Five of the best: Tweed’s best eateries

There’s nothing borderline about the emerging foodie scene south of the Tweed River. We’ve found five gems you have to try.

The popular pork, apple and sage sausage roll at The Bread Social, Tweed Heads.

There’s nothing borderline about the emerging foodie scene south of the Tweed River. We’ve found five gems you have to try.

Twin Towns

2 Wharf St

Authenic homestyle Italian fare from Gusti d’Italia, Twin Towns

With seven restaurants to choose from, Twin Towns well deserves its spot on the list.

Hit up Harbour Fresh if you fancy a leisurely seafood lunch. Share platters are piled high with locally sourced prawns, oysters and shellfish, or choose from the catch of the day.

“Fish is among the top sellers at Harbour Fresh — barramundi and Ora King Salmon from New Zealand,” Twin Towns group marketing manager Paul Prout says.

“The local catch of the day is also popular. This changes daily depending on what the local trawlers have on-board for our chefs and it can be pan-seared, crumbed or battered.”

If you feel like rustic Italian fare, Gusti d’Italia obliges with tender crumbed veal with marsala sauce, beef carpaccio with fried artichoke and house-made pasta with bolognese or marinara.

The chef’s secret recipe for spaghetti amatriciana is a satisfying serve of pork cheek, Napoli sauce, pecorino cheese and chilli.

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Baked at Ancora

118 Wharf Street

Some delights from Baked at Ancora

Whether you spread out for a pastry picnic, perch on a swing chair or pull up on the waterfront deck, you’ll be treated to the best views in town at this Parisian-inspired bakery and cafe.

“Our passionate pastry chefs are constantly dreaming up new Baked inventions for you to enjoy — best washed down with a caffeine hit from our specialty Ground Control blend,” Baked manager Ede Sandor says.

“We have the huge adjoining park as well as our indoor Baked areas and Ancora deck, so there is always plenty of room to come and enjoy the atmosphere.

“We have Wandering Folk rugs available to hire too, so we encourage everyone to come down and make a day of it with their friends, family, kids and even their dogs.”

3 Sea

135 Minjungbal Drive

Buckwheat finger food selection at 3 Sea, Tweed Heads.

This unassuming shopfront in a Tweed industrial estate is a well-kept secret.

Its Bretonese owner Damien Pigot specialises in his region’s traditional buckwheat galettes, or pancakes, from a recipe handed down from his mam goz (Bretonese for grandmother) and her mam goz before that.

“My family has been making them for generations,” he says.

The cafe and wholesale business serves honest provincial French food including housemade saucisson pork sausage, cheeses, baguettes and good coffee, sourcing as many ingredients as possible from local organic farmers and fisherfolk.

French chef Damien Pigot with some of his Bretonese-inspired delights.

If you can get in before the locals, book on a Thursday or Friday night for a well-priced three-course French meal where Damien exercises the flair he picked up from the Michelin starred restaurant he trained at before coming to Australia.

Hymn Coffee

24/101 Kennedy Drive

Owners Kaycee and Kelly Hapi with daughter Harlow shortly after opening Hymn Coffee 14 months ago. Photo by Richard Gosling

This oasis in a semi-industrial zone has just launched a new menu in its signature style: cafe classics with a special house twist.

Owner Kaycee Hapi says there’s eggs bene, a big brekky, bacon and egg hawker on roti bread and hotcakes plus added lunch options including new salads, burritos and tasty toasties coming into the cooler weather.

An undercover outdoor seating area has added to Hymn’s garden vibe.

The popular bacon and egg Hawker Roll at Hymn Coffee. Photo by Richard Gosling

“We’ve been here 14 months and have become a real locals’ place which we love,” Kaycee says.

“We’ve got a good local crew and we just try to keep it real, without the hype, just good, honest food and great coffee. We try to offer a bit of life and culture too, hopefully a little bit of what the Tweed was missing.”

The Bread Social

12 Bay Street

Sublime bakery goodies from the Bread Social at Tweed Heads. Picture Glenn Hampson

The crew behind the bakery at The Farm, Byron Bay hasn’t looked back since their Tweed Heads venture took over the shop next door.

“We were getting queues out the door and while that’s not a bad thing, we wanted to give people somewhere to sit and hang out a while,” co-owner Sam Saulwick says.

The Bread Social team, Tweed Heads, from left: Tom Scott, Sam Saulwick and Paul Giddings.

While the emphasis is still on organic sourdough and pasties, they come with delectable housemade condiments: chutneys, sauerkrauts, ferments, jams and nut butters, all available for take-home sale.

“Our big sellers are the pork, apple and sage sausage rolls and we’ve got a great savoury panini with eggplant, miso and miso béchamel, with spring onion, an egg, sesame and nori that’s very popular.

“And of course the Portuguese custard tart — that’s got a life of its own.”