The Byron Bay Canteen.
Location:
- Byron Bay Canteen, Butler St, Byron Bay@byroncanteen
- The site can be found at the main entrance to the Byron Bay Township; at Simmo’s Caltex petrol station. Opposite the Police station
- Serving: The Branches Coffee; a boutique roaster from Mullumbimby
How pleased I was to hear one of the true gentlemen of the coffee industry and former head of Grinders Coffee, spreading his wings and moving away from the corporate world to pursue his passions.
Mr Steven Commerford has a deep connection with the location of the Byron Bay Canteen. It stems from his previous project, away from coffee, renovating an old Queenslander lifted from exactly the same location. He has now installed a purpose built American Airstream, serving quality specialty coffee and crumpets. Sitting at the main entrance to Byron Bay, a short drive from the iconic sign; ‘Cheer Up, Slow Down, Chill Out’.
Byron Bay, famous as a trendsetter in many fashions, has an amazing coffee roasting culture and the Northern Rivers is one of only a few locations in Australia to experience crop-to-cup. One can drive through the hinterland plantations observing the processing, all the way through to the coastal roasters. The Canteen proudly serves coffee from a boutique roaster in Mullumbimby, ‘The Branches Coffee’.
There’s lots of chat about the gentrification of Byron Bay and surrounding areas, however Steven wishes to stay true to the community and honour the history of Byron Bay, offering a place for locals and visitors to meet for a great cup of morning coffee, a quick chat before going about their business. This is clearly evident, as you pull in you could be stepping back in time to the 1950’s (minus Chris Hemsworth’s Tesla parked up front).
This is a place you will find simple, unpretentious food and coffee, which supports local suppliers, a massive part of the Canteen’s core values. On offer are locally sourced loaded crumpets-to-go, with honeycomb macadamia or passionfruit curd. Steven says he plans to rotate the menu to wholesome, interesting and delicious twists on classic style canteen foods.
Upon observation, other than the traditional gelato shop there isn’t an obvious choice for after dinner options in Byron, so Steven has responded by extending their late night opening hours on Saturday evenings to serve my favourite, ‘batch-made donuts’ with a special twist “…it is Byron Bay after all”!
Coffee & Gear:
- The Branches Coffee Roasters Mullumbimby. Seasonal Blend and Single Origin rotations
- Purpose built replica Airstream
- On the bar, Synesso S200, installed by Xtracted
- RO system by Puretec
- Mazzer Robur S
- Puqpress and other fun gizmos supplied by Dolo Espresso.
Visit The Byron Bay Canteen online at https://www.instagram.com/byroncanteen/
