Moonlight Japanese
A chic Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar in Byron Bay, offering inventive raw dishes, sharing plates, and biodynamic wines in a moody, stylish setti...
Highlights
Must-see attractions
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Moonlight Japanese
Highlights
Must-see attractions
A chic Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar in Byron Bay, offering inventive raw dishes, sharing plates, and biodynamic wines in a moody, stylish setting.
Book Ahead
Reservations are highly recommended due to the restaurant's popularity. Plan your visit in advance.
Embrace Sharing Plates
Share small and large plates for a diverse taste of the menu and creative flavor combinations.
Quick Facts
Cuisine
Japanese
Price
$$$
Highlights
Discover the most iconic attractions and experiences
Innovative Raw Dishes
Savor inventive raw dishes like watermelon sashimi, kingfish, and oysters with unique flavor combinations.
Intimate Bar Seating Experience
Sit at the bar to watch chefs create artful dishes and engage with knowledgeable, friendly staff.
Stylish, Moody Ambiance
Enjoy a chic, monochrome interior with a crescent moon neon light, creating a sophisticated and intimate vibe.
Plans like a pro.
Thinks like you
Insider Tips
from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit
Book Ahead
Reservations are highly recommended due to the restaurant's popularity. Plan your visit in advance.
Embrace Sharing Plates
Share small and large plates for a diverse taste of the menu and creative flavor combinations.
Bar Seating is Best
Dine at the bar for an engaging experience, watching chefs and interacting with attentive staff.
Explore the Set Menu
Consider the set menu for a curated experience of creative flavors and unique pairings.
Tips
from all over the internet
Book Ahead
Reservations are highly recommended due to the restaurant's popularity. Plan your visit in advance.
Embrace Sharing Plates
Share small and large plates for a diverse taste of the menu and creative flavor combinations.
Bar Seating is Best
Dine at the bar for an engaging experience, watching chefs and interacting with attentive staff.
Explore the Set Menu
Consider the set menu for a curated experience of creative flavors and unique pairings.
What Travellers Say
Reviews Summary
Moonlight Japanese is lauded for its innovative and fresh cuisine, particularly its raw dishes and creative sharing plates. Diners rave about the impeccable service, especially from the bar staff, and the stylish, moody ambiance. While popular and often busy, the overall experience is consistently described as exceptional, making it a must-visit spot.
"My husband and I visited Moonlight in December 2024 and absolutely loved it. It’s a super cool, contemporary Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar with a real focus on sharing plates—which worked perfectly for us because we wanted to try everything!
Every dish we had was super fresh, beautifully balanced, and incredibly moreish. The drinks menu is also fantastic, with some great sake and wine options that paired so well with the food. The ambiance is moody and stylish without feeling overdone, and the staff were friendly, helpful, and really on point the whole night.
It’s definitely a popular spot, so I’d highly recommend booking ahead if you're planning to go. Such a great night out—we’ll definitely be back!"
Happy Diane
"Had the most fabulous dining experience at Moonlight yesterday! We did the omakase and every dish that came out was a delight - special mention to the steak and onion rings, watermelon sashimi and basque cheesecake but tbh we loved EVERYTHING!! Cocktails were also amazing. The best part however were the awesome staff, we were sat at the bar (BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE) and felt like we were hanging out with friends while they fed and looked after us 😂💖 thank you to all the gems at Moonlight for making our anniversary dinner so special. We can't wait to come back!"
Van Nguyen
"What an incredible new addition to Byron! We dined at Moonlight on our most recent trip and it didn’t disappoint. The food was absolutely amazing - with the stand outs being the prawns, scallops and cheesecake. The service was also wonderful, especially the bar staff who made great recommendations and made sure our drinks were perfect. Highly recommend!"
Sabrina Hards
What People Like
What People Dislike
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, reservations are highly recommended due to the restaurant's popularity. It's best to book in advance to secure your spot.
The restaurant features a stylish and moody monochrome interior with a chic bar area, creating an intimate and sophisticated dining atmosphere.
