Treat your taste buds to a culinary rollercoaster through this list of the best restaurants in Surfers Paradise! This Gold Coast suburb is a beachside gem that isn’t just about waves and sunshine—it’s a foodie’s paradise with many excellent restaurants to prove it.
Salt Meats Cheese
Salt Meats Cheese, Sydney’s renowned food emporium, has a Gold Coast-based pizzeria in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Their authentic Italian menu includes the Wednesday nights-only menu, flaming Parmesan wheels. Moreover, they offer truffle gnocchi, and the intriguing black lobster pizza.
Specials like all-you-can-eat pizza Mondays ($29 per person) (with a drink purchase) and $25 Cheese Wheel Wednesdays sweeten the experience. Aside from that, they offer cocktail and Italian cooking classes every weekend, ideal for bachelorette parties, corporate team building, and more.
Citrique
Perched above Surfers Paradise, Citrique is a foodie paradise renowned for its long weekend lunches and seafood market experience. It offers a unique and chic dining experience with a signature ocean and paddock-to-plate menu. The award-winning seafood buffet provides a sea-to-table experience featuring a variety of fresh, local seafood. For those preferring larger plates, options like oven-baked snowfish with wood-fired cauliflower, lime finger, wattle and macadamia seed crumble, beurre blanc, and cauliflower puree are available.
COAST Beach Bar & Kitchen
A landmark venue, COAST Beach Bar & Kitchen, saw an investment of $2.5 million to bring it to life. Luxury permeates every aspect of this establishment, from the sleek coastal furnishings and contrasting brass, leather, and marble fixtures to the remarkable 14-meter marble bar. The modern share-style menu highlights the best of Australian seasonal produce, focusing on the flavours of land and sea. What sets COAST apart is a Spanish-style Josper wood and charcoal oven, infusing signature dishes with a bespoke smoked flavour. The menu dedicates a substantial portion to ‘Josper Fired’ dishes. The crown jewel is COAST’s 2,000-strong wine bottle cellar, featuring 120 wines primarily sourced from top Australian vineyards.
Yamagen
Yamagen, a funky Japanese izakaya inside QT Gold Coast hotel, boasts one of Queensland’s most prominent Japanese whisky collections and innovative Japanese cuisine. The expansive bar provides a view into the glass-enclosed kushiage station, the heart of the izakaya, where Japanese chefs work over binchotan charcoal and robata grills. Alternatively, guests can sit at the 15-seat traditional sushi bar for an interactive experience with the chefs, indulging in plate after plate of omakase.
Isla Cantina
The owners of InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort are also the brains behind this restaurant. Isla Cantina is a beautiful waterfront restaurant offering a delicious combination of Mexi-Cali cuisine. Mulpha’s executive chef, Mark Marshall, known for his work with Gordon Ramsay and Marcus Wareing, has crafted a menu featuring fresh spanner crab tostada with jalapeno lime mayonnaise and eight-hour slow-roasted lamb barbacoa, among other delicious Mexi-Cali options.
Akoya
For an extravagant experience at Surfers Paradise’s tallest Jewel tower, The Langham offers access to Akoya. The mouth-watering buffets, daily buffet breakfast, a la carte, shared lunch and dinner menus, and signature seafood buffet on Friday and Saturday evenings make Akoya a standout. Fresh catches from the ocean, prepared with culinary mastery, are served in an opulent setting.
Bazaar
As a top-tier Surfers Paradise buffet restaurant, Bazaar at QT offers an ideal solution for group gatherings. The decadent dining experience features street food-style dishes from Middle Eastern souk to Latin American bodega. Fresh seafood and meats slow-cooked with all the trimmings provide various options.
The Island
The Island, a much-loved boutique hotel in Surfers Paradise, features Goldie’s, the signature bar and bistro restaurant, and the lush rooftop bar, The Island Rooftop. The rooftop bar offers DJs, ample seating, a retro-style cocktail bar, and one of the best Sunday sessions on the Coast. Goldie’s provides a ‘Sunday Roast Revival’ with a succulent roast lunch ideal for sharing and a two-hour bottomless drinks package for $69 per person.
