Best of the Gold Coast 2018: Best buffets in the city
WEAR your stretchiest pants and prepare for a food coma — we’ve found the Gold Coast’s best buffets, from breakfast to dinner.
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THE only thing better than enjoying something to eat?
All you can eat. Here we’ve rounded up the best buffets on the Gold Coast, sure to fill the emptiest of tums.
Bazaar
QT Gold Coast, 7 Staghorn Ave, Surfers Paradise
Bazaar’s interactive marketplace spread is unlike any other on the Gold Coast.
“Imagine walking through a traditional Moroccan marketplace to find a specialised chef at each station there to fill up your plate with dishes from all over the world,” says Bazaar venue manager Shaun Allen.
“Not only are you able to have a chat with our culinary team to discuss each dish, we have different stations such as the Asian dumpling stand that allow you to order delicious servings straight to your table.”
Bazaar is open daily for breakfast and dinner and on Sundays they shake things up with brunch.
“There’s American-style chicken and waffles, a make-your-own crepe station and chocolate fondue tower grazing tables,” Shaun says.
His tip for tackling this epic feast? “Relax, take your time! Finish the last of that pinot before going up for some Italian — the food is going nowhere and neither should you.”
Il Barocco
Palazzo Versace, 94 SeaWorld Drive, Main Beach
You can’t get any fresher than the prawns straight from the trawlers next door.
Il Barocco prides itself on sourcing quality local seafood and produce for its sumptuous spreads, available from sun up to sun down every day.
Seafood sceptics need not fear, there are myriad options for those not keen on the bounty from the sea.
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Special days are marked by celebratory dishes — the suckling pig at Chinese New Year has a fan base all its own.
Versace’s director of sales and marketing Morgan Benner says research has found the buffet is a popular daytrip destination.
“We get people from Brisbane, Toowoomba, all over southeast Queensland as well as our loyal locals,” she says.
The breakfast buffet includes unlimited barista-made coffee with the seafood buffet available every night and for Sunday lunch.
Govindas
3120 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
This place was well ahead of the vegan curve, serving up its Indian-inspired, plant-based fare for the past 12 years.
The all-you-can-eat buffet is so reasonably priced it blasts the “only junk food is cheap” theory out of the water.
Owner Zardi Manning’s parents opened the Surfers Govindas in 2006 and Zardi has taken up the baton, featuring his personal favourite Hare Krishna recipes and experimenting with new healthy dishes.
“I try to keep the food as non-acidic and easy to digest as possible,” he says.
“I get a lot of feedback from people who love coming here for that.”
He’s recently added a new salad, spinach and notzarella, a soy based substitute for the cheese of a similar name.
“It takes me a while to get the recipes just right,” he says. Everything on the menu is strictly vegan, cruelty-free and produced with much love and good karma.
Shoreline Restaurant
120 SeaWorld Drive, Main Beach
Sea World resort caters for tourists from around the globe and you can find most cuisines on the laden tables of the Shoreline buffet.
Breakfast is served every morning and the dinner buffet changes with the days of the week. Monday is International, Tuesday Tropical Barbecue, Wednesday Flavours of the World, Thursday Italiano and Fridays to Sundays there’s Seafood, with a Carvery thrown in on Sundays.
“The aim is to share culture through food,” Communications manager Mitch Olivey says.
“There are live cooking displays as well. It’s all about making eating a pleasurable experience.”
The dinner buffet includes the live cooking specialties, soup, salads, hot and cold dishes with a special kids’ corner featuring a selection of children’s favourites.
Four Winds
Crowne Plaza Surfers Paradise, 26/2807 Gold Coast Highway, Surfers Paradise
Yes, there is the sumptuous food, but then there is the view, actually many views.
Four Winds is Queensland’s only revolving restaurant, 26 floors up and custom-built for the hotel.
Four Winds specialises in fresh seafood and an Australian fusion menu with hot and cold dishes and a range of decadent desserts.
Food and beverage Manager Joshua Dows says every effort is made to get the freshest local produce possible.
