ConKaBar steps into its next chapter with a fresh look, house-made tacos and a new evening menu
When Michelle Ramirez and Jett Myers, alongside Michael Toomey and Dianne Myers, took the reins of ConKaBar in Burleigh Heads in 2025, there was a clear vision for what it could become. The bones were there, but the end game was always bigger. After building a loyal following for its breakfast offering, the team closed the doors for a full renovation – a deliberate reset to bring that vision to life. Now, ConKaBar 2.0 has arrived.
Before you panic, ConKaBar’s daytime offering isn’t going anywhere. Breakfast still moves between Mexican flavours and Australian produce in the same way that first drew a crowd. But as the sun dips, the space shifts, and this is where the new chapter really reveals itself.
The transformation is immediate. Floor-to-ceiling, the venue has been reworked with warm, sand-toned finishes, low lighting and pockets of greenery that soften the space. It feels grounded and inviting without trying too hard. You might come in for one, but you’ll likely stay for a few.
From 5:00 pm, the menu pivots. Tacos take the lead, built on house-made masa pressed fresh each day into blue corn tortillas. They’ve got bite, structure and depth. The fish tacos are already emerging as a stand-out, and for good reason.
Beyond that, the menu tells a more personal story. The guacamole arrives folded with watermelon – a detail pulled straight from Michelle’s childhood. Head chef Rodrigo Martinez has drawn on his own background too, with a birria plate based on his mother’s recipe and techniques shaped by time spent around his family’s street-food stall in Mexico.
The aguachile brings lime, chilli and fresh Australian seafood together in a way that just works, while a ragwood-style chilli dish is quickly becoming a favourite.
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Dessert is worth your attention. The corn cake, another family recipe, sits somewhere between sweet and savoury – dense, soft and hard to stop at one bite.
Then there’s the bar, which anchors the whole experience. Margaritas are the obvious move, built on quality tequila sourced from one of the last traditional houses still doing things the old-school way. The classic is sharp and clean, but there’s room to move – think fruit-led variations that lean seasonal without tipping into overly sweet. The cocktail list shifts between familiar and playful, with a few house signatures designed for easy drinking and long stays. It’s the kind of place where one round turns into another without much convincing.
“We’re not a taqueria,” Jett says. “It’s a refined tapas-style experience… like how you’re treated when you’re in our house.”
ConKaBar has always been about bringing people together – now it feels like it has stepped into the vision the team had in their heads from the start.
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