Fine dining Gold Coast style has come a long way from its snobby, velvet-curtained origins. Now much more accessible to the masses, fine dining has become less about being posh and more about having a carefully crafted menu, packed with clever flavour combinations, and largely featuring seasonal and locally-sourced ingredients where possible.
When I think about the gold Coast's finest dining options, I picture seaside sunsets with a cocktail in hand, chic hideaways with minimal seating and hefty dishes forked several storeys up. It's not so much about being seen as it is seeing what it's like to indulge (and it simultaneously being worth the dosh at these commended establishments).
In my opinion, Gold Coast fine dining has a character of its own: Packed with gorgeous views, fresh seafood and plenty of Queensland charm, its a sophisticated yet fun take on the top shelf dining experiences to be had around the country. Here are twelve of the best fine dining restaurants on the Gold Coast/Kombumerri Country in 2025 according to myself and the Urban List team.
Gold Coast Fine Dining At A Glance
Fine Dining Restaurants With A View
Rick Shores
43 Goodwin Tce, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
Best described as casual fine dining, Burleigh’s most talked-about pan-Asian restaurant Rick Shores offers carefully crafted, beautifully presented dishes with quality ingredients at a seriously stunning waterfront (literally) location.
The famous Moreton bay bug roll has certainly had its moment in the sun, but there are shareable morsels a-plenty on offer, including Currumbin Valley herb salad with cranberry, chilli and lime; Wagyu pot stickers; Phoenix Wagyu Sirloin with smocked honet and truffle; and even my personal favourite, the Chinese Roast Duck with Angelica root and duck consomme.
If you’re after a meal with a view, I reckon you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere more impressive than Rick’s. On a sunny day, I love to watch the waves crash mere metres away from the table, with a view of golden beach and glittering waves as far north as the eye beholds. Location, location, location. Don't leave without a scopp of the chocolate mousse meringue with coconut and raspberry. All rounded out with a sunset stroll along the Burleigh promenade. Obsessed.
La Luna Dining
74 Seaworld Dr & Marina Mirage, Main Beach QLD 4217
The newest kid on the block in this fine dining list, La Luna Dining is the sister venue to the much-grammed La Luna Beach Club. It may be the finer dining sibling, but it still serves up the same gorgeous Broadwater views. The décor and menu at La Luna are a perfect pairing: Think ultra-modern Mediterranean and glittering coastal panorama chic. Freshly caught seafood and mouth-watering flavour combos are the name of the game.
Despite its fine dining experience, the dishes are surprisingly on the more affordable end. And you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't opt for the Red Emporer with tomato, chilli and garlic acqua pazza (crazy water).
Kick off your meal the right way with a few treats from the extensive cold bar, like the massively popular cucumber Champagne oysters, before diving into the mains. La Luna’s signature chargrilled pork cutlet is a tender bite of heaven, while the pastas are generously heaped with quality ingredients and just enough pizzazz to keep things extra lush.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the adjoining Mare by La Luna and its life-changing watermelon steak which is genuinely mind-bending in its explosive flavour and alluring texture.
Cooly Breeze
13/112 Griffith St, Coolangatta QLD 4225
Can you keep a secret? Cooly Breeze might be my favourite fine dining restaurant for a hidden feel and stunning views. Think freshly shucked oysters at the window seat with delicate interiors and breezy linen curtains. My go-tos are the creamy garlic grilled prawns and the Alla Land oysters with crispy bacon, grana pandano and Napoli sauce. Sounds wild, tastes extraordinary.
This southern belle offers one of the most impressive selections of creative cocktails I've personally experienced on the whole of the Gold Coast. From shining margaritas to deep blue citrus affairs. Floral topped thick nectars and lychee martinis that will make your trip one to remember. Good news, the busline runs closeby to take you right back to the tram line for easy travel across the Coast, or book a private limo because this fine dining experience perhaps calls for that kind of transit.
Nineteen at the Star
Level 19, The Darling at The Star Gold Coast, 1 Casino Dr, Broadbeach QLD 4218
Every time I dine at the chic-yet-modern rooftop that is Nineteen at The Star, I feel on top of the world. Sip vibrant cocktails while overlooking the glittering Gold Coast skyline and enjoy an exquisite fine dining meal curated by the appropriately named Chef Mitch Tucker.
Sure, you could order from the refined menu featuring the likes of beef tartare with horseradish cream and pickled shallots. But to truly sit back and relax in this fine dining locale, I recoomend you and the crew leave things totally in the team’s hands when you nab Nineteen’s set menu with wines carefully paired by the in-house sommelier. See? Fancy.
