Start Your Day at the Best Cafes on the Gold Coast

Whether you’re down for a day trip or spending a long weekend in the sunshine, the Gold Coast is one of the best stay-cay style escapes from Brisbane. The endless stretch of beaches, quirky vintage stores and of course, the dining scene, make it the perfect place to wander around and explore something new.

You might even say that the Gold Coast has experienced a bit of a glow-up in the last decade or two, with gorgeous new venues at every turn that ensures the food and lifestyle precincts in this sunny coastal spot are constantly popping.

If you’re planning to spend some time on the GC, we’ve got you covered with the best cafes on the Gold Coast for breakfast, lunch or a top-notch coffee to sip as you stroll the streets or along the surf.

Kefi Cafe

Are you craving a taste of the Mediterranean? Head to the vibrant new Gold Coast cafe in Coolangatta dishing up colourful plates of soul-nourishing food. Kefi Cafe is named for the Greek word that encapsulates a sense of joy, and as anyone who loves food knows… this is exactly how an incredible dish can make you feel!

The menu here showcases a colourful mix of brekkie faves like acai bowls, eggs benny and hotcakes, all with a fresh new Meditteranean take. Visit for coffee, cocktails or a long lunch with your besties.

Corner of Griffith and McDonald Street, Under Reflections Tower 2, Coolangatta

Good Day Coffee

Blink and you might miss it, but you’ll be sorry if you did! Good Day Coffee is an unassuming little cafe nestled between two converging highways in Tugun and is always bustling with regulars hunting down a perfectly brewed blend of Blackboard coffee.

The menu is short, sweet and simple, yet offers plenty of classics that always hit the spot. Branding itself as a friendly place for friendly people, Good Day is a must-try when you’re searching for the best cafes on the Gold Coast.

3/476 Gold Coast Highway, Tugun

Paradox Coffee Roasters

Passionate about responsible and ethical business practices, Paradox Coffee Roasters put people first when it comes to sourcing, roasting and serving their top-notch coffee. Paradox purchases quality green coffee beans from estate farms and co-operatives where farmers are paid a fair wage, so you can sip your third coffee of the day knowing that the funds are trickling back along the supply chain as they should.

Sip on your choice of coffee from V60, batch brew, cold drip or a regular latte, or try something a little sweet with their tasty iced Nuttelalatte. Paradox also serves up scrummy breakfast and lunch dishes for appetites of all sizes, making it one of the best cafes on the Gold Coast to visit before a day packed with adventure.

10 Beach Road, Surfers Paradise

Stable

Find Stable in the beautiful Cornerstone precinct in Currumbin, dappled in sunlight and shrouded in greenery. With innovative twists on brekkie favourites and lovingly house-made sauces and preserves, you’ll know you’ve stumbled across something special when you visit Stable.

Tuck into an okonomiyaki tofu scramble or a crepe bursting with fresh fruit compote, whilst sipping on top-notch coffee that will fuel you up for an adventure-packed day on the Gold Coast.

570 Gold Coast Highway, Currumbin

Paddock Bakery

Well-known for their top-notch pastries, pies and clever twists on brekkie favourites, the Paddock Bakery is a Burleigh Heads staple on the Gold Coast cafe scene. Located on Hibiscus Haven, this old Queenslander home was relocated from Redcliffe to the Gold Coast in the seventies, before lying dormant and unloved for some time. Now, the building is unrecognisable as it bustles with friends, families and couples vying for a table as locals and visitors alike flock to this iconic brekkie spot.

Operating on walk-ins only, you can nab a seat in the gardens, cottage, loft, rooftop or barn, so if you visit more than once we wager you’ll get a change of scenery each time. At the heart of the kitchen is the wood-fired oven, made with salvaged red brick and doors from the first bakery in Tasmania.

The menu is updated regularly, but our favourites are the tried and true Dippy Eggs, two soft-boiled eggs with buttered wood-fired sourdough served in a cute little egg carton with bacon bits, labnah and parsley. Don’t forget to round out your savoury meal with a sweet, you can’t go past Paddock’s famous doughnuts!

20 Hibiscus Haven, Burleigh Heads

The Cardamom Pod

The Cardamom Pod is the number one place to eat the rainbow or instantly glow up your Instagram with next-level foodie shots! Easily one of the best cafes on the Gold Coast for the veg-heavy eaters among us, this colourful venue serves up pretty, plant-based dishes that will take your breath away when they arrive.

Every dish served is a work of art, plated on beautiful boards, shaped into visual feasts and garnished with flowers and herbs that will surprise and delight you before you tuck into some of the tastiest vegetarian and vegan eats available on the GC.

Multiple locations

Bear Boy Espresso Helensvale

Bear Boy Espresso in Helensvale has quickly shot to the top of the list of the best cafes on the Gold Coast, and with good reason. Founders Brodie and Andy are Gold Coast locals from birth, so they share first-hand experience watching the dining scene grow and evolve.

They loved the coffee and brunch scene so much that they leapt at the chance to set up shop on the northern end of the Coast to bring the buzzing brunch scene to this side of town.

Pouring specialty coffee and serving an inventive menu made from local produce (ethically and sustainably produced wherever possible), Bear Boy has become a fast favourite among locals.

The Bear Boy team have even expanded to Brisbane, bringing some of the best breakfasts in the Sunshine State to Windsor as well!

Shop 66, 502 Hope Island Road, Helensvale

Palm Springs Burleigh

Bringing Southern Californian vibes to the shores of the Sunshine State is the gorgeous Palm Springs, one of the best new cafes on the Gold Coast. Palm Springs is a visual dream, with rendered white archways, tiled counter tops and rocky cactus gardens.

We love the balcony seating upstairs where you can watch the laidback Gold Coast locals traipsing by. The coffee beans are Paradigm, locally roasted of course, and the menu is chock-full of dishes with a Southern Californian twist.

Think breakfast burritos, breakfast tacos, chilli scramble and sandos that will have you in a chokehold. Bring your point-and-shoot or have your phone at the ready, cause this gorgeous desert-style oasis is picture-perfect.

1878 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads

Commune

A long-standing favourite on the Burleigh brunch scene, Commune breezily makes the cut as one of the best cafes on the Gold Coast.

With gluten-free and vegan options on the laidback menu of brunch favourites (think eggs benedict, buckwheat pancakes, acai bowls and eggs florentine), you’ll find yourself returning to Commune time and time again.

The organic coffee is also a major draw card here, pull up a seat at the breezy and bright tables and savour the magic in a cup.

1844 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads

Now that you’ve conquered the best cafes on the Gold Coast, it’s time to explore the rest of the area! We’ve got you covered with our list of the best things to do on the GC, and dinner plans will be easy with our edit of the best restaurants on the Gold Coast.

Don’t forget to snap and share your adventures with us on social, you’ll find us at @sitchu.brisbane sharing what makes Brisbane and beyond #sositchu.