Dust the sand off and look alive as our local guide steers you to the best restaurants on the Gold Coast.

So much more than pristine coastline and pumping nightlife, the Gold Coast glitters in the culinary stakes, too. Treated to ocean-fresh catches, sun-drenched produce and beachside real estate, the best Gold Coast restaurants lean into their surroundings to rock every manner of tastebud. Think authentic odes to international cuisines while juggling dazzling hocus pocus on beloved Aussie classics. Just add tables positioned so close to the waves you can almost feel their spritz (particularly a standout selection that fills our best Burleigh Heads restaurants list), our rollcall of the top spots to book will silence rumbling tummies in true holiday style.

The shortlist

Great for special occasions: Rick Shores
Hottest new opening: BabyMama
Best farm-to-table: The Paddock Restaurant
Best design: Norte
Best date spot: Saint Marthe
Best views: The Tropic

1. Palette

A dry ice-smoking ‘Tart Cart’, expertly balanced native ingredients and some of the slickest service on the Gold Coast — Palette deserves each of the three Chef’s Hats it boasts. The only Gold Coast restaurant to snatch all three, in fact, this place is a start-to-finish knock-out, steeping high quality local produce in punchy creativity often inspired by the transient exhibitions that surround it (you’ll find Palette inside HOTA, Home of the Arts). Think 2025’s Writers Revealed, a collection of literary artefacts that sparked a MBS 9+ Sanchoku Wagyu nodding to Virginia Woolf and a Davidson’s plum mille-feuille to evoke the magic of Lewis Carroll. Executive Chef Dayan Hartill-Law’s killer mainstay, Moreton Bay cuttlefish, is concealed in a warm Japanese custard, sliced about half the width of Ho Fun noodles to disorientate as it dazzles before yuzu pearls subtly jazz the final sip of your spoon. Ridiculous. Meanwhile, the team is knowledgeable and passionate, reading the room quietly to cater to every need. An all-class experience, every time.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Warm yet refined

Location: Ground floor, HOTA, 135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise

2. Norte

Pairing Latin American flavour bombs with one of the coast’s most dramatic, high-luxe fit-outs, Norte dares to be different among the laidback surf culture of Mermaid Beach. The Rick Shores team’s second Gold Coast showstopper (and home to one of the Glitter Strip’s best bars just upstairs), this fine dining production dresses local seafood and meats with pickled, fermented and smoked accompaniments, conjuring the signature richness of a northern hemisphere sojourn. Pushing the envelope with a Mooloolaba spanner crab churro while fuelling holiday dreaming with a chilli-glazed pork rack with lilly pilly mole, Head Chef Rudy Malinverni and the wider group’s Executive Chef James Brady journeyed Latin America to extract exotic deliciousness and inspire the menu back home. It’s a job well done. An open plan kitchen and tiered dining room (request a table in the podium for a front row, chef’s table experience), plus an elaborate central glass wine cellar, tap into the modernist post-war architecture synonymous with South America, creating beach town dining (and if you get bubbly Jana as your server, you’re in a for a serious treat) you won’t find anywhere else.

Cuisine: Latin American

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Sexy

Location: 2217 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

3. Rick Shores

A bona fide Burleigh Heads nirvana, Rick Shores is ocean-front dining at its most astonishing. Home to Pan-Asian masterpieces that focus on fresh, locally sourced produce to share, the Gold Coast restaurant is one of the city’s hottest spots, regularly drawing interstate and international crowds. It would be remiss to overlook the famous Moreton Bay Bug Roll, a rich overload of fried lobster morsels, gem lettuce, and Sriracha, and consider the whole fish when you reach mains — they’re often done with crispy skin and beautifully blended emulsions. When you’re done feasting, the sand is steps away from the dining room. Just be sure to book ahead – this place is always buzzing.

