Best Known For
Snails in their shells cooked in garlic butter. The authentic Crème Brulée Bouillabaisse
About The Petit Snail
The Petit Snail brings refined French cuisine to picturesque Byron Bay. With friendly service and traditional French fare cooked using the freshest local produce, it's no wonder the Carlyle Street eatery was voted the most highly-rated French restaurant in Australia by My Taste. As the restaurant’s name suggests, the snails in garlic butter are a ‘must try’ dish but make sure you test out other entrees such as the fresh scallops on leeks confit. For mains, indulge in dishes such as the twice-cooked duck legs with poached pears in red wine or the Charolais eye fillet tenderloin steak in garlic butter or red wine sauce. As per French tradition, bread and vegetables are complimentary with mains so avoid eating a big lunch if you are coming here for dinner.
Menus/Downloads
Features & Facilities
Payments Accepted: Visa, Mastercard, Eftpos
Seats: 48 Chef: Igor Persan
A night in Paris.
Having dined many hatted restaurants around the world I cannot figure out why the petit snail is not! The food simply takes you places, the service of an old friend glad to see you and the whole experience one of escape. Like a petite romantic getaway. Cannot recommend highly enough. Best French in Australia, easily.
Lovely service despite our waiter being a little nervous. Food was glorious, traditional French cuisine. Cooked beautifully. I had escargot (OMG), perch in lemon butter (superb), ham terrine (outstanding). We could not find room for dessert. So much more than satisfying. The wine (Beaujolais) was smooth, light and suited to our courses. Such a lovely evening. Only detracting part was the duck. A little over cooked and stringy but the underside was delicious. Would definitely go again and recommend to those who love everything French !!
Amazing good, but incredible service. Very personable.
Igor, Le chef, shows his passion for his native French cuisine in every part of the dining experience at The Petit Snail. Whatever you choose, you will be delighted, but I don't think I have ever experienced a more delicious filet steak anywhere. A beautiful dining experience made even more memorable by our hostess Chauby (Igor's wife). She makes everybody feel like they are her friends.
As residents of the area, we have been frequenting Igor and Chauby's French bistro 'The Petit Snail' in Byron Bay for many years. Sometimes as a couple and other times as a group, it has always been the most delightful experience. The menu is very traditional and reflects Chef Igor's Lyonaisse heritage and training. His beautiful wife Chauby is your hostess and she treats every guest as if she is welcoming them into her home. Some of our menu favourites are the Veal and Pistachio Lyon Sausage, the Steak Tartare prepared at your table, and the Eye Fillet served with your choice of French Sauces. All mains come with vegetables and their are endless baguette baskets. There is also a special 'By Order Only' Menu - try the Algerian Royal Couscous! The wine and drinks list is fantastic and there is also a great cheese and dessert selection if you have room left! If you are looking for a truly French experience, look no further, you won't be disappointed.
My partner and I visited on our engagement celebration evening... Dominique could not have made us feel more welcome. Fantastic people, great food and they made our night perfect. Thank you guys!!!! We will be going and recommending to all our friends visiting byron!
Top evening at the petit snail, the hosts were brilliant and made us feel like old friends, amazing food, wonderful atmosphere, it's a Byron gem, we will definitely be back on our return!
Delicious food and the service is exceptional! The petit snail is a family owned restaurant and the owners meet and greet every guest. A definite must if you visit Byron Bay!
It was just amazing I'm French and even in France it's hard to find this quality in a restaurant. Everything was perfect and the owners are really nice and friendly they will share with you their passion for the French cuisine!
This is our favourite restaurant. Every time we visit Byron we always have dinner at the Petit Snail. The food is amazing, the atmosphere quaint and romantic, and the service is unbeatable. Worth every cent!
Fantastic food, fantastic service, fantastic ambience!! A little bit of France in Byron Bay...
We are regulars at The Petit Snail as we think that their food and drinks are of the highest standards. We keep coming back as they always make us feel welcome and we enjoy their hospitality. My mother enjoys going there for dinner and she considers The Petit Snail as the best restaurant in Byron Bay. We have always liked French food and having travelled to France (visited Paris and so-on,) - I consider the Petit Snail as a very authentic French restaurant and it has a wonderful atmosphere.
Food is amazing, Chauby and Igor are so loveable. and the staff is friendly and quick with a request.
Simply the best!
