Palm Beach has grown into the southern Gold Coast’s eating strip, and Princess Palm sits within a short walk or five minute drive of the lot. This refreshed 2027 guide covers eleven verified local venues across four moods: eat-street dinners, brunch and coffee, beachfront clubs and creekside treats, with hours checked at the time of writing.
Where do you go for dinner on the eat street?
The dinner core runs along the Gold Coast Highway south of the apartment. Balboa Italian at 1069 Gold Coast Highway is the polished pick, with wood-fired pizzas, handmade pasta and a dark chocolate souffle worth saving room for; book ahead for weekends. The Collective at 1128 brings five kitchens to one lively rooftop-topped room, serving from midday daily, and holds space for walk-ins, which makes it the group solver. Madam Fu at 2 Fifth Avenue does modern Asian share plates and creative cocktails in a stylish room that leans date-night; reserve for Friday and Saturday. And Frida Sol, the rooftop at 1176 Gold Coast Highway, pours margaritas over sunset views with tacos to match, happy hour running 3pm to 5pm. All four sit 15 to 20 minutes on foot from our door, or a few minutes by car, and on Friday and Saturday nights the strip hums from about 6pm, so the early sitting is the relaxed one.
Where do the locals get coffee and brunch?
Start closest: Dune Cafe at 945 Gold Coast Highway is essentially next door, set beside the Tallebudgera estuary with outdoor tables, hearty breakfasts, fresh salads and reliable coffee; after a morning swim you can be at a table in two minutes. Barefoot Barista at 6 Palm Beach Avenue is the laid-back local for quality coffee and generous brunches, best before 10am on weekends when the rush builds. Street Corner Espresso at 1114 Gold Coast Highway stays a quiet achiever, with smooth espresso, toasties and brunch boards in a small, easy room. Guests keep mentioning that the coffee standard across Palm Beach surprises them; the suburb takes its mornings seriously, and none of these three require anything more organised than turning up.
Which venues have the ocean views?
The clubs own the views. The Palm Beach Surf Club at 117 Jefferson Lane, a 10 minute beachfront walk from the apartment, serves club classics like chicken schnitzel, salt and pepper squid and pizzas right above the sand, with live music on Sunday afternoons. At the southern end, Tallebudgera Surf Club at 1505 Gold Coast Highway was named Queensland’s best surf club supporters venue at the 2026 Clubs Queensland awards; its beachfront restaurant runs lunch and dinner daily, the sports bar pours from 10am, and Bean Surfing Cafe opens at 5:30am for the dawn-patrol crowd. The Palm Beach club trades to 9:30pm most nights and 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday, with breakfast added on weekends. Both seat club-style without bookings, suit every generation at the table, and turn a simple parmy into a sunset event.
What about treats and the short-drive finds?
Two more earn their spot. Custard Canteen at 1525 Gold Coast Highway, in the garden setting at the front of the Tallebudgera recreation centre, has become a southern Gold Coast institution for its pastel de nata: the pastry team laminates puff pastry on site and batches the Portuguese tarts every 30 minutes from 5:30am to 2:30pm, seven days. It comes from the same bakers behind Bam Bam Bakehouse at Mermaid Beach. A six minute drive south into Currumbin, Zipang serves homestyle Japanese, with sushi, donburi and ramen that guests keep mentioning as the sleeper pick of the area. Marie’s Pizza at 1401 Gold Coast Highway rounds out the list as the takeaway stalwart, delivering generous old-school pizzas to the apartment through Uber Eats.
FAQs
Which Palm Beach restaurants are within walking distance of Princess Palm?
The Palm Beach Surf Club is about a 10 minute walk along the beachfront, Dune Cafe is essentially next door by the Tallebudgera estuary, and the eat-street stretch with Balboa Italian, The Collective, Frida Sol and Madam Fu runs 15 to 20 minutes on foot south along the Gold Coast Highway.
Do Palm Beach restaurants need bookings?
The popular dinner rooms do. Balboa Italian and Madam Fu book out on weekends, and Frida Sol’s rooftop fills fast around sunset. The Collective keeps walk-in space across its five kitchens, and both surf clubs seat club-style without a booking, so there is always a no-reservation fallback.
Where is the best breakfast near Princess Palm?
Dune Cafe, beside the Tallebudgera estuary at 945 Gold Coast Highway, is the closest, with hearty breakfasts and outdoor seating a short stroll from the apartment. Barefoot Barista on Palm Beach Avenue and Street Corner Espresso are the locals’ coffee picks, and Custard Canteen batches Portuguese tarts every half hour from 5:30am.
Which venues suit families with young kids?
The two surf clubs are the easiest: Palm Beach Surf Club and Tallebudgera Surf Club both do relaxed club meals, ocean views and no-booking seating. The Collective works well for families early in the evening, and Custard Canteen’s garden setting by the creek is a favourite after a morning swim.
Is there good takeaway at Palm Beach?
Yes. Marie’s Pizza at 1401 Gold Coast Highway is the long-running local for generous pizzas, open from late afternoon with delivery through Uber Eats, and most of the eat-street venues run takeaway menus. With a full kitchen in every Princess Palm apartment, a takeaway night on the balcony is half the fun.
Eating well here needs no car and no plan, just an appetite and a short walk in either direction, which is exactly how a beach holiday should feed itself. When you are ready to put a kitchenful of local flavours within reach, book your Palm Beach apartment with us and browse the local area to map your week of tables.
Image credit: Tallebudgera Surf Club
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