice of protein. Lyn grabbed a felafel burger and I chose a chicken Lebanese bread wrap. You order at the counter - make sure you check out the salads. This is no row of sliced tomato, shredded lettuce, grated carrot, and so on. Oh no. This is containers of tabbouli, and coleslaw, and lentils, and other very tasty mixes. Unless you have a rabid dislike of something (parsley makes me gag so a parsley based dish is a bit too much) don't try and change up the order. They've spent time perfecting a blend and ratio of ingredients and it's worth your while to just go with it. Presentation was gorgeous. Filled with bright colours on fresh breads, the food was simple and well constructed. No sides or extras. And, to be honest, no need. These things were huge! Service was hilarious. The owners (who've been doing this for something like 30 years) are true characters. Friendly, a little odd, and proud of their place, they really do provide service with a smile. But, without taste, presentation and service mean nothing. I expected Beanz to be good simply because Lyn recommended it. But, even so, I was blown away by the food. My wrap arrived wrapped with just a small amount peeking out. First impression was that it was stuffed but still biteable. It's important to balance the amount of bread texture and taste, and the dry ingredients with just the right amount of wet - sauce and salad have to be wet enough so your food doesn't ball up in your mouth yet dry enough not to drop down your hands and slop out of the sandwich. With the sheer amount of chopped up salad I was a little concerned - especially when you remember I had a wrap made with Lebanese bread and there were a number of sauces involved! No worries there, mate. Seriously, I ended up with maybe a tablespoon of sauce/salad on the plate and finger tips. Maybe. The Lebanese bread did not dissolve into a gooey mess either! With wraps you have to be careful that the ingredients don't end up unbalanced as you roll it. It's easy for the sauce and protein to end up on one side only so that you alternate between mouthfuls of salad and mouthfuls of sauce and meat. Not the case with my wrap at all - and there was a decent amount of chicken throughout the wrap from first bite to last. Finally, sauce. My wrap had a sweet chilli along with the usual hummus. The chilli sauce was a very nice blend of sweet to chilli and paired well with the hummus to create a creamy, tangy, accompaniment to the ingredients. I have no idea what Lyn's felafel burger tasted like aside from yummy! It looked good - the burger wasn't too huge and the ingredients, while generous, were not piled so high she couldn't eat it. We walked out full but not so stuffed as to be uncomfortable. And having enjoyed it so much, I'm heading back with my twins!

Easily a top contender for best place to eat in the area and I'd say absolutely the best Thai food…read morein Ballina. Judging from the outside it's not usually what I, personally would be drawn to but once inside it's pleasant. Their menus have a delicious selection of food to choose from (I was pleasantly surprised). I ordered a basil and chilli duck stir-fry + a bowl of rice: The vegetables were very fresh and healthy and everything was perfectly cooked. My friend ordered a basil fried rice, I had a taste and it was full of flavour and not oily at all! (Compliments to chef). On recommendation we ordered a papaya salad to share. What a unique and beautiful dish! With a subtle kick of chilli in it to boot! (You can ask for what ever level of heat you prefer). The prices were reasonable, especially for how good the food was! We ordered 3 dishes + rice and it came to just over $50. You may be interested to know that the owner grows all the vegetables they use in their garden (Awesome, right? That explains why they're so good that they actually steal the show away from the meat in the dishes!). In the mood for some good quality Thai food? Then Thai by Night is the restaurant for you! Edit: Had to bump it down from 5 - 4 Stars as its opening times keep changing erratically which means it's never open when you think it will be. We've started to avoid going here because it's always a let down.

I booked a table for lunch on 27th December on the 3rd January for 4 people for my friends 84th…read moreBirthday. I travelled from the Gold Coast & when we arrived at the restaurant there was a sign on the door saying "Closed for Lunch today"!!!! You can imagine our disappoint as no one from the restaurant contacted me to advise they would be closed. They had taken my phone number when I made the booking on 27th December. I rang Thai By Night the same evening & spoke to the Manager who claimed she tried to ring me & also sent me an SMS. I had no missed calls or SMS from the Manager on my phone. She is obviously being untruthful. I will not be recommending Thai By Night to my friends or family & strongly advise anyone thinking of making a booking not to. The Manager was quite abrupt with me & had no regard for the fact I had travelled so far only to be very disappointed. Appalling Customer Service skills.

Taking away one star for the slow service and non availability of half the dishes…read more That said, it does show how popular this place is. Get early. Be prepared to wait a bit for food to arrive. Food is delicious. Staff is friendly. Would definitely go back.

A great local restaurant with excellent Mexican food - real Mexican, not chain store rubbish…read more The service is very friendly and the owner is a great guy. Our favourite restaurant in Ballina.