Hoisting the kidlets into the back of the car to grab a feed can be a varied experience. And by varied, we mean #traumatic. But not at these Surfers Paradise restaurants which are tried and tested by many-a-small person, with a double thumbs-up both from kids and therefore, parentals.

Here’s our rundown on the glitter strip places to take the rug rats for a tanty/whinge-free meal.

Misono
If there’s one thing that’ll delight the kids (and the big kids), it’s teppanyaki! Situated in JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, Misono’s teppan experience brings an inescapable energy and thrill from the highly skilled teppan chef’s intricate knife work and interactive theatrics. Make sure you have your smart phones at the ready to capture every catch….or not (spillage is part of the fun). There’s also a live sushi bar to discover and psst mum and dad – there’s even a sneaky whisky bar for ‘ron!
Where: JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, 158 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise

Wahlburgers
Designed with good times in mind, the kids will go wild for Wahlburgers! The burger chain and sports bar baby of Hollywood superstars ‘Marky’ Mark, Donny, and the wider Wahlburg clan, expect high-quality, simple, down to earth eats! In addition to burgers there’s breakfast, salads, loaded sides, wings, calamari, dessert, shakes and spiders and so much more. It’ll give the whole family Good Vibrations!
Where: Paradise Centre, 2 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise

TGI Fridays
Tasty American Burgers, good friends and good times. It doesn’t matter how old or young you are, it’s always a recipe for smiley faces. Serving up your all your fave dishes from the US of A right off the grill, we’re talking starters to share, wings, fresh mex, burgers, wraps, salads, ribs, steaks, desserts and a cracking kid’s menu. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to a place where it’s always Friday?
Where: Paradise Centre, 2 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise

Steampunk
Kids will love the Victorian-era décor, friendly service and most importantly, wide variety of all the chow our small people dream of. The usual suspects like woodfired pizzas, loaded chips, burgers, steaks and ribs etc all make an appearance on the menu, plus there’s a kiddywinkle menu suitable for those up to 16. They’ll go loco for the supershakes and if you’re in a rush (isn’t EVERY parent), you can skip the queue and order via the app! Genius.
Where: 3113 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise

Longboards Laidback Eatery and Bar
If the kids are hungry, do not pass go, do not collect $200 – go to Longboards. One thing’s for sure, both you and your ankle-biters will leave choccas (no other meals required). The burgers here are legendary and dad, if you wanna impress the fam, give the 30 minute Phat Bastard Challenge a crack for your chance to win a $150 tab prize. There’s a kids menu to boot, plus $3 play packs to keep them entertained. Sold!
Where: Q1 Resort & Spa, Corner of Hamilton Avenue & Northcliffe Terrace, Surfers Paradise

El Camino Cantina
Mexican is the new Maccas in terms of universal appeal for kids, and El Camino is forever Mexcellent. Slinging tacos, nachos, loaded nachos, fajitas, wings and sombrero-filled party vibes, there’ll be no whinging whatsoever from the small folk. Head on down for $2 Taco Tuesdays, 10-cent Wing Wednesdays and half-price Fajita Thursdays. How spec-taco-ular!
Where: 2 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise

BMD Northcliffe Surf Club
Ok, so we all know kids love surf clubs – especially award-winners like BMD Northcliffe. For a start, it’s absolute beachfront making a pre or post-meal dip super duper easy. There’s plenty of room in the spacious restaurant, filled with sunlight by day and boasting a magical outlook by night, a stunning deck, and one of the best surf club menus you’ll ever find. All Little Nipper meals come with a small soft drink and a gelato. Winning!
Where: 51 Garfield Terrace, Surfers Paradise

Vapiano
Vapiano is Italian for kid-foody-heaven and whilst that’s a fib, it still rings true. We dare you to find a kiddo (and parent for that matter…#Don’tTellThePT) who doesn’t love a meaty, hearty pasta or a palette-pleasing pizza and yeah, nah, it’s not possible. Choose from the kids’ menu or the standard menu for small people with a BIG appetite! This is no impasta friends.
Where: Soul Boardwalk, Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise

