Making midday eats great again.
Making midday eats great again.
Who can go past a good lunch deal. It’s the closest we can get to a mini-vaycay during the work week. Because nothing says treat yo’ self like ghosting the soggy 3-day old leftovers in the fridge in favour of a feast for one (or more – shout out to work besties everywhere for being the glue that holds our weeks together).
But no matter if you like your lunches to be a little taste of mid-week indulgence, or prefer them little longer, a little lazier, and dare we say – a little boozier when the weekend rolls around – we’ve got some of GC’s most irresistible lunch deals for every. day. of. the. week. Suddenly, one lunch a day no longer seems sufficient – thanks a lunch!
Mozza Mozza
Experts agree the Sunday Bottomless Disco at Mozza Mozza is one surefire way to ward off the Sunday scaries (it’s us, we’re the experts). $59 gets you a tasting-style menu with the best Italian bites like Focaccia, Meatballs, Arancini Balls, Margarita Pizza, perfectly paired with bottomless Mimosas and Spritz selections. And let the good times really Aperol with a $10pp upgrade to bottomless Aperol Spritz #bottomyesplease.
Where: Cnr Olsen Ave &, Musgrave Ave, Southport
Jimmy Wah’s
What do we want? Jimmy Wah’s new Feed Me Lunch Menu. When do we want it? Every day that ends in ‘y’! (But okay, we will settle for Monday-Friday)
For only $49pp, you will be taken on a culinary journey with 5 delicious dishes selected by the chefs to share with your friends! Mysterious and delicious modern Vietnamese nosh with no decisions required for the Vinh. Menu is subject to change but with items like caramelised pork belly, sweet potato and turmeric puree, lychee & chilli salsa, watermelon radish this one has us booking in alll the lunch dates.
Where: 1724 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads
El Ranchero
El Ranchero has the perfect offering to ring in the weekend. And yes, lunchtime Friday is the start of the weekend as far as we’re concerned, because all emails received on a Friday afternoon, are absolutely next week’s problem. The aptly named Frothy Friday’s include a schooner and & LA street taco by the Fix on 66 Food Truck for a tenner. And if it turns into a loooong lunch, there’s live music from 5pm. As if we weren’t already counting down to Friyay enough as it is.
Where: 6/36 Central Drive, Burleigh Heads
The Island
Okay so the weekend has arrived but the indulgent (read: boozy) long lunches are just getting started. Touted as a long, leisurely lunch for weekends, when it’s time to get your graze and goss on the only way is up – go the Island’s rooftop of course. We have two words for you: cocktail. carafes. For $79 pp, you also get a mimosa on arrival, and a lazy-grazy style lunch inc. charcuterie board, olives, dip and wood-fired pizzas. It will be hard to rooftop that.
Where: 3128 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
Bine
Week-end, or week just getting started? Because the Sat & Sun lunch special at Bine has us feeling like it should be the latter. A $20 burger and beer? They must be out of their bines. For that price, you’d be downright philly to go past their Mexican Philly Cheese Steak burg #cheapaschipsbro
Where: 1/28 Chairlift Avenue, Nobby Beach
Hail Mary
A list of the GC’s finest midday offerings would not be complete without a taco ‘bout the holy grail lunch deal that awaits at Hail Mary. $19 gets you two tacos + your choice of beer, wine, spirit or soft drink – all for less than a lobster. The $5 upgrade to a classic marg also feels like a no-brainer – albeit sadly there’s no currency slang equivalent for a $24 lunch bargain. Let’s just say lunch and a cocktail for halfa pineapple is a pretty sweet deal.
Where: 26 James St, Burleigh Heads
Backbone Bar
Somehow Backbone has cottoned on to the kryptonite of retail workers everywhere: the magical, morale boosting properties of a steaming bowl of katsu curry for lunch. Choose between the Karaage bowl or Katsu bowl with a schooner of your choice for only $20 then kick back for your lunch break and reset as you soak up the laid-back vibes for as long as you can. Katsu this deal Tuesday – Friday between 11 am – 2 pm.
Where: Shop 9, 489 Gold Coast Highway, Tugun
Xenia
Much like the ‘bottomless’ in ‘bottomless brunch’ – the limit of how many favourite weekend boozy brunch spots we can rack up does not exist. For $99 you can get your Greek fill and then some – Xenia is dishing up 2 hrs of free-flowing drinks and a meze banquet of small and large share plates. Sunday funday indeed (or Saturday, but y’know, not quite as catchy is it?)
