Imagine a modern, lush, insta-worthy upmarket pub. Now add in a blend of classic and refined lunch and dinner options, late night drinks, and a breakfast menu (say what? A pub that serves the most important meal of the day? Well I never…).

And while you’re at it, throw in a killer beer garden because it’s the GC, and who even are you if you don’t have one of these?!

Well friends, we just described your new favourite eats and watering hole, Local, sitting pretty in our capital of cool, Burleigh Heads.

Founders Wesley Heincke, Steve Heincke and Sasha Mielczarek have transformed the ex-Harry’s Steak & Bistro site into a showstopping chameleon.

Nailing a coastal industrial chic aesthetic, mark our words; Local is here to stay.

With an inside/outside area spanning 350sqm, there’s plenty of real estate to cop a feed from early AM to evening and we love that for us.

When you first step inside, you’re greeted by lush greenery overhead, and equally lush green velvet booths seating up to 10 people, large-group-friendly bar tables, and a long bar set against the wall. Stacked with no less than 10 beer taps, it’s pitcher perfect.

Venture outside and you’ll find the secret sauce – Burleigh’s only beer garden! With contemporary timber panel detailing, more lush greenery, and a mix of industrial pendants and festoon lighting, we’ll be spending countless sun-drenched hours here enjoying (too) many summer bevvies.

Seating up to 70 people, there’s four large picnic tables and three booths, making it a great spot for larger groups. The only thing that could make this place better is a tinnie bar and colour us happy, there’s one of those too! Stocked with not only a huge range of craft beer but seltzers and the like too, our Local fangirling just levelled up a notch.

Head Chefs Jack Horder and Jimin Lee certainly know their way around a modern pub grub menu, with both casual and more fancy fare.

Let’s start with breakfast because this seems logical, and we’re zeroing in on the Cured Salmon with beetroot cured salmon, pickled cucumber, eschalots, wasabi mayo, and dill on sourdough.

Never one to say no to a morning cocktail, the Berocc Obama not only pleases our punny side, but also our palette with Smirnoff vodka, Berocca, kombucha, and lemonade.

Now let’s talk PM, and the lunch and dinner menu is everything we’d hoped for.

For those traditional pub food lovers, you can’t go past the Chicken Schnitzel, featuring a house-made schnitzel served with a leaf salad, shoestring fries, and your choice of diane, mushroom, or pepper sauce.

Feeling a bit highbrow? Then it’s gotta be the Duck, with pan fried duck breast, roast pumpkin purée, confit grapes, toasted hazelnuts, wild rocket, watercress, and a light jus.

And for dessert, tuck into a Chocolate Fudge Brownie with vanilla bean ice cream.

To accompany your delicious pub grub, you need a Local Anaesthetic and no, we are not carting you off to Pindara but referring to Local’s signature cocktail. It’s a take on an old fave, the Long Island Ice Tea, with vodka, gin, rum, triple sec, Chambord, lemon, lime and lemonade. Pair it with a little something to share and as if we can ever knock back a Lobster Roll. With tempura battered lobster, lobster mayo, apple, lettuce, togarashi, watercress and chipotle aioli served in a soft bun, you’d be cray-zy to say no.

So the message here is clear. Whether you’re young or old, feeling a chill breakfast, hearty feed, or late night bev, your new local is Local.

Where: 1744 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads
When: 6.30am – late, Monday – Sunday

Words by Bianca Trathen.

If you’re a southern Gold Coaster, you’ve been to Tarte Bakery Café (on repeat. Like twice daily…). You’ve knocked back a Cookie Cup, soaked up its Soho vibes and Parisian style people watching, plus grabbed your fair share of NYC inspired sweets or savoury snacks from the Tarte takeaway window. In fact, even if you’re not from the southside, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve either been, or heard your friends lusting over all things Tarte (and had that fleeting “are we talking makeup or the café?!” moment, before correctly landing on the latter).

This crowd pleaser’s celeb status extends far and wide and when you’re on a good thing, why not make it even better? Not possible we hear you say, but when we tell you about the newest Tarte in town; Tarte Market, you’ll eat your words…and its entire menu! And you won’t feel even a twinge of guilt because it’s the health-conscious member of this GC luminary triple threat, set to level up the Tarte empire another notch.

Taking over the Thai restaurant next door, owner, boss babe, and hospitality guru, Chloe Watts, has done it again. With New York and Parisian influences, Tarte Market is in theme with her older sisters, yet offers an entirely unique eating experience. Focussing on all things healthy, clean, and beach-bod-friendly, we’re invited to go against the rule and actually make friends with salad. These aren’t just any salads either, made fresh to order with the option of including as many house-made add-ons as your tastebuds desire. That’s right, in addition to a few drool-worthy combos listed on the menu such as the Healthy ‘Risotto’ (yes, this is still a salad), you can fully customise your very own creation!

Freestyle your protein with the likes of maple hot smoked salmon, smoked brisket, lemongrass grilled chicken, poached chicken, and for a slightly naughty slant on an otherwise nourishing feed, fried chicken. Non-meat-eaters and vegans, never fear as you can also DIY with tofu, and tarragon and sage mushrooms. Salad never looked so good!

Other ingredients include quinoa and black rice, brown rice, wombok, kale, avocado, green papaya, spring onion, silver beet, broccoli, cauliflower, pickled cauliflower, shaved brussel sprouts, caramelised onion, goats fetta, halloumi, free range eggs, crispy chick peas, almonds, pine nuts, and pistachio dukkah to name a few. Then coz you can, add your fave herbs like Vietnamese mint, dill, chives, parsley, and coriander (controversial…but we’re firmly pro this divisive super herb).