Hogs Breath Café
The very pinnacle of family-orientated eating venues has to be the original and much-loved Hogs Breath Café. You’ll find consistently yummy and unassuming food served up in a friendly atmosphere, setting the benchmark high for other family restaurants to follow. Your little ones will be loving life with their own (sizeable) Hogster’s Kids Menu, which offers uncompromised value for money as each dish comes with its own drink and even dessert. Sorted!
Where: Soul, Building T2/9 Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise

Crazy Cat Café
This cute setup is the purrfect place to drop by for an afternoon pit stop and, of course, to mingle with some feline friends. Apart from a mob of the friendliest cats you ever did meet, the hefty café style menu offers a host of appetising treats to boot. Worth noting is the venue’s setup which also has a separate section for those who want to witness the cats at paw’s length – a great option for the kiddies who need a slow introduction to the furry ones.
Where: 3131 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise

Pancakes on the Rocks
There is no mistaking; pancakes are a good time, every time, particularly when they’re being pumped out of specialty restaurant, Pancakes on the Rocks. Based in the heart of Surfers Paradise, they are a dead-set family vibe. All about family dining, you can’t go wrong with the obvs (pancakes), plus there are pizzas, salads, crepes, and the now famous beef and pork ribs. Littlies will adore this joint. Cross our hearts.
Where: 31 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise

Words by Bianca Trathen.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock of late, you’ve heard the epic new Paradise Centre reboot is almost complete.

A place us 80s and 90s kids will forever hold close to our hearts, it’s embarked on an exciting new journey with an eye-catching $40 million redevelopment.

This show-stopping makeover includes a stunning beachfront dining precinct so impressive, it deserves a sand-ing ovation!

To be ‘pacific’, here are 6 eats spots officially open for business, serving up a melting pot of delicious cuisine with a side of cray-sea good views.

Enzo’s Cucina
You cannoli imagine how excited we were to hear that authentic, affordable and friendly Italian cuisine noshery Enzo’s Cucina has opened its doors! The Paradise Centre’s installment of Enzo’s is as pasta-tively delicious as its New South Wales based cuzzies, and a hit with whole fam bam. Its trademark relaxed and inviting ambience makes it perfect for celebrations and everyday dining, or takeaway to enjoy at home. Bellissima.
Our pick: Gnocchi Beef Cheek

Hero Sushi
Sushi is eternally our hero dish, and no-one does it justice like Hero Sushi. Whether you’re headed to the counter to grab a quick takeaway feed or have time to pull up a pew at the infamous train, the sushi is made fresh daily and tastes shrimply amazing. ‘Roll’ing out the A to Z of sushi and Japanese bites, you can even build-your-own rolls, nigiri, inari and more with classic flavours and Aussie fusion faves.
Our pick: Grilled Salmon Nigiri

El Camino Cantina
Offering $2 Taco Tuesday and 10c Wing Wednesday and more, holy guacamole, imagine how many of their famous margis we can sink with our leftover change! This neon-lit dazzler combines Tex-Mex flair and urban edge with the likes of recycled brick walls, breeze blocks, and Mexican tiles, and is the only El Camino in Oz to do breakfast – mex-cellent! No juan can resist its sombrero-filled party vibes, guaranteed to guac your world.
Our pick: The Signature Rita’s (Margaritas), served frozen or on the rocks

La Playa
Open for dining All.Day.Long, La Playa serves up summer vacay vibes with its cool coastal breezes, fresh Modern Australian / Mediterranean menu, and levelled-up post-sunset party atmosphere. Brought to us by the same crew behind the Brickworks’ people pleaser Pearl & Ash, you know you’re in for a treat with Melbourne-esk barista-made coffee, quality food, and the obligatory beachside beverages of choice; cocktails!
Our pick: Freshly Shucked Oysters