Moonlight Japanese specializes in inventive raw dishes, sharing plates, and hibachi grill items, with a focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients.
The restaurant offers a fantastic selection of biodynamic wines, sake, Japanese whiskies, and creative cocktails.
Absolutely! Sitting at the bar offers a unique experience where you can watch the chefs at work and interact with the friendly and knowledgeable staff.
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best places to eat and drink
Oysters with a tozasu jelly and other delectables at Moonlight Byron Bay. Hip hibachi grillWith a crescent-shaped neon moon at the end of the bar complementing the dark interiors and biodynamic wines chosen according to the lunar cycle, it’s fair to say this slick Japanese hibachi grill lives up to its name. You can book a booth or dine al fresco on the verandah, but for the full experience perch on one of the black leather stools at the bar and watch the bartenders mixing cocktails and pouring sake from some of the oldest breweries in the world as you snack on such delights as pickled cucumber, watermelon sashimi, beef tataki, crab rolls and caramelised miso eggplant.Bay Lane, Byron Bay.
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Moonlight is yet another A-plus venue brought to you by the creative team behind Light Years, but this stylish wine bar instead pays homage to one of Japan’s oldest cooking methods; the hibachi grill. Moonlight’s thoughtfully produced menu showcases flavours from classical Japanese cuisine, which have been reinterpreted into modern and punchy dishes such as their octopus with spicy XO sauce or salt-baked kohlrabi with caramelised tofu cream. What’s more, all of the wines featured are biodynamic and chosen according to the luna cycle – and they have a great selection of sake too.
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Moonlight is an intimate wine bar that heroes the hibachi grill, one of Japan’s oldest cooking traditions. The almost all-black venue is a lesson in monochrome interior styling, featuring black and white prints on the walls, neon lights and a multitude of textures. With the menu divided into three sections, you can nibble your way through raw bites like spicy salmon crackers or watermelon sashimi, before working away at plates from the grill like Hokkaido scallops and chicken thigh, and larger bites such as miso-glazed eggplant, BBQ lamb ssam and wagyu steak.
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Moonlight, a Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar on Bay Lane, reimagines classic Japanese flavours with dishes like miso-glazed salmon, Hokkaido scallops, tuna 'Temaki' rolls and BBQ pork with fermented chilli honey. From the team behind Light Years, this epic Byron Bay bar and grill offers an intimate setting with biodynamic wines based on the lunar cycle, sake, Japanese whiskies, and cocktails inspired by traditional Japanese mixology. Open for dinner seven days a week from 5 pm to late, it's a must-visit in Byron Bay.
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It pitches itself as a hibachi grill and wine bar but the moody, monochrome space that is Moonlight does a lot more than what it says on the packet. Raw dishes such as kingfish that zings with ginger and yuzu vinaigrette is just as mouthwatering as the miso-glazed salmon yakitori. And if nothing from the biodynamic wine list takes your fancy you can also avail yourself of Japanese whisky, hot and cold sake or cocktails made with foraged ingredients including paperbark.
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In the heart of Bay Lane lies Moonlight, a chic Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar crafted by the brains behind Light Years. Choose your spot- the bar, dining room, or alfresco – and delve into a menu that puts a spin on classical Japanese flavours. Moonlight doesn’t mess around with the drinks either, offering biodynamic wines synced with the lunar cycle, hot and cold sake, Japanese whiskies, and a cocktail list paying homage to the art of Japanese mixology.
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In the heart of Bay Lane lies Moonlight, a chic Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar crafted by the brains behind Light Years. Choose your spot—the bar, dining room, or alfresco—and delve into a menu that puts a spin on classical Japanese flavours. Moonlight doesn’t mess around with the drinks either, offering biodynamic wines synced with the lunar cycle, hot and cold sake, Japanese whiskies, and a cocktail list paying homage to the art of Japanese mixology.
