Bars & Pubs

Where To Find 30 Of The Gold Coast’s Best Bars In 2024

By Urban List Gold Coast
19th Mar 2024

best bars gold coast
best bars on the gold coast
Iku Yakitori Cocktail Degustation Burleigh Heads
best bars gold coast
best bars on the gold coast
Iku Yakitori Cocktail Degustation Burleigh Heads

Eating and shopping your way around the Gold Coast’s best restaurants and boutiques can be thirsty work. Luckily, our glorious city is also blessed with a bunch of top-notch bars to quench your thirst at.

While the definition between watering hole and restaurant gets a little blurry these days, we’ve compiled a bucket list of the best bars on the Gold Coast where you should have sunk a few drinks if you call yourself a local. Just visiting? Make this your hit list. Scroll on for 30 of the best bars on the Gold Coast in 2023.

North | Surfers Paradise & Beyond

Mr P.P.’s Deli & Rooftop

Southport
One of the best bars on the Gold Coast if you’re floating around the northern end is Mr P.P.’s Deli & Rooftop. Downstairs, hidden behind the guise of a deli, Mr P.P.’s cosy wine bar is perfect for knock-off drinks or a sociable Saturday night. You can come and hang with the CBD office workers for sunset drinkies and pizza on the rooftop and you'll likely walk away with a handful of new friends.

Last Night On Earth

Southport 
Southport’s OG watering hole, Last Night On Earth is loved for its Wednesday trivia nights, thirst-quenching craft beer selection, live acoustics, relaxed grunge vibe and cheeky antics. And you can't go past their rooftop bar for some seriously good vibes. 

Destino

Sanctuary Cove

a white wine bar on the gold coast

Don’t be fooled by the 'wine bar' denomination—Destino has a few little tricks up its sleeve. By day it masquerades as a homewares store and espresso bar, and at night it turns into a vibing wine and tapas bar, without being gimmicky. As the sun sets against the Sanctuary Cove marina, you’ll want to dig into a dip or two, or try your hand at crafting your own cheese platter—we definitely recommend you just splurge on all the cheeses.

Aviary Rooftop Bar

Southport

Aviary Rooftop Bar is one the northern Gold Coast's most-loved watering holes, and for good reason. The bustling rooftop bar is located in the Southport Sharks precinct and boasts sweeping views of the Surfers Paradise skyline and the Gold Coast Hinterland. Expect creative cocktails, a rotating tapas menu and regular events nights at Aviary.

The Island Rooftop

Surfers Paradisea rooftop bar with fairy lighting
Adjoining boutique hotel, The Island, Gold Coast’s biggest rooftop bar and sprawling alfresco patio, The Island Rooftop is bringing the cool back to Surfers Paradise's after-dark scene. With DJs, a retro-styled cocktail bar, ample seating and leafy nooks, The Island boasts stunning rooftop views and you're almost always guaranteed a good night here.

Sandbar 

Surfers Paradise
With its hip and breezy fit-out, all-round good vibes and excellent cocktails, Sandbar is well deserving of its spot among the best bars on the Gold Coast. With a staggering 100-plus bottled and draft craft beer options, it’s the most extensive range on the Gold Coast. Those salty sea breezes come at no extra cost. 

The Exhibitionist Bar

Surfers Paradisea green-tiled bar front

Located on level five of the HOTA GalleryThe Exhibitionist Bar boasts breathtaking panoramic views of the vibrant arts precinct, the Surfers Paradise skyline and the stunning Gold Coast waterways. If that's not enough to get you excited, The Exhibitionist Bar also features a luscious tapas style bar menu with specialty cocktails, an extensive wine list, house-made sodas and local craft beer. This is the best spot to hit up after a day of browsing the incredible HOTA Gallery. 

Central | Broadbeach To Miami

Fig + Frankie's

Broadbeach

Fig + Frankie’s has stylishly converted an unassuming Broadbeach alleyway into an inviting social nook that pumps on any given night. They’ve made magic with the hole-in-the-wall bar space, with white and terracotta washed walls, peach-hued brick, sophisticated pendant lights and indoor-outdoor dining spaces. Come for the cool-as-hell atmosphere and stay for the epic specialty cocktails and small bites—the tomato and stracciatella is truly out-of-this world.

Garden Kitchen & Bar

Broadbeacha garden bar with fairy lights
There’s a lot to love about the The Star in Broadbeach, which has been attracting locals in droves for years, partly thanks to the swanky Garden Kitchen & Bar. This leafy, sun-drenched outdoor bar is a hotspot for Sunday drinks or Saturday night cocktails; basically any occasion where you wanna frock up and live it up. 