Where: Main Beach, Casuarina & Coolangatta
The Coolangatta Hotel
The 00’s called, it wants it’s $15 weekday lunch special back. Apparently our friends over at The Coolangatta Hotel haven’t heard about a little thing called inflation, and shhh, nobody tell. You’ll ruin the chance at a classic, cheap-as-chips pub lunch for the lot of us. And when we say classics, we’re not schnittin’ you: Grain fed rump, chips and sazza, Beef short ribs, slaw and chips and of course the pub food holy grail: chicken schnitty.
Where: Marine Parade, Coolangatta
Words by Kellie Leader.
Congratulations, you’ve made it through Monday and this calls for a celebratory feed. But do keep the dollars in check so you don’t blow your weekend spend, coz that would be more devastating than a From Scratch binge.
Here are 17 cheap and cheerful Tuesday nosh-up spots for maximum taste with minimum damage to your bank account balance.
NORTH GC
MID GC
MID GC continued…
MID GC continued…
SOUTH GC
MULTIPLE LOCATIONS
Words by Bianca Trathen.
Ahh, the blessed ritual of brunch. Leisurely feasts of eggs every which way you can imagine, sticky, syrup drenched French toast stacks, and smoked salmon for days – what’s not to love? Plus, it gives us the excuse to sleep in, and our tastebuds are rewarded pretty handsomely for the trouble.
Couple it with a little concept known as bottomless cocktails and life doesn’t get much better. So universally beloved is the sip-happy cousin of this mid-morning rendezvous, we’ve rustled up an entire list of the best places on the GC to get your boozy brunch-fest fix (say that five times fast after two hours of free-flowing mimosa’s).
From north to south, gather your mates, don your stretchy pants and jump on the brunch bandwagon!
Mozza Mozza
For a surefire way to stave off the Sunday scaries, the groovy and oh-so boozy, discotheque-themed Italian feast (don’t ask questions, just go with it) going down weekly at Mozza Mozza would have to be one of the best. For $75 per person, the Sunday Bottomless Disco dishes up share-style plates such as Pizzas, Arancini Balls and House-Made Focaccia to load up on – studded by a fruity Spritz and Mimosa menu to strategically work your way through. As far as bottomless spreads go, we particularly love the options on offer here – feeling like flanking your Italian feast with a boozy slushie upgrade? Say no more, fam! Craving Mozza Puff Bread or Tiramisu? Sure thing, just add ‘em on for a fiver. You’ll be shakin’ your groove thang in no time.
Where: Southport Sharks, Corner Olsen Avenue & Musgrave Avenue, Southport
Winey Cow
If you consider yourself a bit of a brunch connoisseur, Main Beach’s resident egg-slinging specialist, Winey Cow is a must try for several reasons. Reason numero uno, is that they live and breathe this brekkie business – after all, the much-lauded namesake Melbourne location has the boasting rights to accolades like Café of the Year and Best Breakfast Restaurant. And when you’re in the mood to take the Chilli Scramble Croissant up a notch, they also throw a particularly spectacular bottomless brunch any ‘ole day of the week. For $55 per person, you can grab a main with endless mimosas for an hour, with Cranberry & Lime and Pineapple, Passionfruit & Lime options if you wanna switch it up from the Classic OJ. And ‘wine’ not, we say?
Where: 5/11 Woodroffe Ave, Main Beach
QT Gold Coast
There’s Sunday brunch… then there’s Soul Sundays at Bazaar. A bubbly twist on the beloved Bazaar buffet experience we know and love, Soul Sundays takes this fanciful spread to the next level! From 11am–3pm every Sunday, you can nosh your way through brekkie faves like waffles and crepes while being serenaded by the sounds of live music and the chorus of clinking glasses as the champas flows freely. To chaperone your delectable experience, there’s even a Director of Champagne at the ready to customise your sip with a selection of juices and nectars. Yep, this one does indeed speak to our soul.
Where: QT Gold Coast, 7 Staghorn Ave, Surfers Paradise
Surfers Pavilion
The Surfers Pav always delivers the goods and this is especially so when we’re talking about their Brunch Club experience. The perfect waterfront setting, DJs will be on the decks from 1pm every Sunday to set the mood. Choose from the $59 per head package including a selection of Oysters, or the $99 per head package with a choice of Cauliflower popcorn, Calamari or Chicken riblets, followed by either Nachos, Lamb ragu, Fish and chips, or Mushroom lasagne. Both packages entitle you to Prosecco, Bellinis, Mimosas, Pineapple mimosas, Mango mimosas, Pav lager, along with requisite softies. Walk-ins or bookings welcome anytime from 12.30pm.
