BEST STREET EATS ON THE GOLD COAST

Whether you’ve landed after dark with a #hangry family entourage in tow or you’re famished yet undecided if you’re craving Asian street eats or home cooked Italian, we’ve got some inspiration for you. Smattered the entire length of the Gold Coast is a wealth of neighbourhood eat streets and late night food markets ready to cater for every taste and budget. You’ll find everything from fast pub grub and gourmet burger joints to hearty Mexican and chef-hatted excellence at the Coast’s top dining hubs.

Surfers Paradise Eat Streets

Surfers Paradise is the throbbing heart of the action on the Gold Coast and its dining options are as diverse as the international visitors who flock here, year round. Navigate your way to these dining hubs and indulge in some of the surf city’s most popular restaurants.

Electric Cavill Avenue—named in honour of the founder of Surfers Paradise, Jim Cavill—has a history that dates back to the booming 1940s and a gregarious character to match. Meander Cavill Avenue where you can people watch from your plaza-side table at Latitude 28 or try vegan fast food at Lord of the Fries. Overlooking the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean, adjoining Soul Boardwalk is lined with everything from full service a la carte eateries to grab-and-go takeouts. Try finger-licking ribs at Hurricane’s Grill or the kids will love slurp-worthy Italian at Vapiano. Take a jaunt to the western end where Circle on Cavill is a growing hub for dine-in eateries from the dazzling, double level White Rhino Bar to poke bowl bars and dumplings and noodle houses.

Chevron Renaissance, located a few steps away from Cavill Avenue and Chop Chop street food market, is a dining destination with a splash of shopping and all-ages entertainment. Feast on Italian at Baritalia or taste the Caribbean at El Patio de Cuba, while the kids are thoroughly entertained at Infinity’s futuristic maze. Want to know where to find some of the best burgers on the Gold Coast? We’ve got two words for you—Betty’s Burgers.

Broadbeach Street Eats

Once lingering in the shadows of its glittering neighbour Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach is a lively yet more laidback tourist hub where locals and visitors collide for atmospheric nights and culinary delights. Here you’ll be spoiled for choice at a number of eatery-lined thoroughfares that branch off in various directions.

Glittering Oracle Boulevard, awash with twinkle lights and lined with alfresco dining options, is a go-to for foodies in search of a more refined experience. Have fun deciding between contemporary Pan Asian fare at Mamasan Kitchen & Bar, upbeat hospitality and Middle Eastern share plates at Mecca Bah, always-festive vibes at The Cuban or, our hot tip, start with highly-addictive espresso martinis at unassuming two chef hatted bistro, Social Eating House.

Located a towel throw from the squeaky soft sands of Broadbeach, Victoria Avenue, adjoining Oasis Shopping Centre, recently underwent a stellar renovation with wall to wall restaurants beckoning you in off the pedestrian stroll. Why not progressively dine your way down the stroll with wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas at perennial favourite, Mario’s Italian, finishing with a whisky night-cap at charismatic bar and grill, The Loose Moose.

Surf Parade is an original Gold Coast eat street, one that has regularly evolved and reinvented itself to keep in step with the ever-growing competition for your attention. The newest member to the Surf Parade family is Frankies Brasserie, a modest yet superlative dining experience serving a locally sourced produce-driven modern Australia menu, or nab your table early for the most happening Sunday session on the block at long-standing Koi Bar & Dining.

Central & Southern Gold Coast Street Eats

Want to rub shoulders with the locals? Head to Nobby Beach’s hip and happening social hub for hospitality with that laidback neighbourhood feel. Ally Chow has a seriously funky fit-out and new-age Asian fusion, while casual Bine Bar & Dining pours a plethora of rotating craft beers paired with easy bar snacks. Sushi bars, whisky and wine bars, Mexican, contemporary Italian, an American diner plus an old school pizzeria round out the options here.