Cuisine: Pan Asian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Oceanic

Location: 43 Goodwin Tce, Burleigh Heads

4. The Tropic

While there are many Gold Coast restaurants with a view, it feels extra special faced with a golden sunset falling over the Surfers Paradise skyline. The Tropic is a charming, full-service restaurant with a fun, Mediterranean-inspired menu of seafood and shareable treats. Classic hits include the Puffed Spiced Bread, beef tartare and free-range roasted chicken with brown butter. Keep the drinks flowing at this Gold Coast restaurant’s sister spot, the pub-style Burleigh Pavilion, where slushy cocktails and a good beer and wine list ensure the party kicks on.

Cuisine: Modern Australian-Mediterranean

Average price: $$$-$$$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Location: 3b/43 Goodwin Tce, Burleigh Heads

5. The Paddock Restaurant

Worth every millisecond of the one-hour drive from Surfers Paradise, The Paddock Restaurant delivers the coast’s best farm-to-fork dining flanked by rolling hills, cow-speckled meadows and a thriving kitchen garden. While lunch invites flocks of ducks and hypnotising valley gazing, every meal is perfected by Executive Chef duo Chris and Alex Norman, who treat their sustainable dining philosophy like a professional sport. Must-orders include the Jerusalem artichoke soup with truffle oil (when it’s on the menu during the cooler months), while generously portioned Bay lobster, swimming in ratatouille and finished with Warrigal greens, melts with every flavour-packed bite. Roll your indulgence onto an al fresco table for more of that clean-air Hinterland immersion, or nestle into a leather lounge by the fireplace for solid cosiness.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Elevated

Location: Beechmont Estate, 422 Binna Burra Rd, Beechmont

6. BabyMama

A short-term pop-up restaurant from the team behind Mamasan (under renovation and expansion in Broadbeach in June 2025), this dynamo of a hole-in-the-wall might just prove popular enough to stick around. BabyMama, which opened in June 2025, delivers the same heavy hitting Asian flavours that its original is beloved for, paired with efficient service and big energy. You can’t miss the scallop and prawn toast, a mainstay and totally moreish, while the dumpling and bao bun menu is also far too tempting but save space for roast duck pancakes and the Wagyu red curry with 12-hour pulled beef and eggplant to really lean into this team’s goodness.

Cuisine: Asian fusion

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Electric

Location: 2/2243 Gold Coast Hwy, Nobby Beach

7. Saint Marthe

That Tamborine Mountain, just 45 minutes from central Gold Coast, just keeps getting trendier. Saint Marthe, a gorgeous French brasserie located in the burgeoning north Tamborine cluster of stores and eateries, is a Hinterland dream, firing up authentic French fare in the sweetest of settings. Let the central fireplace, complete with flagstone mosaic-style framework, warm you as classics including steak tartare, duck confit, char-grilled steak frites, cheese soufflé and crème caramel lavishly fill your belly. 

Cuisine: French

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Intimate

Location: 13 Main St, Tamborine Mountain

8. Etsu Izakaya

A hidden homage to Japanese cuisine, just two blocks back from the beach, Etsu Izakaya is a place for those in the know. You’d unlikely stumble across its white timber door by accident – and even if you did, you wouldn’t consider going inside. Those who do, however, are rewarded with a traditional izakaya-style den, filled with edgy Japanese-inspired decor and wonderful dishes. Designed to be shared and served steadily, the menu spans mainstays like sushi and sashimi, plus more experimental tempura dishes, like the Byron Bay Halloumi with honey dashi broth, one helluva truffle Wagyu gyoza, and an abundance of innovative cocktails.

Cuisine: Japanese

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Laneway exclusive

Location: 2440 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

9. Surfers Pavilion

Boasting uninterrupted river views and a vibrant ambience, Surfers Pavilion is the perfect lunch spot with friends. Choose from a wide selection of creative seafood dishes and watch oysters being freshly shucked right in front of you with both chilled and grilled options. Other great share options include the shredded chicken tacos, while pub classics are nailed in the way of the Mexican Parmy with salsa and guac, plus a bunch of burgers and sandwiches.

