Why blow the budget when you can feast like a king for the price of a jester? We’re talking wallet-friendly feeds that still slap harder than your mate’s group chat memes.

Whether you’re ballin’ on a budget or just love a bargain (honestly, who doesn’t?), we’ve sniffed out the Gold Coast’s tastiest cheap eats for your weekend munchies. Ready, set, unbuckle that belt.

SATURDAY 

North GC

• Paradise Point Bowls Club: Sink your teeth into $8 tapas every Saturday and Sunday! Whether you’re craving Southern Fried Wings or Steamed Pork Buns, they’ve got that and more from 2–5pm! Plus every Saturday from 5:30pm enjoy a delicious 200g Rump Steak, cooked your way with salad, chips and gravy! Just $15 for Members. Sign us up! Cnr Sunbird & Thrush Ave, Paradise Point

Mid GC

• Coast: Weekends are for long lunches and even longer pours. Coast is serving up a $99 bottomless lunch every Friday, Saturday and Sunday — think delish dishes, 2 hours of free-flowing drinks and rooftop vibes for days. Sophisticated, a little cheeky, and very, very sip-worthy. Level 1, Ocean by Meriton, 86 Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
• Waxy’s Irish Pub: $1 chicken wings?! Grab a minimum of 10 wings with your choice of Spicy Buffalo, Smokey BBQ, Jalapeno, Salt & Pepper or Honey Soy. 3206 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
• No Name Lane: Pasta lovers, this one’s for you! No Name Lane is serving up $18 Pasta Nights every Saturday with a delicious selection of pasta and wine. Because good pasta at a great price just makes sense. Where: 16 Charles Ave, Broadbeach
• Hail Mary: Tickle that taco craving with 2 tacos and a drink for just $19 from 12pm on Saturdays and Sundays at Hail Mary. That’s our weekend plans sorted. Snapper and Mango Tacos with Rosé all arvo long! 26 James St, Burleigh Heads
• Maman: Slurp and sip your way through Sunday at Maman Burleigh with $3 oysters and $12 spritzes from 4–6pm. That’s our kind of shellfish indulgence! 49 James Street, Burleigh Heads

South GC

• Las Palmas: Offering a sweet $2 Oysters & Drink happy hour deal. From 4–6pm, Thursday to Sunday! Don’t just stand there, ping that group chat! 1097 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach
• Burgster: You can never have enough oysters when the price is this shuckin good! Natural oysters for $2 or Tempura or Kilpatrick for $3 from 3-5pm every Saturday! 4/10 Philippine Parade, Palm Beach
• Tommy’s Taco Bar: Hungry much? All you can eat from 12pm -3pm (1.5 hour sitting, excludes ceviche & beef tartare) $29 per person! 140 Duringan Street, Currumbin
• Tugun Tavern: Weekend comfort food, there’s no better place for it than Tugun Tavern! Feast on their $9.95 Roast Lunch from 12–2pm daily or their $16.95 Lunch Menu (+$2 for non-members) with all your fave classics including chicken schnitzel, 200g rump steak, fish and chips and more! Corner of Toolona Street & Golden Four Dr, Tugun

SUNDAY

North GC

• The Boathouse Tavern: Sundays are for seafood! Enjoy half a dozen fresh oysters, half a kilo of tiger prawns, battered Flathead, salt and pepper calamari, chips, and salad for just $49.90. Plus, Kids Eat Free from 5:30pm! 101 Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera
• Hope Island Tavern: Who doesn’t love a Sunday Roast? Get yours for $25 with all the trimmings, served all day from 11:30am–8:30pm. The perfect way to round out the weekend. 93 Broadwater Ave, Hope Island
• Paradise Point Bowls Club: The daily $13 Lunch Super Saver continues! ($16 for visitors). Choose from a delicious lineup of meals available every day from 11:30am – 2pm. Cnr Sunbird & Thrush Ave, Paradise Point
• The Club at Parkwood Village: Sunday Roast hits different at The Club! For just $22.90, get a hearty roast with all the fixings. Available for lunch and dinner. 76 – 122 Napper Road, Parkwood

