Inside Shannon Bennett’s Boundary-Pushing Byron Bay Restaurant
Disruptive dining
By Natalie McGowan | 25th February 2026In an era of Australian dining that’s expanding by the minute, it takes something truly special to feel one-of-a-kind. In Byron Bay’s Belongil, renowned Australian chef and restaurateur Shannon Bennett has created exactly that: a multi-layered destination where art, food, and design converge. The Belongil precinct unfolds across four distinct venues. There’s FEU, a choose-your-own adventure fine-dining experience that Chris Hemsworth dubbed his “new favourite restaurant”, which reimagines the traditional set menu. Guests are presented with a box of hand-crafted porcelain artworks, each representing a seasonal ingredient. You choose your pieces, arrange them in the order you’d like to experience them, note any dietary requirements, and the kitchen crafts something entirely unique in response.
Elsewhere, Belongil Bistro is a barefoot-friendly 80-seat eatery designed for long lunches and relaxed dinners, while the Belongil Kiosk offers coffee and grab-and-go options just steps from the sand. Then there’s Blind Tiger: a hidden, invitation-only bar accessed discreetly and built on community rather than exclusivity – a place for regulars, friends, and those who’ve travelled specifically to dine there.
Shannon Bennett
Even the finer details – right down to the so-called “uniforms” (for lack of a better word; Shannon has officially banned the term) – speak to the project’s creativity and ambition. Staff are dressed in seasonal capsules by Australian label Song for the Mute, with each team member styled individually and invited to keep their pieces at the end of the season.
We spoke with Shannon Bennett about the thinking behind the project, the power of cooking with fire, and why Byron Bay felt like the right choice.
Can you talk us through some of the design details that are especially meaningful to you?
That’s a tough question because it’s a bit like choosing your favourite child. Everything here has meaning to me. When I started shaping the concept, it was about doing something for every part of the community, because I feel like I’ve got a foot in all of it here in Belongil. The dog beach, the dog walkers, the morning coffee crowd – I wanted to look after them. I also loved the idea that you could walk straight off the beach, barefoot, and sit down to a really great meal using exceptional produce. And if something isn’t local, the only reason is that it’s simply the best of its kind. Australia has some of the best produce in the world; there’s no doubt about that. It’s just that some of it isn’t marketed as well as it deserves. All of those ideas came together across the different spaces: the bistro, the little private bar called Blind Tiger, and FEU, which of course translates to “fire.” They’re all special to me, but I do love the intensity of the service in FEU. It’s full-on, and I’ve really missed that. There’s an energy to it that I’m enjoying again, being back in that environment, cooking at that level, with that focus and pressure.
At its core, what story were you trying to tell with this project?
At its core, it’s the story of a group of good mates coming together. Cory Campbell, Lee Brennan, Nik Karalis, and Glen Norman. Glen, in particular, has been incredibly trusting. He’s my next-door neighbour, and we went into partnership on this, and we’ve just had a ball. I’ve honestly never enjoyed a project as much as this one. The builders from CoBuild were phenomenal – probably the best I’ve ever worked with. At one point, we had 70 of the town’s best tradespeople all under one roof, just going for it. We used old timbers, repurposed materials, and created something that really feels like it belongs in Byron Bay. I wanted the interiors to feel aspirational, but also completely different from one space to the next. Each room transforms you in its own way. I don’t want you to walk in and feel anything other than a sense of transformation. That’s what great restaurants do—they take you away from the noise and the stress of everyday life for a couple of hours. They make you smile. They make you present. That was the intention behind every detail, from the artwork by Jack Bailey and Otis Hope Carey to the drinks program. You can pay your bill in the bistro with a drop of macadamia liqueur from Eddie and his family at Brookie’s, or drink a macadamia martini made with our own vodka from Knockrow Distillery. In Blind Tiger, the drinks are really an extension of the kitchen. Everything is connected.
Why Byron Bay? What made you choose this location?
It’s my home. It’s been my home for the last ten years, and Belongil is my neighbourhood. I felt it deserved a really strong destination restaurant, somewhere people could actually fly in and spend a proper gourmet weekend. I’ve got huge admiration for what the guys at The Hut are doing, but I wanted to add something that gave this part of Byron another layer. Somewhere special, right here in the neighbourhood.
