Best Burgers on the Gold Coast: Beach by Beach

The best burgers on the Gold Coast are spread along a long strip of beach suburbs, not packed into one downtown. Start in Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, the two densest dining strips, then work south through Burleigh Heads, Miami and Palm Beach towards Coolangatta on the New South Wales border.

Eating here follows the beach day. A burger is a post-surf lunch or a casual dinner, often eaten outdoors a block or two from the sand. The Australian classic still turns up on menus: a burger “with the lot”, stacked with beetroot, a fried egg, bacon, cheese and often a ring of pineapple. Southport, the older commercial centre to the north, gives a less touristy read of what locals order on a weeknight.

Burgers on the Gold Coast: key facts

• Neighbourhoods to explore: Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Miami, Palm Beach, Southport and Coolangatta.
• Local style: the Aussie burger with the lot, where beetroot is standard rather than a novelty.
• Getting around: the G:link light rail runs along the coast through Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.
• When locals eat: early, with lunch straight after a morning surf and dinner from around 6 p.m.
• Currency: Australian dollar (AUD, written A$).
• What our guides check: that each venue is open, its full street address, a dated menu price and a dated rating with its review count.

Every guide we publish on the Gold Coast is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. To compare with other Australian and international cities, browse our burger restaurant guides by city.