Soho Place

Broadbeach

Soho Place in Broadbeach was the Coast's first official 'small bar' and it's garned a loyal following for very good reason. Operating completely without a kitchen or food menu, step through the ‘hidden in plain sight’ red telephone box entryway and you’ll be stepping into a window-less vortex where hours may mysteriously disappear.  

Nineteen At The Star

Broadbeacha blue leathered rooftop bar interior
Everyone knows the wildest nights start the classiest, so if you’re looking to kick off your evening with an aura of sophistication, head to the mind-blowing Nineteen at The Star lounge bar on, you guessed it, the 19th-floor of The Star Gold Coast's six-star hotel, The Darling. If you can't afford to stay the night in this high-roller hotel, it doesn’t mean we can’t pretend with an evening elevated above the glittering lights of Broadbeach.

Marilyn's 

Broadbeach

This high-end cocktail bar brings a touch of glitzy glam with a dash of 1970s nostalgia to Broadbeach. Marilyn’s Bar pays homage to 1970s Las Vegas—everything from bold pink and green interior to the artisan cocktails to the eclectic music selection has been carefully curated to transport you back to the heydays of the 70s. Pair specially crafted cocktails with Spanish tapas and kick back at the regular themed live music nights.

Happy Endings

Broadbeacha dark bar with japanese signage

Happy Endings is Broadbeach’s new Japanese-inspired speakeasy hiding unsuspectingly above bustling laneway bar and sister venue, Fig + Frankie’s. Follow the sound of tunes down the alleyway, venture upstairs, turn left past the tattoo parlour and you’ll find the intimate venue pumping with swathes of eager bargoers. Specialising in creative Japanese-inspired cocktails, Happy Endings also boasts a late night Japanese snacks menu so you certainly won’t go hungry.

The Loose Moose

Broadbeach

Another of our favourites among the best bars on the Gold Coast, The Loose Moose has without question the city’s most epic bar fit-out with its steampunk and 1920s prohibition Americana styling, plus a twist of its Canadian cousin. Come for the mind-blowing list of 80 different beers and 160-plus whiskies and then stay for the finger-licking menu. 

The Roosevelt Lounge

Broadbeach a bar full of spirits and whisky
No expense was spared to create the Roosevelt Lounge, a game-changing 1930s American-inspired lounge bar and restaurant in Broadbeach. If you’re not made of money, you’ll definitely feel like it after a night spent lounging around looking glamorous in sinkable leather chesterfields and red velvet booths with cocktails made right in front of you at your table. 

Tropic Vice

Nobby Beach

This bright, modern rooftop bar on the Nobby Beach strip oozes laidback Palm Springs meets luxe Cali-cool vibes. Tropic Vice's open-air dining section has sweeping, uninterrupted views of the Gold Coast and is the prime spot for sipping a cold drink, as a balmy sea breeze rolls through. The cocktail menu is extensive—make sure to order the signature white  chocolate passionfruit martini—and is well paired with the Caribbean-style menu.

The Cambus Wallace

Nobby Beach
The Cambus Wallace is recognised and rightly so, as one of Gold Coast’s best cocktail bars. This dimly-lit and nautical-themed bar and eatery puts the hip in Nobby Beach and makes a mean Kraken espresso martini if we do say so ourselves. If you're feeling cheeky, we recommend ordering one of their famous pickleback shots.

Bine Craft Beer Bar

Nobby Beach
A trailblazer for craft beer on the Gold Coast, Bine Craft Beer Bar rocks our world with cheeky mid-week dealers, epic sliders, juicy parmigianas and regularly rotating craft beer taps. Head here any weekend night and you'll see why it's a crowd favourite among the best bars on the Gold Coast. 

Precinct Brewing Co.

Miami

the colourful graffiti facade of a brewery

 If you haven’t heard about Precinct Brewing, you’re sure to notice it—the colourful, graffiti-covered entrance on Christine Avenue boasts a vibrant kaleidoscope of dinosaurs, rainbows and snakes and ladders. The industrial-chic brewery boasts an impressive 16 beers on tap, all made onsite and regularly rotating. There's also plenty of boutique vino, local spirits and cocktails to boot.

Granddad Jack's 

Miami

Granddad Jack's is a name synonymous with the Gold Coast bar scene—the fully functioning craft distillery houses a tasting room bar with incredible cocktails and craft brews calling your name. We love that this unpretentious distillery bar is dog-friendly and you can also book in for a private distillery tour.

