Three Northern Rivers restaurants named best in NSW

THREE Northern Rivers restaurants have been named among the best in NSW in the prestigious Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide.

Bar Heather in Byron Bay, Bistro Livi in Murwillumbah and Pipit in Pottsville were listed in the top 25 nosheries in the state in the 2024 guide, released this week.

Reviews for the guide are written independently, with reviewers visiting unannounced and paying their own way.

Meanwhile, paddock-to-plate restaurant Potager at Carool in the Tweed hinterland received two accolades in the regional section of the Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence.

They included Contemporary Australian Restaurant – Formal and Tourism Restaurant.

Bar Heather co-owner Tom Sheer said it was an honour to be included on the list for the second year in a row, especially considering the restaurant only opened in late 2022.

“We’re amongst some fantastic company in the region, including our dear friends Livi,” he said.

“I think people are getting more in touch with the produce and the seasonality in the area.

“Byron is pretty tropical, so it has the ability to produce some pretty exotic produce and quite the bounty from the sea, so more and more chefs are noticing that and tapping into it.”

Bistro Livi chef and co-founder Ewen Crawford, who moved north from Melbourne in 2021, said it was wonderful for the area to have three restaurants featured in the top 25.

“Hopefully it brings more people up this way and they know that they have plenty of good places to eat,” he said.

“There’s plenty of great places that aren’t on the list as well.

“There’s some high-calibre chefs who have moved to the area and the produce is amazing.”