Tamborine Mountain has restaurants and bars worthy of a trip

Here’s why it’s time to revisit the Gold Coast’s lofty hinterland neighbour – but only with an appetite.

Having grown up in Brisbane, just an hour’s drive from Tamborine Mountain – a landmark rising high above the valleys of the hinterland behind the Gold Coast – I’ve visited this tranquil destination many times. And yet, it wasn’t until my most recent, week-long visit, during which I was astonished by the mountain’s rapidly evolving hospitality landscape, that I really became enamoured by this icon of the Scenic Rim Region. While roadtrip-worthy cafes and wineries have been growing like wildflowers on the mountain for decades, a slew of new restaurants, bars and picnic food stockists are breathing new life into the crisp mountain air.

As a food writer in constant pursuit of great, flavour-forward experiences, here’s where I suggest you visit when you’re next on Tamborine Mountain.

Loborn

While many cocktail and spritz enthusiasts will have sampled Italian amaro, few have sipped the amber and ruby-hued Australian take on this beloved, bitter aperitif. Come for a take-home bottle of expertly distilled Australian amaro (or gin, or vermouth), and stay for a tasting and the warm hospitality at Loborn Tasting Bar . Inside the inviting space – just follow the scent of orange peel and juniper berries toward the back of North Stores on Main Street – you’ll likely find Loborn’s founder Tom Drewitt at the bar’s communal table. Here, patrons can sip on a cocktail or neat glass of housemade amaro, imbued with local botanicals that pay homage to the region.

Picnic Real Food Bar

Community-driven hospitality veterans and best friends, Brenda Fawdon and Sonja Drexler, are the passionate real-food aficionados behind Picnic Real Food Bar (which neighbours Loborn Tasting Bar, also at North Stores). On cool, mountain mornings, well-made coffees and tea are served alongside thoughtfully prepared, from-scratch, seasonal fare (think savoury tarts with house-made pastry, flower-topped cakes, and wholesome, produce-filled bowls) – that lure in locals and visitors seeking delicious repast. After a meal at Picnic Real Food Bar, wander into Potta next door to peruse beautiful pottery creations (a fitting souvenir of your time on the mountain).

Peddly Picnics

A relative newcomer to the mountain, and a welcome addition to the neighbourhood, Peddly Picnics is fast-becoming a go-to for top-notch picnic provisions and e-bike hire. Across the street (Main Street, specifically) from Picnic Real Food Bar, Peddly Picnics offers a range of packages (including one that’s suitable for those exploring with their dogs in tow. Having lived on the mountain for 17 years, owners Jools and Kane are well-versed on the best tracks and spots for seeing Tamborine Mountain by bike (or just enjoying a picnic with a view). Wander into the Peddly Picnics store and ask about its packages.

Tamborine Mountain Gelato Co

All year round, the team behind Tamborine Mountain Gelato Co serves up its curated range of artisan gelato flavours. A stalwart selection of gelato varieties complements its special board’s flavours – which have included the likes of burnt butter, toasted marshmallow, Christmas custard, pavlova, a roasted peach and honey sorbet, and a hot cross bun gelato sandwich (featuring Franquette’s buns), among many others. Slide into a comfy booth seat with a seasonal-ingredient-infused scoop from this inspired gelataria and observe the leisurely foot traffic on Main Street.

Mana Souvlaki

Walking into the newly opened Mana Souvlaki is akin to entering a warm family home – albeit one that’s filled with the scent of sizzling halloumi, lemon and oregano. Traditional Hellenic cuisine is the order of the day at this family-run restaurant, where fresh, local produce is put to delicious use. Diners work their way through an enticing menu, starring souvlaki, meze and an impressively expansive choice of vegan and vegetarian dishes (try the family’s own spanakopita recipe). Greek wines pair perfectly, and the lahano salata (a cabbage salad) with capers, pomegranate, citrus and herbs, is a surprise show-stopper.

Franquette

A boulangerie fit for the streets of France resides along Gallery Walk on Tambourine Mountain. Golden sourdough breads, flaky danishes, creamy flans and cheesecakes, baguette sandwiches, cheese-crusted toasties and, frankly, some of the best croissants you’ll ever eat await beyond the counter at Franquette . Then there’s the life-affirming coffee, a wide-ranging hot chocolate menu, and a popular croissant loaf. Dine in for breakfast, brunch or lunch – or, order a picnic bag (which comes complete with a chic Franquette tote).

