Queensland’s Top 100 Food Experiences – Gold Coast

Queensland Top 100 Food Experiences – Gold Coast

Our neighbours on the Gold Coast enjoy a plethora of wonderful food and dining experiences.  Just a short hop “over the border”, we have reviewed the Sunday Mail’s recent lift-out and come up with Queensland’s Top 100 Food Experiences – Gold Coast list.  Just another reason to visit our beautiful region with easy access to the Gold Coast!

You can view the full list and reviews across Queensland here..  Thanks to Sharnee Rawson, Food and Nutrition Writer, The Courier Mail.

Fine Dining

The Fish House

#13 The Fish House 50 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads +61 7 5535 7725

Restauranteur Simon Gloftis brought serious food credentials to Burleigh Heads, kicking off a gourmet revitalisation of the seaside suburb.  what better to eat on a holiday than simply prepared fresh seafood, with a lick of good olive oil and Greek seasoning, while looking out over the ocean?  Expect Tasmanian sea urchin tossed through al dente thin spaghetti, Petuna ocean trout baked with lemon and mustard, and whole fish, such as tiger flathead or King George whiting, to share.  On-the-ball staff know their product, right down to when and where it was caught.  The fit-out is gorgeous too, reflecting the same simple sophistication as the menu.

Best Breakfasts

#24 Commune 1844 Lower Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads +61 7 5520 3377

this is one of the places that typifies the newly emerging cafe culture of the Gold Coast.  It’s laid back, likeable and has grown organically, literally extending a mash-up of retro furniture outdoors into every space around it, to accommodate the crowds.  The vibe is hip, upbeat, friendly and eternally busy.  Try the coriander corn fritters with housemade chilli ham and two poached eggs.  On Sundays there’s a table tennis table adding to the fun, hipster vibe of it all.  The Campos coffee gets big ticks too.

#28 Canteen Kitchen 23 Park Avenue, Burleigh Heads

Firstly, lets just say the coffee here, from Canteen Coffee next door, is some of the most meticulously sourced, extracted and presented you will find on the Gold Coast.  But the team here ave also given us a breakfast menu that sparkles with originality, thanks largely to the Middle Eastern nuances such as freshly made flat breads that are served warm and spiced with za’atar.  For the biggest appetites, there are plates of lamb kofta tagine and baked eggs, and the smahsed broadbeans or avo on sourdough, both with a tannin-rich olive oil, are a satisfying way to start the day.

Paddock Bakery

#29 Paddock Bakery 20 Hibiscus Haven, Miami

Paddock Bakery is unlike any other offering on the Gold Coast, with its base of a renovated old house with rustic timber tables spilling outside into a leafy backyard.  The newly added wood-fired bakery is the engine room and you can see the bakers at work behind a glass wall, before ordering you baked goodness and a coffee.  There are fine sourdough loaves and hearty pies and buns, as well as breakfast options such as the carrot cake porridge that was such a hit in winer.  Great Marvell Street Coffee – oh and Pepe Saya butter – seal the deal.

#30 Elk Espresso 16 Chelsea Avenue, Broadbeach +61 7 5592 2888

Expect a regular line-up at this hardworking little cafe, popular with local surfers for well-made Allpress coffee, and casual crowds who swing by for lunch.  The menu is a good mash-up of naught – corn beef croquettes with black pudding, kale, celeriac remoulade, or maple-glazed pumpkin and smoke bacon tart – and virtuous – sauteed kale, roasted butternut pumpkin, free range eggs and pecorino cheese – with killer milkshakes, hand made sweets and turquoise-themed fitout that looks straight out of Frankie magazine.

Gourmet Goods

#50 Golosi Food Emporium 3/45 James Street, Burleigh Heads +61 7 5520 0704

An abundant display of fresh cut flowers lures you into this diverse little emporium, with gorgeous Danishes and macarons hidden beneath glass cloches, but it is the well-considered collection of gourmet provisions that really holds your attention.  It’s a must do for Gold Coast holiday makers, offering a pantry of organic breads sourced from four bakeries, including Mullumbimby’s Scratch Patisserie, vinegar from the Granite Belt, kim chi from Byron Bay’s Peace Love and Vegetables and granola from Irrewarra Sourdough Bakery, plus two cabinets of cheese, a handful of Italian wine and plenty of gluten free sweets.

