Sunshine Coast’s most exclusive restaurants

More than just a restaurant, these venues on the Sunshine Coast offer exclusive dining experiences worth joining months-long waitlists for. Check them out here.

Interior at Spirit House restaurant at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast. Picture Lachie Millard

The Sunshine Coast and Noosa regions are known for their incredible offerings when it comes to restaurants nestled in idyllic corners of the tourist hot spots.

Some of those select venues are known to attract celebrities from across the country.

From Spirit House in Yandina to Sails Restaurant in Noosa, these venues have hosted international royalty, famous musicians and award-winning chefs.

Diners hoping to experience what these restaurants have to offer are encouraged to book well in advance, with many venues booked out for months.

The spanner crab spaghettini, garlic, chilli, shallot, lemon at Rickys River Bar and Restaurant at Noosa.

Rickys River Bar and Restaurant – Noosa

Rickys at Noosa is described as being “the place to be” when it comes to dining alongside some of Australia’s most well-known personalities, but expect a lengthy waitlist on sought-after dates.

General manager David Juoy said while some guests may be lucky enough to secure a table within a week, others book a year in advance.

“We are open all day from midday, so if you are flexible on time you can usually within a week get a table, but it is usually a month for people who have a certain date or time,” Mr Juoy said.

“People at Christmas book a year advance to make sure, we are always full.

“Rickys is the place to be when it comes to Noosa, a lot of celebrities and business people are here often but we respect their privacy.

“If you come to Rickys expect to see someone famous basically, some people just fly here from across the country for lunch.”

The Seared Shio Koji Cured Pork Collar at Spirit House. Picture Lachie Millard

Spirit House – Yandina

Diners hoping to secure a table at the exclusive oasis-style restaurant in the secluded suburb of Yandina are warned to make a booking around three weeks in advance during busy holiday periods.

Spirit House director Acland Brierty said the exclusive venue had hosted a number of famous guests including a former Australian prime minister since it was established 25 years ago.

“Jimmy Barnes has been here before, we’ve had Hollywood actors, we’ve had the king of Thailand,” Mr Brierty said.

Mr Brierty said the dishes served at Spirit House were unparalleled by other Asian restaurants in the region.

Some of the food in the set menu at Humble on Duke at Sunshine Beach.

Humble on Duke – Noosa

The small but mighty Humble on Duke is a 14-seat restaurant at Sunshine Beach with a reputation for serving mouth watering food.

While some tables are reserved for bookings of large groups a few weeks in advance, there are often tables kept free for walk-ins.

The wildly popular Middle Eastern restaurant recently served celebrity cook Maggie Beer and it is a favourite spot for Andy Hearnden, also known as Andy Cooks.

Humble on Duke’s Jade Tareha said the restaurant has become known for serving chilled soups as an entree, which was initially questioned by guests, many of whom now rave about the unique inclusion.

Bistro C restaurant, Noosa Heads.

Bistro C – Noosa

Bistro C on Hastings Street is known for exquisite seafood and its prime waterfront location among locals, as well as visiting Australian stars, according to co-founder Cassie Banks.

“We don’t have a waitlist system however we do take walk-ins based on the ebbs and flows of the dining room, our reservations open up 90 days prior to your requested date,” she said.

Ms Banks said the restaurant had a countless number of celebrity guests visit over the years.

“Bono, Richard Branson are the biggest, however we have also seen people like Pat Rafter, Kevin Rudd, Olympia Valance, Gina Riley, Ellen Barkin, Lote Tuqiri, Karl Stefanovic and Michael Clarke.”

La Vida restaurant on Hastings Street, Noosa.

La Vida – Noosa

Offering both casual and private dining experiences, La Vida in Noosa is certain to provide an exclusive but flexible meal, according to owner Sarah Hooper.

“We generally do not have a wait list, we are actually on Hastings Street, not with a view of the beach and are near the woods end, which is generally quieter. The restaurant is at full capacity on the weekends, and we can always squeeze another table in,” Ms Hooper said.