Witches Falls Winery

Witches Fall Winery — Savour delicious wines in a gorgeous vineyard.

While away an afternoon by the vines at Witches Falls Winery , and taste its wild-ferment sips alongside its more traditional pours. While there’s no restaurant on site, wine samplers can order olives, cheeses (including vegan cheeses), charcuterie items and preserves. Eighth Day hard apple cider flights and beer tasting paddles from neighbouring brewery, Boxer Brewing Co, are also available.

Tamborine Mountain Coffee Plantation

coffee plantation tour — Learn more about what goes into your morning brew on a plantation tour.

An idyllic meeting point or refuelling spot for roadtrippers, Tamborine Mountain Coffee Plantation serves hot cups of the good stuff, alongside generously portioned brunch-time meals, cakes and more. Perch on its back terrace in the sunshine, where vibrant red coffee beans pepper the plants around your table. For true coffee devotees, there’s the option to take a tour of the coffee plantation and learn more about this complex brew.

Tamborine Cheese

It would be a mistake for any self-proclaimed cheese lover to leave this mountain without first paying a visit to Tamborine Cheese . Cheesemaker Cristian Silvalti, hailing from Avellino, Italy, always dreamed of opening a cheese company – and Tamborine Cheese is the fruit of his labour. Now, cheese fiends can pick up Italian cheeses, made from locally sourced buffalo and cow’s milks, from his mountaintop shop.

Pinto Thai Station

Staying the night? Bringing the fresh flavours of Thailand to Tamborine Mountain, Pinto Thai Station is favoured by locals and holidaymakers seeking warming takeaway dinners to enjoy at their lodgings (preferably by a fireplace). A succinct yet warming menu of vibrant curries, stir-fries and starters are bound to please on a chilly evening. A drawcard? The creamy red curry with its layered depth of flavour is a robust and delicious choice.

Main St Providore

Be it a morning’s kick-starting espresso and freshly baked pastry, or deli-style sandwiches and cheese plates (with a glass of wine) at lunchtime, or leisurely five-course set menu dinners come the evening, Main St. Provedore Eatery & Espresso is a one-stop gourmand’s shop. Chef Brenden Schutz’s love for and knowledge of great food shines through in every breakfast, lunch and dinner dish at this welcoming venue.

Trattoria MKIII

When temperatures drop in the Scenic Rim, a menu that celebrates Italo-Americano flavour and hearty carbs is precisely what diners want to warm up with. Huddle inside and tuck into a starter of meatballs and focaccia, move onward to teaming plates of pizza and heaped-high bowls of creamy pasta (like the boscaiola), and end your meal with spoonfuls of tiramisu. You can also pop in for espresso from 7am each morning.

Tamborine Mountain Pizza

The older sibling restaurant of Trattoria MKIII, Tamborine Mountain Pizza has been serving up slices since 1994. While its methods are traditional – its dough is slow fermented and rolled to bake fresh by the order – its many and varied toppings prove this venue is not afraid to stray from tradition in the name of flavour (enter: Mexican pizza). Plus, vegan diners are given the choice of five plant-based pizzas, too. Try the ‘Pepperoni Americano’ with locally produced hot honey and added burrata.

Saint Marthe Brasserie

French-inspired Saint Marthe Brasserie presents an ambient, fire-warmed space in which to sip a cocktail and enjoy a snack by the bar. Those without plans might pop in for a drink and a small plate, but the menu here is more than likely set to lure them in for something more (the gruyere cheese souffle, for example) and a taste of the housemade lavender ice-cream to end the night.

City buzz, gourmet trails, surf breaks and art scenes are all at your fingertips.

When it comes to planning a trip, picking a holiday destination is the easy part. The real dilemma is where to set yourself up for the night. Do you go coastal, city, or countryside? Somewhere remote and rugged, or right in the action? Luckily, the Sunshine Coast, and huge number of amazing Sunshine Coast day trips, have kindly made the choice for you.

Ditch the hotel-hopping and suitcase-lugging. Instead, base yourself at Novotel Sunshine Coast or Mantra Mooloolaba , where big-city culture, vine-covered valleys, and theme parks are all within a two-hour drive.

1. Sunshine Coast to Brisbane

Drive time: 1 hour 20 minutes (105km)

Shake off the sand from your sandals and swap the beach for the throb of the Queensland capital. Ease in gently with a bougainvillea-filled stroll through South Bank, iced latte in hand, before cooling off at Streets Beach lagoon – Brisbane’s answer to the coast (but without the waves).

