The Gold Coast’s 13 best rooftop bars for chilling and chasing sunsets
Snow on top of mountains proves life is cooler from above. We reveal 13 of the best rooftop bars on the Gold Coast for sipping at sunset.
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Snow on top of mountains proves life is cooler from above. Amber Macpherson reveals the Gold Coast’s best rooftop bars for chilling and chasing sunsets.
Nineteen at the Star
Level 19, The Darling at the Star Gold Coast, Casino Drive, Broadbeach
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Nineteen at The Star is the only place to experience the luxury of stretching out on a day bed 19 storeys high with a chilli coconut martini. “Nineteen boasts one of the Gold Coast’s most spectacular rooftop bar venues, with sweeping views that span the entire coastline,” The Star general manager Richard Gush says. “Poolside booths or daybeds are the perfect spot to either watch the sunset or stargaze.” Get the gang together for a Bellini Saturday on Nineteen’s outdoor terrace with share platters and spritzers, or try the new summer lunch menu from Nineteen’s restaurant. “It’s your perfect destination for balmy nights, chic long lunches and sunset margaritas on the deck,” Richard says.
Gotham
6 Bayview Street, Runaway Bay
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Even the trees near Gotham are in on the spooky New York vibes radiating out of the two-level venue, which you’ll get a perfect view of when seated on the rooftop. “We’ve got a bit of broadwater and canal views just off Bayview St, and at night time the trees light up blue which really works for our theme,” Gotham owner Daniel Ridgeway says. Gotham’s rooftop area is open Friday to Sunday, with a special deal on pizzas for leisurely weekend lunches. “We do two for one pizzas on the rooftop from 12 to 5pm with live music,” Daniel says. “That draws the crowd. It is a local’s hub but we’re getting more and more tourists come through, but it is a local’s hang out.”
Skyline Rooftop Bar
Level 1/3206 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
‘WHY WE LINED UP FOR A BURGER AT 2AM’
Start your Sunday with a steak and settle in for a sesh — Skyline Rooftop Bar turns it up on the last day of the week, every week. After you’ve devoured a $6 steak and side from Irish pub Waxy’s downstairs, Skyline welcomes punters to its Send It Sundays event upstairs with a DJ, free pool and deals on food and drinks. The area is open from 4pm on Friday to Sunday with a comfortable indoor lounge area that flows to the exposed rooftop, featuring outdoor umbrellas, hanging greenery and fairy lights. Located on the Surfers Paradise Blvd, It’s a great spot to people watch the characters that frequent the tourist hub and take in the beachside metropolis.
Mr PP’s
43 Nerang Street, Southport
Think a rooftop bar in the suburbs can’t turn it on like one near the beach? Mr PP’s Deli and Rooftop Bar owner Ben Howe says it’s the CBD charm that makes his venue unique. “A lot of the other rooftops are on the highway. With ours, the street in front is just a tramline,” Ben says. “There’s no car traffic, you hear that ‘ding ding’ of the tram, it feels like you’re in Melbourne.” Mr PP’s is a popular knock-off spot for office workers, and the region’s consistent mild temperatures mean the bistro is buzzing all year. “Our climate, we’re very lucky — we do more trading through winter at night,” Ben says. “There is a trade-off when it is raining, or very heavy rain or wind, you’re going to do a bad’s night trade, but then, I think the positives outweigh the negatives. People really love rooftops for some reason.”
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Moxy’s Rooftop Bar
2/152 Griffith Street, Coolangatta
Moxy’s Rooftop Bar is the Gold Coast’s newest open air playground and it opened just in time for party season. The Coolangatta haunt is owned Kane Brigg and Brodie Edwards and is the two mates from Burleigh’s first venture together. “We didn’t really know how it would go but everyone who’s been there has loved it,” Kane said. The bar has ocean views, a retractable roof and a list of signature cocktails as well as Mexican dishes available from The Aztec restaurant downstairs. “We have live music and DJs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 5 o’clock. We’re also planning an Australia Day party where we’ll switch the taps over to Australian beers all day,” Kane says.
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The Island Rooftop
3128 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise
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The Island Rooftop is an oasis in the urban Surfers sprawl. A narrow stairway off Beach Rd leads up to a spacious sanctuary of lush greenery, comfy lounges and tropical cocktails, a space that feels miles away from the wilderness of the glitter strip. Open Wednesday to Sunday, The Island Rooftop has a mix of daily events and deals pairing some of your favourite things: sparkling and oysters, grazing platters and drinks, and jazz and gin. It’s a place known to convert those who swore they’d never return to Surfers for a night out again.
