We think it's about time you had a doggo date!
We think it's about time you had a doggo date!
Dogs are man’s best friend. There’s no disputing it and we don’t want to hear a word said against it.
But in all honesty, we doubt any of you locals out there are going to argue against this ethos — as it’s rather easy to see we utterly love our dogs here on the Gold Coast.
Did you know that on Tuesday the 23rd of March it’s National Puppy Day? An occasion to remember how much these guys bring to our lives in way of their cuteness and unconditional love. Because let’s face it — where would we be without them.
If they aren’t running at breakneck speed down the beach, pottering about in a body of water somewhere, or just drooling themselves into a comatose under the couch, there’s a good chance they can be found with their loving owner sharing a coffee and living their best life in one of our many great cafes.
Knowing which cafes are more receptive to your four-legged friend is sometimes a bit tricky. To alleviate the puzzlement, we’ve put together the finest and most convenient cafes where taking your pooch is most certainly welcomed.
Double Barrel Kitchen
Two locations mean double the doggie good times. Double Barrel Kitchen not only serves up delicious eats and plenty of good vibes, they also allow pups to join in the fun.
Where: Shop 4/64 Karbunya Street, Mermaid Waters and 1 The Concourse, Benowa
Ground N Sound
House-made cakes are one of the greatest things cafes can do. Wash that down with a cuppa, (or some wine if you like) a bit of live music, and your dog by your side and that’s pretty much the best time we reckon you can have. Do it at Ground N Sound.
Where: 6/23 Musgrave Avenue, Chirn Park
Papercup Coffee
The prettiest of spots, found in two locations Papercup Coffee has some stellar coffee and of course some delicious treats you can share with your furry mate. Perfect. Puppacino, anyone?
Where: 16 Frank Street, Labrador and 201 Ferry Road, Southport
Parc Bah Espresso
Opposite an awesome dog park, this Southport cafe welcomes your four-legged furry friend while you dine. There are even special doggie treats to keep your best friend occupied while you catch up with your human-friends.
Where: Shop 4/5, 19 Alicia Street, Southport
Cafe Catalina
Cafe Catalina is located along the picturesque shores of the Broadwater Parklands and is the absolute perfect way to end a walk of your furry friend around the parklands. Sit on the deck and watch as the world passes you by both on land and sea!
Where: Broadwater Parklands, 10/11 Gold Coast Highway, Southport
Roller Door Espresso
At the heart of it, this hole-in-the-wall nook is incredibly easy on the eyes. After you’ve managed to peel your gaze off all of the incredible interior goodness, it’s down to business with fine baked treats and welcome arms for you and your doggo.
Where: 2/85 Ashmore Road, Bundall
Palm Springs
What these guys don’t know about coffee isn’t worth knowing. With the freshest looking aesthetic around, this new Burleigh Heads hangout is a great place to bring your pooch grab a coffee and just watch the day drift by. Plus, with surroundings as good as this, how could you not want to do a quick photoshoot of your pup?
Where: 1878 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads
Wildflower Distillery
Seems every man and his dog is making craft spirits these days, and we couldn’t be more thankful for it if we tried. Wildflower is the place to round up your crew and go sample some great gins, and now fantastic vodka. Don’t forget to take your furry friend as well because they are made most welcome!
Where: 2/486 Scottsdale Drive, Varsity Lakes
Alfred’s Diner
Home to one of the Coast’s best breakfast burritos and all of the cool kids from Mermaid Beach this chilled garden space off the highway is a dog-friendly nirvana. Alfred’s Diner has also recently extended their trading hours, you can now even take the pup along with you for dinner! No more leaving them at home on date night!
Where: 2389 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach
BSKT Cafe
BSKT Cafe makes taking your dog out for a date easy, as you won’t need to remember to pack water as they have plenty of dog bowls placed in the outside area. So you can sip on your favourite juice while your furry companion keeps hydrated too!
Where: 4 Lavarack Road, Nobby Beach
The Henchman
The big Miami beauty boasts plenty of space for all of your daily dose of tail wagging. Who knows what can happen when there are opportunities for your pooch to make new friends? Grab yourself some tasty eats and kick back in a hammock at The Henchman while the dogs have a play date.
Where: 8 Henchman Avenue, Miami
Paddock Bakery
Arguably one of the hottest breakfast spots on the Coast, Paddock Bakery is a stylish weatherboard cottage with a leafy garden that welcomes you and your four-legged friend any day of the week. Dippy eggs + doggos = good idea.
Where: 18 Hibiscus Haven, Miami
Lakeview Cafe
Lakeview Cafe is a hidden Burleigh Waters gem and an absolute favourite amongst the locals (not only humankind either). You can buy doggie treats and have your dog join you in the spacious outside area.
Where: 100 Burleigh Street, Burleigh Waters
Commune
Your favourite Burleigh local has a huge outside area with plenty of shade for you and your pup to enjoy. Weekend brekkies just got that much better!
