Eve Jeffery
Arriving at the Sun Bistro Bottle Shop at 3pm on a Thursday for a photo shoot might not have been the best idea. A steady stream of locals filed in and out with their ‘usual’ and most also had a little something special, often hand-picked by one of the staff.
The Sun Bistro is about more than just buying grog – it’s about focusing on local customers, with the aim of delivering great service with something for every occasion; be it your wedding, a night at Kouzina Restaurant, or a date night watching reruns of Seinfield with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s.
Retail manager Julz Recsei says there is an extra ‘something special’ available at the moment. ‘We got our hands on some amazing natural wines.’
Owing to the lockdown, one of Australia’s top restaurants, the Franklin Bar and Restaurant in Hobart, sadly had to shut its doors. As part of their closure they sold their extensive wine list of over 180 different natural, organic and low preservative wines from Australia and around the world. ‘We managed to get our hands on these wines,’ said Julz. ‘Most are extremely rare and were hand-picked by their team of wine sommeliers. There are some true classics in the list, and some weird and wonderful wines that are not for the faint-hearted – more for those who like to try something on the edge of funktown.’
Already known as the hub for craft beers and artisan spirits, including a huge range of tequila and mezcal, Japanese whiskey (at least two bottles of these walked out the door while we navigated our photo shoot), and local gins, the Sun Bistro Bottle Shop is the place to get the things you want, the things you need and something extra, and they also offer home delivery and cater for functions large and small.
‘It has been a wonderful journey creating a place that the locals love to come and find something special. Our staff enjoy coming to work and learning about this incredible world and sharing their enthusiasm for life and tasty drinks with the community. We continue to evolve, and truly enjoy looking after our locals. And they seem to love it as well.’
Sun Bistro Bottle Shop, 61 Bayshore Drive, Byron Bay.