Weekend Adventures - Northern NSW - Brunswick Heads

We just spent a lovely weekend catching up with Ned's poppy and his partner Rhonda in Brunswick Heads on the northern New South Wales coast. Brunswick Heads is only ten or so minutes north of Byron Bay but we so enjoyed the relaxed nature and AWESOME food that was available in Brunswick that we didn't feel the need to visit Byron (and have to endure the long trip into Byron with other weekend adventurers.) I love that you can walk almost anywhere in Brunswick and also that wearing footwear seems completely optional (even at the pub!)

Food and Booze?
Oodles of options are available - so much so that you don't want to be the one to decide on a restaurant/cafe in case it is disappointing and you should have chosen 'the other one'

Park Street Home Made Pasta Bar (rated #1 on Trip Advisor)
We ate lunch here on Saturday and returned for breakfast on Sunday. The food is amazing, the staff are friendly, bubbly and so natural. We were rhetorically asked if we were 'stoked' about the food after we had already said how delicious our meals were. I wish 'stoked' rolled more naturally off my tongue - I'd feel so much more genuine as a coastie. I would totally return again and again and would love to try out the homemade pasta (diet starts Monday right?) ... Oh, and they have BYO beer and wine (huge tick in my book)

Fat Belly Kaf (rated #2 on TA)
We ate a late dinner here on Saturday night. We ordered the $49/head banquet and it was plentiful, tasty, well timed and the wait staff were knowledgeable and relaxed. I asked a question of the cocktail menu and was given such honest advice. One of the cocktails would have 'rolled me' so I chose the other espresso-martini-esque option (it was fantastic btw). Trainee Daddy ordered a whiskey sour and was also impressed. I would definitely return.

Cino Bambino (rated #5 on TA)
I enjoyed a coffee and a juice and TD ordered a delicious caramel milkshake from this little cafe just below our little apartment. The menu looked unpretentious but delicious (and original) and I would have loved to try the food here. They also had a small selection of baby giftware including aden & anais! Love their mantra (from the website)

Cino Bambino was born out of a desire to allow people to enjoy the cafe experience in a family friendly environment. The arrival of a baby changed our lives in so many ways but the simple pleasures in life such as a hot coffee should not be forgone.

Hotel Brunswick

We had a few drinks and enjoyed the band here on Friday night. It is such a grand old pub with the most amazing beer garden overlooking the river and towards the beach. The food looked really good and we were contemplating dinner here on Saturday night but a Sea Shepherd event had taken over the pub (which demanded an entry fee) so we chose to eat elsewhere. The only downfall (and this wasn't only here) was the ability for people to smoke anywhere (it seemed) they wanted. A must see and do in Brunswick.

Rice

Dinner here on Friday night was bloody fabulous. It seemed authentic, generous and at only $2.00/head corkage, an awesome place for a night out. The only downfall was we felt, as the last customers, that we had to finish our meals (and our drinks) quickly so the staff could go home. I would return here without a doubt. 

Happy Dolphin Cafe

Friendly staff but (barely) average food. Enough said. 

Shopping?
There are enough shops/boutiques to even satisfy a shopaholic like me including a couple of op shops. I scored a genuine Nike broncos infant jersey for Ned for $7.00 at a kids-only op shop as well as a super comfy pair of pants on sale for $30 (down from $70) from a cute boutique.

Would I visit again?
I'd definitely stay again but perhaps in one of the nearby towns like Lennox Head (which we visited) for something different.