Cuisine: Pub fare

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Rowdy

Location: 30-34 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise

10. Glass Dining & Lounge Bar

Housed in one of the most sought-after waterfront locations in the city, a long lunch at Glass Dining & Lounge Bar is pretty much a Gold Coast prerequisite. Having perfected the art of intimate meals, award-winning fare, and exquisite wines, spend your afternoon gazing at panoramic views of the harbour. Start with oysters dressed in up to four varieties (or just al natural with lemon) before sampling the tapas menu, which spans Byron Bay burrata, tempura zucchini flowers and sizzling garlic prawns. Go one level up with your own main, like the lamb rack with a roasted eggplant croquette and red wine jus. No matter which way you order, do behold one of the best views in the city.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$-$$$$

Atmosphere: Luxe

Location: 74 Seaworld Dr & Marina Mirage, Main Beach

11. Social Eating House

Smack bang in the middle of Broadbeach lives a consistently excellent Gold Coast restaurant that is both warm and welcoming – Social Eating House. As the name suggests, the plates here are designed to be picked upon with pals. Served as large and small plates, they nail everything from oysters with coconut vinegar caramel to charcuterie, and a 12-hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder. Wash it down with a drop from their wine list, or saké, beer, whisky and cocktails.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Buzzing

Location: Shop 137/3 Oracle Bvd, Broadbeach

12. Jimmy Wah’s

Spend a weekend on the Gold Coast and you’d be forgiven for thinking Jimmy Wah’s was forgotten Burleigh royalty — that’s how often you’ll hear the name. Rather, this Burleigh Heads favourite is the result of a five-week motorbike tour that Chef Jake Cooley took around Vietnam, and locals couldn’t be any more delighted by his life choice. Can’t decide what to order? Enjoy the flavours of the sea with their famous Ocean Trout tartare. Infused with kaffir lime oil, coconut milk, finger lime, and a side of grilled rice paper, it’s simply too good not to try.

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Trendy

Location: 1724 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads

13. Justin Lane

Another Burleigh Heads beauty, Justin Lane is for those who love a skyward sojourn in the form of a rooftop bar. And let’s face it, who doesn’t? Sundowners, balmy nights, a tipple under the stars… this place combines all of these with views out to the ocean and the Surfers Paradise skyline. Part of the rowdy pizzeria and pasta bar establishment, the rooftop bar is a casual, chilled space with white umbrellas, festoon lighting, misting to keep you cool in summer, and heaters to keep you cosy come winter. Your rooftop feast awaits.

Cuisine: Italian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Loose

Location: 1708-1710 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads

14. Baskk Italian

Craving a carb overload? Soak up the sea breeze by the beach at Coolangatta’s Baskk Italian, serving all the classic dishes you know and love. Think calzones, homemade pizzas, antipasto including fritto misto and a long list of pastas. It’s also a wonderful cocktail bar and the weekends typically attract live music.

Cuisine: Italian

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Cheery

Location: 52/58 Marine Pde, Coolangatta

15. Bonita Bonita

For authentic Mexican food, Bonita Bonita has you covered. The menu is full of funky creations including its chimichangas (mini deep-fried burritos) using the freshest ingredients. Sample the best of the best with Bonita’s Banquet, which includes seasonal tostadas, spicy chicken wings, your choice of tacos and more.

Cuisine: Mexican

Average price: $$

Atmosphere: Relaxed

Location: 2460 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach

16. The Collective

If you can’t quite decide on the cuisine you’re craving, make your way to The Collective. Here you can indulge in the flavours of the globe all in the same place. A popular spot with big groups thanks to all those options, stalls include Rumba, dishing up Latin American plates, Fat Tomato, rolling out pizza and pasta, and Scoop Dogg, an ice-cream must. Grab your feed and tuck in on the rooftop terrace for the ultimate Palmy experience.

Cuisine: Food court-style

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Location: 1128 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach

17. Hail Mary

Heard whispers of that little Mexican joint down the alleyway in Burleigh? The name’s Hail Mary, and it’s a fabulous low-fuss Gold Coast restaurant that combines a salmon-pink colour scheme and plush velvet barstools with big-flavour tacos, jalapeno poppers and all the margaritas.

