Surfing the menu: the best Gold Coast restaurants by precinct

Venture to Southport and you can find everything from upscale waterfront dining to some of the best authentic Asian eats on the Gold Coast.

Family-friendly and with its very own private beach, Southport Yacht Club overlooks the glimmering Broadwater from its Waterfront Restaurant and Waterscape Pontoon Bar. For more of a bar vibe, head to the airy rooftop of Mr P.P.'s Deli & Rooftop for pizzas, pastas and cocktails.

The Chinatown hub around Nerang St and Scarborough St is teeming with options, and you can't go wrong with Sen Lek Thai Cafe, Maruya Japanese, Pho 333, Izakaya Ichi or Gal.B Korean BBQ for a Korean fix. 

If you're more of a clean eater, make a beeline for Blendlove for plantbased dishes, raw desserts and bowls, or veggie-lovers favourite Cardamom Pod. 

Also check out: If you've got your pup in tow, Southport is home to some of the coast's best dog-friendly cafes.

Main Beach

A bundle of fish and chips or a Chiko Roll are just as at home in Main Beach as the swanky prix fixe lunches found along Tedder Ave. One thing’s for sure, Main Beach packs a lot of culinary punch into its patch.

Head to Marina Mirage for the pick of the bunch, like Glass Dining, which fits like Cinderella’s slipper every time you visit. Start with a mixed dozen of the freshest oysters and wash them down with a signature cocktail as the sun sets over the marina; one of the best dining views on the coast. Practically next door, you'll find one of the Gold Coast's best seafood restaurants at Omeros Brothers - or book a poolside sun lounge or cabana at La Luna, Australia's first floating beach club, to spend an afternoon in style right down to the Champagne menu. 

Just down the road you can treat yourself to a luxurious high tea (gluten-free options available) in the Le Jardin Lobby Bar at the Imperial Hotel. Or opt for more relaxed surrounds with authentic Greek food and warm hospitality at family-owned Xenia. 

Also check out: Pick up just-shucked oysters and fish and chips at Peter’s Fish Market or Gold Coast Fisherman's Co-op, among the best spots for fish and chips on the coast.

Surfers Paradise

For many first-timers to the Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise becomes the epicentre of the stay. On the eating front, options span the entire spectrum – from burgers and frozen concretes at beloved Betty’s Burgers, to unbeatable water views and seafood at Seascape. And while the neighbourhood might have a reputation for its bars, early risers will be pleased to know Surfers Paradise has more than its fair share of great coffee too. 

Hotels are the hotbed of restaurant stars in this precinct, with Bazaar at QT Gold Coast offering a gourmet buffet like you’ve never experienced before, whether you're there for breakfast or dinner. But it's QT's funky izakaya Yamagen that has really captured diners' attention. Grab a spot at the 15-seater sushi table, or watch the sizzle of the robata grill in the centre of the restaurant while you feast on innovative Japanese cuisine and whisky cocktails. 

Newly opened five-star luxury hotel, The Langham, has bolstered Surfers Paradise's claim to the best restaurants on the Gold Coast, delivering tantalising Cantonese fine dining at T'ang Court, a light-filled lobby bar, and refined afternoon tea at Palm Court. While over at Meriton Suites, COAST serves local seafood and signature charcoaled steaks complemented with a 200+ bottle wine cellar. 

Get a side of entertainment with your dinner at Misono at the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, which claims to be the largest teppanyaki restaurant in the country.

The Gold Coast's new arts centre, HOTA, is also pulling in hungry travellers to its sophisticated ground floor restaurant Palette and rooftop bar The Exhibitionist, where life - and the cocktail menu - reflects art. 

Want to go all out on a bottomless brunch? The Island rooftop and Hyde Paradiso are two of the best, but if your style leans more toward a casual afternoon bite and beer, make your way to Surfers Pavilion. 

Also check out: Riverfront cafe Bumbles serves up a menu with flair and a cosy community vibe, just a short stroll away at Budds Beach. For more of a party, let loose at Cali Beach Club which boasts a sprawling pool, casual bites, a bar (with bottle service, of course) and regular DJ sets.

Broadbeach

Just a small hop south of Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach is a food lover’s mecca with everything from Bavarian to Middle Eastern through to high-class Japanese on the menu.

If you’re into sharing, pull up a seat kitchen-side at two chef-hatted bistro Social Eating House + Bar and split the renowned saltbush lamb shoulder, tuck into South East Asian bites and banquets at Mamasan Kitchen & Bar, settle in for the moreish 'chef's signature selection' at crowd-favourite Miss Moneypenny's, or keep the carbs coming with woodfired pizzas and gnocchi at Gemelli, where the Carney brothers have given the Gold Coast an authentic taste of Italy. 

