Right now, you’re in panic mode. You promised you’d take your partner out this Friday, but you don’t know where to go. It’s okay. Take a deep breath. We’ve got you covered.
These are, in no particular order, the 11 most romantic restaurants on the Gold Coast—perfect for everything from first dates to anniversaries. Keep reading to find that just-right venue that they’ll absolutely love.
Little Truffle
2444 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218
Image Credit: Little Truffle | Instagram
Don’t let the name fool you. Little Truffle might be small and intimate, but it overdelivers in every way that matters. Warm pools of light. Dark, brooding décor. Midnight-blue velvet and soft piano music. If you like your romance elegant and understated, this is the restaurant for you.
The menu is equally pared back, featuring European-style dishes that seem almost designed for date nights. Tuna sashimi oysters? Tick. Gorgeously plated zucchini flowers? Tick. An MB 9 Wagyu porterhouse that your partner might just fight you for? Big tick. And, yes, if you still have room, you can get the most bougie-looking strawberries Romanoff we’ve ever seen. Finish off with a cocktail or three from the bar—there’s no need to rush, so sit, sip, and soak up the moment.
Best for: If you love moody, traditionally romantic restaurants
La Bella Cellar
3 Deodar Drive, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
Image Credit: La Bella Cellar | Pandanus Lane
Want the secret to a good date? It’s two words: surprise and delight. La Bella Cellar delivers both in spades. During the day, this hidden restaurant is white-washed walls and a blank wooden door tucked off the Gold Coast Highway. As the sun fades, the neon sign flickers to life, tables populate the sidewalk, and plates of deliciousness start emerging from the kitchen.
Speaking of plates: everything here is designed to be shared, making it perfect for a loved-up evening with your special human. Of course, love only goes so far. If you’re seriously hungry and not in the mood to be polite, opt for the five-course Feed Me menu—designed by Chef Raffaele Cirillo (who’s previously spearheaded institutions like Paddock), there’ll be more than enough food to go around.
Best for: If you love hidden gem, under-the-radar restaurants
Restaurant Labart
8 West Street, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
Image Credit: Restaurant Labart | Lucy Lumen
If Rick Shores epitomises oceanfront dining, Restaurant Labart is all about European sophistication. We’re talking walnut tables and warm leather seating illuminated by soft pendants, artfully arranged around the open-plan kitchen and grill. It’s the kind of fine dining restaurant that would feel equally at home in Sydney or Melbourne—no surprise, given that Sydney is where owner Alex Munoz Labart hails from.
The menu is equally elegant, blending Italian and French influences. There are really no wrong choices here, but, if you want to impress your date, go for something off the grill—Labart’s team nails that perfect combination of succulence and smokiness. Bonus points go out to the very extensive wine list too. P.S. Consider warming up before your reservation with a cheeky glass or two at sister venue Paloma Wine Bar, located just around the corner on James Street.
Best for: If you love casual fine dining with exceptional service
Rick Shores
43 Goodwin Terrace, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220
Image Credit: Rick Shores | Instagram
Ah, Rick Shores. If you haven’t dined at what is, indisputably, one of the best restaurants in Burleigh Heads, this is your chance. Here’s how to sell a visit to your partner: oceanfront views, a fusion menu that draws from both South and East Asia, and seafood that’s downright spectacular.
Inside, expect polished concrete interiors and dim lighting that keep the focus on the food and the sea. There’s plenty to hold your attention, too. You could go with dishes like braised lamb rendang … but, if you don’t love the idea of garlic and ginger on a date night, mains like the barbecued rainbow trout with maple ponzu or Wagyu sirloin might be better options. Our tip: book well in advance and request a window-side table (we love the views from the northern end of the restaurant).
Best for: If you love dinner with a view
La Luna Dining
74 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach QLD 4217
Image Credit: La Luna | Supplied
La Luna Dining gazes out across a sprawl of yachts and glittering water—the perfect setting for this laidback Mediterranean restaurant. If you like your linen bleached, your walls white, and your seafood fresh, this is the Friday night spot for you.
Pore through a mouthwatering menu that’s all about coastal Greek and Italian flavours. There are classic comfort dishes like the Wagyu ragu, but, let’s be honest, you and your date have probably come for the fish. Red emperor poached in tomato and chilli, snapper with tiger prawns and caviar, salmon sashimi … La Luna does it all, and does it well. (And, yes, there are oysters. Yes, they’re served all the ways. Yes, you can have some more.) Pair your chow with one of the venue’s signature cocktails or a glass of Euro white.
Best for: If you love sunset on the water views
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Balboa Italian Restaurant
1069 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach QLD 4221
Image Credit: Balboa | Instagram
Relationships start in places like Balboa. Cool ocean breezes. Candlelight against raw brick. Ragu and red wine. This is classic Italian delivered in the best possible way—and, if it’s not on your date night roster, you’re missing out.
