The details
When the co-owners of Harvest in Newrybar announce a new project, people will always stop and pay attention. Tristan and Kassia Grier (who own Sparrow Coffee as well as Harvest) have teamed up with Dan Wyllie (of New York City establishments Flinders Lane and Saxon + Parole) and renowned chef Francisco Smoje (from Byron Bay pop-up restaurant Francisco’s Table) to create Barrio Eatery and Bar. Yep, this is probably one of the most credentialed culinary collabs we’ve seen in a while. Barrio, which means ‘neighbourhood’ in Spanish, is located in the newly developed Habitat community, a mixed-use village which lies near the Byron Bay Industrial Estate.
The space
The 80-seat restaurant features an industrial-style interior dotted with lush greenery. The exposed concrete floors merge with the open kitchen, which features a striking Argentinian wood-fired oven and charcoal grill. In a bid to create a more informal dining experience, the seating at Barrio comprises mostly of 12-seater bare-wood communal tables, though there are a handful of bar stalls and smaller tables for intimate dining. The space sprawls out onto an outside terrace area, which seats a further 80 people – you can also grab a picnic rug and lounge on the grass with a coffee and pastry in hand.
The food and drink
The before-mentioned Argentinian wood-fired oven and charcoal grill heavily influences the Barrio menu, allowing chef Francisco Smoje to create flavour-packed share-style dishes that give a respectful nod to culinary traditions whilst swaying from convention with bold flavours. With an ethos of ‘conscious eating’, the kitchen has adopted a nose-to-tail and root-to-stem approach, delivering a vibrant menu that will change weekly. There’s breakfast and brunch options like the herbed morning bun or the brown-rice bowl with avocado, sauerkraut, boiled egg and seaweed salt – best paired with Melbourne’s ST ALi coffee. As the day progresses, you’ll find lunch and dinner dishes like Argentinian chorizo with cabbage and fennel escabeche, roast snapper with green olives and meyer lemon, charcoal beef ribs with chimichurri and braised spring onion, and woodfired sweet potatoes with green shallots, coriander and pomegranate dressing. You’d best throw a few beef empanadas on the side, and slowly sip your way through the well-curated cocktail list – the chargrilled-capsicum margarita will do just fine. Barrios’s breakfast and lunch menu is available available to eat in or takeaway, and you’ll also find a delicious selection of fresh sandwiches, toasties, pastries and salads available on-the-go each day.
Head over to our Stumble Guide for Barrio’s location and opening times.
Note: Barrio will be BYO until February due to licensing delays.
Image credit: Demetre Minchev