Kiyomi is the answer for a splurge night out. Tucked neatly away inside The Star, this modern Japanese restaurant hits all the right notes. Once you're full, head to the rooftop of Nineteen at The Star for a nightcap. For a romantic night out that won't break the bank, wander into Fig + Frankies - a laneway bar for Italian-leaning small plates and cocktails.

Looking for breakfast? If there was an award for the prettiest cafe on the coast, we’d give it to Elk Espresso. Always buzzing, this Broadbeach cafe starts the day with srumptious waffles and truffled eggs, and warms up to hearty salads and burgers at lunchtime.

Also check out: Costa Taco's cult following has grown from market stall to several restaurants on the Gold Coast (including Broadbeach), while epic vegetarian eats can be found at The Cardamom Pod.

Mermaid Beach

Once only seen as a strip of the Gold Coast Highway where Sizzler and Hooters laid their claim, Mermaid Beach has become a popular foodie haunt with everything from meatballs to perfectly flaky croissants.

If you like your margaritas spicy and your empanadas stuffed with pumpkin and salted caramel, slip into Bonita Bonita for blow-your-mind Mexican. While you’re waiting for a table, road-test their cocktail list in sister bar, Bon Bon, right next door.

Consistently an over-achiever on the Gold Coast dining scene since the doors opened in 2010, Little Truffle is on an unassuming corner but once you step inside, its Frenchy decor and sublime degustation menu will keep you coming back. 

Looking for something more casual? After lighting up the backstreets of Miami with Paddock Bakery, the owners decided to open Bam Bam Bakehouse to showcase theor pastry prowess from artisan croissants through to a full bistro menu. The croissant French toast is a must-try.

Also check out: Etsu for a traditional izakaya with a modern-cool spin, brunch at The Milkman's Daughter for decadent yet fresh spins on coastal breakfast favourites, or dine at The North Room for European fare with flair. 

Nobby Beach

This beachside strip wedged between Mermaid Beach and Miami now has some of the coast’s most-wanted menus and linger-all-afternoon vibes.

If you’ve got a hankering for Cocowhip, superfood salad or big ‘ol bowl of sweet potato fries, wander down to the beachfront to wholesome BSKT. You can downward dog before or after you eat with their yoga studio just upstairs, or bring your dog to this pup-friendly and kid-friendly cafe.

For a slice of Italiano in Nobby Beach, intimate pizza and wine bar Gemellini is ready and waiting to serve you with piping hot, cheesy arancini, traditional pizzas and Nonna’s secret bolognese recipe.

After dark, The Cambus Wallace is the spot to be. Moodily-lit, the team at this nautical-themed rum and whisky bar know how to shake a cocktail, while the food menu more than holds its own. 

Also check out: Locals head to watering hole Bine Bar for the best craft beer and wings on the coast.

Miami

A blink-and-you’ll-miss it suburb snuggled in between Nobby Beach and Burleigh Heads, the Gold Coast’s Miami is less ’80s TV cop dramas and South Beach pastels, more hipster grunge and vegan delights.

Housed in a cute cottage, Paddock Bakery brought queue-inducing dippy eggs and salted caramel cruffins to the backstreets of Miami in 2014, and locals have been addicted ever since.

For a spot that'll give you a great feed - and so much more - visit SPEC. It's tapas meets tacos meets cocktails, with a welcoming beer garden ideal for long evenings with friends. Sign up for Sunday's bachata and salsa classes, belt out a tune at Thursday karaoke, or kick back for live music on Friday and Saturday. 

If cheap and cheerful Chinese is more your cup of tea, Miami Rice will keep your belly happy and Kung Po your taste buds with Malaysian and Thai dishes sidling up alongside your chow mein and Cantonese crispy roast duck.

This area is quite a hub for local brews, with Lost Palms Brewing, Precinct Brewing, Black Hops Brewing and Granddad Jack's craft distillery all a short stroll from one another. 

Also check out: Miami Marketta for a smorgasbord of food truck eats and live music every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday night under the fairy lights.

Burleigh Heads

If there's one place to park yourself for a foodie getaway on the Gold Coast, it's Burleigh Heads. The list of fantastic eats is as long as the sets of perfectly peeling waves curling around the headland, best watched from a picnic rug on the hill or an outdoor table at Burleigh Pavilion. From beachfront fine dining to rooftop bars and backstreet secrets, you’ll feel completely satiated here.