If you’re thirsty, order a freshly made smoothie, like the Berry Smoothie, with blueberry, raspberry, strawberry and honey. Or, the one that made us go weak at the knees, the Lychee Smoothie which is all about the lychee! Plus there are design your own fresh juices, top notch coffee, a variety of teas, a Parisian Hot Chocolate, and a selection of exclusive Tarte Drinks. We’re drawn to the Old Fashioned Lemonade and of course, the Cookie Shot with steamed vanilla bean milk. Oh, and there are some cheeky alcoholic beverages if you’re feeling that way inclined (we are), like the Grande Mimosa with fresh OJ and the Hard Southern Iced Tea with vodka. Bottoms up!

And if you happen to be hit with a case of in-house Tarte FOMO (defined as frequenting your chosen Tarte, but deciding you actually want a piece of the other Tarte/s), relax – you can order from all three menus at either the bakery, the takeaway window or the new market. But here’s a hot tip: if you want to DIY salad (and not order from their set combos), you need to actually go to the Tarte Market window.

So for a delicious, healthy Tarte-a-licious salad experience with the option to freestyle your feed, cease-ar the moment and head to Tarte Market. Be-leaf us, you won’t be disappointed.
Hours: 7 Days, 6.30am – 3.00pm
Where: 2 West Street, Burleigh Heads

Words by Bianca Trathen.
Pics by Brittany Kreskas.

It had been a long time between drinks. Not literally (obvs), but between clinking glasses, bottles or cans at our beloved Burleigh Town Hotel.

That was until last week, when the $4.5 million new look was revealed with more cool factor and family friendly vibes than you can poke a paint brush at.

In its 2.0 form, the iconic venue has something for everyone and get comfy, coz this is going be a long unravel.

Food and beverage led hospitality operator Australian Venue Co deserves a round of applause (and drinks) for investing in Extreme Makeover; QLD Pub Addition (as we have branded it), revitalising popular local venues such as Burleigh Town Hotel, Coomera Lodge Hotel and The Wallaby Hotel in Mudgeeraba.

This one is a real showstopper, boasting a zhuzhed up modern bistro, the sports bar to end all sports bars, a new look gaming room, plus a brand-new E.P.I.C beer garden and kid’s playground. Talk about raising the bar coz yes, it’s ale it’s cracked up to be.

Let’s start with the external façade shall we and yes, we shall. Modern vertical timber panel detailing gives it instant curb appeal, plus you can catch a glimpse into the Talle Pegola area, one of the many watering holes throughout the joint. Step inside and regardless of where you turn, you’ll be nodding in vigorous approval.

The world class Sports Bar features a state-of-the-art 11-metre mega screen and if you thought it was hard to drag hubby away from the game before… It’s the biggest pub screen in the southern hemisphere and if you think that’s impressive, have a go of the suspended cylinder screen promising perfect viewing from every vantage point #jawdrop.

The spacious, bright, family friendly Bistro space features high ceilings with exposed timber beams, and we’re a sucker for this kinda jam. The space flows out seamlessly to the Patio area where you can chillax rain, hail or shine with a frosty Bronson in hand. Choose from bench style tables and traditional table and chair options, adopting the #trending colour palette of white, sage, timber, burnt coral and terracotta hues.

Just over yonder is the festoon-lit Talle Pergola area, another undercover spot perfect for an arvo or evening bev with the crew. Alternatively, there’s the Burleigh Pergola space where you can park yourself under a brolly to make sure your cold drinks stay that way. Or, arguably the best seat in the house is on the grass in the Talle Beer Garden and yes this is where you’ll find us getting a dose of vitamin d with our vitamin b(eer). A special shout-out must go to the funky AF beanbag style chairs which are a winner winner pub grub dinner with young and old.

Speaking of grub, the Sports Bar offers true-blue snacks, slinging the likes of snags in bread, sausage rolls, rissoles and more. For a heartier feed, the Bistro serves up Aussie bangers with a contemporary nod. Start with some sharesies like Salt and Szechuan Pepper Calamari flash fried calamari, green onion, grilled lime cheek, and lemon zest aioli.

For a main, we recommend the Chicken Schnitzel coz #ChookSchniddy, or the mouth-watering 250g Porka-House (Pork Porter House…but we like Porka-House better), from the grill. Or choose from a large selection of hand-stretched wood-fired pizzas, make friends with a salad, then dive into a something sweet. We pick the Chargrilled Pineapple with coconut sorbet, white rum caramel, and freeze-dried cherries because we never desert dessert.

To celebrate the reopening, get set for a weekend of special events from Friday 25^th until Sunday 27^th November. Friday is Welcome Day with complimentary roving canapés and refreshments, a Tradie Club smoker and accessories giveaway valued at $1,000, and a Stone and Wood beer garden pop-up. Saturday is Sports Fans Dream Day, featuring an epic line-up in the Sports Bar on ‘that’ humdinga of a screen, Stone and Wood beer garden pop-up, Sports Bar TAB activation, prizes and giveaways.

And finally on Sunday, the reopening revelry will go out with a bang coz it’s Family Fun Day!

Bring the kiddy winkles down for special ankle-biter entertainment, including a live reptile show and relax, said reptiles will not actually bite your kid’s feet. There’s also a face-painter and free ice cream in other words, kid utopia.

So get down to The Burleigh Town Hotel next weekend…and every weekend…for the atmosphere you’ve always known and loved, but on a lager than life level.

Where: Tsipura Drive, Burleigh Heads
When: Reopening celebrations Friday 25^th – Sunday 27^th November. Normal trading hours 10am – late, Monday – Sunday

Words by Bianca Trathen.

STORY SPONSORED BY BURLEIGH TOWN HOTEL