Where: 1844 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads
Street Corner Espresso
The family-run lower Gold Coast Highway cafe has great food, great service and a spacious outside area that any dog will love to lie down and soak up the sun in. Sounds like paw-fection!
Where: 1/1840 Lower Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads
Espresso Moto
Tried and tested many a time, Espresso Moto is as pup-friendly as they come. There’s a bowl for doggo drinking water and, if you’ve got a very good boy (or girl) on your hands, they may be lucky enough to score a treat. Fun for everyone.
Where: 2/1389 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach or 1/88 Markeri Street, Mermaid Waters
Portside Coffee
Portside Coffee is an entire family-friendly cafe in Currumbin’s industrial area. When we say ‘entire family’ we mean your fur baby too. It’s an entirely outdoor area so there’s plenty of space so you can soak up some sunshine while you’re getting caffeinated.
Where: 42 Currumbin Ck Road, Currumbin Waters
The Salt Mill
Merely steps off the beach, this popular hole-in-the-wall has seating and will often have a congregation of dogs mingling with each other as their owners sip coffee and enjoy one of the coast’s best acai bowls. Once you’re done, slip onto the sand and take your puppy for a paddle!
Where: 785 Pacific Parade, Currumbin
Le Vintage Boutique Cafe
This VERY popular little spot found in beautiful Worongary is serving up some of the best coffee around. And they’re all about the doggo’s too. It’s a unique little spot, once you’ve found it, and one you’ll want to lock in to visit again.
Where: 1 Kurilpa Street, Worongary
Parkway Coffee
The newest of the bunch is Parkway Coffee, a sweet little garden hideaway by the gals at Third Base Coffee, Palm Beach. There’s great food, great coffee and the best thing of all, pups are of course welcome!
Where: Robina Quays, 16b, 361 Robina Parkway, Robina
South East Cafe & Bar
This southern extremity is bringing great food and even better coffee to the beachy back streets of Coolangatta. Better yet, when you’ve come off the sand and have salty hair swing by here for the best dog-friendly vibes.
229 Boundary Street, Coolangatta
Barefoot Barista
This laid-back Palm Beach institution dishes up amazing food and consistent quality coffee, best of all – they’d love you to bring your dog along.
Where: 15 Palm Beach Avenue, Palm Beach
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
Everyone’s favourite beachside wholefoods café is upping the ante on their already mouthwatering menu, adding new dishes to nourish you from the inside out now that winter has us in her clutches.
Fuelling the health food revolution on the Gold Coast, BSKT has been wholeheartedly embraced by locals since opening exactly four years ago this week. The ocean views certainly help, so does being located in the foodie hub that is Nobby’s Beach but the obsession is largely due to the food – BSKT is passionate about providing the highest quality wholefoods in the tastiest possible way.
New additions are no exception of course enhancing the already jam-packed menu and giving you even more anxiety over which delicious dish to order.
First and most importantly is Adam’s Porridge Bowl filled with coconut and banana soaked gluten free oats, sticky mango, quinoa and black sesame chards and infused with chai spices. Proceeds from this dish go to former BSKT Chef Adam Begic’s ongoing recovery from a motorbike accident that tragically left him paraplegic.
New breakfast dish number two is the MVP Pancakes – buckwheat and banana pancakes with wild berry compote, vegan honeycomb and coconut icecream. MVP indeed.
For lunch there’s two new smaller dishes. The Keuben Quesadilla is made with a low carb Keto tortilla, corned beef, house made sauerkraut, pickles, Gruyere cheese and Russian dressing. If you’re after something a little lighter, there’s a Poke Bowl with fresh salmon cuts, pickled ginger, zucchini noodles, avocado, edamame, organic brown rice and spicy sesame soy sauce.
In need of something a little larger? Krab Tacos are made up of tapioca dusted soft shell crab, Asian slaw, bean sprouts, fresh coriander, wakame and Chipotle Mayonnaise on grilled tortillas and Spicy Korean Stew is a steamy bowl of oyster mushrooms, bean sprouts, shallots, pac choy, fermented red peppers and stewed chicken.
All delicious and all radiating the freshest and healthiest of vibes. Exactly what you need when everyone around you is reaching for the tissues.
LOCATION: 4 Lavarack Rd, Mermaid Beach
HOURS: 7am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 7am to 10pm Friday to Sunday.
Words and photos by Kirra Smith.
If you, like us, have been waiting with baited breath for the unveiling of Miami’s elusive new eatery, we’ve got good news.
The Henchman on, you guessed it, Henchman Ave in Miami opened their doors this week and it’s the gift that will keep on giving for quite some time.
The Henchman is the white double storey building you can glimpse from the Gold Coast Highway, strung with fairy lights and a sweet little picket fence. Taking the place of a former Balinese furniture store that gets a nod in the form of a huge golden Buddha statue watching over the sizeable outdoor area.