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Tucked away in Bay Lane, Moonlight is a contemporary Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar, from the team behind local favourite Light Years. Specialising in biodynamic wine, Japanese whisky, sake and an elevated cocktail list, it is the perfect place to pull up a seat at the bar. Choose to dine in this intimate space on a menu showcasing flavours from classical Japanese cuisine, reinterpreted to showcase the best of local produce.
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Moonlight is a contemporary Japanese hibachi grill and wine bar located on Bay Lane in Byron Bay. Founded by the team behind Light Years, Moonlight offers a modern take on traditional Japanese dining, focusing on bold flavours and seasonal ingredients. Designed with a monochromatic palette and textural materials like plasterwork, stainless steel, and timber, the interior creates an intimate and moody atmosphere.
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For dinner, our team can point you to some of our favourites (like Bang Bang or Moonlight). Or, while you’re here, take a look at our journal: Palate & Poetry: Best Byron Bay Restaurants for Dinner for a deeper dive into the best places to eat in Byron. With so many great spots just moments away from Basq House, you'll have the ease of stepping out and enjoying a fantastic meal right on your doorstep
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CUISINE: JapaneseADDRESS: Bay Ln, Byron Bay NSW 2481, AustraliaOPENING HOURS: Daily 5pm – 10pmINSTAGRAM: @moonlightbyronbay. Located in Bay Lane, Moonlight Hibachi Grill and Wine Bar is the moody little sister of Light Years Asian Diner. Modern, monochromatic, and intimate, the menu incorporates flavours from classical Japanese cuisine and reinterprets them into unexpected and punchy dishes.
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There’s no outsized ambition – the team behind Byron’s Light Years (plus new Middle Eastern-focused Smoking Camel) has created a smart hideaway that peddles approachable small plates, a tight wine list and inventive cocktails. “The Natsu” teams jalapeno-infused vodka with shiso syrup and lime juice; something called the “Koufuku” translates to Campari, vermouth, grapefruit and yuzu soda.
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Moonlight is a Hibachi Grill and wine bar serving up modern Japanese food in this small but hip restaurant in Byron Bay. It opened late 2022 and has picked up talk about being one of the best restaurants in Byron Bay!. Run by the team behind Light Years, this tucked away restaurant on Bay Lane features local seafood as well as biodynamic wines picked around the time of the lunar cycle.
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Tucked away down an alley just off the main street, Moonlight sports a chic aesthetic and banging playlist. This Japanese inspired hibachi grill is from the same team behind another one of Byron’s top restaurants ‘Light Years’. While on the pricier end if you’re after a full feed, we very much enjoyed just sitting at the bar and sipping a wine while soaking in the atmosphere.
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Moonlight serves as both a superb hibachi grill and a notable Byron Bay wine bar. Proudly showcasing its Japanese influences, Moonlight aims to blend rich cultural history with contemporary palates. For enthusiasts of biodynamic wines, sake, or a distinguished selection of Japanese whiskies, the bar at Moonlight is the place to be.
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The hibachi is the hero at this playful Japanese wine bar and restaurant, where the wine is chosen according to the lunar cycle. Come for eye-catching raw dishes, flame-grilled snacks on sticks and a vibe that'll transport you to Japan – except you’re only a block from the beach.
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An illuminated crescent moon is your beacon on Bay Lane to step inside and discover its hidden gem, Moonlight Hibachi Grill & Wine Bar. The moody and monochromatic interiors are a contrast to the usual sunny vibes found in Byron. Moonlight boasts a classy interior.
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Inspired by a love for bright, bold and flavourful food that leans into the intricate tapestry of the Middle East. The Smoking Camel brings a modern twist to traditional Levantine cuisine combining fast-moving flavours from Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and beyond.
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If you’re in the mood for Japanese cuisine, Moonlight in Byron’s town centre offers a next-level dining experience. Reservations are highly recommended to secure your table.
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Moonlight: A great option for an intimate birthday dinner, over divine Japanese cuisine and cocktails, in a setting that oozes with slick celebration vibes.
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from TikTok, Instagram & Reddit