T’ang Court
T’ang Court, The Langham Gold Coast’s iconic Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, promises a unique and authentic Cantonese fine-dining experience. The exquisite menu showcases traditional culinary masterpieces in a setting that seamlessly blends modern luxury with traditional authenticity, celebrating the vibrancy of the T’ang Dynasty.
Surfers Pavilion
With a crisp white interior, high ceilings, and expansive river views, the Surfers Pavilion is a spacious and visually stunning venue. Boasting the largest marina in Surfers Paradise, it offers modern Australian classics, including a lavish oyster bar serving freshly shucked oysters paired with champagne. BOBs Beer, more than a microbrewery, offers a sophisticated menu with a modern twist on French. BOBs Beer Japanese and Australian flavors. Culinary genius Nobert Szlama curated a fusion menu featuring smaller plates like chickpea crisps with French kimchi and oyster mignonette. BOBs are also lauded for their innovative sustainable initiatives, recycling spent beer grains into serving platters for oysters.
Sandbar
Surfers Paradise’s longest-established beachfront watering hole, Sandbar, is among the best restaurants Surfers Paradise. It underwent a Bali-inspired overhaul, injecting a cool vibe into the touristy precinct. The breezy fit-out, creative menus, extensive craft beer selection, and a killer cocktail list accompany those salty sea vistas. The menu features creative burgers, fish and chips, and other beachfront delights.
Edgewater Dining
Embracing the beauty of Gold Coast’s canals, Edgewater Dining on the Isle of Capri offers a swoon-worthy view of million-dollar mansions and the iconic Q1 and Surfers Paradise skyline. Open for breakfast, long boozy lunches, and dinner. The menu includes oysters, calamari, specialty burgers, risotto, and a juicy lamb rump.
Hyde Paradiso
Hyde Paradiso is a Surfers staple for Sunday sessions and long lunches leading into dinner. With live DJs setting the mood, it offers a European summer escape with a hanging garden providing stunning beach vistas. The fresh, seasonal, share-style menu of Hyde Paradiso reflects the bold flavours of Greek, Turkish, Italian, and Moroccan cuisines.
White Rhino
White Rhino, a two-story restaurant and bar in the Circle on Cavill precinct, exudes coolness with a waterfall bar, high ceilings, and lush greenery. The modern Australian menu includes burgers, seafood pastas, salads, and a large cocktail and wine list.
Fu Manchu Oriental Kitchen
Fu Manchu Oriental Kitchen on Chevron Island in Surfers Paradise offers an Asian fusion menu, blending traditional and European-inspired dishes. The dark and moody interior sets the tone for a cozy and slightly boozy date night. Signature dishes include Singapore chilli crab and sticky Asian beef short ribs.
Seascape Bar & Restaurant
Seascape Restaurant & Bar, located on the esplanade, sprawls over three levels, offering uninterrupted Pacific Ocean vistas. The bistro on level one provides a semi-casual dining experience, while the restaurant on level two offers fine dining. The menu features fresh Pacific lobster, Moreton Bay bugs, Tasmanian Atlantic salmon, and fresh local fish.
Longboards Laidback Eatery
A long-time favourite, Longboards Laidback Eatery offers cheap and cheerful dining with poolside seating next to the Q1 Hotel. The menu includes burgers, appetizers, and cheeky burgers like The Budgie Smuggler and The G-Banger. For a challenge, try their 1.6-kilo Phat Bastard Burger.
Get Ready to Savor Surfers Paradise
This comprehensive list covers a diverse range of dining options in Surfers Paradise, from upscale venues to casual eateries, each offering a unique culinary experience. So, dive into a culinary adventure in this coastal haven, where each bite is a celebration of the vibrant and flavorful essence that defines the heart of the Gold Coast. Also read: Must Eat at Restaurants With Live Music in Surfers Paradise