Specialty Bars

# 64 Black Coffee Lyrics 41, 3131 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise +61 402 189 437

Hidden off the main drag, this eatery-cafe-cocktail bar is an oasis for anyone looking for an alternative to the standard Surfers Paradise night-life.  An eclectic fit out, with exposed brick, street art and mismatched furnishings, Black Coffee Lyrics couldn’t be more different to the glitzy main strip.   Small and laid back, with an intimate feel, the bar slings cocktails, craft beers and local wines, plus snack such as ras el hanout spiced nuts, baked camembert and crispy school prawns.

Sip and Swoon

Witches Falls Winery

#72 Witches Falls Winery 79 Main Western Road, North Tamborine +61 7 5545 2609

Nestled in the Tamborine Mountains, an hour’s drive from Brisbane, is Witches Falls Winery, which opened in 2004 and uses Granite Belt grapes.  Owner/winemaker Jon Jeslop has worked at Barossa Valley and Hunter Valley Wineries and has eared a reputation for his single varietal wines, with the Wild Ferment Chardonnay one of the favourites.  The cosy cellar door offers 19 wines for tasting on any given day, with knowledgeable staff to guide you through.  After a tasting, you can grab one of the winery’s picnic rugs and enjoy a glass in the surrounding gardens.

#78 Tamborine Mountain Distillery 89 Beacon Road, Tamborine Mountain +61 7 5545 3452

This boutique distillery, with old rock walls and a rustic showroom, is unlike anything else in Queensland.  It produces an incredible range of liquers, schnapps and spirits and has won numerous awards over the years.  Ever enthusiastic owner Michael Ward has featured in a British TV Show, which skyrocketed the distillery’s popularity with tourists.  He and wide Alla moved from Tasmania in 1992 and fell upon their new career path wondering what to do with the abundant fruit of the trees on their newly acquired property.  They now produce liqueurs, schapps, vodka, grappa and aquavit among others.

Sugar Hit

#96 Vivre a Vie 2354 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach +61 7 5526 1920

When a cafe is devoid of flor, sugar and eggs, is it still a cafe?  Lara Forsyth Madden This so.  She happily mixes raw cakes, such as beetroot mud cake, blueberry and lemon cheesecake or carob fudge balls with her more conventional offerings.  This new wave of bakery aims to cater for every diet, offering almond, rice Zymill or soy milk for your coffee at no extra charge, and coconut icecream for dairy fee milk shakes.  There’s a solid savoury menu too, and traditional pastry options such as apple pie and blood plum cheesecake.  Beautiful bags of cookes, in grapefruit and lavendar or orange, cardamon and yoghurt, make great gifts and the ever burning coffee and chocolate scented candles are also hard to pass up.

#98 Palazzo Versace 94 Seaworld Drive, Gold Coast +61 7 5509 8000

If you fancy a taste of the high life, but the budget doesn’t quite stretch to an overnight stay, consider taking high tea at the Palazzo Versace.  Sink into one of the pink and gold patterned chairs, and let the impeccably groomed staff deliver silver teapots of loose leaf tea or Do Perignon champagne, along with three tiered towers of delicate reats.  The Couture menu includes tinyfinger sandwiches, filled with pickled cucumber or roast beef with horseradish, warm scones with thick cream and jam and a top tier of cake pops, macarons, citrus tarts and waffle cones of chocolate granuache.

We do hope you have enjoyed this special summarised post of Queensland’s Top 100 Food Experiences – Gold Coast.  As always, we welcome all guests to our beautiful property, La Maison Pacifique, which is just a short drive across the border to many of the restaurants, cafes, emporiums, bakeries and other local businesses listed.

Oh – and there are some other restaurants you may be interested in as well which have featured on the website (but not in the lift out)!  Check out our blog Toast the Coasts – Gold Coast Selections for extra Gold Coast additions that are not included above, including Hellenika (sister to The Fish House), Seaduction and Little Truffle.

La Maison Pacifique

…and… if you are looking for a resort-style luxury beachfront holiday home for your family holiday, romantic break  wedding accommodation, (watch our video here), or a girls getaway  contact us at La Maison Pacifique for availability and a quote….  Remember, our rates compare really well with local 5-star resorts – and La Maison Pacifique is private – on the beach – walking distance to cafes at Cabarita Beach – perfect spot for whale watching (June to November each year) – children optional!

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Until next time – enjoy your day wherever you are from La Maison Pacifique “The Peaceful House” and your boutique designer luxury holiday home vacation rental in Casuarina, New South Wales, Australia – half way between the Gold Coast QLD and Byron Bay NSW, Australia.

Di Hendy
Property Consultant & Interior Designer
La Maison Pacifique
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