Once firmly in big-city mode, hit up the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) , home to Australia’s largest collection of modern and contemporary artworks. Dive into the past at the Queensland Museum, where prehistoric fossils of Australian dinosaurs and megafauna collide with First Nations cultural collections and interactive science exhibits.

All this learning got you hungry? Howard Smith Wharves calls. Here, riverside dining delivers breweries with meat-forward menus, Japanese fine dining and overwater bars. If you’ve got room for more, Fortitude Valley’s shopping boutiques await you and your wallet.

woman walking around Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) — Wander the Gallery of Modern Art. (Image: TEQ)

2. Sunshine Coast to the Scenic Rim

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (170km)

Make your way inland to the Scenic Rim for the state’s best vineyards and age-old volcanic slopes. Start your day early (like, sparrow’s breakfast early) at O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park . Here, take a treetop walk through the canopy and hand-feed the wild birds who flock here.

Next, it’s your turn to eat. Here, the food scene operates where locally sourced produce is an expectation, not an exception. Order a picnic basket crammed with regional wine and cheese to devour next to the creek at Canungra Valley Vineyards . Or perhaps a grazing platter of vegan and non-vegan cheeses at Witches Falls Winery .

Feeling bold? Tackle the Twin Falls circuit in Springbrook National Park. Or keep the gourmet life going with a Scenic Rim Brewery tasting paddle, best enjoyed while taking in the rise of the Great Dividing Range.

woman with cheese and wine at Witches Falls Winery — Enjoy a cheese platter at Witches Falls Winery. (Image: TEQ)

3. Sunshine Coast to the Gold Coast

Drive time: 2 hours (180km)

Surf, sand and sparkling skylines might be the Gold Coast’s MO, but there’s more to Surfers Paradise and beyond. Kick things off with a beachfront coffee at Burleigh Heads, then hike through Burleigh Head National Park to look over the ocean and whale sightings (dependent on the season, of course).

Cool off in the calm waters of Tallebudgera Creek before chowing down on the famously buttery Moreton Bay bug rolls at Rick Shores . Travelling with the kids? Then you can’t miss Australia’s theme park capital, with Dreamworld ’s big rides and Warner Bros. Movie World ’s Hollywood treatment at hand to keep the family entertained.

aerial view of Tallebudgera Creek — Dive into Tallebudgera Creek. (Image: TEQ)

4. Sunshine Coast to Tweed Heads

Drive time: 2 hours 15 minutes (200km)

Dare to cross enemy lines? Then welcome to New South Wales. Tweed Heads blends the laid-back attitude of the Northern Rivers with high-quality dining, experimental art, and farm-fresh indulgence – a combo worth the drive.

Start strong with a long, lazy brunch at Tweed River House , then swing by Tropical Fruit World for exotic finds like red dragon fruit, handfuls of lychees and black sapote. Next, hit M|Arts Precinct – an art deco hub of micro galleries, artist workshops and one-off boutiques.

Round off the day with sunset drinks at Husk Distillers among the glowing cane fields, and order one with their famous Ink Gin. You’ll thank us later.

exterior of Husk Distillers — Taste the famous Ink Gin at Husk Distillers. (Image: Destination NSW)

5. Sunshine Coast Hinterland

Drive time: 1 hour (70km)

Strap on those hiking boots and make tracks inland, where volcanic peaks, misty rainforest and hinterland townships beckon. Ease in with the Glass House Mountains Lookout Walk, or, if you have energy to burn, tackle the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk for a 360-degree sight of the surrounding summits.

Next: Montville. This township delivers European-style architecture and old-world appeal. Nearby, settle in at Flame Hill Vineyard, where a large pour of estate-grown wine comes with encompassing views of the countryside.

Not ready to leave the hinterland villages just yet? Of course not. Meander past art galleries and indie shops at Maleny. Nab some fudge from Sweets on Maple for a sweet fix. Or go salty at Maleny Dairies with a farm tour and a chunky wedge of their deliciously creamy cheese.

End the day among the eucalypts and rainforests of Kondalilla National Park. Here, the Kondalilla Falls Circuit winds down through trees humming with life to a rock pool beneath a waterfall – as if designed for soaking tired feet before heading back to the coast.

view of Mount Ngungun on the scenic rim queensland — Take on the Mount Ngungun Summit Walk (Image: TEQ)

Start planning your Sunshine home base at all.com.

Tamborine Mountain’s food and drink scene is not what it used to be