Ze Pickle Burleigh Heads: Menu, Prices, History
Ze Pickle opened in Burleigh Heads in 2012, grew to five venues, then went back to one. Its 2026 menu, A$ prices, hours and who founded it, all checked.
Photo: Marc James, CC0 1.0
Ze Pickle is a craft beer and burger bar at 1/37 Connor Street, Burleigh Heads, opened in 2012 by three friends named only as Nathan, JD and Aaron. It’s still trading, and since its 2024 retreat from Brisbane it is the only Ze Pickle on the official locations page. Burgers cost A$23, except the A$59 Triple Loco. One thing to clear up straight away: Ben O’Donoghue’s Billykart has nothing to do with it. That was a Brisbane business, and it’s gone.
I checked the menu, prices, address and opening hours on Ze Pickle’s official website on 29 October 2026. Every price below is in Australian dollars and dates from that check. What I couldn’t confirm from the venue or the press is either flagged or left out.
Ze Pickle Burleigh Heads: key facts
Ze Pickle is a walk-in burger and craft beer bar at 1/37 Connor Street, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220. There are no bookings, though you can order takeaway online.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Address | 1/37 Connor Street, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220 |
| Phone | 07 5636 4936 |
| Bookings | No bookings; online takeaway ordering available |
| Opened | 2012, in Burleigh Heads |
| Founders | Nathan, JD and Aaron (first names as published) |
| Concept | Gourmet burgers with 12 rotating craft beer taps and craft cocktails |
| Burger prices | A$23 for a standard burger, A$59 for the Triple Loco (checked 29 Oct 2026) |
| Other venues | None listed on the official site as of 29 Oct 2026 |
Map of Ze Pickle at 1/37 Connor Street, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220. It is the only venue on the official site as of 29 Oct 2026. Walk-ins only, no bookings. (Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright)
Older directories still give 07 5659 1091. Ignore it. The number on the official site is 07 5636 4936.
Ze Pickle opening hours
Ze Pickle opens for dinner every day and for lunch only on Saturdays and Sundays, according to its official locations page.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday–Tuesday | 5pm–8pm |
| Wednesday–Thursday | 5pm–8:30pm |
| Friday | 5pm–9pm |
| Saturday | 12pm–9pm |
| Sunday | 12pm–8pm |
Those are short hours for a bar. Third-party listings still show the older, longer ones, so trust the table above. On a Monday or Tuesday, aim to be there by 7pm: the kitchen shuts at 8.
Ze Pickle menu and prices in 2026
On 29 October 2026 the official menu had four burgers: three at A$23 and the Triple Loco at A$59. The same building blocks turn up in almost all of them: a 150 g beef patty, maple smoked bacon, American cheese, a shredded salad the menu calls ‘health’, and the house ZP sauce.
| Burger | Price (AUD) | What’s in it |
|---|---|---|
| Chee-ze | A$23 | 150 g beef patty, maple smoked bacon, ‘health’ salad, fried onion straws, ZP sauce, American cheese |
| Southern Hick | A$23 | Crispy fried chicken, maple smoked bacon, American cheese, ‘health’, ZP sauce |
| Ya Mum | A$23 | Ingredient list not clearly stated on the official page |
| Triple Loco | A$59 | 3 x 150 g beef patties, triple American cheese, triple maple smoked bacon, ‘health’, ZP sauce, smoked jalapeños, fried onion straws, mum’s slaw |
Bar chart of Ze Pickle burger prices, checked on 29 Oct 2026: Chee-ze A$23, Southern Hick A$23, Ya Mum A$23, Triple Loco A$59. The Triple Loco costs about 2.6 times a standard burger. (Chart: Burger Breton, data from Ze Pickle official menu (zepickle.com, checked 29 Oct 2026), CC BY 4.0)
Start with the Chee-ze. It’s the house cheeseburger with bacon, onion straws and ZP sauce added, and every other burger on the list is a variation of it. The Southern Hick swaps the beef for fried chicken. The menu has shrunk a lot since the press years (see below). A four-burger list is easier to get right than a long one, but it gives regulars less reason to come back.
What is the Ze Pickle Triple Loco?
The Triple Loco is Ze Pickle’s biggest burger: A$59 for three 150 g beef patties, or 450 g of beef before cooking. Cheese and maple smoked bacon are tripled as well. It’s finished with smoked jalapeños, fried onion straws, mum’s slaw, ‘health’ and ZP sauce.