Where: 30 – 34 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise
Hyde Paradiso
It’s the ultimate beachside brunch overlooking the ocean and yeah, we had you at beachside. Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, tuck into the Standard Brunch or Vegan Brunch for an all out, four-course feast of Mediterranean-inspired mixed tapas, including delightful bites like Eggs Benny Hash made with truffle honey hollandaise. But ‘bottomless’ we promised, and bottomless ye shall receive – here you can pick your poison with two-hour sip packages such as Aperol Spritz, Bellini Spritz & Limoncello Spritz, Chandon Brut & Chandon Rosé, or perhaps the Veuve Clicquot upgrade will be more your speed. Available between 12pm and 2pm, minimum of 2 people required.
Where: Peppers Soul, Level 2/8 Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
The Island Gold Coast
The Island says Saturday afternoons are for gathering, grazing and good times, and who are we to disagree? And yes, technically speaking, this one is classified as a ‘lavishly long lunch’ – but when it comes with two hours of tantalising eats, arrival mimosa and cocktail and spritz carafes – does anyone really mind? Spend your Saturday nibbling your way through Charcuterie and share-style bites of Karaage Chicken, Lamb kofta and Wood-fired pizzas, alternated with jugs of Passionfruit and Vanilla Mojito, Watermelon Margarita Spritz and Mimosa. $79 per person, two sittings (from 11:30am or 1:30pm) available.
Where: 3128 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise
Elk Espresso
Broady gem Elk is another superb spot popping the cork on bottomless brunch daily. And bonus, it’s walk-ins only – so just grab the gang and rock up between 10am–1.30pm to partake in their delectable assortment of colourful, petal-topped dishes along with one hour to go ham on the bottomless Mimosa menu. Yep, that’s sixty whole minutes of mimosa action and nope, we sure as heck ain’t driving. Pick your fave between the the Classic, Strawberry lime and Tropical varieties, then ‘sip’ back and marvel as your flute magically refills itself. You certainly don’t have to tell us twice! $49 per head.
Where: Oasis Shopping Centre (opposite the beach), Broadbeach
Miss Moneypenny’s
Weekends are for sleep-ins, so if you didn’t quite make it out of bed in time for brunch, turn those lemons into two hours of citrus-studded spritzers, cocktails or French champagne (which absolutely beats lemonade, any day of the week) at the famous Miss Moneypenny’s bottomless lunch. Opt between the degustation-style Chef’s Signature or Three-course a la carte menu, and nosh your way through delectable dishes like saffron-infused Coral Coast Barramundi and Waygu Carpaccio. Talk about lush …we’re not saying it was this stellar spread in particular that was responsible for bagging them an AGFG chef hat for the past three years running… but we’re not not saying it, either. Available Saturday and Sunday, 12–2pm from $110 per person.
Where: 50 Surf Parade, Broadbeach
Tropic Vice
Yes, this one’s technically a ‘lunch’, but we’re happy to look the other way for any excuse to a) incorporate more margs into our weekend and b) hit snooze few dozen times. From 12–4pm every Sunday, the Tropic Vice rooftop transforms into a free-flowing fiesta with live music, DJ’s bites and bottomless margs for $99 per person. We’re talking a set menu of Truffle fries, Halloumi Bites and Tacos, with the option to upgrade to a Dozen Oysters & Bottle of Luc Belair for an extra $85 if you’re really in the mood to celebrate. Monday can wait indeed!
Where: 2215 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach
Ally Chow
Ally Chow dishes up Asian fusion done right, and their two brunch options do not disappoint. For $99 per person, the Chow Out features the Chef’s choice banquet with two-hours of bottomless thai basil caprisokas, Asahi beer and prosecco. Or, have a go of the Margarita Lunch Banquet and yes, this has us written all over it. For $130, enjoy the same offerings mentioned above, only substitute bottomless caprioskas for bottomless margis! Once again recognised with the Australian Good Food Guides Chef Hat Award, this one is a no-brainer.
Where: Lavarack Road, Nobby Beach
The Tropic
One of the GC’s very favourite ocean-view venues, The Tropic offers a solid ten bottomless brunch and absolutely nobody is surprised to hear this. Taking place exclusively on the terrace on the last Saturday of every month, not only will you be privy to multi-million-dollar views and DJ beats, but deliciously fresh seafood and innovative fare. Think Oysters, Spiced bread, Stracciatella & Persimmon, Pavlova, and more, but no need cuz we’re already #sold. Veuve, Rose and Bellini Cocktail packages available from $75 per person. Don’t mind if we do!