Otherwise, my top choice from the classic, French-based a la carte menu is the roasted lamb loin with cnfit belly, sunchoke, mustard and hazlenut. It never lasts quite as long as my appetite delights in, but my gosh it's worth the flavour fever dream. Plus, it's level nineteen so the cityscape view's seriously elevated in itself.
The Paddock Restaurant
422 Binna Burra Rd, Beechmont QLD 4211
This sprawling restaurant within the Beechmont Estate aims for hyper-sustainability with unpretentious, wholesome fare that truly celebrates local produce. The Paddock Restaurant is the perfect winter retreat with much of the menu cooked over coals or a blazing open fire.
I'm surprised that more people don't frequent this paddock-side fine dining establishment. Think, the feel and view of Husk Distillery with refined plates like those found at Frida's Field, yet with a much, much shorter drive to reach.
Pull up and enjoy the panoramic hinterland vistas thanks to floor-to-ceiling glass walls, while you’re served up a menu that includes roast quail breast with pancetta and roast hazlenuts; fire-grilled Denver steak tortellini with white onion puree and horseradish; rounded out with the likes of apple and salt baked celeriac tarte tartin which is as multi-layered with flavour as it sounds. This multi-hatted hidden hinterland gem might be off the beaten path, but it’s worth every second of the journey.
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Iconic Fine Dining Restaurants
Little Truffle
2444 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218
Margarita goblets and thoughtfully curated plates of quail ballotine with leak and mushroom make Little Truffle a quintessential fine dining Gold Coast restaurant. This award-winning and hatted dining experience is the first that comes to mind when I think of Gold Coast fine dining.
In case you've driven past this highway locale and wondered if it truly is worth the wait for your booking (its a popular spot, sometimes booked out for months on end), here's my absolute top recommendation, book in and start the countdown.
Where atmosphere, culinary excellence and extensive drink options collide, mark Little Truffle as a must-visit for locals and tourists alike seeking next-level dining.
Palette
HOTA, 135 Bundall Rd, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
They say we eat with our eyes first, so it makes perfect sense to have a fine dining offering within Gold Coast’s premier art gallery at HOTA, Home of the Arts. Since opening in 2021, three-hatted Palette has dished up several incredible fine dining menus with a strong focus on Indigenous Australian ingredients, and art-on-a-plate visuals.
I'm particularly impressed by this fine dining Gold Coast locale's tasting menu served in a box and full vegetarian tasting menu. But don't get me started on the smattering of other-worldly desserts. It's the three cheese toastie with black apple that takes the cake for me. Though given they're homed inside an art gallery, the surreal plating of every dessert is honestly a sight to behold.
Executive Chef, Dayan Hartill-Law takes diners on a journey through a menu that includes such unique offerings as a heritage pumpkin with acquerello rice; and Kinross lam with Davidson plum, carrots, saltbush and karkalla. This is one for adventurous fine diners, but I can absolutely assure you the unique dishes and plating make for an emmersive experience. All topped off with a wander around the gallery for a top-tier time.
The North Room
Shop 1/2527 Gold Coast Hwy, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218
For me, The North Room is something of an enigma. This intriguing, intimate space holds very few guests, and serves up an ever-changing set menu that diners decide on the night by choosing five of the eight dishes on offer. And good luck with choosing.
When I've visited in the past, the bone marrow crumpet with spanner crab, salted egg yolk and cultured cream has become an Insta food porn star. But then again I truly loved the veal tongue with black garlic; shaved sprout salad and salty pretzel bread with cultured butter. These creative dishes gave me a real 'this is a once-in-a-lifetime' feel and that's part of its fine dining charm.
The North Room team’s focus on a handful of primary, seasonal ingredients keeps things fresh for returning diners and creates a true foodie adventure. There are only 20 seats and the curated dishes are truly unique. There's just two sittings per evening, Thursday through Saturday. And while they're located on the Gold Coast Highway, you'll feel tucked away and truly spoiled with an intimate experience paired with incredible tipple.
kōst
3 Oracle Blvd, Broadbeach QLD 4218
They're home to the first two-metre Mibrasa charcoal bar and grill, and with 130 seats available in the restaurant, you really do feel a part of history when you dine at kōst. it's elevated grill cuisine with a playful selection of coctails and live fuel cooking that gives this place its edge.
“[kōst is] a design-led venue which connects guests to four key coastal elements. Air, Water, Fire, Earth. A place where bar meets grill….Think fire-kissed food, immersive drinks, killer cocktails, impressive wine list and impeccable service in a space we have created, led by the best in architectural design,” said Dave Galvin, owner of kōst.
The dry aged Black Berkshire pork tomahawk with spiced apples and ginger wine will genuinely replay on your mind from the time of your last bite. The kōst experience featres a selection of curated dishes that makes your next fine dining experience here an easy choice.