Nahm Talay Thai
Open from 7am until midnight, Nahm Talay Thai is already wooing the masses with its flavour-packed Thai and Asian dishes, loaded with high-end WOW-worthy details #GetItOnTheGram! We’re even talking liquid nitrogen in some dishes, as well as bubble smoke on cocktails! With a beachfront balcony (Christmas party alert), plus booth and couch seating inside, the luxurious accents and modern beach aesthetic perfectly complement the multi-million-dollar views.
Our pick: Lamb Shank Massaman Curry  

Gelato Messina
With 40 flavours to choose from, we can already feel our waistline expanding but #WorthIt! This joint has a cult following and thank you Paradise Centre for bringing it to our ‘hood! All made with fresh cow’s milk from the Messina Farm in Victoria, they even press their own mint leaves and make their own candied lemons #skillz. Also on the menu are gelato cakes, milk shakes and thick shakes, and they’re all ‘dairy’ delish.
Our pick: Salted Caramel with White Chocolate Chips

Watch this space for more amazing bites venues opening soon, namely international supernovas Wahlburgers and TGIF Fridays. Pair them with the recently launched retail stores and entertainment options and it’s official; the Paradise Centre is our new (old) favourite.

Where: 2 Cavill Ave, Surfers Paradise
When: Now open. Each outlet’s hours of operation can be found here.

Words by Bianca Trathen.

STORY SPONSORED BY PARADISE CENTRE

Crypto and chook wings. Possibly not a union you were expecting to read about, but the concept gives us genius vibes. Get ready to say “shut up and take my crypto” as Shiba Wings is now trading.

Serving more delicious, classic American-style fare than you can poke a cyber stick at, it’s the very first and only diner in Australia to accept cryptocurrency as payment.

I mean, it’s ‘virtually’ as ground-breaking as using Eftpos to finance your feed circa 1984 and is set to revolutionise the Surfers Paradise eats scene.

So why was the glitter strip chosen for the Shiba Wings flagship store? It’s the Vegas of Australia of course and a natural fit for such an innovative concept.

And for those of you not across the whole crypto caper, Shiba Inu token is a decentralized cryptocurrency and we have no idea what this actually means but, cool.

It’s named after a Japanese breed of dog, which is featured in the diner’s logo and throughout the interior design of the kinda wall-street-on-steroids style space.

As you might envisage, the crypto theming features lots of screens, colour, eye-catching lighting effects and most notably, the epic roof-mounted circular screen.

What can one expect from the menu here, and the answer is our fave fare from the US of A. Think a variety of unique and tasty wings, burgers, and other quintessentially American-style dishes, all made with fresh and high-quality ingredients.

Our ‘investment’ of choice is their signature chicken wings, washed down with one of their super fun slushies. Also worthy of noting is the Shiba crew’s commitment to sustainability and use of local and organic produce #bravo.

The actual dining experience is interactive and engaging, with a focus on customer service and hospitality. Not just ‘transactional’, it’s a place to enjoy a unique and memorable meal in a fun and casual atmosphere. And of course the option to pay with crypto is hella cool, and this is the moment we google how to start trading in digital currency.

Even cooler, Shiba also offers a range of branded merchandise, crypto coin merchandise, community-inspired art merchandise, and the ability to trade and purchase cryptocurrency at their in-store crypto ATM. Yep, we said crypto ATM and whilst this feels like something out of a sci-fi future flick, it’s an actual thing.

Committed to expanding the brand across Australia, keep your eyes peeled for more Shiba Wing trailblazing goodness and remember – it all started here in our famous 4217 post’code’. And no, there’s absolutely zero risk of that pun breaking the internet Kimmy-K style but hey, it was worth a cr(h)ack.

Where: Paradise Centre, Cavill Avenue, Surfers Paradise
When: 10am – 12am, Monday to Sunday

Words by Bianca Trathen.