With prime beachfront territory, Rick Shores (named one of the Australian Financial Review‘s Top 100 Restaurants among its many accolades) is a quintessential Gold Coast dining experience. Its trademark Thai twist flows through the menu, from Moreton Bay bug rolls to sticky pork belly with wok-fried pak choi and yellow peach. 

Maman offers a Mediterranean escape from decor to dinner, Light Years injects cool-factor into every element of their menu and fun dining space, while Restaurant Labart is the place to celebrate an occasion with modern Australian in a sophisticated 60-seater bistro. Seeking a cosy date night? Paloma Wine Bar is the relaxed spot for you - with great eats from the Restaurant Labart team.

For casual eats and curl-your-toes coffee, head to local favourites Commune, Tarte Bakery or Magnolia Lane, while newbie Two Yolks is the go-to for breakfast burgers. 

Also check out: Justin Lane for rooftop pizza and cocktails and Jimmy Wahs for Vietnamese banquets and Sunday long-lunches. 

Palm Beach

This tiny pocket of paradise is the epitome of the barefoot beach lifestyle, but just minutes from the bustle of the northern Gold Coast. And if you're looking to get a taste, it makes sense to start with a swim and a stop by one of the many beachside cafes, like Sisterhood or Good Day Coffee.

Palm Beach may be small but you won't go hungry. Balboa Italian is a long-time local favourite for long lunches and cosy dinners, while Tank Bar & Dining is all about the love of craft beer and a food menu to complement it, with ten rotating taps of local brews and regular live music. 

Can't decide what you feel like? The Collective offers five menus in one, from American to Asian bites, served up in a twinkle-light and mural filled space perfect for groups, with one of the coast's best rooftop bars above.

Also check out: Frida Sol for tacos and Las Palmas for Latin American bites; Palm Beach Surf Club for relaxed, unfussy meals with unbeatable views; and Custard Canteen for coffee and baked goods to devour at Tallebudgera Creek (from the same pastry-loving team as Paddock Bakery and Bam Bam Bakehouse, you know it's good). 

Currumbin

Cross Currumbin Creek and you'll find the quiet beachside communities you'd remember from your childhood. Where casual reigns, and nothing beats seafood takeaway with your toes in the sand.

It’s hard to go past Currumbin Beach Vikings Surf Life Saving Club, perched on the most impressive piece of waterfront land on the entire coast. But the dreamy, beachy strip of Currumbin has plenty of other food stars in the lineup, too. Like Tommy's Italian and Cranky Joe's Ugly Dumplings.

Start your day the right way with an acai bowl from The Salt Mill, or coffee from Barefoot Barista's outpost - which even has traditional scoops made by a fourth generation gelato maker for when you're craving something sweet later. Pastry-lovers can also get their fix beside the water at Tarte Beach House, a new outpost of the popular Burleigh Heads bakery.

Also check out: It's worth leaving the sand behind to grab a latte from converted-warehouse-cafe Refinery Coffee, or a deluxe loaded burger from biker-hang Iron and Resin Garage. On Fridays from 4pm-8.30pm, make your way to the weekly Sanctuary Markets where you'll find international bites, local beer and live music on The Village Green at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. 

Coolangatta

Home of pro surfers, one of the coast’s most famous breaks, and right on the border of New South Wales, Coolangatta is Queensland’s final frontier when it comes to beachfront eats done right. And none feel more iconic than grabbing a bite and beer at Rainbow Bay Surf Life Saving Club's bar.

If you’re into cafe hopping, you’ve found your zen. Plan to spend a morning at the likes of Good Garden, Ground Coolangatta, or Rockleigh Cafe, then grab-and-go another caffeine hit from Board Short Barista. 

The Kirra Beach-end of Coolangatta is ideal for bites with beach views: Siblings@Kirra serves up one of the best spanner crab spaghettis on the coast, while Kirra Beach House occupies 1200sqm of beachfront dining space and a delectable Mediterranean-style grazing menu that pairs perfectly with an afternoon of drinks by the water.

Bee-line to Bassk for Italian sensations, pan-Asian at Billy Chow, or takeaway Detriot-style Sicilian square pizzas at Franc Jrs. Americana is in full swing at dive bar Eddie’s Grub House, with burgers, Southern fried free-range chicken, and Texas chilli cheese fries just some of the waistband-stretching wonders on the menu. Or travel slightly further south on the culinary border to Agave Rosa Taqueria and Clay Cantina - two hotspots proving Mexican cuisine truly is having its moment on the Gold Coast. 

Also check out: You can’t leave Coolangatta without a treat from Ottimo Gelato. 

Overwhelmed by choice of where to eat on the Gold Coast? Discover the very best restaurants you can't miss.