How the Gold Coast went from tacky to foodie hotspot

Queensland’s Glitter Strip is redefining itself as Australia’s next big food city, finds Sarah Reid

As my taxi turns off the main road into a dark, industrial area of the Gold Coast, I start to fret. My stomach is rumbling, and this doesn’t feel like the kind of place one finds a slap-up meal on a Saturday night. But when we pull up at the warehouse conversion known as Miami Marketta, it’s positively heaving. Beyond the packed tables, a strip of food vendors dole out crispy karaage chicken, “blowtorched” nachos, passionfruit lamingtons and other delights to hungry punters while a troupe of man-bunned mixologists whip up an array of tropical concoctions behind the bar. With live music and design stalls thrown in, it’s a brilliant concept.

Having long battled to shed its reputation for tackiness, this south-east Queensland city has literally stepped up to the plate ahead of April’s Commonwealth Games. Miami Marketta, which opened in 2011, was the first of a string of Asian night market-style dining operations that have popped up across the city in recent years, making it something of a pioneer in the transformation of the Goldie’s culinary scene.

“Not so long ago, eating out on the Gold Coast was largely limited to the usual greasy takeaway places,” says creative director Emma Milikins. “Now locals and visitors have a global menu at their disposal – and the scene is continually evolving.”

With 300 sunny days per year, it’s no surprise street food has taken off on the Goldie. A few miles south of Miami, The Collective Palm Beach has refined the concept for diners who aren’t keen on queueing, with table service for its five international food vendors. BBQ Bazaar, a BBQ-themed night market, is due to open in Burleigh Head any time now. And a growing proliferation of restaurant-quality food trucks – hawking everything from Cuban sandwiches to Biggie Smalls-themed burgers – can now be found all over the city.

But the Gold Coast’s culinary revolution goes well beyond street food. With new cafes opening every week – most of which roast their own coffee and bake their own bread – south-east Queensland now boasts a cafe culture to rival both Sydney and Melbourne.

“The Gold Coast has rapidly become a hot spot for young people escaping the escalating prices of major cities, and they’ve brought a demand for cool cafe culture with them,” says Chloe Watts, owner of Paddock Bakery, arguably the most Instagrammable cafe on the Goldie thanks to its beautifully presented baked goods and attractive garden setting. “There’s some great talent here, really pushing the boundaries of what consumers expect to find on the coast.”

This sentiment also rings true for fine dining, with five Gold Coast restaurants awarded a coveted chef’s hat in the Good Food Guide 2018, Australia’s answer to the Michelin Guide. One of them was Rick Shores, on the Burleigh beachfront – co-owned by renowned Sunshine Coast-born chef Jake Pregnell. After sinking my teeth into one of its signature Moreton Bay bug (lobster-like shellfish) rolls, I can see why.

“Our local produce is just sensational,” says Karen Inglis-Turner, a local foodie who launched Gold Coast Food and Wine Tours – the city’s first food tour business – in 2015. “One of the restaurants we work with has its own prawn trawler that supplies the restaurant with fresh shellfish daily. You can’t get fresher than that!”

The Gold Coast’s after dark scene has also evolved from the seedy nightclubs that once defined it. While the climate is ideal for rooftop bars – and there are plenty of them – the city has also embraced hidden bars. The entrance to Broadbeach’s Soho Place – the Gold Coast’s first official small bar – is concealed behind a bright red door in the shape of a London telephone box, and if you can find Burleigh’s Lockwood speakeasy, you’ll still need to text the venue to gain entry. So popular was The Cambus Wallace, a nautical-themed hidden whisky bar in Nobby’s Beach, that its owners opened a second bar, The Scottish Prince, in Palm Beach late last year.

A growing number of Gold Coast brewers have also been working hard to challenge the perception of Queensland beer tasting, well – like “XXXX” (otherwise known as Fourex – the state’s oldest and best known lager, which is, er, an acquired taste) with Currumbin’s Balter – co-owned by three-time world champion surfer Mick Fanning – having taken a whopping 10 awards at the 2017 Australian International Beer Awards. Despite its tropical climate, the Gold Coast even has its own wine region tucked up in the hinterland that produces some very drinkable reds and whites, such as Heritage Estate Wines’ 2016 Reserve Chardonnay, which was awarded 94 out of 100 points in Australian wine bible Halliday Wine Companion 2018.

You don’t even need to leave your hotel to get a taste of the new and improved Gold Coast, with hatted Japanese restaurant Kiyomi just one of 13 excellent restaurants and bars in The Star, the sparkling reincarnation of the city’s iconic Jupiter’s Casino. In Surfers Paradise, QT hotel also has a fantastic Japanese restaurant, Yamagen, the most gourmet breakfast buffet on the Gold Coast (if not Australia) and a very decent cocktail bar, Stingray.

The Gold Coast might still have its fair share of takeaway joints and seedy clubs, but if you’re willing to seek it out, one of Australia’s best new food and drink scenes is just waiting to be discovered here.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Etihad flies from Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh to Brisbane via Abu Dhabi, from £750 return. From there, it’s an hour to the Gold Coast by train or bus from the airport.

Staying there

QT Gold Coast has doubles from AU$179 (£100). It’s worth forking out $38 for the ultra-gourmet buffet breakfast.

More information

queensland.com