Get cracking to the Gold Coast’s best seafood restaurants
The Gold Coast is swimming with stellar seafood joints, which is really no surprise given that we’re surrounded by some of the best sea-based produce in the country. Whether you’re craving sashimi, grilled bugs, fresh prawns or a fish sando, you want to seek out the best of the best. So, we’ve put together a handy list of some of the top seafood restaurants on the Gold Coast.
Eska, Nobby Beach: This dedicated seafood and sashimi bar in Nobby Beach is where you’ll find some of the coast’s finest seafood. Pull up a seat and enjoy fresh-as-it-gets sashimi arrangements, oysters and vibrant ngiri, or indulge in bites like the Caviar & Tots (Oscietra caviar, potato gems, tomago-nori tartare) and larger meals like XO chilli mussels. The crumbed red-emperor fish sando on fluffy brioche bread is a local favourite!
Blowfish Ocean Grill + Bar, Broadbeach: The owners of Broadbeach’s longstanding Moo Moo The Wine Bar + Grill turned their attention to high-end seafood with their latest venture, Blowfish – an impressive two-storey, 150-seat restaurant where sea-based eats shine bright. While the menu is driven by the best local catches, mainstay highlights include Moreton Bay bug rolls, caviar bumps, a fresh oyster and sashimi bar, and a show-stopping seafood tower. Plus, you’re sure to find a perfectly matching drop on Blowfish’s 320-strong wine list.
The Tropic in Burleigh Pavilion, Burleigh Heads: Given its location, it’s no surprise seafood takes pride of place on the menu at The Tropic. Make your way through the ‘on ice’ selection, which includes kingfish tartare and fresh prawn cocktails, or just dive right into mains like the mussel conchiglie, the Eastern lobster frites, or the towering seafood platter with kingfish tartare, chilled tiger prawns, yellowfin tuna and avocado, taramasalata and salmon roe, freshly shucked oysters and spiced bread.
Rick Shores, Burleigh Heads: Served just metres from the sandy shores of Burleigh Beach, Rick Shores’ famed Pan-Asian menu is brimming with some of the region’s best seafood – and we’re not just talking about the iconic bug rolls. Start with crispy battered oysters with ginger caramel and umeboshi jelly fish, or the the Ballina king prawns with a chilli and tamarind sambal and fried garlic. The Patagonian toothfish yellow curry is always a hit, as is the barbecued rainbow trout and maple ponzu.
Norté, Nobby Beach: Much like its famed sibling Rick Shores, Norté also celebrates the best local seafood in the most mouth-watering ways – this time, with a Latin American lean. The Mooloolaba spanner-crab churro is a must, alongside the Ora king salmon with with nori, Davidson plum aguachile and pickled oca yam. The menu also features a section dedicated to flame-kissed whole fish – think grilled coral trout with koji butter, guacachille and pico de gallo.
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Image credit: Brooke Darling Photography
Pipi’s, Coolangatta: Perched atop Point Danger overlooking Rainbow Bay, Pipi’s stellar seafood selection jostles with the spectacular ocean views for your attention. The sophisticated dining spot boasts a Mediterranean lean and there’s plenty of trawler-fresh seafood across the menu, including snacks like swordfish skewers, crispy prawn rolls, and Fremantle octopus carpaccio. The lobster linguine is hard to pass up, but if you’re keen for a little taste of everything, the Pipi’s Seafood Platter is the way to go.
Kōst Bar & Grill, Broadbeach: With everything from caviar bumps and freshly shucked oysters to deluxe seafood towers, newcomer Kōst has become a go-to for top-tier seafood on the Gold Coast. The snacks menu feature small plates like fancy fish fingers with smoked salmon roe and tartare, a bay lobster roll, and a fresh prawn cocktail. The Over Embers part of the menu sees the likes of whole market fish, octopus and king prawns cooked over flames, and for seafood lovers keen to splurge, there’s also a whole Australian wood-fired lobster, which you’ll need to pre-order 24 hours in advance.
Omeros Bros, Marina Mirage, Main Beach: This longstanding family-run waterfront seafood restaurant is an institution on the Gold Coast, so it goes without saying that Omeros Bros made the list. The extensive menu covers all of your favourite seafood dishes, from Tasmanian smoked salmon, Moreton Bay bug tails and live mud crabs, to towering fresh-seafood platters, fresh prawns and oysters, chowders and more.
The Lazy Lobster, Labrador: This popular northern seafood spot prides itself on quality produce and the best catches. Think dishes like bug-tail pappardelle, fried-panko scallops, lobster mornay, and the must-try barbecued platters with bugs, tiger prawns, mussels and more.
Kiyomi, Broadbeach: While not a dedicated seafood restaurant, Kiyomi is well known for serving up some of the finest sea-based fare in the city. Here you’ll find a top-flight offering of fresh oysters and melt-in-your-mouth sashimi, fine caviar, delicate sushi and nigiri, izakaya bites and more. If you’re yet to experience Kiyomi’s hiramasa kingfish miso ceviche with crispy potato, you haven’t lived.
Seascape Restaurant + Bar, Surfers Paradise: Found on the shoreline of Surfers Paradise, watch the waves roll in as you tuck into a decadent seafood spread at this superlative beachfront restaurant. Enjoy the day’s best catches with Seascape’s five-course seafood tasting menu, which includes oysters two ways, raw and cured fish, seafood bouillabaisse, Alaskan scallops and the chef’s choice of today’s fish.
Holy Ship Bar & Restaurant, Main Beach: Nautical noshery Holy Ship Bar & Restaurant invites you to experience the gentle rock of the ocean and the salty sea breeze as you dine aboard two completely refurbished trawler boats that are moored at Marina Mirage. Moored side-by-side, the Holy Ship trawlers offer seating for 72 guests, with separate seating areas on the lower and upper decks. The seafood-heavy selection sources as much of the seafood as possible from the local fisherman’s co-op, and will only ever plate Australian-caught fare.
George’s Paragon, Sanctuary Cove and Coolangatta: As far as fun and affordable seafood restaurants on the Gold Coast go, you really can’t go past George’s. Its northern Gold Coast location serves a mammoth menu, covering smaller plates likes barbecued baby octopus and fresh oysters, through to whole lobster thermidor, live mud crab and seafood pastas.
Miami Fish Market, Miami: While not a restaurant, this upmarket retail space will satisfy your penchant for prawns, lust for lobster and cravings for crustaceans. The incredible range of responsibly sourced seafood from Australia and New Zealand (as well as some show-stopping selections from abroad) will have you salivating in seconds. Any fish market worth its salt prides itself on freshness, but the team at Miami Fish Market takes things to another level by shucking live oysters onsite and steaming all of the bugs and lobsters fresh daily. The fare is all hand-selected and graded to ensure only the best of the best make its way to the display cabinet. Stick around for a bite – you can grab fresh sushi and sashimi, as well as cooked-to-order fish and chips, and hang out on the picnic tables.
Bar Leo, Sorrento: This popular neighbourhood snacking and sipping spot has a strong focus on fresh, local seafood. Snack on South Australian octopus with sauteed potato and pickled chilli to start, before diving into bigger share plates like cuttlefish-ink risotto with local calamari and the whole grilled market fish, served simply with lemon and olive oil.
Nineteen at The Star, Broadbeach: Enjoy your seafood with a side of exceptional views sky-high at Nineteen at The Star. For a truly fanciful feast, start with a luxe caviar-tasting experience and if you can rally a seafood-loving pal, the seafood platter for two is loaded with Moreton Bay bugs, Clarence River king prawns, oysters, Hervey Bay scallops, Yellow Fin tuna and smoked mussels.