9 of the best brunch spots on the Gold Coast

Looking for somewhere a nice brunch to relax on a rainy Sunday. Here are nine of the best brunch spots on the Gold Coast.

ELK ESPRESSO (best out of the box)

Oasis Shopping Centre,

Old Burleigh Rd, Broadbeach

5592 2888

Instagram @elkespresso

Expect to queue for a table at this hugely popular breakfast haunt, which keeps diners coming back with its ever-evolving, out-of-the-ordinary and elevated menu. Tucked underneath the Oasis shopping centre at Broadbeach, the industrial-modern-meets-urban-rainforest cafe offers ocean views from its outside tables, but it’s the food that will steal your gaze. For traditionalists, there are basics including the now famous potato hash with avocado, poached eggs and hollandaise, a brekkie burger or eggs on toast. But it’s the “something awesome” section of the menu that begs exploring, boasting everything from aged cheddar and corned beef croquettes with sweet corn puree, beetroot and poached eggs to Violet Crumble waffles with honeycomb, dark chocolate ganache and a glimmer of gold leaf for a little extravagance. Or how about wobbly cardamom and vanilla panna cotta with granola, orange gel, coconut yoghurt and berries? Friendly, knowledgeable and efficient staff will help you navigate myriad choices, while you sip a well-made Single O coffee, or better yet, their Milky Bar and Oreo thickshake, which is worth every diet-blowing calorie.

Slow-cooked winter veg and beans at Elk Espresso, Broadbeach.

BAM BAM BAKEHOUSE

2519 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach

55265218

Daily 7am-3pm

Instagram @bambam_bakehouse

The biggest dilemma facing customers of this terrific Gold Coast bakery is whether to sample the bakery treats so loved by the likes of MasterChef’s Matt Preston and actor Margot Robbie or dive into their creative all-day menu. The answer is both. Take friends who are willing to share and start with the likes of the Bam Bam Benny which decadently wedges ham off the bone and poached eggs in a flaky croissant or the nasi goreng with stir-fried rice, chilli, vegetables and a fried egg. Leave room for dessert — there are Nutella cruffins; choux bomb; pain au chocolate; almost croissant; and strawberry tarts to name a few of their irresistible bakery treats. The ample drinks list includes Single O and Marvell St espresso or filter coffees, plus teas, milkshakes, fresh juice, wines, beers and cocktails.

Bam Bam Bakehouse's treat cabinet brings all the stars to the yard … just ask MasterChef's Matt Preston. PHOTO: Instagram @bambam_bakehouse

HIGHLINE

5/1132 Palm Beach Ave, Palm Beach

Daily 6am-2.30pm

Instagram @highlinepalmbeach

It may be tiny but what this minimalist cafe lacks in space it makes up for in quality and care. Take a seat at just one of three tables inside or on the covered footpath, and let owners Tim Casagrande and wife Candice take care of the rest. The menu is a tight affair which takes simple items and pushes them outside the box. Think jaffles filled with the likes of butter chicken or eggplant, chickpea and tomato masala, or toast topped with fresh and pickled zucchini, burrata and green olives. In addition there’s a glass cabinet bursting with fresh salads and house-made sweets. Coffee is from Byron Bay’s Marvell St, where Tim used to work, and is full-bodied with a light sweetness, making it great with milk, but it is also available as filter or iced. There are no smoothies or shakes, but you will find well-made chai, turmeric lattes, kombucha and cold-pressed juice.

Enjoy the relaxed outdoor eating at Highline in Palm Beach. Photo: Russell Shakespeare

NO NAME LANE

16 Charles Ave, Broadbeach

5538 5221

Sun-Thu 6.30am-4pm, Fri. & Sat 6.30am-late

Instagram @nonamelane

Just a coffee bean toss from the ocean, this bright and breezy cafe is an ideal spot to refuel after an early morning surf. Caffeinated beverages steal the spotlight here with beans from Brisbane’s Black Sheep Coffee Roasters served as white, black, filter or pour over, as well as in cheeky cocktails like a salted caramel espresso martini that’s sure to kick off a Sunday brunch the right way. The food takes classics and gives them a fun, modern spin, such as garlic and thyme mushrooms on toast with truffle tapenade, parmesan and onion gel or blueberry hot cakes with textures of blueberry, white chocolate ganache, dark chocolate crumble and whipped maple butter. Engaging and switched-on staff round out a smart package that ticks all the boxes.

Grab some mouth-watering brunch at No Name Lane in Broadbeach.