It costs more than two and a half times a standard burger but has only three times the beef, so it isn’t a bargain. Split it between two or three people. The official menu doesn’t present it as a timed challenge, and it doesn’t mention a prize.
The pickle in Ze Pickle
The name comes from the pickled cucumber in the burgers, Concrete Playground noted in 2024. In Noosa Magazine traced the style to North American and Canadian influences from the founders’ backgrounds. That explains the maple smoked bacon, the American cheese and the diner-style sides.
Past signature burgers and sides
Several burgers that made Ze Pickle’s name in the press are missing from the menu page I checked. Treat them as past signatures. In March 2024, Concrete Playground listed these:
- Pablo: a burger topped with corn chips.
- 3am: a burger with fried cheese sticks. Experience Gold Coast singled out the 3AM burger in its 2022 roundup.
- Mash Mash City Bish: fried chicken with truffle-buttered mash.
- Desserts and drinks: deep-fried Oreos, a baked caramel M&M skillet and a Bacon Old Fashioned.
If one of these is the reason you’re going, ask at the counter first. Ze Pickle has changed its menu often.
Craft beer and burgers: the Gold Coast concept
Ze Pickle was built as a craft beer bar as much as a burger joint. In Noosa Magazine counted 12 rotating taps, four or five of them pouring local beer, plus craft cocktails. The venue calls itself the first dedicated craft beer and gourmet burger restaurant on the Gold Coast. That’s its own claim, relayed by In Noosa Magazine in December 2021, and I found no independent source to back it up.
The beer is still the point. A burger and a local pour from the taps is the visit Ze Pickle was designed for.
Who founded Ze Pickle?
Ze Pickle was founded in Burleigh Heads in 2012 by three friends with hospitality backgrounds, named by In Noosa Magazine as Nathan, JD and Aaron. Concrete Playground backs up the date: in March 2024 it said the original store had opened 12 years earlier.
Their surnames only appear in sources I couldn’t verify, so I use first names. I also couldn’t establish whether any of the founders trained as a chef, who runs the Burleigh kitchen in 2026, or whether all three are still involved. It’s a founder-run bar. Nothing I found makes it a chef’s restaurant.
From Burleigh to Brisbane, Sydney and Noosa, and back
Ze Pickle grew from one Gold Coast store into a small group across three cities, then shrank back to Burleigh Heads in 2024. These are the dated milestones from the press:
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | First Ze Pickle opens in Burleigh Heads | In Noosa Magazine; Concrete Playground |
| 2016 | Ze Pickle opens in Surry Hills, Sydney | Good Food (URL dated 16 Mar 2016) |
| October 2019 | Noosa Junction opens as the fifth Ze Pickle in Australia | In Noosa Magazine |
| February 2024 | Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, closes after about nine years | Concrete Playground |
| 17 March 2024 | Camp Hill, Brisbane (1/4 Newman Ave) closes | Concrete Playground |
| March 2024 | Ze Pickle says it will go back ‘to its roots and just sport our wares at the OG Burleigh store’ | Concrete Playground |
Ze Pickle timeline: opened in Burleigh Heads in 2012, Surry Hills in Sydney in 2016, Noosa Junction in Oct 2019 (fifth venue), closed Fortitude Valley in Feb 2024 and Camp Hill on 17 Mar 2024, then went back to Burleigh only. (Table: Burger Breton, sources In Noosa Magazine (Dec 2021), Good Food (Mar 2016), Concrete Playground (12 Mar 2024), CC BY 4.0)
When Camp Hill closed, Concrete Playground reported that a Brisbane Airport outlet was still trading, with no closure date announced. By 29 October 2026, the official locations page listed Burleigh Heads alone. I found no dated closure for the airport, Noosa Junction or Surry Hills, so I don’t give one. For burgers in the state capital, see our Brisbane burger page.
Ben O’Donoghue and Billykart: not on the Gold Coast
Ben O’Donoghue has never run a burger restaurant on the Gold Coast. His Billykart venues were in Brisbane, and all of them have been sold or have closed. People searching for ‘the chef behind the Gold Coast burger’ often mix the two up, so here are the facts.
Who Ben O’Donoghue is. He’s a chef and TV presenter, born on 22 May 1970 in England and raised in Port Hedland and Perth. He worked at The River Café in London and was head chef at Monte’s with Jamie Oliver. In 2003 he co-hosted ABC’s Surfing the Menu with Curtis Stone, and he has written several barbecue cookbooks published by Hardie Grant (source: Wikipedia).