Aviary Rooftop Bar, Southport Sharks
5 Melia Court, Southport
NEW CAFE SERVING UP HEMP LATTES AND HEMP TREATS
Hit level R in the Mantra at Sharks hotel elevator to be taken to Aviary Rooftop Bar, the sporting club’s nest in the sky. Aviary serves up views of the Gold Coast hinterland to the west and the Surfers Paradise skyline to the east, easily seen through the restaurant’s large open air windows and alfresco area The Nest. Its signature Bottomless Brunch events are a popular monthly drawcard, with the bar’s first plant-based edition happening today from 11am. There’s also all-you-can-eat pizza on Tuesdays, sweet Sunday sessions and an Australia Day party featuring Aussie gin and tins.
Seascape Rooftop
4 The Esplanade, Surfers Paradise
TOP CHEF TO OPEN ANOTHER COAST RESTAURANT
A hidden gem in Surfers Paradise, Seascape restaurant is home to a spectacular rooftop area with a 360 degree panorama of ocean views. It’s one of the only rooftop venues on the Gold Coast that looks straight out to the big blue with no adjacent walls. High tables, glass panels along the perimeter and a well planned layout takes full advantage of the scenery, meaning you can gape at the goliath Pacific Ocean for as long as your heart desires. It’s open on Friday and Saturday evenings from 5.30pm during December to April.
Loki
2235 Gold Coast Hwy, Nobby Beach
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The same day Hellenika announced it was ceasing trade, another eating empire declared it was taking over the space — and local rooftop lovers breathed a sigh of relief. Loki is the new restaurant in the Nobby Beach venue, owned by the team behind rooftop trend setters Justin Lane. The new owners held onto the framework and maintained the two-storey restaurant’s selling point: its large outdoor dining overlooking the Gold Coast Hwy, while mixing up the menu with Mediterranean dishes and a fresh focus on drinking, dining and dancing.
Justin Lane
1708-1710 Gold Coast Hwy, Burleigh Heads
THE GOLD COAST’S BEST PIZZA RESTAURANTS
The OG rooftop revellers know how to throw a party at this Burleigh Heads pizza restaurant. Since opening in 2011, Justin Lane became a hit with locals and tourists looking for a slice of laid-back dining so suited to the cruisy Burleigh lifestyle. Expanding the venue eventually meant there was nowhere to go but up — and so the region’s first rooftop venue was born, starting a trend of top level alfresco dining all along the Gold Coast. Friday and Saturday nights are a hit for cocktails and nibbles, while the afternoon Sunday sessions have become a great weekend wind down.
Last Night On Earth
50B Nerang St, Southport
Come February the streets of Southport will be echoing with hearty laughter and you’ll be able to trace it back to Southport’s much loved dive bar Last Night On Earth. Owner Arran Woollams says the top level section will soon be hosting comedy nights. “This year were going to kick off comedy on the rooftop,” he said. “We’ve been doing a little bit with Based Comedy last year, so we’re looking at starting it in early February.” The rooftop is the final piece of the hostelry’s puzzle, rebranding in February 2018 and expanding skywards later that year. “Last Night On Earth was the next version after Not Tonight, then we put the rooftop on and it was like the phoenix rising from the ashes of the original,” Arran says.
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MexiCali
1/2223 Gold Coast Hwy, Nobby Beach
THE GOLD COAST’S BEST MEXICAN RESTAURANTS
This Mexican restaurant has doubled the size of its outdoor deck for extra fiesta space. Fans of the Nobby Beach noshery know the rooftop tables are hot property, so the expansion means more room for salsa sunsets and margarita moongazing. MexiCali’s rooftop overlooks Nobby’s drinking and dining strip making it a top spot for watching the locals hop from bar to bar. The restaurant also faces west, so diners are in prime position for catching the atmosphere fade into a pastel painting. Settle in for the daily show with a round of tacos and a tequila sunrise — it’d be rude not to, right?
The Collective Palm Beach
1128 Gold Coast Hwy, Palm Beach
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The Collective Palm Beach is five restaurants under one retractable roof. A co-op of cuisine and cocktails, the top level of The Collective affords views of the hinterland framed by the dining area’s festoon lights. The option to choose dishes from Italy, Japan, Mexico, Australia or America will have even the fussiest of palates satiated, even offering a separate menu for gluten-free and vegan subscribers. Salute the Sabbath with The Collective’s Blush Sundays, a weekend wind down featuring three hours of flowing rose, spritzers and charcuterie boards.
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