Where to find the best seafood on the Gold Coast

The pan-Asian menu at Rick Shores is known to capitalise on seasonal availability, which means ultra-fresh, locally sourced produce and something different every time. If you’ve heard of Rick’s it’s probably thanks to their famous Moreton Bay Bug roll: lightly battered bug served on a soft brioche-style bun with gem lettuce and sriracha hot sauce.

This is the signature dish that put Rick’s on the map, and as a seafood speciality restaurant, the location couldn’t be more perfect. Rick’s overlooks the wide stretch of white sand and rolling waves at the beautiful Burleigh Beach.

Head chef James Brady builds his menu around the finest and freshest seafood including kingfish, king prawns, and freshly shucked oysters. If you look carefully you’ll also spot some choice ingredients that Brady himself has foraged. Wild garlic, wood sorrel, nasturtium leaves and sea purslane have all featured on the menu. But the most important thing about Rick’s is that everything is designed to share. From the smallest appetiser to the coal-roasted meats, every dish is a shared experience with the rest of your table.

The Tropic, Burleigh Heads

Just upstairs from Rick Shores and sharing its sweeping ocean views with Burleigh Pavilion, The Tropic is yet another asset to the Gold Coast’s dining scene. The open plan kitchen merges the front and back of house, inviting diners behind the scenes and into the arena of head chef Guillaume Zika.

Showcasing the best and freshest seafood with a Mediterranean twist, Zika’s menu reads like a love letter to the sea. Starting with kingfish tartare, it’s just a quick jump to the white anchovies served simply with extra virgin olive oil and lemon. Move onto seafood pasta or whole fish, and then it’s all out with cold seafood platter adorned with spanner crab salad and scallop ceviche.

Theirs is a light touch, leaving the purest flavour of the catch speak for itself. It’s rare to see more than three extra ingredients alongside even this restaurant’s land proteins.

Kiyomi, Broadbeach

With an expansive sushi bar that will awaken your palate, Kiyomi's izakaya is a portal to the tradition and modernity of dining in downtown Tokyo, served in the subtropics.

Fresh seafood is a pivotal component of authentic Japanese cuisine, so Kiyomi’s Broadbeach location is perfect for access to the local catch. True flavours of the sea shine through, whether you're ordering oysters with chilli ponzu, tosazu (Japanese vinegar) or a citric yuzu granita, or a selection of sashimi such as the seared scampi with foie gras, apple and shiso is a must order. 

More substantial menu items include the lightly batttered tempura Moreton Bay bug or king prawns with shellfish butter - but if you want the complete experience, bring your appetite and go for the set menu.

Seascape, Surfers Paradise

Overlooking Surfers Paradise Beach, Seascape is the kind of place where time stands still. The dining room is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass windows, making way for vast and sweeping ocean views, and the decor is warm and fresh with stone floors and natural wood panelling to enhance a polished earthen feel.

The overarching credo that drives Seascape is the pursuit of the freshest and most seasonal catches. No fewer than six fresh fish species are on offer daily, all sourced from Australian and New Zealand waters, as well as a menu of inventive dishes that will change the way you think about seafood.

Previous seasonal offerings have included lobster and swimmer crab lasagne, maple cured black kingfish, and a Moreton Bay bug bouillabaisse, while the beautifully flavourful Queensland prawns with Moreton Bay bugs is a regular on the main menu. Get started with a drink at downstairs bar before heading upstairs to settle in for dinner.

Omeros Bros Seafood Restaurant, Southport

When it comes to Aussie seafood, this restaurant team keeps it in the family – and it’s made Omeros Bros a Gold Coast institution. Set by the vessels in Marina Mirage, this airy waterfront restaurant serves up an extensive menu of all your favourite dishes – so you can order a la carte or settle in for an affordable $60 set menu. Live lobsters and mud crabs are favourites here. 

Currumbin Beach Vikings SLSC, Currumbin

There’s just something special about popping into a local surf lifesaving club for a meal. And if you’re on the Gold Coast, Currumbin Beach Vikings is one of the best. Nestled on Elephant Rock by the sands of Currumbin Beach, this casual club has everything you need for a long lunch or sunset snack – and the hot and cold seafood platters rival any fancy restaurant too. 

Takeaway seafood on the Gold Coast

Prefer to enjoy your fish and chips with your toes in the sand? Head to these local favourite seafood markets and takeaway shops to get your fill.

Peter's Fish Market, Southport

Locals know to order a fresh catch, cooked perfectly, and served with a generous side of chips. Peter’s range of fresh seafood is truly expansive, giving diners the choice of snapper, octopus, coral trout, mud crab, ocean perch, king prawns, scallops, oysters, and lobsters to name a few.

Pull up a seat in front of the trawlers moored on Main Beach for a casual bite, or if you fancy a quieter spot, take your parcel down to The Spit and unwrap it before the sparkling seaway.

Miami Fish Market, Miami

Newly-opened Miami Fish Market is the place to go for retail and wholesale responsibly sourced seafood from Australia and New Zealand. Take home some fresh and live seafood to enjoy at home, or pull up a stool in the courtyard, ordering from the specialist oyster & sashimi bar.

The Jolly Roger, Miami

This unassuming shopfront tucked into the backstreets of Miami might not be the first place you’d look for fish and chips, but don’t miss it. Dedicated to locally sourced Aussie and NZ seafood, you'll find a menu the classic seafood baskets and fresh catch along with Keto fish and chips plus Vegan Tofish. This is a spot that can cater to your whole crew.