A journey around downtown Burleigh Heads is like a culinary journey around the world. Here you’ll find one of the most condensed selections of eateries anywhere on the Gold Coast, well patronised by both locals and visitors seven days a week. From Italian pizzerias to Lebanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Cantonese, Mexican, Japanese, Brazilian barbecue, fine dining seafood, steakhouses, burger or poke bowl bars, sushi trains, cafes galore, vegan noms, doughnut shops, ice cream and waffle bars to an uber unique Australiana bar, you name it, and you’re probably covered.

You saw it here first, on the Gold Coast. Palm Beach is justifiably proud of The Collective, a one-stop foodie and lifestyle destination with two bars, five kitchens and a breezy rooftop perfect for sunset cocktails—all under one roof. This unique, permanent marketplace has been a total hit since the day it opened, guaranteed to bring good vibes and delicious share-style eats. Open 7 days for lunch and dinner, The Collective is a surefire crowd pleaser.

At the southern most outreaches of the Gold Coast is where you’ll find Coolangatta, home to the original Cooly Kids (pro surfers like Mick Fanning and Stephanie Gilmore) and also home to a delicious range of restaurants and diners. Fronting the beachside esplanade, The Strand’s selection ranges from gourmet burgers or burrito, pancake and tapas bars, to sushi trains and fish n chips. For sunset cocktails and charcuterie boards, wander a little further north to whimsical Baskk at Kirra Point. Or, running parallel at the rear, Griffith Street is justly proud of its foodie gems from Tasca Wine Bar to Francies pizzeria, Greenhouse Canteen vegan or ridiculous burgers and whisky at Eddie’s Grub House. All this, a short 10-minute drive from the Coolangatta Airport.

Late Night Cravings

Arrived late and desperate for some delicious tucker? These late night restaurants on the Gold Coast will tame your growling stomach.

Chop Chop Asian Street Food Market, squirreled away off Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise’s bar street, is a permanent hawker style street food market serving flavour-packed cuisine from Korean ramen and Thai curries to Chinese Yum Cha, and is open late for those ravenous night owls and late-to-town arrivals.

It’s the entertainment hotspot that never sleeps, ensuring The Star Gold Coast in Broadbeach will have you covered whenever hunger strikes. Should you arrive at a more reasonable hour, this all-under-one-roof dining destination is home to some of the Coast’s best eateries in Cucina Vivo, Kiyomi, Nineteen and Garden Kitchen & Bar. The late night crowd is well catered for at Mei Wei Dumplings (‘til late Friday and Saturday evenings), the Sports Bar (‘til 10pm) and Food Quarter for classic menu stars (open 24 hours).

If you’re on the hunt for more late night restaurants on the Gold Coast, these legends are cooking late for those rumbling tummies. Aloha Bar & Dining, hidden away in a Broadbeach back alley, serves dumplings, ramen and other delicious eats ‘til as late 1am on weekends, while hot local hangout Après Surf in Mermaid Beach serves up its full menu until 10pm Thursdays through Saturdays. Two of the Coast’s favourite bars—The Cambus Wallace in Nobby Beach and The Scottish Prince in Palm Beach—also pair their smoothest whiskies and cocktails with late night dining ‘til 10:30pm. In Broadbeach? The Loose Moose’s late night menu beckons with pulled pork nachos and karaage chicken. Finally checked into your hotel after a marathon travel day and ready to climb into your PJs? UberEats operates on the Gold Coast with late night food delivered to your door.

Night Market Noms

The Gold Coast’s favourite night markets, Miami Marketta is an international street food market that pops up in the Miami industrial estate on Friday and Saturday nights, and on a pared back scale on Wednesday evenings. Packed with cheap and cheerful stalls dishing up more authentic street eats than you can poke a fork at, the Coast’s original and uniquely innovative night market reaches epic status with the inclusion of multiple bars, a dessert hall, fashion boutiques, ample urban art to ogle and free live music and DJs to bop the night away to.

Follow your nose and the wafting smells of sizzling meat will bring you to BBQ Bazaar, hidden away in the back streets of a Burleigh industrial estate. Every Friday and Saturday evening the grills and barbies are set alight in preparation to feed the throngs of meat lovers everything from ribs to brisket, meat buns, wings, Reuben sandwiches and Jamaican Jerk chicken. Salivating in anticipation? We thought so.