Mid GC

• Coast: Weekends are for long lunches and even longer pours. Coast is serving up a $99 bottomless lunch every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, think delish dishes, 2 hours of free-flowing drinks and rooftop vibes for days. Sophisticated, a little cheeky, and very, very sip-worthy. Level 1, Ocean by Meriton, 86 Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
• Waxy’s Irish Pub: A Sunday steak for just $8? Yep, you read it right. Just purchase a side to get a juicy rump steak for $8. That’s a no-brainer for a budget-friendly weekend feast! 3206 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
• Finn McCool’s: Succulent Sunday Roasts for just $24, all day and every Sunday. Pair it with a pint and settle in for an afternoon of live music and good vibes. 39 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
• House of Brews: Sundays should be easy, and there’s nothing easier than grabbing a 28cm pizza for just $12 at House of Brews. They’re crowd-pleasers! Choose from mouth-watering options the whole gang will enjoy! 17 Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise
• Lucky Squire: Score a sweet deal at Lucky Squire where kids eat free all day Sunday with any adult meal! 3 Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach
• Apres Surf: What’s a laid-back Sunday done right? Parmy and chips for $15, or have it with a schooner of Young Henry’s for just $20. Nailed it! Shop 1/1837 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads

South GC

• Las Palmas: Bottomless Brunch devotees rejoice (again)! We all know Sunday’s for brunching! Get your 4-course feast and 2 hours of drinks for just $79. Upstairs, 1097 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach
• Montezuma’s Coolangatta: If you looked up Sunday Funday in the dictionary, you would find Montezuma’s happy hour deal! Every Sunday from 5-6pm, it’s $5 tacos, special margaritas, and ice-cold beers! Doesn’t get much better than that! 87 Griffith Street, Coolangatta
• Tugun Tavern: The money-saving times never end here! Bonus savings on Sundays, though; Kids Eat Free! Corner of Toolona Street &, 437 Golden Four Dr, Tugun

Words by Chelsea Ipsen

Thank God it’s Monday! … said no one, ever. Let’s face it, the day gets about as much love as peak hour commutes and the Orange Creams (don’t @ us) left lurking in the office bickie jar.

The day gets a bad wrap, but one thing Monday does have going for it is sweet dining deals. So if the prospect of a tasty treat to look forward to is all it takes to summon a modicum of enthusiasm for the day (and week) ahead, ‘tis but a small price to pay, if you ask us (literally, these deals are cheap as chips y’all).

NORTH GC

• The Club at Parkwood: Serving up an absolute, finger lickin’ steal of a dining deal, scrape together some shrapnel and scoot over to The Club at Parkwood to start your week. Every Monday from 5:30pm, smash half price ribs and 69c wings – which are available in four different flavours to rotate between. Do we smell a new weekly ritual? 76-122 Napper Rd, Parkwood
  
• Crafty’s: Noshers that pull off genuine fun for all ages can be hard to come by, and Crafty’s Sports Bar #NailIt every time. And it gets better, because on Monday’s, the ‘nugs and cheese pizzas are on the house! From 11am till late, get any kids meal free when you order a full priced adult meal. So if the fam is in a funk and the week has barely started – get it back on track with six simple words: ‘Kids! We’re going out for dinner!’ Dining kid-free? Score big every Monday with Crafty’s NEW sizzling $20 steak night! Wash it down with their MVP Lager or house wine for $6 (exclusively with the steak offer). Harbour Town Shopping Centre, 147 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters

MID GC

• Cavill Hotel: Tell Monday to pound sand and get yourself down to Cavill Hotel for a mega parmi, pronto. This Surfers fave has nosh specials going down nightly, and starting your week off with a bang – aka, a heaping, plate-sized portion of Parmi and requisite sides, will only run you $20 bucks (and perhaps your pride, if you can’t finish it). You beauty. 46 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
• The Island: Goldies offer a different penny-pinching deal for every day of the week – and Mondays are all about getting your pub grub fix on the cheap. It’s impossible to be sad whilst tucking into the gloriousness that is a golden chicken schnitty with all the trimmings – and doubly so when it’ll set you back one crisp lobster for your trouble. Or grab the Parmi for just $22. 3128 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise

MID GC CONTINUED

• Salt Meats Cheese: Curing Mondayitis one slice at a time, Salt Meats Cheese is serving up an all-you-can-eat, handcrafted pizza feast for a spectacular start the week… and honestly, what price do you put on happiness? As it happens, about 30 bucks (and some change) – slide on in to Surfer’s wood-fired pizzeria and stuff yourself silly on their rotating selection for only $29 with a drink purchase. Plus, upgrade to the pasta menu for an extra $5pp. The 4217, Beach Road, Surfers Paradise
• Harajuku Gyoza: If you’re a sucker for bargain eats (and who isn’t) you’ll beerly believe the value on offer over at The Oasis every Monday. Head on in to Harajuku Gyoza to give Cossie Liv a swift kick in the… dumplings, with a mean meal deal indeed – for $15 they’ll hook you up with five juicy Gyoza and a Japanese craft beer. Sayonara, Monday blues, we beerly knew ye. The Oasis Shopping Centre, Victoria Ave, Broadbeach
• Beach Hotel Broadbeach: Monday blues? More like Monday steak dreams. The Beach Hotel Broadbeach is dishing up a juicy 200g rump with chips, salad and a blue cheese and black pepper gravy situation that’ll have you drooling, all for just $20. It’s available all day, so you can steak your claim whenever the craving hits. 50 Surf Parade, Broadbeach

MID GC CONTINUED

• Mermaid Beach Tavern: All hail the almighty twofer deal! Every Monday, the absolute mad lads at the swish, new look Mermaid Beach Tav are bunging on 2-4-1 meals with any beverage purchase. So round up a willing participant to go splitsies with, and chow down on downright tasty pub classics to shake off the Monday monotony (without the shakedown for your wallet). 2500 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach
• Mermaid Beach SLSC: So Monday kicked your butt, the dishwasher’s on the fritz and you cannot muster the motivation to rustle up a meal that’s bound to be rejected by your broccoli-dodging brood, anyway? Say no more, says Mermaid Beach SLSC, because Barra Monday is here to save the day. $19 buys you your pick of battered or grilled barramundi, served with chips and salad – and the kids eat free with every adult meal purchase. Love that for us. 172 Hedges Ave, Mermaid Beach
• Bine: There’s no denying Nobby Beach is home to some cracking noshers – and Bine is one of the best whenever the hankering for frosty craft beer, wings and burgers hits. They’re also the MVP of cheap weeknight eats, and as Monday rolls around for another week, a Cheeseburger and Chips will set you back just $12. Happy wallet, happy tum… happy days. 1/28 Chairlift Avenue, Nobbys Beach

SOUTH GC

• Apres Surf: Along with frosty beer, super tasty food and good vibrations, Burleigh’s friendly neighbourhood bar also dishes up a mighty irresistible cheeseburger deal to kick off the week. Just like a classic cheeseburger, the rub here is pretty simple – just head on down to Apres Surf and bliss out with some good ol’ fashioned $6.50 Cheeseburgers every Monday from 5pm. Shop 1/1837 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads
• Burleigh Pavilion: Enjoy delicious Mussels and Fries Mondays from 4pm. Single and Share serves available from $38, but that’s not the only news for Mondays at Burleigh Pav… kids also eat free with any main meal purchased! 43 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads
• Tank Bar & Dining: It’s Hospo Night at Tank. Grab yourself $8 burgers, $7 Black Hops or a $15 Burger & Tap Beer combo. 1166 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach
• Currumbin RSL: If you’ve got little ones, Currumbin RSL has news for you and it’s allll good. Kids eat FREE*, yes you read that correctly.  The only catch? This one’s for members only, which will set you back a fiver if you’re not already… watch yourself, centre console coin stash – we’re comin’ for ya! 165 Duringan Street, Currumbin

Words by Kellie Leader.

Full price meals? Not in this economy. We don’t know what it is about cheap eats, but for some reason food just tastes that much better when you’re not paying full price.

Life’s expensive (you don’t have to tell us twice) so we’ve rounded up the best Thursday cheap eats the Gold Coast has to offer so you can spend less time googling and more time on the important things – eating!

