The year in review: the Gold Coast’s best new bars and sip spots that opened in 2025
Dec 11, 2025, updated Dec 11, 2025
From sun-drenched pool bars to nosh spots that boast a killer cocktail list and late-night haunts, 2025 has delivered a bumper crop of drinking spots across the Gold Coast. This year’s new arrivals span craft-brew hubs, agave-led fiesta bars, refined sipping rooms and even a beautifully restored floating bar offering a totally different way to enjoy a drink. Whether you’re in the mood for something casual, creative or a little bit luxe, these are the venues that have shaped the year’s most exciting bar openings. Raise a glass – here are the best new bars of 2025.
Padre Brewing Co, Miami
Three delicious years in the making, Padre Brewing Co. has at long last opened the doors to its custom-built Miami brewery – and it’s a beauty! Part brewery, part restaurant, part community hangout, Padre is a feast for the senses. Polished coastal-cool design with retro nods lining the shelves, a breezy beer garden, communal tables that beg for group drop-ins and a glowing BEER sign out front that lures thirsty folk like moth to flame. Inside, 14 taps pour house-brewed lagers, hazy IPAs, crisp Mexican-style cervezas and seasonal specials, each crafted with care by founders whose love for beer and good mates spun this dream into reality. On the food side, expect food to eat with beer – pizza, burgers, pretzels, wings – all elevated just enough. Although it’s still early days, it’s perpetually buzzing with locals already calling it their go-to, and feels like a major win for the Gold Coast’s craft-beer scene. If you’re yet to pull up a pew at Padre, consider this your cordial invitation to do so. We might even meet you there for a schooner or two.
Burly, Currumbin
Kicking the year off in spectacular fashion was Burly in Currumbin. Slight suburb confusion aside, Burly quickly carved out a spot as one of Currumbin’s coolest new sipping dens, and honestly, it’s not hard to see why. Brought to life by the team behind Burly Gin, this two-storey gin-forward bar pours its cucumber, berry and citrus-led spirits into a sharp line-up of inventive cocktails – from garden-fresh smashes to a strawberry-tinged negroni that’s got its own fan club (us). The space is a looker too, with a mustard-hued resin bar, touches of terracotta and polished copper stills giving it an elevated, almost loft-like feel. Pair that with a menu of refined share plates of kingfish ceviche, house focaccia and silky tartare and you’ve got a bar where the drinks are dialled in, the food is refined and considered and the vibe is effortlessly cool. What’s not to love?
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Familiar Spirits, Burleigh Heads
We love a bar that’s a little bit off the beaten path. Tucked away in Burleigh’s industrial backstreets, Familiar Spirits has fast become a magnet for curious cocktail seekers. The family-run micro-distillery shakes and stirs its own small-batch gin, vodka, limoncello and cane spirit into a standout line-up of signature sips. Ranging from bright, zesty spritzes to punchy shaken numbers and silky spirit-forward pours, every creation starts with the distillery’s handcrafted spirits, giving each drink a freshness and character you won’t find elsewhere. The vibe is intimate and fun, the kind of space where you can perch on a stool and stay far longer than you intended working your way through the rotating seasonal creations – and yes, we know that from personal experience. It’s pretty, polished and one of Burleigh’s most exciting spots for a seriously good sip.
When Mondrian Gold Coast opened in June 2025, it sparked a flurry of excitement. While Haven and LiTO initially stole the lion’s share of the spotlight, Haven Pool Club has quietly emerged as one of the year’s most irresistible places to perch with a cocktail in hand. The Pool Club hums from day to dusk, soundtracked by sun-soaked playlists, live sets drifting between cabanas and rosé circulating with the ease of an endless summer. The menu is made for poolside grazing, featuring oysters dressed three ways, chilled Tweed Coast bay bugs, hibachi skewers sizzling with wagyu or haloumi, ceviche tostadas, luxe fish sandwiches and towering seafood platters built for sharing. The cocktails are just as playful, spanning rum-laced passionfruit sours, eucalyptus-kissed vodka smashes, neon-hued gin spritzes and an acai-garita crafted for golden-hour glow. It’s the kind of place where lounging effortlessly has a habit of slipping deliciously into night.
The House of Bamboo, Coolangatta
We know what you’re thinking, and yes, technically The House of Bamboo is a restaurant, but once you’re downstairs in that neon-lit basement, it’s the cocktails and the energy that take the lead. Jon Hizola’s punchy pan-Asian menu is exceptional, but the drinks list more than holds its own, earning this venue a rightful place among the year’s best bar openings. Grilled-pineapple margaritas, Filipina-Coladas, disco spritzes and mezcal-spiked ‘mez-gronis’ all land with confidence, each one built to slice through bold flavours and keep the night rolling. With holographic signage, bamboo-lined booths and a retro-disco soundtrack, the space transforms into a tropical, late-night escape – a place where dumplings meet DJs and dinner effortlessly rolls into drinks (and dancing, usually). If you’re chasing vibrant energy, big flavours and cocktails that don’t mess around, this subterranean Coolangatta gem more than earns its spot on the list.
