Taste your way through the best restaurants on the Sunshine Coast

If you’re after a high-energy, flavour-packed dining experience, Rice Boi is your place. This vibrant Sunshine Coast restaurant offers up modern, Asian-fusion eats, cold beers and good times.

The food is always fresh and always local, and guests are spoilt for choice. Crispy eggplant chips are the perfect snack, and it’s hard to go past the dumplings — their speciality. Get there early to nab a seat out on the deck overlooking the water, or head upstairs to the bar for spiked bubble tea and a selection of tasty bites.

Diners who want a taste of the Rice Boi experience but lean towards a reservation over rolling the dice with walk-in-only will be pleased to discover the Tony Kelly Group opened RB Dining in 2023. It's a more fine dining experience here, but packs the same modern-Asian punch that is well loved at Rice Boi - located just upstairs at The Wharf precinct. 

Fish on Parkyn 

For an elevated take on fish and chips, head to Fish on Parkyn. Chef Motonori Oki is pioneering a “dock-to-table” ethos, serving only the best-quality, sustainably and wild-caught local fish, and he’s doing it beautifully. Going strong for more than 15 years, this is simple, local food - and worth travelling for.

Backlane Bar and Street Food

A local’s haunt through and through, veer off Mooloolaba’s main drag to grab a seat at Backlane Bar. The street food inspired menu offers a fusion off flavours, from seafood saganaki to pork belly tacos and karaage chicken, teamed with a huge offering of beers, wine and cocktails – the Backlane Zombie packs a punch in all the right ways.  

Pier 33

Occupying prime waterfront real estate in what was once the local yacht club, Pier 33 is a Mooloolaba institution. Come for the stunning Hamptons vibes and stay for the impeccable seafood, collected directly from the moored fishing trawlers you can see from your table.

Sustainably sourced local produce complements the seafood, and the menu changes with the seasons. You can usually get your hands on their famous Mooloolaba prawn roll though, and you certainly should. Treat yourself to some oysters and whatever’s been caught that morning, and settle in for the day.

Noosa

Sum Yung Guys 

Kitsch, pan-Asian holiday vibes abound at this much-hyped Noosaville restaurant. And happily, the food is as good as it is fun. Led by ex-Masterchef alum, Matt Sinclair, Sum Yung Guys’ inventive menu runs the gamut from Japan to Indonesia, so there’s something for everyone and meals are designed to share. Wash it all down with any of the inventive, tasty cocktails on offer and good times are practically guaranteed.

Ricky's

No trip to Noosa is complete without a long lunch at Rickys. Sitting right on the picturesque Noosa River, just up the road from Noosa’s main street, Rickys is a dichotomy – at once reliable and comforting while also being modern, fresh and full of surprises.

Meals are made that much better due to the sourcing of the bulk of their produce from Rickys’ own property, Maravista Farm, in the Noosa Hinterland. Access to three vegetable plots, abundant citrus groves, a private bee colony and a herd of cattle, plus a commitment to converting food waste to compost on the farm, sets Rickys apart.

Gusto Riverfront Restaurant

Further along the river in Noosaville is another spot that takes advantage of its breezy position by the water. Gusto Riverfront Restaurant has been serving happy locals since 1999, and its European-bistro influence accents local seafood and produce, like BBQ Mooloolaba king prawns, Fraser Island spanner crab spaghetti, and Kingaroy pork chop. Gusto offers great lunch specials, along with a bottomless Saturday lunch or Sunday roast - there's never a bad time to take a seat here. 

Still hungry? Here are other great spots to eat around Noosa and Noosa Junction.

Embassy XO 

Tucked away in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it spot on Sunshine Beach’s Duke St, Embassy XO is a foodie favourite among locals and visitors alike.

Serving up top-notch Asian cuisine overlooking the beach, it’s not surprising that this is considered one of the best Sunshine Coast restaurants. You can’t go wrong with a la carte, but in-the-know locals swarm to the five course tasting menu, which can be made totally vegetarian or served with matched wines.

Buderim

Harrys on Buderim 

Housed in a 142-year-old homestead on the edge of the Buderim Forest Park, Harry’s on Buderim lured two-hatted chef Stuart Bell from Victoria to take over the reins of the long-running fine diner in 2018.

Harry’s is committed to supporting as many local businesses, suppliers and producers as possible. They’ve also recently received a ‘Snail of Approval’ accreditation from Slow Food Noosa for their commitment to using good, clean and fair ingredients from the local area.

The ever-changing seasonal menu champions local produce and the seafood-forward dishes are fresh and memorable - and there's the option of a la carte or a decadent five-course degustation. Make time for a stroll to Buderim Falls in the adjoining park while you’re there.