Casual Fine Dining Restaurants
Moo Moo The Wine Bar + Grill
Broadbeach on the Park, 2685 Gold Coast Hwy, Boradbeach QLD 4218
Often cited as the home of the best steak on the Gold Coast, Moo Moo’s is definitely one for the carnivores among us. And what is any Gold Coast fine dining restaurant list without a perfect steak? Multi award-winning Moo Moo’s is the brainchild of Steven and Autumn Adams, and boy, does this couple know their beef. There's 20 years of wine and beef perfection among them, and I swear you can taste it on the plate.
The Adams have built up terrific relationships with the Aussie beef industry over the years and handpick their own cuts—some of which are exclusive to the restaurant group—so you know you’re getting the best quality on offer. Think dry aged; pasture-fed; all natural; grain-fed; Wagyu and Angus. It’s all there. Just take your pick. The bar teems with incredible cocktails and an award-winning wine list, and there are seafood, poultry, game and vegetarian options on offer too.
Social Eating House + Bar
2 Oracle Blvd, Broadbeach QLD 4218
Rustic, comfortable and intimate, I remember the first time Social Eating House lured me in with its unassuming façade then blew me away with its sublime food and top shelf service. It's one of those places that you'll end up gushing to friends about at any chance you get.
Executive Chef Matt Jefferson and his team have honestly created a dining experience that sees their waiting list for a table frequently blowing out to months at a time. It's casual fine dining at its finest and a crowd-favourite for dates, groups and corporate catchups.
This multi award-winning restaurant in the heart of Broadbeach features a range of bar snacks, charcuterie, small and large share plates, all boasting the finest Australian ingredients, paired to perfection with a range of elegant wines.
If I had to choose some of favourites from a menu bursting at the seams with mouthgasms, I can’t go past the puffed sesame rice cracker with fish tartare; BBQ sugarloaf cabbage with macadamia miso (trust me); and the 12 hour slow-cooked lamb shoulder with cabbage slaw and jus. But really, with a menu like this, you can’t go wrong.
Restaurant Labart
8 West St, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
A Gold Coast fine dining venue that likes to keep guests on their toes is the uber-contemporary Restaurant Labart in Burleigh. Head chef and owner, Alex Munoz Labart aims to keep things as local as possible, with a small, frequently changing menu.
I recommend you start with sourdough from Burleigh Baker (with caramelised butter—drool), continue through locally sourced, simply served BBQ King prawns, and end with a dessert menu that will see you saying ‘one of each, thanks.’
While the chocolate mousse with olive oil and salt is immaculate, you don’t know heaven until you’ve tasted Labart’s coconut sorbet with strawberry grannita and basi. Oh, and did I mention the roast chicken broth potato dumplings? Don't walk, run.
Kiyomi
The Star Gold Coast, 1 Casino Dr, Broadbeach QLD 4218
Kiyomi is one of the Gold Coast’s most lauded Japanese restaurants—honestly, it's one of the most lauded restaurants, period. And I'm one of the many who mention it as one of the best fine dining restaurants on the Gold Coast, tucked away inside The Star Casino.
When you’re tasting a menu created by visionary Executive Head Chef Winson Law, you know you’re exploring the boundaries of contemporary Japanese cuisine, without losing any of the classic flavour combinations. Law grew up in Hong Kong but when backpacking in Australia ended up studying at Le Cordon Bleu and sparking his passion for Japanese cuisine.
Indulge in the raw bar's delights. My go-to is the Hiramasa Kingfish miso ceviche with the perfect balance of green chilli and saltiness. Then again you'd make it a night out to remember with the $99 share menu that shines a light on the wagyu flank and a full sashimi platter. If I'm ever in the mood for fine dining on the Gold Coast but with seemingly endless dishes on offer, this is my top pick.
Citrique
158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
The hatted Citrique Restaurant, nestled within the JW Marriott Surfers Paradise, is home to one of the longest-standing and most successful seafood buffets on the Gold Coast. They've also been awarded hats across 2023, 2024 and 2025 so you know that's some fine seafood.
Honestly, I really do love that Citrique adopts the socially-conscious ocean and paddock-to-plate philosophy. This quality produce adds to the overall fine dining experience and elevates it to a new level in my opinion.
At the same time Citrique offers a huge range of dynamic food experiences to suit every foodie, including their famous seafood buffet, five course degustation, a la carte options, Sunday long lunches and a wealth of International cuisines.
My tip? Opt to have your food prepared at your very own table for an interactive dining experience difficult to rival. Think—fresh and locally sourced Australian contemporary food, expertly paired with wine, and delivered with flair. My heart belongs to the beetroot and goats cheese involtini with chardonnay vinegar and candied walnuts.
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Image Credit: Brooke Darling Photography, Kaitlin Maree Photography & Supplied
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