Cuisine: Mexican

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Party

Location: 26 James St, Burleigh Heads

18. Seascape Restaurant + Bar

Perched above the hustle of Surfers Paradise’s beachfront strip, Seascape Restaurant + Bar offers the choice of two seating options — chic bistro or fine dining, both with stunning views over the sand and surf and incredible seafood menus. Choose from lavish seafood platters, signature seafood chowder, coconut tempura prawns and heartier mains.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Beachy

Location: 4 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise

19. Omeros Bros

With so many excellent seafood restaurants on the Gold Coast, competition is fierce — but one you absolutely must put on your list is Omeros Bros with its award-winning menu. Letting ocean-caught catches do the talking, the dining experience is casual, with attention often stolen by the incredible food. However, waterfront marina views do offer a blissful break from chowing down. You’ll find the freshest oysters, ocean fish, crustaceans, crabs, Moreton Bay bugs and even more.

Cuisine: Seafood

Average price: $$-$$$

Atmosphere: Coastal

Location: 55/74 Seaworld Dr, Main Beach

20. Kiyomi

From mouth-watering sashimi to a warming cup of Chawanmushi, delicately prepared and meticulously presented Japanese dishes shine at Kiyomi. With a menu created by visionary Head Chef Winson Law, this Gold Coast restaurant gives diners a modern, yet authentic taste of Tokyo — without the long-haul flight.

Cuisine: Japanese

Average price: $$$$

Atmosphere: Refined

Location: Lobby Level, The Star Gold Coast, 1 Casino Dr, Broadbeach

21. Hyde Paradiso

Enjoy uninterrupted ocean views of Surfers Paradise Beach when visiting Hyde Paradiso, a European summer-themed oasis nestled above the crowds of Surfers Paradise. Feast on the tantalising Mediterranean-inspired tapas and cocktail options — perfect for a long lunch that leads into a Sunday session. Standout stomach liners include a crispy-skinned barramundi, chive gnocchi with truffle-grilled forest mushrooms and a flank steak with chimichurri.

Cuisine: Modern Australian

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Beachy

Location: Level 2/8 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise

22. Milky Lane

Sometimes, only a fat, juicy burger will do and Milky Lane is happy to oblige. From crispy southern fried chicken or a double smashed pattie to loaded fries and potato gems, milkshakes, and epic desserts (there’s a deep-fried Golden Gaytime on the menu), this place requires a large appetite.

Cuisine: Burgers

Average price: $-$$

Atmosphere: Casual

Location: 1/38 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise

23. Kin

Drop in, sit back, and feast like a king at Kin. The menu is centred around sharing and mostly features Japanese dishes with a twist of Indonesian and Thai flavours. From Chef’s signature sushi maki and succulent Asian Tapas to bigger plates of deliciousness such as pulled duck pancakes, you’ll be well looked after. Alongside adventurous cocktails and a seriously cool mix of silky-smooth jazz, new and old-school funk, and groove and soul music, you won’t want to leave.

Cuisine: Japanese fusion

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Upbeat

Location: 5/1730 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads

24. Light Years

Offering share-style food, unique cocktails, and friendly wait staff, Light Years in Burleigh Heads is a beachside favourite. From dumplings and bao buns to curries and duck pancakes, each menu is designed to share providing bold, colourful flavours.

Cuisine: Modern Asian

Average price: $$-$$$

Atmosphere: Rowdy

Location: 1848 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads

25. Misono

If the smoky flavours of teppanyaki are singing out to you, Misono inside JW Marriott Surfers Paradise is one of the largest Teppanyaki restaurants on the Gold Coast. Recreating the spirit of the streets of Harajuku, the team have a real flair for entertaining, mastering the ancient art of teppanyaki with skills second to none. Choose from various banquets that cover steak, chicken, pork and seafood, while all come with miso soup, a salad, vegetables, a prawn appetiser and steamed rice.

Cuisine: Teppanyaki

Average price: $$$

Atmosphere: Immersive

Location: 158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise

Originally written by Jemma Fletcher with updates by Kristie Lau-Adams