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Commanding a highway-side Miami street corner, Greenhouse Canteen is an intimate and leafy eatery that’s pumping busy every time we drive past. Delivering plant-based fare to the masses, Greenhouse is changing foodie perceptions with their mantra: “anything you can do, we can do vegan”. Think curiosities like buffalo cauliflower wings, 'meatball' sub sandwiches, pulled jackfruit enchiladas, quinoa chilli-loaded nachos, and the most mind-blowing raw desserts we’ve ever wrapped our lips around. Not a vegan or vego? Don’t mock it until you try it, ‘cause this little gem is totally deserving of a spot among the best restaurants on the Gold Coast.

A genius concept combining a love of cafe racer bike tinkering and coffee drinking, this hip Palm Beach cafe is also part bike restoration workshop. After a years of dreaming and scheming, the owners threw open Espresso Moto Cafe’s doors to locals and drifters passing through, hungry for a refined and inviting space in Palmy with hearty meals and unpretentious, friendly service. In a crafty touch, menus are presented on retro license plates and bike-inspired trinkets adorn the walls. All-day breakfast is served until close at 2pm and, if you’re a serious eggs benedict connoisseur, Espresso Moto plates up one of the best bennies you’ll find on the Coast.

Eddie’s Grub House is that grungy dive bar we never knew we were all missing in our lives. Bringing the cool back to Coolangatta, Eddie’s is keeping a loyal following of southern Gold Coasters watered and amused to the sounds of blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and the vinyl playlists of local DJs. Dimly lit for maximum moodiness, Eddie’s has a fully-loaded back bar plus craft beer from Balter, Stone & Wood, and Coopers on tap. Swing in for some rowdy convo over pub grub including some of the best burgers on the Gold Coast, fried chicken, spicy jalapenos, and onion rings… knocked back with a stiff whiskey, naturally. Here pirate beards and anchor tattoos will feel right at home.

There’s no denying we simply adore Burleigh’s Canteen Kitchen. Sit inside on a dreary day and you could be transported to a contemporary neighbourhood bistro in Europe. Think: wrap around windows, dark wood floors, leather banquettes, exposed-globe pendant lights and a tiny two-person open-plan kitchen in the rear pumping out some of the best breakfasts on the Gold Coast. If we could eat Canteen Kitchen’s Middle Eastern-inspired dishes every day of the week, we would.

Have we told you how much we love this place? Sharing a buzzing backstreet arcade with a handful of rad little cafes, there’s something that just draws you into Canteen Coffee’s sunny alleyway courtyard. With its strip of retro movie theatre-style seats, wooden chests for tables and a moody-lit barista bar pumping out the liquid goods daily. If you’re not content with just coffee and house-baked treats, walk a few paces further for Middle Eastern-inspired eats at sister cafe and brunchin’ haunt, Canteen Kitchen. Does Canteen Coffee serve up some of the best coffee in Burleigh? We think so!

We love the Black Hops story, affectionately branded the 'least covert operation in brewing'. The three mates behind the brewery are just everyday blokes with a dream, which they’ve worked their guts out to bring to fruition. Having struggled to find detailed learnings and advice when starting out, they decided to document their trials and tribulations via a blog, podcasts and a hardcover book.

Good coffee is worth the wait and the regular local crowd lining up outside is a solid indicator of the consistent quality drop served at popular Palm Beach cafe, Barefoot Barista. Hungry? The team have got you covered with a drool-worthy all-day breakfast menu featuring the likes of the Cripy Potato Hash, ricotta hotcakes or everyone’s favourite, the delicious corn board.

Southern craft beer lovers rejoiced when Backbone descended on Tugun. And who can blame them, now they have 12 rotating taps of craft beer—paired ingeniously with dumplings, bao, and other Asian bites—all within stumbling distance from home? You’ll regularly find drops pouring from newbie Currumbin Valley Brewing, plus Black Hops, Balter, and Brouhaha out of the Sunshine Coast, alongside small batch brews by Green Beacon, EXIT, Cavalier, and Mismatch to name a few. With kegs on constant rotation, there’s sure to be something new to try with every visit.

It’s a Burleigh institution that’s helped define coffee culture on the Coast, so we can’t go past a steaming cup of the good stuff from Commune. Eclectic furniture fills the space, colourful event posters plaster the walls and funky tunes boost the mood. Hungry? Commune’s coriander corn frittatas with house-made chilli jam might just be more legendary than the coffee.

Infamous Ze Pickle is a neat example of the flourishing hybrid bar-restaurant design. Coaxing you in with some of the Gold Coast’s best burgers (screw health, these guys are all about being outrageously UNhealthy), before you realise, you’ll be lingering with the effortlessly cool staff, listening to funky beats, and downing frosty craft beers (they’ve got 12 rotating on tap). These guys have unearthed the recipe for success, taking their madness to Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley and next dominating the burger-bar scene in Sydney’s Surry Hills. But we can be proud knowing the Ze Pickle empire started right here in a once-musty second-hand Burleigh bookshop.