FORREAL KITCHEN

28 Chairlift Ave, Nobby Beach

5572 5572

Daily 6am-3pm

Instagram @forrealkitchen

“We don’t do diets. Life should be balanced.” This is the motto at this cute, colourful Gold Coast cafe, where healthy fare meets tasty treats. Diners can keep their bikini or boardshort bods in shape with the likes of unicorn chia pudding with banana and pink pitaya “nice” cream or the hot green prebiotic mess with apple cider-dressed vegetables and poached eggs. Or test the stretch in their elastic pants with chicken karaage nasi goreng or, perhaps, bacon and egg nachos with jalapeño relish. Whatever the choice, the diverse menu, which offers classics alongside the creative and uses organic ingredients, has you covered. As do the friendly staff, who help guests navigate the drinks list, which runs from Vittoria coffee to smoothies, juices, rainbow lattes, teas, tisanes, milkshakes, cocktails, wine and beer.

Some of the food available at Forreal Kitchen, Nobby Beach

CARDAMOM POD

3/3 Brolga Ave, Southport

0424 251 008

Daily 7.30am-4.30pm

Instagram @cardamompodbrickworks

Adored by the fit-spo crowd, as well as those who just like darn good food, this industrial-meets-earthy cafe serves up an exciting, entirely plant-based menu. The Instagram-worth acai bowls have become a go-to, topped like a work of art with everything from mango mousse and house-made macadamia and apricot granola to raw Snickers bars and caramel sauce. But it’s the creative hot fare that’s the real winner, with dishes such as the Indian street food waffle featuring a spinach pakora waffle, roast pumpkin, potato peanut fritter, beetroot raita, tomato chutney and avocado Expect a wait for a table on a weekend, but it’s worth it, especially if you choose one of the specialty drinks like a ginger bread latte, super smoothie or mocktail of rose, pomegranate, lime and cardamom.

HOT SHOTT

3/17 Tedder Ave, Main Beach

5532 3275

Daily 5.30am-4pm

Instagram @hotshottcafe

If it’s a bit of theatre you fancy with your breakfast, this humble Gold Coast cafe steps up to the plate. The headline act is the smoked rainbow trout with smashed avo, cherry tomatoes, Danish feta and sourdough, which comes under a cloche of apple-wood smoke only to be released like a magic trick. The bagel board has almost as much wow factor, starring a duo of petite bread rings ready for diners to top DIY-style with the likes of prosciutto, smoked salmon and cheddar. And while they may have less visual appeal, brekkie classics such as eggs Benedict and sweet corn and feta fritters just might steal the whole scene. A solid kids’ menu is also in play, including pikelets and dippy eggs. Yatala’s Supreme Roasters supply brews alongside freshly squeezed juices, old-fashioned milkshakes and smoothies.

Corn fritters from Hot Shott, Tedder Ave, Main Beach

PADDOCK BAKERY

20 Hibiscus Haven, Miami

Daily 6.30am-3pm

Instagram @paddockbakery

Expect to queue for a table and to order your food at this insanely popular Gold Coast bakery-cum-cafe in an old Queenslander cottage in the backstreets of Miami. Crowds flock here for the epic, Instagram-worthy baked goods. The menu features everything from
a paddock lemon cheesecake cruffin to fudgy peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, which can be eaten on their own or blended into one of the signature, fully loaded, diet-destroying milkshakes. The all-day breakfast menu heroes Paddock’s famed wood-fired sourdough, especially in dishes such as the breakfast in bread with chorizo, black beans, queso fresco, vegetables and chipotle ranchero sauce packed into a hollowed out loaf. Coffee is from Single O and house-made cold press juice and teas are also available.

Some of the goods available at Paddock Bakery, Miami.

COMMUNE

844 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads

5520 3377

Daily 6.30am-3.30pm

Instagram @communeespresso

Tucked just off the Gold Coast Highway, this shabby chic cafe with its umbrella-lined courtyard is the type of place you can rock up to straight off the beach with boardies or bikinis still on. Friendly staff take your order at the counter from the fresh, produce-driven menu, which uses organic ingredients to make almost everything from scratch. Take, for instance, house-cured salmon with house-made pickled onions on rye, or winter faves such as a silky quinoa, apple and flaxseed porridge — one of several vegan dishes available. Their colourful acai bowls are also a must, topped with the freshest of in-season fruit. Coffee is from Campos and on Fridays they do unlimited filter pours using the Colombia Mirador singleorigin blend for $5.

The dragon bowl at Commune, Burleigh Heads.