Where: 43 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads
Palm Beach Ave
Palmy’s resident art deco stunner isn’t just a pretty face—it’s also home to some pretty spectacular dining deals (shout out, $60 3-course set menu) – including one of the most irresistible bottomless brunch options going! Every weekend, from 10am to 2pm, get beachside for your boozy brunch fix for only $45 per person. The mid-morning soiree kicks off with a salmon blini canapé to start, while you settle in to 1.5 hours of free-flowing mimosas and ponder between options like the Chilli Scrambled Eggs and Prawn and Bug Roll from the mouthwatering menu… #decisionsdecisions.
Where: 6 Palm Beach Avenue, Palm Beach
Refinery Coffee
Why wait for the weekend? Refinery Coffee reckons any day is a good day to bust out the boozy OJ for this beloved mid-morning ritual, and we wholeheartedly agree. Available from 10am daily, gather your celebratory crew and report to Currumbin’s light-filled converted warehouse for the Bottomless Brunch option. Here, you can tuck in to your pick from the all-day eats menu, such as Chilli Scram and Eggs Benny, while throwing back Classic & Watermelon mimosas for 1.5 blissful hours. The only caveat is that your whole crew must be partaking (is that even a question) with a non-alc option also available. Bottoms up!
Where: 37 Currumbin Creek Rd, Currumbin Waters
Is there anything that makes you happier than cheap drinks? Neither. Because summer is the best time for beverage consuming, we’ve found the top 10 spots to make the most of your hard earned cash (and beat that absolutely unnecessary heat).
You’re welcome.
Apres Surf Kitchen & Bar
Happy hour comes around daily at your favourite surf shack. Pop in from 5pm to 6pm for $5 house drinks and $10 selected cocktails. They’ve also got tasty food deals most nights so your shiny coins will stretch far.
Where: 2376 Gold Coast Highway Mermaid Beach
Bine Bar & Dining
It’s a beer bonanza at Bine with $5 craft beer daily daily from 4pm to 6pm. Why not grab some 50c wings to go with it. On Thursdays head in for a $15 parmi and paddle where you get to taste five beers and down your fave dinner option.
Where: 1/28 Chairlift Ave, Nobbys Beach
Stingray Lounge
Keep it classy at Stingray Lounge on Taco Tuesdays from 5pm to 10pm. There are $3 tacos and $10 cocktail specials (margaritas please). Tequila Thursdays are a good time with tequila from $15 and additional $10 quesadillas.
Where: 7 Staghorn Ave Surfers Paradise
Steampunk
On Sundays at Steampunk you can indulge in a double dose of goodness with drink specials (changes weekly) and live music. Oh and Espresso Martinis are a measly $10 all day, every day so there’s no excuse not to spend all your time there.
Where: Level 1, 3113 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
Nightjar
Unsurprisingly, Burleigh’s home of the never ending good times has epic happy hour deals. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday’s from 4pm to 6pm there’s $5 basics (including Sailor Jerry, dry and lime HELLO). It’s guaranteed fun and frivolity.
Where: Justin Laneway, Burleigh Heads
Mecca Bah
Not only do these guys do a delicious feast they also have $5 selected drinks from 3pm to 6pm Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday and Saturday from 3pm to 5pm. Make a night of it and stay for dinner once you’ve slayed a few beverages.
Where: 3 Oracle Blvd, Broadbeach
BiN 12
BiN 12 in beautiful Burleigh graces you with a happy hour every Tuesday from 5pm to 6pm – perfect for after works knock offs. In other exciting news, they also offer a Taco Tuesday deal with some of the most delicious tacos on the Coast for just $6. Race ya.
Where: James Street, Burleigh Heads
Harry’s Steak Bistro & Bar
Make a date with Harry on Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons from 2pm until 5pm with drink and food specials that’ll absolutely make your weekend. It’s called Harry’s Hour and we like the way he thinks. Everything there is exceptional so do yourself a favour.
Where: 1744 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads
Elephant Rock Café
Keen for a frosty cold beverage and one of the best views in town? Same. Head down to Elephant Rock Café in Currumbin overlooking the ocean and with $5 wine and beers and $10 nibbles on Friday’s from 4 to 6pm. Happy days.
Where: 776 Pacific Pde, Currumbin
Words by Kirra Smith