NORTH GC

• Crafty’s: The humble chook is the star of the show with Crafty’s Mother Cluckin’ Thursday, where you can you tuck in to $15 Tenders or Wings, or a classic schnitty for just $22. More of a parmy person? No problem, get yours for just $25 – talk about a seriously good deal. Harbour Town Shopping Centre, 147 Brisbane Road, Biggera Waters
• The Club at Parkwood Estate: Thursdays are for steak at The Club. We’re talking a 250g Black Angus rump with chips and salad for just $20.90. 76 – 122 Napper Road, Parkwood
• The Boathouse Tavern: Hungry? Go all out with Ribs and Wings night for $37.90. 101 Dreamworld Pkwy, Coomera

MID GC

• Gold Coast Tavern: Name a more iconic duo than Gold Coast Tavern and a schnitty… we’ll wait. A local favourite for a reason, it’s all about the waterfront views and $20 schnitz’s here. 150 Bundall Road, Bundall
• Coast: This one really fans the flames of our culinary desires. Tuck into a 250g Angus Rump, crisped to perfection over wood & charcoal, paired with crispy fries and herb butter for only $25. Level 1, Meriton Suites, 86 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
• The Avenue: Finger lickin’ Thursday ribs for $25. 3-15 Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise
• The Island: Goldie’s are keeping the hunger pains at bay with daily dinner deals, on Thursday it’s all about Pizza! Any wood-fired pizza for just $18. 3128 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise
• Sandbar Surfers Paradise: Every Thursday night from 5pm enjoy $6 tacos. 52 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise

MID GC CONTINUED

• Longboards: Voted one of Australia’s best burger joints get in and try $15 selected burgers and cocktails all day! 9 Hamilton Avenue, Surfers Paradise
• Isla Cantina: Pop over to Isla Cantina for Taco Thursday from 5pm. Enjoy $6 tacos, $15 margaritas (classic, coconut, or spicy) and $8 tap beers. Shop 4, G7, Capri on Via Roma, Surfers Paradise
• Montezumas Surfers Paradise: It’s Two up Thursday every week at Monte’s. Buy one Main Meal and receive another Main Meal Free! Aloha Apartments, 8/12 Trickett Street, Surfers Paradise
• Beach Hotel Broadbeach: Thursdays are for feeding the fam without the fuss. Kids under 12 eat for half-price all day, with high chairs for the tiny tots and colouring-in to keep the chaos contained. Easy win. 50 Surf Parade, Broadbeach
• Sports Bar: Rev up your appetite! From 11am to 10pm, grab the $15 Schumacher Schnitzel Burger – stacked with aioli, sweet chilli, lettuce, tomato, onion and a side of chips. The Star Gold Coast, Broadbeach
• Bine: The team at Bine Bar & Dining are bringing the goods with a chicken parmy and beer for $20. If you aren’t full by the time you leave, we’ll eat our hats. 1/28 Chairlift Avenue, Mermaid Beach

MID GC CONTINUED

• Panchos: Our fave colourful Mexican joint is home of Taco Thursdays. All tacos from $7. Eat your heart out! 581 Springbrook Road, Mudgeeraba
• The Henchman: We’re big fans of the Henchman’s relaxed outdoor vibe, but we’re even bigger fans of their $12 selected burger and drink combo. Get yours from 12pm every Thursday or enjoy it with a side of open mic night fr om 7pm first Thursday of every month! 6/8 Henchman Avenue, Miami
• Apres Surf: The crew at Apres Surf have a special on every weekday so you can save many shiny pennies. On Thursday it’s $1 dumplings. Shop 1, 1837 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads
• Hail Mary: Okay this one feels almost too good to be true. Hail Mary’s Thursday Fiesta is the ultimate (cheap) date night with four tacos or nachos and two drinks for $50. You can also upgrade to a classic marg for $5 – it’d be rude not to if you ask us. 26 James Street, Burleigh Heads

SOUTH GC

• Burgster: Someone once said that cheeseburgers are good for the soul (it was us, we are someone), so excuse us while we get around Burgster’s Cheeseburger Thursdays with $16 singles, $22 doubles and $28 triples with fries. 4/10 Philippine Parade, Palm Beach
• Las Palmas: Indulge in the flavours of Latin America! Enjoy Taco Thursday with $7 tacos. Upstairs at 1097 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach 
• Currumbin Beach Vikings: It’s all about the two-for-one meals on Thursday arvos from 5pm for $35. There’s 180 degree ocean views and cheap beers too. Best. 741 Pacific Parade, Currumbin
• Currumbin RSL: Vegetarians look away. $24 steak night is here. The only catch? This one’s for members only, which will set you back a fiver if you’re not already… watch yourself, centre console coin stash – we’re comin’ for ya! 165 Duringan Street, Currumbin

Words by Belinda Symons