FEU is described as a “total work of art,” where architecture, cuisine, and emotion blur. What was the starting point for this concept?
The starting point was the timber. We bought this incredible old timber a few years ago from Adrian Pizzi, and he’d been storing it for a while. At some point, Lee and I just looked at it and thought, “Let’s use this.” It’s 300-plus-year-old timber from a temple in northern Japan, and it’s like a work of art in itself. Everything was built around that wood. Local craftsmen and tradespeople came in and gave it a new purpose. The space used to feel quite sterile and lifeless, and now it has this dark, moody edge. The timber and the lighting draw you toward the kitchen. You’re only a hundred metres from the beach, but you’re not thinking about that-you’re fully transported into this space. You know you’re in Byron, but you could also be anywhere in the world. I love that idea. It makes you present. It makes you focus on the experience in front of you. Spiritually, it just brings you into the moment, and that’s what I love most about it.
You’ve spoken about moving away from fixed set menus and passive dining. What kind of relationship do you want guests to have with the food and the kitchen at FEU?
I think we’ve already started to build that relationship. I want guests to feel in control, but I also want them to have fun. There’s nothing worse than having a great conversation, maybe with someone you’ve just met, or someone you love, and suddenly you have to stop everything to read a long, rigid menu. I don’t like that. At the same time, I’m not a big fan of kitchens that only serve fixed set menus. A lot of them feel painful and overly controlled. I think the dining room should be relaxed, and the kitchen should be the one under pressure. I love the romance of a kitchen on edge, still producing clean, precise, beautiful food. So you might have a table of four where each person orders a five-course menu, but every one of those menus is different because they’ve chosen it themselves. Or they might just have three courses, all the same. It’s completely up to them. The tactile menu – those porcelain objects representing ingredients – lets guests be part of the process. They’re in control, they’re engaged, and they’re having fun. That’s what it’s all about: fun, seasonality, and celebrating the producers.
What does fire bring to the food that is so special?
At its core, fire brings simplicity and history. It’s the thing that transformed food thousands of years ago, and I love the idea that we’re going back to that, but using it in a very controlled and refined way. Heat and smoke transform everything – they give food another dimension. It’s a bit like playing a musical instrument. You learn how to control the flame, the coal, the timber, the heat. We combine that with modern technology: induction, precision cooking, but the fire is still at the heart of it. We’re very focused on whole, free-range animals that we butcher ourselves, so charcoal, coal, and timber are central to the process. It’s also something you don’t really see at home. You don’t usually cook over charcoal inside your house, so it creates a special atmosphere. There’s a rawness to it that I really love.
Blind Tiger is as intriguing as it is private. Tell me about the concept.
Blind Tiger came about because there wasn’t a consistent place in the area for really good, unique cocktails with a sense of privacy. It’s not about exclusivity; it’s about control and values. The members are really just locals. And if you’re from out of town, there are a few simple rules: no phones, enjoy your drink, and enjoy the conversation. On some nights, there are artists performing, and it just becomes this really special, intimate space. I wanted somewhere I could go that felt private, and a lot of my friends felt the same way. It’s not about being VIP or exclusive, it’s about creating a place where you’re not judged, where you can relax, talk, and have fun. Byron Bay has a lot of incredibly creative and successful people living here, and sometimes they just want somewhere they can have a quiet drink and a proper conversation. That’s what Blind Tiger is for. It’s about community and connection.
Blind Tiger is deliberately phone-free. Why was creating that kind of space important to you?
So my friends could come in and not be photographed. That was really important to me. I don’t care where I am in the world, I just think we should accept that the person sitting next to you might be very famous, or very successful, but they’re still just a normal person. They deserve privacy. This space was created with that idea in mind, because those people are part of our community. They shouldn’t have to hide away. They should be able to sit down, have a drink, and enjoy time with their friends or loved ones.
The Belongil is now open for bookings. Find it at 33-35 Childe Street, Byron Bay.
