Six of the best: the top Broadbeach restaurants and cafes you have to check out

WITH almost endless dining delights in Broadbeach, it’s hard to narrow down the best to a single digit. After much deliberation, here are the six favourite spots in the beachside suburb.

Broadbeach Mamasan Kitchen and Bar’s ocean trout sashimi

WITH almost endless dining delights, it’s hard to narrow down the best to a single digit. After much deliberation, Amber Macpherson reveals her six favourite spots to eat in the beachside suburb.

Nineteen at the Star

1 Casino Drive, Broadbeach

Nineteen at The Star — photo of Rock Lobster Bolognese. Photo by Richard Gosling

You’ll never see the same menu twice at Nineteen at the Star, the swish rooftop restaurant and bar overlooking Broadbeach.

“We print our menus daily — we’re constantly updating,” owner Simon Gloftis says. “Something we pride ourselves on is that we’re really seasonal.”

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Nineteen at The Star has incredible views from its 19th storey restaurant. Picture: NIGEL HALLETT

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While there are mainstays on the menu that are hits with diners, Simon says changing the offerings daily keeps the dishes authentic and honest.

“We take a lot of pride in the staples on the menu — the Kiwami beef, the lobster bolognese, but every day there’s always something different. When you print the menu every day, you can’t lie. The food on the plate tells the whole story.”

Mamasan Kitchen

3 Oracle Boulevard, Broadbeach

Mamasan soft shell crab bao on a Chinese steamed bun with Mama tartare sauce.

Experience the flavours of the Orient at one-hatted Mamasan Kitchen and Bar. The expertise of the chefs puts a modern twist on traditional Asian fare. Mamasan will change its menu next month, putting the spotlight on seasonal produce and fresh seafood.

“We’ve expanded our curry offering,” Mamasan manager Lauren Mitchell says. “We had requests all the time for prawns, so we’ve got a Mooloolaba king prawn green curry with seasonal Asian vegetables.

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Mamasan Kitchen Bar in Broadbeach. Picture: Jerad Williams

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“We also seasonally change our sashimi offering, so we have a sous vide ocean trout and it comes with Korean red sauce, salmon caviar, vermicelli and nori mayo. It’s delicious.”

For a crowd-pleasing favourite, try the spanner crab ravioli dumplings swimming in a creamy coconut sambal bisque.

Elk Espresso

Shop GO44, Oasis Shopping Centre, Broadbeach

The potato hash, poke on spelt and Milky Bar and Oreo thickshakes at Elk Espresso, Broadbeach.

Popular with locals and Hollywood stars alike, Elk Espresso is a forest haven by the beach. With decor boasting hanging greenery and elegant elk murals, the fresh interior is matched by the lush breakfast and lunch options dished out from 6am.

“I love having Elk in Broadbeach as we get to be in the centre of the Gold Coast, we can see the beach and we get to serve heaps of locals and travelling food tourists,” owner Andrew Whiting says.

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The crunchy breakfast salad from Elk Espresso is "flying out the doors" - sprouts, cranberries, garden peas, wild rice, quinoa, toasted hemp, parsnip crisps and poached eggs.

“At the moment our crunchy breakfast salad is flying out the doors — sprouts, cranberries, garden peas, wild rice, quinoa, toasted hemp, parsnip crisps and poached eggs.

“I think everyone is thinking of their beach body.”

It’s not all superfoods and crunchy greens though — two hot favourites are iced vovo waffles with coconut ice cream and fried chicken eggs benedict.

Social Eating House and Bar

3 Oracle Blvd, Broadbeach

Social Eating House - for Taste

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Exciting things are coming up for Social Eating House and Bar as the team prepare for the busy summer season. Chef and owner Matt Jefferson says he can’t give too much away yet but a menu change is on the cards, featuring plenty of in-season produce.

“We’re going to make the menu a little bit smaller and have some really incredible food. We want people to come here and find things they’re not going to see anywhere on the Coast,” he says.

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Broadbeach Social Eating House dessert vanilla bean panna cotta, mandarin jelly, orange blossom granita and freeze dried mandarin.

“Seafood will have a pretty big role, and mangoes — 100 per cent, mangoes will be on the menu.”

The new menu will also see an old favourite return — rye toast with marinated smoked ocean trout.

The Cuban

103 Oracle Blvd, Broadbeach

Broadbeach's The Cuban is a good spot for cocktails.

The Cuban is a restaurant and cocktail bar alive with Latin music and an illuminated back wall of spirits. Channelling the party vibes of the exotic island playground, The Cuban blends flavours of Spain, South America and the Caribbean in its range of tapas, mains and dessert options.

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Tapas dish from The Cuban, the Mejillas De Vacuno - beef cheeks, cooked in red wine, served with chimmichurri sauce, roasted potatoes, sauté vegetables and cauliflower purée.

For a tapas dish, try beef cheeks cooked in red wine with chimmichurri sauce, roasted potatoes, sautéd vegetables and cauliflower puree. The soft textures of the beef and vegetables melt in your mouth with each bite.

One of The Cuban’s signature drinks is the Tropicana showgirl cocktail — a tribute to colourful Cuba, with vanilla vodka, Passoa passionfruit liqueur, vanilla syrup and fresh passionfruit, served with champagne on the side. Ole!

No Name Lane

Elizabeth Ave, Broadbeach

No Name Lane, Broadbeach. (AAP image, John Gass)

In between strolls on the sand and pampering at the Oracle, No Name Lane is the perfect pit stop for a caffeine fix. Enjoy a smooth, full-bodied latte prepared by a trendy barista while people watching the street scape.

Gold Coast Bulletin's Taste craving corner No Name Lane. Warm up a chilly morning with the ultimate comfort breakfast: apple crumble porridge.

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No Name Lane also serves breakfast and lunch meals with modern Australian and European influences, featuring plenty of fresh vegetables, grilled meat and sweet fruit. It’s open for dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, with a menu of cheeky cocktails, wine and beer.