The Gold Coast is busy reinventing itself. With Brisbane 2032 on the horizon, Queensland has a stack of projects in the works — Dreamworld is weighing up a major expansion with a hotel, restaurants and ecotourism experiences, while a proposed A$400 million Palm Valley Surf Park in Parkwood would add a high-performance surf pool, an 18-hole golf course, a luxury hotel and a beach club. The city's 2026–2032 transformation plans promise a new music hall, the sprawling Greenheart parkland and a refreshed Surfers Paradise.
You don't need to wait until the Games, though. Between the surf breaks and the construction cranes, the Gold Coast already has a food and drink scene worth planning a trip around. Seven spots stand out.
Start with Miami Marketta, a night market that turns an industrial laneway into a street food party every Wednesday to Saturday. Think giant pans of Spanish paella, Tibetan momos and Argentinian grilled meats, plus live indie bands on the Cargo Stage, a Gin Parlour and the occasional round of drag bingo — all set against graffiti-covered warehouse walls.
Beer lovers have a new address: Padre Brewing Co opened in November 2025 in the beachside suburb of Miami, pouring 14 rotating taps of house brews — crisp lagers, hazy pales and limited releases like a tropical Mango Weiss and a Mexican-style cerveza — in a 160-seat venue styled like a retro Aussie pub, with calamari, chicken parmi and fish tacos on the food side.
For the classic Gold Coast moment, head to Burleigh Pavilion in Burleigh Heads, where the open-air terrace looks straight down the point break towards the Surfers Paradise skyline. Order oysters, prawns or fish and chips at the rail, or book its sister venue The Tropic next door for Mediterranean-style seafood platters and share plates.
Mornings bring options too. Choubidou Café serves French-inspired brunch in a courtyard ringed with bougainvillea — its eggs Benedict on a buttery croissant is the signature, and the cold brews come topped with canned foams in flavours like Ferrero Rocher. Flipside takes a different angle entirely, mixing speciality coffee with cocktail techniques to create non-alcoholic 'cofftails' such as a jalapeño-spiced mocha and a smoky bushland-inspired long black.
The Winey Cow in Main Beach brings serious brunch credentials from Victoria's Mornington Peninsula — the group has been named Café of the Year in Victoria and Tasmania — with dishes like a gochujang chilli scramble on brown butter crumpet, plus a daily Boozy Brunch with an hour of free-flow mimosas. And just up the road in Kingscliff, The Brew and Bake Co pairs ocean views with its own 'Sweet Lady' house blend and sourdough crumpets with macadamia honeycomb butter.
For travellers, the appeal is simple: the Gold Coast is in the sweet spot where the big-ticket developments haven't arrived yet, but the eating and drinking has already gone up a level. Go now and you'll skip both the Olympic-era crowds and the post-renovation price tags.