“The spanner crabs are off the boats at Southport and a lot of our leaves come from Canungra,” he says.
Four Winds has recently added afternoon high teas from Thursdays to Sundays.
Breakfast is every Sunday with lunch and dinner buffets every day.
Oh, and a visit during whale watching season is often rewarded with a bird’s eye view of the annual migration.
Food Fantasy
The Star Gold Coast, 1 Casino Dr, Broadbeach
The name says it all really. This much-loved buffet, featuring some 80 dishes from around the globe, has sated the appetites of many a famished local and tourist over the years but, be warned, there are only a few days to feast before Food Fantasy closes for a major transformation.
The Star’s state managing director Geoff Hogg says Food Fantasy is without a doubt one of the establishment’s most popular venues and he promises it will reopen bigger and better as Harvest Buffet in the summer.
“The new look will be a bright and inviting space that will pay homage to everything diners love about the current venue,” he says.
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The renovations will add another 100 seats, catering for 500 people all up.
The last hurrah for Food Fantasy’s dinner service is tomorrow although breakfasts will continue to be served until Tuesday.
Terraces Restaurant
Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, 71 Sea World Drive, Main Beach
Seafood is the rightful star at this beachfront buffet … but don’t leave without cracking the expertly torched caramel on the creme brulee.
“Presented creatively by our hotel chefs, Terraces Restaurant provides the largest range of delicious and local seafood, including prawns, oysters, crab, salmon, sushi and more,” marketing executive Anna Palmer says.
“We like to keep the buffet interesting with monthly food features — previously we’ve had a live oyster shucker and beautiful King Island produce and in July we have an exciting Christmas in July feature.
Another of our best features is that the restaurant is surrounded by water and shimmering lagoons, perfect for getting that Insta-worthy photo.”
Terraces Restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Waves Buffet
Watermark Hotel, 3032 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
The chefs at Waves aim to keep their dishes fresh and dynamic, featuring quality local seafood and seasonally-themed, flavoursome dishes from around the globe.
But arguably it is the desserts that steal the show — all are made in house by the Watermark’s pastry chefs and there is that most ingenious invention of modern fluid mechanics, a chocolate fountain.
“Many diners are simply stunned by the colour, creativity and presentation on the dessert buffet,” the Watermark’s director of operations Paul Stewart says.
Look out too for Waves’ regular “artisan specials” — you can celebrate US Independence Day from Monday to Sunday with the best of American fare and for the week starting Saturday, July 14, indulge in French delights to mark Bastille Day.
Citrique Restaurant
Surfers Paradise Marriott, 158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise
Citrique likes to make its breathtaking buffets interactive foodie experiences.
For breakfast there are eggsperts on hand whipping up perfect omelets and chefs are always lurking to ensure everyone’s dietary requirements are catered for.
“We like to think of it as a personalised buffet,” marketing executive Jordi Taylor says.
Fresh seafood is the star of the weekend lunch and nightly dinner spreads.
The chefs also like to keep it interesting for their loyal legion of locals who know a good thing when they’re onto it.
“We’ve got our French festival coming up soon for Bastille Day,” Jordi says.
“We feature African food, Oktoberfest — all sorts of cuisines and special celebrations.”
And you can’t go past the locals’ $25 breakfast buffet special on at the moment.
Just bring your ID with a Gold Coast address.
Frenzy’s Buffet
Crnr Musgrave Ave and Olsen Ave, Southport
The Southport Sharks has it nailed for value dining in the suburbs. Their family-friendly buffet is available seven nights a week offering a range of hearty meats, fresh salads, international dishes and, of course, desserts.
Kids love the choc-dipped waffle cones and lolly selection for their custom-made ice-cream delights.
There are nightly specials, such as build your own hot dog night, not be outdone by build your own nachos.
Friday and Saturday nights features seafood.
Locals also love the all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast on Sundays from 8am-10am.
It’s also worth becoming a member for the generous discounts on dining.
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