Yandina

Spirit House

A guide to the best Sunshine Coast restaurants simply wouldn’t be complete without Spirit House. The award-winning restaurant, housed in a fairytale, tropical-garden setting about a half hour drive from Noosa, just gets better with age.

The infamous cooking school on site attracts tourists in droves (and it’s fantastic), but if you’re short on time, let the incredible chefs look after you in the restaurant. Book early or be disappointed, and order everything. If you have to choose, the whole crispy fish is an absolute must have. A world-class experience not to be missed.

Maleny

The Tamarind

Set among lush Maleny rainforest in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, The Tamarind is an award-winning, hatted restaurant that offers contemporary Australian cuisine with an Asian influence.

Make sure you book in advance and ask for a table on the deck, which looks out over the beautiful gardens. Choose from a range of small and large plates, designed to be shared, and if you get a chance to eat the Chinese steamed buns with whipped roe, you absolutely should. 

Montville

The Long Apron

Tucked away within Spicers Clovelly Estate in Montville, this two-hatted, French-inspired restaurant has long been considered one of the best Sunshine Coast restaurants, renowned for its world-class food and service.

Beyond the plate, The Long Apron is also a pioneer when it comes to sustainability. Their onsite vegetable garden provides fresh, seasonal produce to the restaurant, which is used in abundance. They’re also involved in a range of other initiatives, including implementing an innovative glass-to-sand program with Enviro Sand, and adopting a 100% paper-straw policy, among others, to ensure they’re having a positive environmental impact.

Opt for two- or three-course a la carte or go all out with the five-course tasting menu, but don’t miss the beeswax sorbet for dessert (made from their very own native honey bees!).

Flame Hill Vineyard 

Overlooking their working cattle property and winery, Flame Hill Vineyard is a homestead-turned-restaurant and cellar door in the lush town of Montville in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland.

Offering the ultimate paddock-to-plate lunch experience, Flame Hill’s farm and kitchen garden produce grass-fed Angus beef as well as the herbs and vegetables accompanying every plate. Wash it all down with some of their excellent wine, which is estate-grown and hand-picked from their vineyards in Montville and the Granite Belt.

6 new Sunshine Coast restaurants to discover on your next visit

Warrior Restaurant & Bar, Beerwah

Set to be the new go-to for long weekend lunches in the sunshine and group get-togethers, The Doonan occupies a whopping two-hectares of beautiful hinterland. A little bit of everything wrapped in a stylish garden-party atmosphere – down to croquet on the lawn – The Doonan offers indoor and outdoor dining, multiple bars and beer gardens, a pizzeria, ice creamery, cellar door, kids playground and multiple function spaces for your next event. Plus, there’s live music every Saturday from 3pm – 6pm.

Lanai Noosa

Light, airy and impeccably designed, Lanai fits like a glove among Noosa’s best restaurants, having taken over Thomas Corner Eatery’s Noosaville space in May 2023. Seafood is the specialty here, and with a focus on shareable dishes to suit both the peckish and famished, there’s something for every palate – and the chefs are committed to ethical, locally sourced produce. Tuck into spanner crab nori rolls, Mooloolaba prawns with garlic chilli butter, king salmon and wagyu – the cocktail menu encourages you to linger a while to try it all. 

Prawn Star, Mooloolaba

Trawler-fresh seafood takes a literal turn at Prawn Star, where the dining experience begins by boarding a permanently moored, restored fishing trawler. Docked at The Wharf, Prawn Star serves wild-caught Aussie seafood, from crayfish and bugs to oysters and tiger prawns. Bring a few hungry friends and devour one of the massive sharing platters.

Pizzeria Sisily, Golden Beach

Discover an authentic slice of Sicily on the southern Sunshine Coast, where Pizzeria Sisily serves up handmade pasta, wood fired pizza, Italian desserts and cocktails crafted with inspiration from the owners’ Sicilian heritage. The extensive antipasti menu is ideal if you want to pop in for a drink and snack, but it’s best to come hungry and try it all, down to the spicy nduja pizza and ricotta-stuffed cannoli dipped in Nutella and pistachios.

Pataka, Maroochydore

Swinging open its doors in September 2023, Pataka is a Fijian-Indian restaurant with a focus on wood-fired, plant-based cuisine – and there’s nothing else quite like it on the coast. Described by the team as a ‘melting pot of flavours and cultures’ the vibrant menu caters strongly to vegan and gluten-free diners, while showcasing native Australian ingredients. Some favourite dishes being spinach and potato pakoras with quandong chilli jam, wood fired cauliflower and chickpeas with smoked macadamia romesco, jackfruit kofta and more. The drinks menu hasn’t been overlooked either, with a great offering of natural wine and cocktails. Locals know to pop into their hidden cocktail bar, Pataka Lounge, for a nightcap.

Looking for things to do on the Sunshine Coast between bites? Head here.