With sparkling waterways, crystal white beaches and fringing mountains, the Gold Coast boasts magnificent views. Until recently, however, most ‘dining with a view’ took place at surf clubs overlooking our surf beaches decked out in red and yellow flags...
With sparkling waterways, crystal white beaches and fringing mountains, the Gold Coast boasts magnificent views. Until recently, however, most ‘dining with a view’ took place at surf clubs overlooking our surf beaches decked out in red and yellow flags and lifesavers on patrol.
Historically, several locations have shown off the splendour of the Gold Coast, notably Burleigh Pavilion (including Rick Shores), Surfers Pavilion, Southport Pavilion and Siblings. More recently, restaurants dotted along the Surfers Paradise beachfront (such as Coast and Seascape) and Main Beach have given us full frontal views of the Broadwater and beach life.
Expansive rural dining views are surprisingly rare, exceptions being in the Northern Rivers, such as Tweed River House, Potagers at Carool and Mavis’s Kitchen.
Dining with a view is not confined to a price bracket, nor to fine dining. A view can be enjoyed over a platter of antipasto or coffee and cake just as easily as it can when we enjoy fine dining. Here are some other spectacular venues you may not have thought to your dining list:
Horizon Sky Dining
The Gold Coast has a few iconic dining sites, the revolving restaurant at the top of Crowne Plaza being one.
Recently refurbished by its new owners, the new Horizon Sky Dining is Queensland’s only revolving restaurant with 360-degree views of the Gold Coast. In understated elegance, the natural finishes and coastal colour palette show off the real star, the Gold Coast itself.
“The breathtaking views and delicious seafood are quintessentially Gold Coast, offering the best of what the city has to offer in one place,” says Jason Farnworth, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise. “Horizon isn’t just a great dining experience, it’s a jaw-dropping one, with a 360-degree view of the Gold Coast skyline that rotates every 45 minutes.”
Diners can enjoy a view that encompasses the city and suburban landscapes in between the surf and the hinterland, Gold Coast suburbia threaded through with glittering waterways. Encompassing two levels of dining, each of the 128 seats enjoys a superb view.
Tarte Beach House
For a more serene water view, Tarte Beach House, located beside Currumbin Creek, is a multi-faceted venue sprawling across several levels, including a 100-seat brunch restaurant overlooking the water and a casual café that takes dining right to the sand.
Owner-operator Chloe Watts has brought a sense of historical significance to this establishment by choosing décor elements with great care. 100-year-old umbrellas from a French beach remind us of the inspiration for this patisserie, whereas a wall of historic photographs sets Tarte venues into local area history.
With a menu to fit its location, this stylish eatery highlights attention-grabbing savoury dishes, such the luxurious Lobster roll with hot buttered Southern Rock lobster sandwiched in a toasted homemade brioche bun, Steak ‘n’ Frites Sandwich featuring Wagyu, shoestring fries and homemade chimichurri, and a Crab Linguini showing off local Spanner crab at its best. An elevated drink selection and a varied array of pastries complement the savoury offerings.
Tommy’s Italian
If you are looking for a prime dining destination overlooking the beach with modern Italian food, cocktails and freely flowing prosecco, look no further than Tommy’s Italian, the perfect escape from a more serious world.
With a modern menu founded in centuries of Mediterranean dining, Tommy’s Italianis perfectly aligned with a coastal lifestyle. This is fine food in a casual setting, a relaxed atmosphere where we can sit with friends and share our favourite dishes accompanied by cocktails and bottomless wine.
Antipasti forms almost a third of the menu, and rightly so. It is backed up by mains, pizza and pasta dishes. The menu is full of the highest quality Australian and imported ingredients prepared with love, no corners cut. We graze on delicacies, simply but beautifully prepared, a feast to share as we sip our cocktails overlooking the surf break.
Tommy’s is a place of dreams. With its red and white striped balcony seating, we could be transported anywhere, to a hillside in Cinque Terra looking out to the ocean or a café beside Lake Como. Instead, we are here in Currumbin, celebrating stunning seascape vistas all our own.
Quarterdeck Kitchen + Bar
Quarterdeck Kitchen + Bar boasts a fabulous location fronting the water in the heart of the Gold Coast Marine Precinct. Surprisingly, it is still a secret haven, frequented mostly by locals and boaties alongside a scattering of sports stars and millionaires.
Decked out like a beach house, Quarterdeck’s stunning 180-degree view takes in yachts, water and the unspoiled natural habitat of Hope Island. There’s a relaxing serenity to be enjoyed when you dine overlooking water and, for some, the opportunity to travel to this venue by boat.
Chef Kingsley Saville’s share plate menus are inspired by the water-side location and his love of Mediterranean flavours. Using the ‘fresh is best’ philosophy, he changes the menu seasonally, making the most of local produce and creating everything in house. Seafood is a winner with coastal diners, the plump local trawler king prawns arriving by boat to the door. Vibrant and interesting, this is food that is light enough to float through summer yet substantial enough to share during sundowner drinks and dinner.
Lyrical in daylight, the venue takes on a different life in late afternoon when party hour begins. It may be date night with the quiet lapping of the water against yachts or celebratory drinks as one of many functions held in the venue commences. Each day brings new vistas to Quarterdeck. Such is life on the water.
The Yot Club
There’s something special about being out on the water and viewing the Gold Coast from a different perspective.
Whether you journey with guests or your partner and friends, The Yot Club gives you a glimpse of a luxurious boating lifestyle at a fraction of the cost. Cruising on the sparkling Broadwater amongst super yachts, power boats and jet skis, the picturesque Gold Coast looms as a skyline from the water.
For a few hours, you will be treated like royalty as you embark on the world’s first luxury super yacht entertainment venue, sipping champagne and indulging in a feast of fresh local seafood served in three courses. The Yot Club is a luxurious yacht comprising two levels of guest seating, two bars and a stage and dance floor complete with live entertainment.
Spending alternate weekends in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, with events departing from both cities, the Yot Club is a perfect way to host guests or to enjoy a special celebration, forming lasting memories with friends and loved ones.
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Horizon Sky Dining 2807 Gold Coast Highway, Surfers Paradise, Ph: 07 5592 9900
Quarterdeck Kitchen + Bar 76-84 Waterway Drive, Coomera Ph: 07 5529 7127
Tarte Beach House 2 Thrower Drive, Currumbin
The Yot Club Brisbane and Gold Coast, Ph: 07 5638 1265
Tommy’s Italian 818 Pacific Parade, Currumbin Ph: 07 5647 6180
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