“We have had all sorts of celebs in, but we value their privacy so I will not disclose names.”

Ms Hooper said La Vida guests had chosen a favourite dish from the restaurant.

“Our Moreton Bay bug and Mooloolaba prawn ravioli with a Tasmanian crayfish reduction is definitely our signature dish,” she said.

Bocca Italian on Bokarina Beach. Photo: Supplied

Bocca Italian – Bokarina Beach

Co-owner at Bocca Italian Luke Stringer said an extensive outdoor area meant Bocca Italian always had room for extra guests, including some major television personalities, despite the restaurant’s popularity.

“Julia Zemiro from RocKwiz has been a favourite as well as Adriano Zumbo who is a regular,” Mr Stringer said.

Mr Stringer said the restaurant’s exquisite dishes represented the venue’s dedication to flavour.

“The dishes that best represent Bocca are our garlic bread, impressive, generous and full of flavour, and the Mooloolaba king prawns, onion and prawn oil, sum up summer on a plate.”

Sails Restaurant in Noosa offers an exclusive dining experience. Photo: Supplied

Sails Restaurant – Noosa

Sails Restaurant at Noosa is a longstanding, exclusive dining experience frequented by a multitude of famous guest including, entertainment celebrities, politicians and sporting stars.

Restaurant manager at Sails Nigel Lee said guests hoping to experience Sails often book months in advance, especially during peak holiday periods.

“We do get booked up well in advance over the peak periods with many of our regulars booking at the maximum possible of three months in advance to secure a table,” Mr Lee said.

Mr Lee said the restaurant produced such exclusive dishes guests demand they remain on the menu.

“As we have been operating for over 27 years, we have definitely developed a following for some of our dishes, to the point at which we are unable to ever take them off the menu without causing an uproar,” he said.

“Included in these would be our Moreton Bay bug and Sand crab lasagne. Also a favourite when in season are pot roasted mud crabs. Newer favourites include 9+ score wagyu, Patagonian toothfish and there is also a cult following developing for our Belgium chocolate pavlova.”

The Doonan is already booked out for weekend reservations just six weeks after opening. Photo: Supplied

The Doonan – Doonan

The latest venue to enter the Sunshine Coast’s exclusive dining scene is The Doonan, situated on acreage just out from Noosa.

Despite only opening six weeks ago, The Doonan said they have already ushered in star-studded guests enjoying the restaurant.

Before officially opening the venue had a waitlist of over 4000 hopeful diners looking to secure a table, there is currently a waitlist more than a month long for weekend lunch and dinner reservations.

A spokeswoman for The Doonan said the fresh, local ingredients help set the dishes apart from other venues.

“The Doonan’s Coral Coast Queensland Barramundi has been a local favourite, served with a panzanella salad, Noosa heirloom tomato, cucumber, local leaves, radish, croutons and vinaigrette,” she said.

Sumi Open Kitchen in Noosa Heads. Photo: Supplied.

Sumi Open Kitchen – Noosa

Sumi Open Kitchen is a favourite among foodies and the authentic Japanese restaurant has seen its fair share of celebrity guests, according to chef and owner Gile Hohnen.

“Maggie Beer, Ben Devlin and prominent food writer, Donna Hay, we have also had a local Instagrammer who appeared on MasterChef, Marion Grasby,” Mr Hohnen said.

Mr Hohnen said it was the finer things that gave his restaurant the exclusive reputation.

“The marinade we use for fish is the most important to me, we used fermented rice to marinate our fish which allows the fish to produce its own flavour,” Mr Hohnen said.

“I go to the fisherman directly, because I know he knows how to handle fish, I know he produces a superior product.”

Mr Hohnen said he has noticed a reluctance to book too far in advance and he implements a no-show policy too, which means there is often a spot at the exclusive restaurant.

“We get booked out a week ahead over those busy times like Easter, but we still host those last-minute diners,” Mr Hohnen said.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast’s most exclusive restaurants