And what an outdoor area it is. Hammocks, wooden picnic-style tables, more delightful fairy lights and plenty of greenery make up the covered space and it’s the perfect spot for an early morning (organic) Byron Bay Coffee Co. brew or, a brew of the frosty alcoholic variety in the coming weeks.
That’s right Gold Coasters, The Henchman is set to be the outdoor beer garden we’ve been waiting our whole lives for (dramatic) and yes, we may have done a happy dance.
There’ll also be a little indoor bar section on the bottom floor and upstairs, a stunning naturally lit space for functions and private parties. It’s got a pool table too.
If, for some strange reason, those little treats didn’t make you excited, here’s a few more little things that might. Through a little gate at the back of the space, a beach is being created complete with actual sand, a beach bar, cabanas and the promise of an actual (shipping container-style) pool for all your swimming and sipping needs. HOW GOOD. Stay tuned for updates.
Menu-wise, for now, The Henchman will be serving up a little sampling menu of breakfast slash lunch items with more tasty eats on the way.
Fine by us. The Nanananana Jaffle is the goods with gooey Nutella, freshly chopped banana and Byron Bay Coffee cream. Oh and it’s not any old jaffle, it’s made with puff pastry and you simply won’t understand how good it is until you sample it.
The Italian Stallion is all your dreams come true with slow cooked grassfed mince, mushrooms, garlic, free range bacon, cherry tomatoes, Napoli sauce and filled with mozzarella cheese.
Batman’s Bircher Bowl is a lighter option; it’s got a mix of activated superfoods including almonds, chia, hempseeds, banana, goji berries and the like (there’s way more) plus organic coconut yoghurt and fresh mint.
There’s also a fresh, colourful salad of the day and it can be vegan friendly or with added meat if you so wish.
Once the bar is up and running it’ll be late night snacks for everyone (our favourite) including share plate style dishes of the charcuterie board variety and the love of your life, chicken wings. There’s more of course but everybody needs a few surprises in life.
To sum up, if you’re a fan of breezy outdoor spaces, brews of both the caffeine and alcoholic varieties and guaranteed good vibes, The Henchman is for you. And us.
Let the party begin.
LOCATION: 6/8 Henchman Ave, Miami
HOURS: 4.30am until 4pm
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
Nobody needs to tell you that summer has absolutely arrived on the Gold Coast in the last few days but since we have the floor, let us make it known, these stifling days are here to stay.
And since there’s no way to escape to say Southern California for a sweet little sojourn, a few clever local lads have brought Southern California to you via a sweet new eatery that’ll make you forget you’re melting every time you step outside.
It’s called Palm Springs Café and it is indeed reminiscent of the city found with the Coachella Valley, dotted with palm trees and known for it’s pastel hues and lowset mid-century modern architecture. It’s one of our absolute fave places in the world and so we are absolutely thrilled to introduce you to this newbie.
Found on a corner block between Burleigh Heads and Miami (a Queenslander previously occupied by Siam Orchid), Palm Springs Café is a fresh, double storey space all rendered whites with a cactus garden and peach umbrellas throughout the street-facing outdoor space.
Inside it’s an Insta-dream come true with arched windows, white tiled floors, terrazzo tabletops and splashes of pastel green. Famed photographer Slim Aarons’ poolside snaps line the walls and you’ll find a few more cacti throughout.
The coffee bar is a round-edged masterpiece, all layered and beautiful and begging to be touched. Round pendant lights hang in clusters from the ceiling and look, it’s aesthetically perfect if you ask us.
The idea behind the café is a little different from the norm, with said Southern Cali vibes taking over the menu too. Excitingly, there’ll be brunch cocktails on offer at all times and see, it won’t take much to forget that heat.
To eat, you’ll probably want to get involved in everything but let’s chat about a couple of dishes. The Cali Breakfast Burrito is a must with chorizo sausage, egg, cheddar cheese, avocado salsa, black beans and pickled jalapeno. Three please.
There’s also a Bacon and Egg Burger but not as you know it; with American bacon, fried egg, provolone cheese, potato hash and chipotle mayo on a milk bun. Yep. If bacons’ not your thing, there’s a halloumi version too.
Nourish Bowls are a good time too – there’s the Palms Wholesome Bowl with black bean hummus, brown rice, tomato salsa, house pickles, charred corn, avocado, a soft-boiled egg and mojo dressing. You can add teriyaki salmon to that too.
To drink, there’s Therefore Coffee, out of Tweed Heads (a very good drop), all of the alternative latte varieties, cold-pressed juices and of course, cocktails. Bloody Mary’s, an array of Margaritas and an Espresso Martini grace the menu, as well as pink gin and soda cans.
It’s perfect for a Sunday (or any) morning sip and honestly, it’s everything we Gold Coasters have been waiting for.
Palm Springs Café opens Friday 20th November and you should be very happy about it.
LOCATION: Cnr Gardenia Grove and Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads
HOURS: 6.30am until 2.30pm daily
Words and photos by Kirra Smith