South | Burleigh & Beyond

Lockwood

Burleigh Heads 
Lockwood was the Gold Coast’s first truly speakeasy-style hidden bar. Converting what was once a storage room into an atmospheric watering hole that oozes old soul—with seductive mood-inducing blues and rockabilly tunes and some of the stiffest twist-on-the-classic cocktails in town. If you’re yet to hunt down Lockwood’s must-text-to-enter bar in the back alley of Burleigh, you’d best take a good hard look at yourself. 

NAÂMi 

Burleigh Heads

This speakeasy bar is hidden behind the shopfront of a banh mi takeaway joint, so you already know it's going to be cool. Slip through NAÂMi's nondescript back door and you’re instantly transported to the bustling alleyways of Hanoi.  This isn’t any old bar—the bespoke cocktail menu boasts twelve extravagant drinks which aren’t just drinks, they’re multi-sensory experiences. We're talking about new sights, tastes, sounds, and textures that will completely reshape your concept of the drinking experience. 

Justin Lane Rooftop

Burleigh Heads
Life is best lived outdoors, which is why Justin Lane’s rooftop bar rocks our world. Without question one of the best bars on the Gold Coast, this is where we love to head for Sunday sessions in the sunshine. Order a few of their sip-worthy Aperol Spritzes and then head downstairs to Justin Lane Establishment for a sit-down pizza and pasta feast.

Paloma Wine Bar

Burleigh Heads

the front facade of a wine bar

It would be impossible to write about the Gold Coast's best bars without writing about Australia's best wine bar, according to Australia’s leading luxury food title, Gourmet Traveller.  Crowned Australia's best wine bar, Paloma was the only Queensland venue to be nominated for the award. Since opening in November 2021, Paloma has made waves in the Gold Coast dining scene with its impressive minimal-intervention wine list, European-inspired menu and refined yet laidback vibes. 

Nightjar

Burleigh Heads 
Secreted away in a back alley car park in much-loved Burleigh Heads, Nightjar, a grungy dude’s den, has got all the industrial feels. Come for the artful cocktails and pumping tunes, where you just might end up dancing like nobody’s watching.

Local Burleigh

Burleigh Heads

While Local Burleigh describes itself as 'an elevated pub', it absolutely deserves to be on your Gold Coast bar hit-list. The sprawling 250-seater venue houses four distinct spaces, including a sun-soaked dog-friendly beer garden. Local slings up an all-day dining menu and an extensive array of local drops, craft beers and inventive cocktails using locally-sourced ingredients.

Burleigh Pavilion

Burleigh Heads

the ocean view from burleigh pavilion
Boasting easily one of the best views of our stunning coast, the Burleigh Pavilion (or The Pav to locals) has fast become our go-to spot for sinking tipples while watching the sunset. With places to park your surfboard and showers to wash off the salt, this joint is beach to bar at its finest during the weekdays and 'beachside luxe' on the weekends.

Rosella's

Burleigh Heads
Boasting an all-Aussie natural wine list, VB tins and cocktails that feature Zooper Doopers and Nutri-Grain, this Australiana-themed bar is an absolute must if you find yourself in Burleigh. Pull up a stool at Rosella's bar, chat to the always-friendly bartenders, sip a cocktail and snack on Vegemite jaffles. 

Malibu Racquet Club

Burleigh Heads

the exterior of a white and green burleigh bar

This breezy, Cali-esque bar is located in the heart of the Burleigh bar strip and is decked with a sleek wrap-around bar, high arched windows and pops of green. The kitchen is headed up by Paul Macnish, formerly a private chef for the British royal family and the concise menu showcases raw dishes and small nibbles. Of course, the star of the show is the brilliantly creative and oh-so-photogenic cocktails—the chilli coconut marg is a must.

The Scottish Prince

Palm Beach 
With 150+ bottles of whisky behind the bar, it’s clear what your tipple of choice should be here. The Scottish Prince, from the same team that brought us The Cambus Wallace, is a booze-swilling tribute to another ill-fated ship and is without question one of the best bars on the Gold Coast. 

The Collective Rooftop

Palm Beach
Gone are the days Palm Beach was a sleepy beachside suburb that you’d pass through enroute to the airport. Thanks to vibing hangouts like The Collective and its so-hip-it-hurts rooftop bar, the 4221 is officially on the drinking map. The perfect time to visit? Magic hour, just as the sun dips behind the hinterland and order one of their famous cocktail trees to share.

Made your way through the best bars on the Gold Coast? You’d best be reaching for a hangover cure next—with 15 of the Gold Coast's best breakfasts.

Image credit: Hayley Williamson, Brooke DarlingKaitlin Maree for Urban List and supplied (Instagram)

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