Food & Drink guide
Where to Eat on and around James Street, Burleigh Heads
By the ParadiseGrove editorial team · Last checked 9 September 2026
For coffee on James Street, start at Quest. For a sharing-style dinner on the street itself, look at Maman. Nearby, Jimmy Wah’s offers modern Vietnamese food, while Rick Shores puts you beside the beach. Choose the meal you want, then decide how much of the afternoon to leave for shopping or the foreshore.
Morning: Quest, then the shops or beach
Quest Burleigh Café serves coffee, house-baked cakes, toasties and breakfast snacks at 20 James Street. It is a straightforward choice when you want something to eat without turning the morning into a long restaurant stop.
Put it before boutique browsing or after a foreshore walk. For a garden-bakery breakfast farther from the strip, choose Paddock instead; its garden and wood-fired baking make breakfast an outing in its own right.
Maman: a sharing dinner on James Street
Maman at number 49 gives you a Mediterranean-style direction: its menu includes flatbread and dips, chargrilled halloumi, spanakopita and sumac-and-sesame chicken. Choose it for a table that wants to share several dishes rather than order separate mains.
The “Let Mum Feed You” set menu is listed at A$75 per person, with a sample selection subject to produce availability. Groups of 12 or more must use that format. Published service starts at 5pm Tuesday–Thursday and noon Friday–Saturday. These details were checked on 9 September 2026; budget for the restaurant’s published surcharges.
For a date night, make dinner the main booking and leave time beforehand for the beach. For a group, the set menu offers a way to try several Mediterranean dishes together.
Jimmy Wah’s: Vietnamese flavours around the corner
Jimmy Wah’s is at 1724 Gold Coast Highway, not on James Street. Its modern Vietnamese menu includes tempura soft-shell-crab banh mi, Vietnamese pancake and vegetarian curry. Pick it for a sharing meal with herbs, spice and several different plates.
Lunch and dinner are offered seven days a week, making it worth considering when another restaurant is closed. Discuss dietary requirements when booking so the kitchen can advise on suitable dishes.
Rick Shores or Labart: make the restaurant the destination
Rick Shores at 3/43 Goodwin Terrace is the beachfront choice, serving Southeast Asian food for sharing. Choose a daylight meal if seeing the beach is central to why you are booking.
Labart at 8 West Street puts the focus on a small dining room and a changing menu. Our special-occasion guide compares these alternatives in more detail.
A plan for lunch or dinner
After shopping, choose lunch according to where you want to spend the afternoon: stay central for Jimmy Wah’s or head towards the beach for Rick Shores. On Friday and Saturday, Maman also has a lunchtime start. For dinner, reserve first and fit the afternoon around the table time.
Walk from central accommodation if it suits your route, using marked crossings over the highway. These direct restaurant links are not affiliate bookings. For a broader shortlist beyond this small area, read where to eat in Burleigh Heads.