Liquor Licence NSWRestaurant and café liquor licence (NSW)
A restaurant or café in NSW needs an on-premises licence (restaurant class) to sell alcohol where food is the main business. It lets you serve alcohol with or alongside meals and welcome minors. With the right authorisations you can also serve drinks without a meal, or sell limited takeaway alcohol with a genuine takeaway meal.
What the licence allows
You can
- Serve alcohol to diners with, or alongside, a meal
- Serve drinks to guests who are not dining, with a primary service authorisation
- Takeaway and delivery of alcohol with a meal order, with an authorisation
- Welcome minors, who can dine with you at any time
- Licensed outdoor dining areas, where council has approved them
- Host private functions and events in your premises
- Trade after midnight, with an extended trading authorisation
Limits
- Food must remain the primary purpose; the venue can't operate as a bar
- Meals must be available whenever alcohol is being served
- Drinks without a meal need a primary service authorisation
- No gaming machines
Authorisations often added
- Primary service
- Extended trading
- Takeaway sales (included with a new licence)
- Sale on other premises (included with a new licence)
- 6-hour closure variation
Applying for authorisations together with the licence is usually quicker than adding them later.
Cost
The cost depends on the authorisations you need. Our calculator gives an estimate that includes our professional costs and all NSW Government fees and charges.
Common questions
An on-premises licence (restaurant class), where food is the primary purpose of the business. It lets you serve alcohol with or alongside meals, and minors are allowed. A primary service authorisation lets you serve guests who don't order food, and a takeaway authorisation allows limited takeaway alcohol with a genuine takeaway meal.
It lets a restaurant or other on-premises venue sell alcohol to guests who aren't ordering food or using the venue's main service. For restaurants, the kitchen must stay open whenever it's used.
No. A liquor licence isn't required to run a BYO restaurant, but council approvals still apply and you need a licence as soon as you sell alcohol, including alcohol included in a meal price. Laws on supplying alcohol to minors still apply.
Usually, yes. Your liquor licence must match what council has approved, including the use, trading hours and capacity. Speak with us before lodging a development application so the two line up. In some circumstances it may be possible to lodge your licence application before council has approved the use, but there can be risks with this.