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

Sonya Gellert Sonya Gellert
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

Loborn
Loborn prides itself on impeccably crafted Australian aperitifs inspired by its location.

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. 

Need tips, more detail or itinerary ideas tailored to you? Ask AT.

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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

Franquette
Franquette delights patrons with its pastry selection.

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. 

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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

Saint Marthe
Irresistible French plates await.

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.

Sonya Gellert
Sonya Gellert is a writer whose insatiable appetite has seen her travel the world in pursuit of great culinary experiences to share on the page (and plate). Sonya's been the travel editor at a national food magazine, a restaurant and hotel reviewer, a freelance lifestyle writer and a life-long glutton.
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A gourmand’s guide to eating your way around Hamilton Island

(Credit: Nikki To)

    Eleanor Edström Eleanor Edström
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    From poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.

    Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.

    Catseye Pool Club

    Catseye Pool Club
    Catseye Pool Club offers stunning beach views. (Image: Kara Rosenlund)

    Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.

    The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.

    My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.

    Sails Restaurant

    Sails Restaurant hamilton island
    Settle into casual poolside dining. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.

    The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.

    Bommie

    cuttlefish dish at Bommie restaurant Hamilton Island Yacht Club
    Head to the Hamilton Island Yacht Club for a taste of Bommie. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.

    Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.

    Pebble Beach

    qualia Resort Pebble Beach
    qualia Resort guests can dine at Pebble Beach. (Credit: Lean Timms)

    Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.

    The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

    Beach Club Restaurant

    Beach Club Restaurant hamilton island
    Book in advance for Beach Club Restaurant. (Credit: Nikki To)

    A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.

    I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.

    Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.

    Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher

    hamilton island Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher
    Join this immersive wine experience. (Credit Eleanor Edström)

    There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.

    We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.

    The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.

    coca chu

    table spread at CocaChu
    Get a taste of Southeast Asian flavours. (Credit: Nikki To)

    Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.

    Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.

    Marina Cafe

    hamilton island MArina Cafe
    Take in harbour views and comfort food.

    Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.

    The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.

    Discover your foodie getaway now at hamiltonisland.com.au.