Located on 65 Lighthouse Parade in Ballina, the Lighthouse Beach Café offers views of beautiful Lighthouse Beach, fine dining, and excellent service. This café was set up in 2013 by Peter and Karen Sinclair (she’s local, and so is the head chef). It’s an easy walk from our rental in Ballina.
The reasonably priced menu features “simple but delicious cafe style food”, locally sourced coffee, house made desserts, and drinks if you like—this café is licensed with a full bar.
You can order an entrée or just tapas and drinks before you hit the beach. Some of the menu items they serve: chargrilled chicken burger with salad and chips; black crumbed prawn with sweet chilli and mango salad; duck salad; seafood platter; fish and chips; pork belly; calamari; fresh oysters; baked eggs; pancakes; poached eggs and bacon; gourmet coffee; mojitos.
The food here is excellent—the calamari melts in your mouth, the oysters are fresh caught, the coffee is not left burning in the kitchen.
Portion size at the Lighthouse Beach Café is generous and their ingredients are fresh. There are fine vegetarian options—cooked mushrooms with feta on soft Turkish bread, for instance—and dishes for kids, like simple burgers. Expect attentive but not overbearing service here—it’s got a beach vibe.
Lunch or dinner with gorgeous water views
Besides looking out over the main surf beach, you get to watch the comings and goings on Lighthouse Beach as you dine. The balcony is enclosed in glass, so gaze all you like while enjoying the comforts of dining indoors. People watching (and especially surfer watching) provides endless conversation topics—a hidden bonus of this restaurant. It’s a tastefully decorated café, and if you visit at a busy lunch hour and have to wait a bit, you can enjoy a drink while watching the ocean. Another benefit to overlooking the beach is that if you have bored teenagers with you they can leave and walk the patrolled beach while you and your friends linger over another beer.
Depending on when you visit, you might also see whales or dolphins from the Lighthouse Beach Café. There are other places to stop and eat along Lighthouse Beach, but what really sets this café apart is its genuinely friendly service, which makes a holiday more relaxing—and isn’t that the point of getting away?
The Lighthouse Beach Café is open seven days. In the winter, the café serves breakfast and lunch, dinner service runs from October to March. You can host a function or wedding at this café and watch your guests run down the beach after too many drinks. You can also order takeaway and bring it with you down the beach. There’s a flat walk from the car park to the ramp to the café, making this a wheelchair and stroller friendly restaurant.
If you’re planning on dining there on a busy weekend, call ahead (+61 2 6686 4380) or visit their website to find out more. It’s actually a good idea to book ahead even on slower days as the window seats fill up fast.
Want to experience a luxury beach holiday?
Ocean Blue holiday rental is only a 5-minute walk from the beach and has gorgeous river and coastal views. Located just a short drive from Ballina Airport and 30 minutes from Byron Bay, this is the perfect location for your next beach holiday. Visit our contact page to make an inquiry or booking.