Antipasti is a must-have for a proper Italian feed, so we suggest starting with the Byron Bay burrata, a chef’s special served up with house-harvested honey, followed by any of the pasta or gnocchi mains. Ask for a vino pairing when you order—Balboa’s wine list is stacked with great finds from both Italy and Australia. Oh, and check the weather before you book. If it’s slated to be fine, request a seat on the upstairs outdoor balcony.
Best for: If you want to impress a first date
Citrique
158 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Image Credit: Citrique | Instagram
You want a restaurant that feels like fine dining—but without the tiny portions that leave you hunting for a post-meal treat. Enter Citrique, the JW Marriott bistro headed up by award-winning chef Paul Smart. The crowd-pleaser here is the weekend seafood buffet, but, if you’re in the mood for table service and paired vino, you’ve also got a la carte dishes and a six-course degustation up for grabs.
Settle into your table, soak up the casually modern ambience, and peruse the menu. Options like mushroom gnocchi and Wagyu flank steak are outnumbered by a sprawling array of seafood that ranges from caviar and octopus to Tasmanian snow fish. For a little bit of fun, grab two Oyster Odysseys from the buffet and compare notes with your date—each one features six Australian oysters with a selection of garnishes.
Best for: If you want to turn your romantic dinner into an overnight stay
Etsu Izakaya
2440 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218
Image Credit: Etsu Izakaya | Instagram
One door down from Little Truffle is Etsu Izakaya, a spritzed-up take on Japanese casual dining from Mitch and Nerissa McCluskey, the husband-and-wife team behind Commune. You won’t find any harsh lights or lifeless décor here. This is dark, funky moodiness that’s all timber and black paint, bathed in the red glow of Japanese-style lanterns. You’ll be seated at the bar or under the wave—a sweep of polished timber that feels more like one half of a tunnel than a wall.
Some dos: be prepared to share, try the sake, and don’t rush. There’s sashimi—or, for the less adventurous, sushi. But there’s also gyoza and skewers and tempura if your date isn’t a seafood fan (although maybe Etsu could be your chance to convert them). For an extra-special date night, go the omakase—a procession of dishes that ranges from fresh oysters to Wagyu with Tasmanian wasabi.
Best for: If you're after a non-traditional romantic dinner spot
Nineteen at The Star
1 Casino Drive, Broadbeach QLD 4218
Image Credit: Nineteen at The Star | Instagram
Sometimes, your date night restaurant needs the wow factor—the kind of spot that looks and feels exclusive. That’s Nineteen at The Star, a glitzy rooftop venue with 19 storeys’ worth of views. Outside, it’s sea breezes and a glittering infinity pool. Step indoors, it’s modern chic and marble, the kind designed for sports jackets and high heels.
There’s plenty of seafood on the menu (no surprises there), including an oversized seafood platter that you’ll need to greet on an empty stomach. But there’s also a seriously impressive lineup of steaks, like the 400g Kiwami sirloin that earned Nineteen a spot among our favourite Gold Coast steakhouses. Don’t skimp on the drinks, either. With a cellar that’s won Wine List of the Year awards multiple times (including three glasses in 2023), Nineteen’s sommeliers know what they’re doing.
Best for: If you want to pull out all the stops
Gemelli Italian
2685 Gold Coast Highway, Broadbeach QLD 4218
Image Credit: Gemelli | Instagram
“Italian is the food of love.”—someone wise, probably. Gemelli is the OG of Roman cuisine on the Gold Coast, a Broadbeach phenomenon that’s spawned siblings in Mermaid Beach, Fortitude Valley, Nobby’s Beach, and Bundall. It’s quality chow without pretension, the kind that goes down best with red wine and laidback conversation.
Warm light, rich wooden cladding, and exposed brickwork combine to deliver a delightfully rustic vibe. Relax and enjoy it over a plate of antipasti or head straight to the mains: woodfired pizza and handmade pasta. Both are available gluten-free, but there’s also a handful of less carb-y options too, including a 350g Black Onyx Scotch fillet. Just remember to leave room for dessert. Your partner will want the tiramisu, and no-one likes stuffing their face alone.
Best for: If Italian food is the way to your special someone's heart
The Glenelg Public House
2460 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach QLD 4218
Inspired by the dark, smoky pubs of England, the Glenelg Public House does two things very well: steak and booze. Pull up a chair in the al fresco dining area or head indoors for an aesthetic dominated by rustic brickwork and varnished timber.
You’ve probably come here because you and your date are committed carnivores, so kick things off with either the beef carpaccio or roast bone marrow with onion jam. (It’s much tastier than it sounds.) Wash that down with one of Glenelg’s signature cocktails, then prepare to tackle any one of the 12 steak options. Want to make it memorable? Order the truly monstrous Black Onyx rib on the bone, a 1.8kg MB 8+ behemoth that requires a team effort to finish.
Best for: If steak is your love language
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Main image credit: Balboa Italian | Instagram
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