What happened to Billykart. Billykart Kitchen in Annerley, Brisbane, was sold in July 2021. In April 2023, administrators were appointed to the company behind Billykart West End, at 2 Edmonston St, West End, which was owned by Ben and Dee O’Donoghue. Concrete Playground lists the West End venue as closed.
Bender’s Bar. O’Donoghue and Ben Roberts opened Bender’s Bar, an 80-seat casual burger pub at 56 Boundary St, South Brisbane/West End, billed as ‘the casual sibling to Billykart’. The opening was announced for 25 October 2019 and pushed back to 7 November 2019. Billykart’s cheeseburger was one of the five burgers on its menu. Concrete Playground now lists it as closed.
Later role. O’Donoghue was announced as executive chef of Establishment 203, an Italian steakhouse in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, which opened in late November 2023 (InDaily Queensland). I couldn’t verify his role in 2026.
Best burgers in Burleigh Heads and on the Gold Coast
Ze Pickle is the burger bar the press mentions most in Burleigh Heads. In January 2022, Experience Gold Coast, the official tourism site, put it first in its roundup of the Gold Coast’s best burgers. The same list included Crafty’s, Milky Lane, Burgster, Longboards, Brooklyn Depot and Eddie’s Grub House. That list is nearly five years old and I haven’t re-checked the others, so confirm they’re still open before you go.
For verified addresses across the city, start from our guide to the best burgers on the Gold Coast. Ze Pickle is the first venue it covers.
How Ze Pickle compares with Australia’s burger chains
Ze Pickle is an independent bar with a single venue. It makes its own sauce, pours craft beer and changes its menu, which the chains don’t. Australia’s biggest burger chain, Hungry Jack’s, is the local name for Burger King and plays a different game: national menus and value pricing. Our Hungry Jack’s brand profile covers its history and figures. At A$23 a burger, Ze Pickle costs more, and you go for a sit-down burger and a beer in Burleigh, not a drive-through stop.
Ze Pickle FAQ
Who founded Ze Pickle?
Three friends with hospitality backgrounds, named as Nathan, JD and Aaron, founded Ze Pickle in Burleigh Heads in 2012 (In Noosa Magazine).
Is Ze Pickle still open on the Gold Coast, and where is it?
Yes. As of 29 October 2026, Ze Pickle is open at 1/37 Connor Street, Burleigh Heads QLD 4220, its only listed location.
Did Ze Pickle close its Brisbane restaurants?
Yes. Fortitude Valley closed in February 2024 after about nine years, and Camp Hill closed on 17 March 2024 (Concrete Playground). The official site no longer lists any Brisbane venue.
What is the Triple Loco burger at Ze Pickle and how much does it cost?
The Triple Loco costs A$59 (checked 29 Oct 2026). It has three 150 g beef patties, triple American cheese and triple maple smoked bacon, plus smoked jalapeños, fried onion straws, mum’s slaw, ‘health’ and ZP sauce.
Does Ze Pickle take bookings?
No. Ze Pickle doesn’t take bookings, but you can order takeaway online through its website.
What are the best burgers in Burleigh Heads?
Ze Pickle is the burger bar the press mentions most in Burleigh Heads, and Experience Gold Coast listed it first in its 2022 Gold Coast burger roundup. Start with the Chee-ze (A$23).
Is Billykart on the Gold Coast?
No. Ben O’Donoghue’s Billykart was in Brisbane, in Annerley and West End. Billykart Kitchen Annerley was sold in July 2021, and the West End venue is listed as closed.
More Queensland burger coverage
Heading north? My profile of Ochre restaurant in Cairns covers its kangaroo burger and native Australian ingredients. For more cities and guides, browse the Restaurants section.
Sources
- Ze Pickle official site, menu and prices (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Ze Pickle official locations and hours (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- Concrete Playground, Ze Pickle Camp Hill closing (12 Mar 2024)
- In Noosa Magazine, The Point of the Pickle (Dec 2021)
- Experience Gold Coast, Gold Coast’s best burgers (4 Jan 2022)
- Good Food, Ze Pickle Surry Hills opening (2016)
- Wikipedia, Ben O’Donoghue
- Hospitality Magazine, Ben O’Donoghue opens Brisbane burger bar (17 Oct 2019)
- Concrete Playground, Bender’s Bar
- Concrete Playground, Billykart West End
- InDaily Queensland, Establishment 203 (1 Sep 2023)
