BYO dining on the northern beaches

Bring your own wine for a night out - some don’t even charge corkage. Here are five to try on Sydney’s northern beaches

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SAVVY restaurateurs are filling their midweek tables by offering no-charge BYO.

With a selection of 45 European and boutique Australian offerings on its wine list, contemporary fine-diner Clareville Kiosk has brought in a no corkage charge policy on Wednesday nights.

It’s been a big hit with customers, restaurateur Nathan Boler said.

“It’s not a profitable night for us, but it’s a no-brainer,” he said.

“It’s always booked out and it’s great to have a busy restaurant.”

Customers use the occasion to bring an impressive selection from their cellars, Mr Boler said.

“They bring vintage champagne, really smart burgundies and magnums of Provence rosé,” he said.

Bring your own to try with fancy dishes like Clareville Kiosk’s Cauliflower.

The BYO option encourages customers to try the menu and the restaurant’s wine list on weekends when BYO is unavailable, Mr Boler said.

Trippas White Group’s upstairs beachfront venue The Avalon on The Beach at Avalon Surf Life Saving Club introduced a `locals night’ last November with no charge for BYO when customers order a main course.

The night has become popular with many customers returning, manager Jack Calcraft said.

“We pride ourselves on our wine list, but we wanted to give our locals a chance to show off their best and most preferred drops,” Mr Calcraft said.

“We introduced the popular Tuesday BYO Locals Night.”

Mr Cal

Try Avalon on the Beach’s fresh tiger prawns with a glass of white, BYO is Tuesday night. Picture: Braden Fastier.

craft said that the huge mix of wines included a few very special drops for some family celebrations.

Up-market eateries that offer BYO with corkage charge include Angela Heracleous’ Manly smart and contemporary seafood-focused bistro, The Herring Room on Pittwater Rd and Garfish Manly.

Over summer, Garfish customers have been pairing mainly white wines like sauvignon blanc and champagne with the restaurant’s seafood-focused menu.

The $4 a head corkage charge has plenty of takers, manager Stephanie Hanson said.

“It is very popular with our customers who mainly bring along wine,” she said.

Bring your own bubbles at popular at Chiosco, Alessandro Pavoni’s (pictured) jetty eatery. Photo by Annika Enderborg

The charge covers a maximum number of people, however BYO is not available for groups of more than 12 people.

Chiosco by Ormeggio, Alessandro Pavoni’s waterfront casual Italian street food eatery at The Spit charges customers $12 per bottle.

Italian bubbles are always popular with customers.

“It is the perfect venue for a cold bottle of prosecco,” Mr Pavoni said.

“Our focus is local and we have plenty of regular customers who bring along good quality wine and bubbles.”

To make dining out more of a special occasion, the restaurant’s sommelier can also look over a customer’s bottle of wine, Mr Pavoni said.

Twitter: @beverley_hudec