Where Coffee Rivals the Surf on the Gold Coast

The Gold Coast has steadily been making a name for itself on Australia’s coffee scene, with a growing number of boutique roasters and barista bars springing up across town. Here are 10 of the best places to get your hit.

KoKo Coffee Roasters

Owner and roaster Alex Winter used to work with the UN in Indonesia helping communities to pick, process and roast their own coffee. That experience informs how Koko Coffee Roasters operates. Be assured that a super-smooth brew at this rustic converted warehouse, which opened late last year, involves fair trading all along the supply chain.

17 Karen Avenue, Mermaid Beach

The Gold Coast's Best Coffee and Where to Find It

Paradox Coffee Roasters

Housed in The 4217, a former bus depot turned buzzing artisan culinary precinct, Paradox Coffee Roasters roasts its sustainably sourced, quirkily named coffee blends next door to its industrial-style cafe (look out for the Ferrari-red roaster). Keen beans can sign up for courses and workshops in the onsite Paradox Lab.

10 Beach Road, Surfers Paradise

Daark

Coffee connoisseurs will cross the Gold Coast for the smooth, strong brew cupped at this Chirn Park local, with coffee supplied by Yatala’s Supreme Roasters. The monochrome decored, kid-friendly Daark also has excellent breakfast and lunch menus.

Shop 2/1 Musgrave Avenue, Labrador

Portside Coffee

After more than a decade honing his craft, most recently at Melbourne’s renowned Top Paddock, local barista Jeremy Lawnikanis opened his own joint in Currumbin’s gritty-hip industrial estate in 2016. In a nod to his stint down south, nautical-themed Portside Coffee is currently the only coffee shop on the Gold Coast using Melbourne’s lauded Sensory Lab single-origin beans.

4A 42 Currumbin Creek Road, Currumbin

Barefoot Barista

The barista might be wearing thongs, but Barefoot Barista is serious about coffee. Going strong for almost a decade now, this laidback cafe’s house blend – designed to slice through milk with chocolate and caramel notes – proved so popular that Barefoot welcomed a sibling, Borough Barista, in Burleigh Heads in 2011.

5/10 Palm Beach Avenue, Palm Beach

Skull & Bones Espresso

It’s all about sustainability at hip Skull & Bones Espresso, which has its beans roasted by Toby’s Estate in Sydney, donates its used coffee grinds to the Broadbeach Community Garden, uses biodegradable cups and crockery, and is dedicated to minimising plastic use. If you’re hungry, kettle-boiled bagels are the go here.

2577 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach

Elk Espresso

Since opening in 2011 in an old building a block back from the beach, retro-styled Elk has become known for its ultra-creative, seasonally inspired breakfasts, but owner Andrew Whiting has not let the espresso – brewed from Single O’s Killerbee blend – slip.

16 Chelsea Avenue, Broadbeach

Stairwell Coffee

Nestled under the stairwell of The Centre Arcade, one of the Gold Coast’s oldest commercial buildings, hole-in-the-wall Stairwell Coffee specialises in espresso, cold-brew and nitro coffee. The green-hued haunt also prides itself on quick service with a smile.

67/3131 Surfers Paradise Boulevard, Surfers Paradise

Silipo Coffee

Claiming the Gold Coast’s “first full coffee brewing bar” offering all the latest alternative brew methods, the multi-award winning specialty coffee roaster offers everything from V60 Pour Over to Aeropress coffee at its Southport café. Grab a stool inside and gaze through the window to the roasting room, or savour your brew on the sunny outdoor terrace.

9/54 Baily Crescent, Southport

Burleigh Social

Like any good café, Burleigh Social started with excellent coffee, courtesy of a caramel-y Allpress blend. It quickly grew into a full-service café with one of the best brunch menus on the Gold Coast.

2 Hibiscus Haven, Burleigh Heads