Everything was so lovely at The Petit Snail! Cannot wait to go again, the hosts were delightful :)
Excellent food and service.
A great evening with beautiful food and friendly service as usual. Thank you!
This is by far my favourite restuarant in the world! I felt like we were right at home. Amazing food, service, music and atmosphere. I am very glad to have had my 30th birthday dinner here. We all thoroughly enjoyed our meals- not a bite left on any plate. Also Chef Igor came out to make sure that the children enjoyed their food. What a priveledge. I thank Chauby, Chef Igor and the whole team for an incredible experience. Thank you!
On vacation with my husband and wanted to try a French restaurant... Wow, just like the home cooking I knew growing up! The owners are real sweet and friendly. Great atmosphere. I definately recommend it!
Oh! "The Petit Snail" - our taste buds just go crazy and we begin to salivate at the mere thought of going there for another meal. The food is exceptional, probably better than French food you could find anywhere -- even in Paris. But it's not just the food that makes "The Petit Snail" so special and sets itself above all others -- it's the outstanding service and welcome you receive from Igor and Dominique, the French staff, and all this in an unmistakeable Parisian setting. There is also such a friendly atmosphere which sets it apart from all others. Igor and Dominique have set a true benchmark, that all restaurants should aspire to, when it comes to delivering a true dining experience. So do yourself a favour and enjoy a meal at "The Petit Snail", when next visiting Byron Bay. Can't wait to return! Chris and Rosy (Rosebank)
JE NE CONNAIS PAS CET ENDROIT MAIS J E SUIS CERTAIN QUE TOUT CE QU ON Y MANGERA SERA AUSSI EXQUIS QUE LA PATRONNE MA DOMINIQUE( SIC CHOOOOOBYYYYY) MON AMIE DE TOUJOURS ET QUE J AIME TENDREMENT!! BISES DE PARIS!! TON PHILIPPE.....
No need to add anything to what all the other testimonies are saying ! Yes this is the best Byron Bay has to offer, and yes this is truly an unforgetable experience.
WOW!!!! One of the best and friendliest restaurant I've ever been to. If you're looking for the true FRENCH experience, don't look any further. As soon as my wife and I sat at the "terrasse", we were in Paris! The food, the music, the ambiance, the service, everything is pure FRENCH and excellent! We recommend The Petit Snail to all our friends.
Best food in Australia! Amazing service! We will be back! We want to live in Byron Bay just to go back to the Petit Snail everyday!
Back in the UK we are pretty close to France... and good French food. I never thought that a small hidden French restaurant in Byron Bay, Australia would be just as great as the best French restaurant in France ! Well here it is. One of my best experience in dining out for both food and service.
this restaurant will definitely be a bench mark to my dining experience ! Beautifully cooked duck à l'orange in the old-fashion way with blood oranges. An amazing warm venison terrine served with home-made brioche and a crème brûlée identical to the one I was served at Paul Bocuse in Lyon. The service is very professional and also extremely warm and friendly. What de gem. Do not miss it.
By far the best food we had in Byron Bay and the best service. Fresh lightly pan-fried scallops were to die for and the portions were also more than generous. Choosing wine was made easy as the hostess simply gave us a taste of any of the wines by the glass before actually settling for one that was nothing short of divine. Definitely a place to remember and cherish.
Le Petit Snail, what a wonderful experience! On my recent first visit to Byron Bay my local friends brought me to this very special restaurant. The service is second to none, we felt right at home with Igor, Chauby and Bastien. The scallops were amazing but the highlight was the creme brulee c'est magnifique!! Hope to visit again soon, Cara (visited with Eitan & Angela)
This restaurant should be called The Grande Snail (or even The Drunk Rooster!) - magnificent service, great wines and succulent cuisine that matches the top hat restaurants in Paris. So far from France and yet so close. Thank you Igor and Dominique for a memorable evening - the perfect romantic dinner on a cool winter's night. Bravo!
Simply unforgetable ! I will recommand this littles hidden gem to everyone. And will return whenever I visit Byron Bay. This restaurant leaves all the others for dead !
There is a lot to be said for personal service and approachable owners. Igor and Chauby were without a doubt the friendliest and most enjoyable part of the evening. However, that is certainly not a reference to food being of a lower standard. Eating with my very fussy (chef) husband can often be a difficult process and even he spent the night singing praises and stealing a taste of everything! Would return without hesitation!