Food & Drink guide
Gold Coast Special-Occasion Dining: Beachfront, Bistro or Gallery?
By the ParadiseGrove editorial team · Last checked 9 September 2026
Start with the experience you want: a beach view at Rick Shores, a small Burleigh dining room at Labart, an art-led tasting menu at Palette, or hotel dining at Citrique. Two are in Burleigh and two require a trip north. Pick the setting first, then fit the rest of the day around it.
Rick Shores: put the beach at the centre
Rick Shores sits at 3/43 Goodwin Terrace beside Burleigh Beach. Its Southeast Asian menu is designed for sharing: choose it for a celebratory table with dishes moving between diners, rather than a formal procession of individually plated courses.
We would favour lunch when the coastal backdrop is the main attraction, leaving time for a headland stroll afterwards. Ask about seating preferences when reserving, without assuming a particular table is guaranteed.
Labart: a smaller room and a changing menu
Labart offers à la carte dining or a shared set menu currently listed at A$95 per person. Groups of seven or more use the set menu. Its schedule is dinner Wednesday–Saturday and lunch Friday–Saturday.
The small room does not accommodate prams or high chairs, and there is no children’s menu. The restaurant also says it cannot accommodate vegan dining. That makes it a stronger candidate for an adult evening, or older children comfortable with the menu, than a spontaneous toddler dinner.
At 8 West Street, it suits a Burleigh-based celebration when you want to keep the journey home simple. Prices and policies were checked on 9 September 2026.
Palette: pair the meal with art
Palette is on the ground level of HOTA Gallery, 135 Bundall Road, Surfers Paradise. Its menus respond to exhibitions, with five- and nine-course tasting experiences and a vegetarian tasting option. This is the choice for making food and art part of the same outing.
Visit the gallery first, then sit down for a meal. For a performance night, tell the restaurant the show time and choose the appropriate pre-show format rather than fitting a long tasting menu into a short gap. Allow for the return trip to Burleigh when planning your evening.
Citrique: hotel dining in Surfers Paradise
Citrique at JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa serves contemporary Australian food shaped by local and seasonal produce. Allow for an outing north from Burleigh rather than a walk from James Street.
The restaurant’s own menu page distinguishes Monday–Thursday à la carte dinners from Friday–Saturday seafood-and-grill buffets and Sunday long lunch. The weekday menu includes bay bug dumplings and barramundi with king prawn; the buffet offers a broader seafood selection. Choose the service as well as the restaurant. This option fits a day already spent farther north; for a short Burleigh weekend, compare that extra journey with staying local.
Set the budget and pace before booking
Start with Rick Shores for the beach setting, Labart for a Burleigh menu-focused evening, Palette for a gallery-and-dining outing, or Citrique for a hotel setting. Choose the setting and menu format you want, then compare the full meal cost.
Set-menu prices are not the whole bill: drinks, supplements and surcharges may be extra. Discuss dietary needs before paying a deposit, read cancellation terms and arrange the trip home. For a less elaborate evening in central Burleigh, our James Street dining guide covers coffee stops and sharing-style restaurants.