Flor Wine & Grocer, Burleigh Heads
Flor has long been one of Burleigh Heads’ most beloved spots to procure gourmet goods and exceptional drops, but its recent evolution has invited locals to slow down, pull up a stool and actually enjoy a glass in situ. The new ‘sip-in’ offering is wonderfully unfussy, just a tight edit of small-producer wines by the glass, rotating weekly picks and a relaxed, conversational energy that blurs the line between retail and bar. Expect natural-wine spritzes, minimal-intervention reds and crisp, easy-drinking whites ready to savour on the spot (or take home for later). Perfect for a mellow afternoon wind-down or a spontaneous after-work pour, Flor’s latest chapter quietly redefines what a wine shop can be on the Gold Coast and we are here for it.
Costa Taco, Burleigh Heads
Sure, Costa Taco could sit comfortably on our best-restaurant or casual-eats list, but let’s be honest, the margs alone earn it a rightful place among the Gold Coast’s best bar openings. The tequila- and mezcal-led cocktail line-up delivers some of the city’s finest margaritas – bright, balanced and built for lingering. Pair one with a plate of shareable nachos (gooey, crunchy and deeply satisfying) and you’ve got the ultimate duo. The vibe is unpretentious, colourful and just the right amount of lively, whether you’re popping in for a crisp afternoon marg, settling in for a taco-and-tequila evening or meeting friends for an easy catch-up. Come for the drinks, stay for the food, or flip it, either way Costa Taco delivers, deliciously.
Kaktus Bar, Southport
This one isn’t open just yet, but after a sneak peek, trust us, Kaktus Bar has more than earned its spot on the list. Set to launch oh-so-soon, this modern Mexican-inspired bar promises to dial up Southport’s colour, flavour and fun in a big way. The offering leans proudly into tequila, mezcal and the wider agave family, inviting guests to actually savour these spirits, exploring smoky nuances, regional styles and clever pairings rather than defaulting to the usual shot-and-go. The menu will follow suit with snacky, shareable street-food plates designed to match the cocktails and fuel the fiesta. One feature we’re particularly excited about is the build-your-own margarita where you can choose your tequila, your flavour and even your salt rim, including bold traditional options like grasshopper or worm salt. While technically located within Southport Sharks, Kaktus boasts its own identity, complete with breezy, cactus-filled design details and a celebratory energy made for after-work drinks, group hangs and long Sunday sessions.
Cali Beach, Surfers Paradise
After a brief cyclone-related hiatus, Cali Beach Club has roared back to life – bigger, brighter and more beach-club chic than ever. Perched high above Elkhorn Avenue, the revamped venue channels a breezy European-summer vibe, with palm-lined pools, plush cabanas and an aesthetic that wouldn’t look out of place in Ibiza or Mykonos. The drinks list is humming with frosty blue margaritas, Cali Coladas and a rotating cast of playful cocktails that set the mood for sunset dips and moonlit DJ sets. On the food front, coastal-leaning bites like kingfish ceviche, Baja-style fish tacos and chargrilled steak tostadas make for perfect poolside grazing. Whether you’re chasing a sun-soaked lounge session, a lively night out or an easy beach-club afternoon, Cali Beach’s relaunch firmly puts it back in the 2025 spotlight.
Bar Monte, Miami
Though Bar Monte only slipped onto the scene in the final days of 2024, it kicked off 2025 in serious style – particularly behind the bar. This Miami nosh spot has unveiled a cocktail list that hits all the right notes, thoughtful, adventurous and dangerously easy to revisit. Expect quality pours, clever flavour play and plenty of drinks that can turn an ordinary evening into something memorable. Whether you’re craving a late-afternoon spritz, a deep, brooding negroni riff or a fresh creation from the bar’s rotating line-up, there’s a fair chance you’ll pop in for one, stay for three and leave very pleased with your life choices.
Honourable mention:
M.V. Jasmine, Byron Bay
This entry sits a little south of the border, but trust us – it’s a detour well worth making. M.V. Jasmine has redefined coastal sipping with Byron Bay’s first true floating cocktail experience. The 18-metre, two-level vessel pairs Mediterranean-inspired interiors with sun-drenched decks, a marble wrap-around bar and uninterrupted river-to-sea views that make every cruise feel like a private yacht moment. The cocktail line-up leans into leisurely luxury with golden-hour margaritas, bright seasonal spritzes and thoughtful signatures that play beautifully with the chef-crafted menu of small plates. Whether you’re drifting through a sunset sail, a long lunch on the water or celebrating something special, M.V. Jasmine offers a bar experience unlike anything else in the region. Aye aye, captain.
Did you catch last week’s round-up of the best cafes and casual eateries of 2025? Check it here.