Orzo

The Verdict

Fabulous Broadbeach eatery Social Eating House + Bar has always sat high on our list of the Gold Coast’s very best restaurants. So, it’s an exciting day when they launch a sister venue. Now open within the glittering Oracle Boulevard dining precinct, Orzo brings sophisticated coastal Italian cuisine to the Gold Coast.

Simple, fresh and local is the mantra here. Orzo’s concise yet impressive Italian-inspired menu includes a playful smattering of Asian (like miso) and native Australian ingredients (like bush tomato and lemon myrtle) to make it truly distinctive. Options dance between starters featuring silky burrata wrapped in slithers of zucchini, flavour-packed salsa verde and saltbush, or whole roasted prawns served simply with garlic, chilli and lemon.

You’ll want to taste one of everything on the slurp-worthy, handmade pasta menu. From the signature scampi on orzo pasta coated in a rich roasted shell sauce with leek and mascarpone, to the generous serving of tagliatelle brimming with shitake, dusk, cocoa and fennel. There’s also rigatoni with wagyu neck ragu and risotto with spanner crab, or delectable main dishes of pancetta-wrapped spatchcock and grass-fed wagyu sirloin, to name a few. Along with house-cured meats, fresh seafood, beautiful cheeses, traditional Italian wines, cocktails and the classic spritz.

Orzo’s elegant design, boasting both indoor and outdoor alfresco dining, evokes a feeling of relaxed comfort, transporting diners to the picturesque Amalfi Coast. If you're on the hunt for one of the best restaurants in Broadbeach, stop the search.  

Image credit: Kaitlin Maree for Urban List