The new Gold Coast restaurants, cafes and bars that landed in September
September, you fed us well. The first month of spring delivered the kind of openings the Gold Coast does particularly well – seriously stacked sandwiches, fish and chips worth making a beach mission for, tiny coffee spots punching well above their weight and an Italian deli where popping in for lunch can very easily end with an armful of pantry goods. From Coolangatta to Southport, September gave us plenty to sink our teeth into. Here are the new openings you need to know about.
Hot Mess Deli, Varsity Lakes
Varsity Lakes gained a neighbourhood sandwich slinger with absolutely no interest in keeping things neat when Hot Mess Deli opened on the corner of Main Street and Varsity Parade. Chef Matthew Sidoti is behind the saucy newcomer, taking inspiration from his travels and hospitality career to turn just about anything delicious into sandwich material. The namesake grilled cheese arrives golden and molten in a puddle of spicy ’nduja vodka sauce, while the Reuben piles on house-made corned beef and another number brings together grilled mortadella, scamorza, fried egg, pesto and pickles. Come hungry and avoid wearing white. We learnt that the hard way.
Paradise Fish Shop, Burleigh Heads
The humble fish-and-chip shop has had a serious glow-up in Burleigh. Paradise Fish Shop comes from Jason ‘Jay’ Barratt and partner Josie, with Jay drawing on a career spent in kitchens including Attica, Stokehouse, Raes on Wategos, Paper Daisy, Hector’s Deli and Supernormal Brisbane. Here, he’s applying that experience to the nostalgic fish-and-chip runs of his childhood. Expect quality seafood encased in crisp vodka-spiked batter, hand-cut thrice-cooked chips and house-made takes on the classics, from dim sims and potato scallops to Queensland pineapple fritters. Our advice? Order generously and make for the beach.
Mamma G’s, Coolangatta
The Gambaro family has been feeding Queenslanders for more than 70 years, and its latest opening brings that trademark hospitality to a deli, cafe and pantry on Boundary Street. Mamma G’s is designed to slot into the everyday rhythm of Coolangatta, opening early for coffee, breakfast rolls, pies and pastries before the cabinets fill with focaccia sandwiches, bomboloni and plenty more as the day unfolds. The deli counter is loaded with cheese, salumi and antipasti, while shelves of pasta, preserves, olive oils, wines and Italian pantry staples make popping in for one thing and leaving with dinner an entirely likely scenario.
Vector Coffee, Southport
After seven years of squeezing a lot into a tiny 15-seat space, Southport favourite Vector Coffee finally stretched its legs in September. Owners Tom and Kirsten Palmer took over the tenancy next door and transformed Vector into a 60-seat cafe complete with a full kitchen and a warm, diner-inspired new look. More space has also meant more room to play with the menu. House-baked ciabatta now forms the foundation for stacked sandwiches including the Vodka Chicken Parm, Mortadeli and Beef Dip, while coffee remains firmly at the heart of the operation.
Grantz Dining Room, Southport
Dinner and a show takes on a new meaning at Grantz Dining Room, the sprawling new Southport restaurant from award-winning chef Grant Madgwick and long-time business partner Antz Do Rozario. Located at the base of TRYP by Wyndham within Imperial Square, Grantz is bringing a little old-school theatre back to dining out with live music, tableside cookery and a modern-Australian menu that roams from oysters and sashimi to Wagyu, Moreton Bay bugs and chateaubriand carved at the table. For the full experience, hand the reins to Grant with the five-course Trust the Chef menu, shaped by whatever catches his eye at the markets that morning.
And a few more for your list …
September’s caffeine intake didn’t stop there. On James Street in Burleigh, May’s Vietnamese Coffee is shaking up concentrated cold brew with condensed milk and topping drinks with fluffy house-made cold foams, including egg, Nutella, salted caramel and Mont Blanc, while just down the road, Birch Coffee Bar is keeping mornings simple with Lacey’s Lane coffee, ceremonial-grade matcha, cold brews topped with house-made cold foams and toasties on Burleigh Baker bread. Over in Robina, Estate No. 6 opened at the base of the Cascade building on Laver Drive. The all-day cafe comes from the team behind Good Day Specialty Coffee and Willy’s Beans founder Jayson Mathiou, with single-estate Colombian coffee sourced directly from a family-run farm and roasted in Burleigh taking centre stage.
Still want more? Check out some of these new openings from August.
Nigiwai in Broadbeach, ACE’S Coffee and Blend Greenness in Miami, Bistro Margaux and Salty’s in Nobby Beach, Cooly Breeze in Coolangatta and last but certainly not least, Currumbin General in Currumbin.
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