Food on the Gold Coast runs from beachside brunch culture to hinterland farm-gate produce, with the coast’s dining scene maturing about as fast as everything else here.
Where the coast eats
Burleigh Heads
The coast’s best-known dining strip — breakfast culture, cafes and some of its most-loved restaurants.
Miami Marketta
A Friday and Saturday night market with street food stalls and live music, a local institution.
Hinterland farm-gate
Tamborine Mountain’s wineries and farm stalls make the drive up the range worth it for more than the view.
Fresh seafood
Local co-ops and fish markets along the coast keep the catch close to the table.
Burleigh Heads or Miami Marketta
Photography to come
Where to shop
Woolworths and Coles cover the full range across the coast; ALDI is the cheapest weekly shop; IGA and independents fill in around the edges, especially in the hinterland. The coast’s café and dining scene is a major drawcard — casual, outdoor and built around the beach, whatever the day.
The GoldyThe informal, affectionate nickname most Australians use for the Gold Coast.
The StripSurfers Paradise’s beachfront core, around Cavill Avenue.
The M1The Pacific Motorway to Brisbane — and the road everyone complains about on long weekends.
The HinterlandThe elevated rainforest country behind the coast — Tamborine, Springbrook, Lamington.
SchooliesThe school-leavers’ festival held on the coast every November — worth knowing about if you’re arranging accommodation that month.
Sophie’s tip
Book ahead for Burleigh’s better-known cafes on weekends — the coast’s food reputation is well and truly out, and the queues prove it.