The Sunshine Coast has welcomed a host of new restaurants this year with a handful of long-serving favourites enticing us back for more.

Don’t let the pristine beaches and warm sunshine distract you. The Sunshine Coast is home to some of Australia’s best restaurants and cafes. And there’s no better way to explore this region than by letting your belly do the talking. Here are the top spots for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between.

Restaurants for breakfast

The Sunshine Coast sure knows how to start the day right. After you see the options for early morning dining you might want to extend your stay to make sure you can fit them all in.

The Coolum Social

Flowing with Instagram-friendly vibes is The Coolum Social, a cafe dishing up hearty meals and killer caffeine using Sydney’s Gabriel Coffee. Focused on turning the region’s seasonal produce into vibrant works of art, the team love playing with whatever’s peak delicious at the time.

Bright and airy vibes at Coolum Social.

Expect dishes like zucchini fritters with mashed avo and fried enoki, and blueberry hotcakes with homemade passionfruit curd, alongside more exotic creations like short ribs tacos and soba bowls. If you’re mad for a juice, you’ll also love their range of bashed-up brews, providing pops of zesty colour atop perfectly styled tablescapes.

Don’t overlook tacos for brunch.

Address: Shop 7, 8-26 Birtwill Street, Coolum Beach

Bella 101 Eumundi

Fuel an adventure through the famous Eumundi Markets with breaky at Bella 101 Eumundi. Located right across the road from the Sunshine Coast town’s hottest weekly ticket, the eatery was built inside a beautiful historical building known as The Old Bakery.

Hearty meals satisfy at Eumundi 101.

Padre Coffee beans help the team stir up smooth liquid gold and a menu stacked with locally sourced ingredients will satisfy rumbling bellies. Send your tastebuds around the globe with a traditional English Breakfast, Canadian Pancakes or Breakfast Sliders and if you’re there after 10am, brunch cocktails are up for grabs too. Dotted with tropical gardens, it’s a safe spot to start your day exceptionally right.

Padre Coffee is served.

Address: 101 Memorial Drive, Eumundi

Bistro C

Whether you’re hungry from an early morning swim or simply fancy a delicious nourishing breakfast, beachside Bistro C in Noosa Heads has got you covered. Overlooking Laguna Bay, choose from lighter dishes (think seasonal fruit with coconut yoghurt) or set yourself up for the day with the cheesy polenta, roasted field mushrooms and chorizo.

Beachside dining at its finest. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Address: 49 Hastings Street, Noosa Heads

Moffat Beach Brewing Co.

While it may seem unusual to have breakfast in a brewery, wait until you taste the food at Moffat Beach Brewing Co., just metres from the beach. The brekkie burger is the clear winner with smoked bacon, fried free-range egg and chilli jam on a brioche roll.

Address: 12 Seaview Terrace, Moffat Beach

Restaurants for lunch

Lunch? Yes, it really is that time already.

BASK Restaurant

Peregian Beach’s favourite long lunch spot is BASK Restaurant & Bar, located right in the action. The paddock-to-plate restaurant moved into the village after a hugely successful run in Eumundi where it originally opened its doors in 2021.

BASK Restaurant’s popularity called for a bigger space in Peregian Beach.

Once word of Chef Jack Madden’s culinary flair caught on, demand grew and so the team found a larger space elsewhere. The result is flawless; a European-inspired feast that flows to al fresco curbside tables from a warm, stylish fit-out. The food, spanning fresh sea catches and the finest seasonal meats, is reliably excellent.

It’s paddock-to-plate dining at its best.

Address: Shop 3-4/218 David Low Way, Peregian Beach

Brouhaha Brewery

Another great spot for a chilled-out meal is Brouhaha Brewery in Maleny. The beer is outstanding – its strawberry and rhubarb sour beer is exceptional – and see the Maleny Wagyu dish? The spent barley used in the brewing process is fed to the cattle before making its way back onto the menu in the form of a beef burger.

Grab a chilled-out meal at Brouhaha Brewery.

Address: 6/39 Coral Street, Maleny

Rickys River Bar & Restaurant

If you’re after something a little more refined, riverside Rickys (with its own jetty) is the place. Fresh, local seafood shines here and the six-course tasting menu makes for the perfect long lunch. The menu might include local white fish with cauliflower and almond, spanner crab spaghetti and Cooloola strawberries with whipped stracciatella.

If you’re after something a little more refined, Rickys is the place.

Address: 2 Quamby Place, Noosa Heads

Mooloolaba Fish Market

With the sun shining and waves crashing, lunch al fresco sounds like a super idea. Drop into the Mooloolaba Fish Market, grab a hot parcel of fish and chips before settling down at a picnic table overlooking the Spit.

Address: 201 Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba

Restaurants for dinner

We hope you’ve left some room for dinner. Dinner on the Sunshine Coast is a serious affair. No, not in a starched white tablecloths and suits kind of way (although you can find that if that’s your jam) – we mean that the level of culinary delight is set to seriously good.

Warrior Restaurant & Bar

A spectacular dining destination, Warrior Restaurant & Bar at The Crocodile Hunter Lodge is a sophisticated homage to Australian cuisine. Engaging the Sunshine Coast’s finest farmers and suppliers to meticulously execute an inventive yet considered menu, the restaurant shines a light on its unparalleled natural surroundings.

Warrior Restaurant & Bar delivers an inventive take on Australian cuisine.

Native ingredients expertly elevate while the staff are, in typical Irwin style, astoundingly accommodating and charming. Sweeping views of the rich landscape provide the ultimate backdrop, creating a totally unforgettable experience.

The restaurant within Australia Zoo’s Crocodile Lodge is destination dining at its best.

Address: 88 Irwin Road, Beerwah

Sum Yung Guys

Ease into your evening with some tunes, eclectic decor and punchy food at Sum Yung Guys, where the vibe is a hipster hangout crossed with significant food cred. Start with the crunchy, salty king prawn toast with gochu mayo, before moving on to bigger dishes like local cuttlefish with green mango, lemongrass and betel leaf. Whatever you do, don’t miss the fresh, hand-stretched roti. It’s worth the trip alone.

Expect eclectic decor and punchy food at Sum Yung Guys.

Address: 8/46 Duke Street, Sunshine Beach

The Spirit House

You can’t talk about the best places to eat on the Sunshine Coast without mentioning The Spirit House. Set within tranquil tropical gardens, this iconic restaurant, bar and cooking school is next level. This is fresh and bold Asian-inspired cuisine, from the miang of pickled crab, green mango and coconut served on a lotus petal to the cured yellowtail kingfish, jungle curry vinaigrette and pickled daikon.

Spirit House is set within tranquil tropical gardens. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Address: 20 Ninderry Road, Yandina

The bits in between…

Best places for coffee

If you need your coffee fix, you’ve come to the right coast. Among the wooden pallets at The Pallet Espresso Bar is some of the best coffee north of Brisbane. For an intimate brew, head to The Pocket Espresso Bar where you can not only grab a coffee but a cheeky cocktail on the side.

Best places for dessert

Want the scoop? Head to Maleny Food Co., which makes extraordinary ice-creams fresh each day and regularly uses local seasonal fruit.

Maleny Food Co. makes extraordinary ice-creams fresh each day.

And if your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied, drop into the Kenilworth Bakery where if the wall of doughnuts doesn’t defeat you, the one-kilogram doughnut challenge will. Filled with your choice of custard, cream or Nutella only a few brave souls have managed to polish a whole one off.

This article was originally written by Lindy Alexander with updates by Kristie Lau-Adams.