Broadbeach is an incredibly popular suburb on the Gold Coast that is renowned for its large range of quality restaurants and relaxed vibe. Here you will find a mix of shopping, dining, and nightlife, with easy-to-access parks and beachfront.
Icons of the area are The Star, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Broadbeach CBD and Surf Parade for its restaurants, and the beachfront where you’ll find parkland with barbecues and playgrounds, the Kurrawa Surf Club with the beach itself featuring patrolled areas for safe swimming.
Things to do in Broadbeach
Major attractions in the area include Star Casino (24hr) which offers a full range of casino games and slot machines but more than that it’s also a popular entertainment venue featuring several bars, live shows, and in-house restaurants.
Nearby is Pacific Fair, one of the largest shopping malls in the region offering a huge array of big brand stores, fashion, lots of casual eateries, supermarkets, and much more.
Directly across from Pacific Fair is Dracula’s Cabaret Restaurant offering nightly show and dinner packages.
The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre sits right in the center of Broadbeach and here you’ll find regular exhibitions, live performances, and shows.
At the heart of the Broadbeach CBD is Surf Parade with the section from Federation Park in the north through to Margaret Street in the south lined with cafes, restaurants, boutique stores, and more. It is for sure one of the number one foodie streets on the GC.
After all that entertainment and foraging you’ll probably need to chill for a bit. Broadbeach has several peaceful parks perfect for lazing the hours away with a book, some family fun time, or even a BBQ at the on-site facilities.
Kurrawa Beach is a perfect spot for relaxing, beach sports, and more. It’s a patrolled beach with lifeguards on duty to keep you safe while swimming, for safety info and lifeguard operating times see beachsafe.org.au/../broadbeach
See our complete list of attractions and things to do in Broadbeach and all things to do, sights, and attractions in the region.
The suburb is home to the hugely popular Blues on Broadbeach Music Festival which runs during May and hosts top local and international artists. For country music fans, in June there’s a lineup of top country music artists in town for the Groundwater Country Music Festival.
For more upcoming events on the Gold Coast and Broadbeach see our monthly what’s on guide.
Restaurants & Cafes
Broadbeach is a food lovers paradise abounding with tapas bars, fine dining, and casual dining. So, where to start? Here are my top picks for eating out in Broadbeach.
The Top Restaurants in Broadbeach
- Nero Dining – Spanish and Italian style modern Australian menu – 3/1 Sunshine Boulevard
- Iyara Thai – 2643 Gold Coast Hwy, Sierra Grand
- Social eating house + bar – international tapas/shared plate menu – Oracle Boulevard
- Mamasan Kitchen & Bar – Pan-Asian dining experience – 3 Oracle Bvd
- The Cardamom Pod – Vegetarian – U 1 2685 Gold Coast Hwy
- The Cuban – flavours inspired by Latin America, Spain, and the Caribbean – Cnr Surf Parade & Elizabeth Ave
- Yellowfin Seafood Restaurant – Award-winning seafood restaurant – Shop 6, 20 Queensland Ave
- Kiyomi – Japanese cuisine – Star Gold Coast
- Mario’s Italian Restaurant – authentic and modern Italian cuisine – The Oasis Broadbeach Mall
See our complete list of Dining & Nightlife in Broadbeach
The Best Coffee in Broadbeach
Here are my top three picks for an amazing espresso coffee in Broadbeach
- No Name Lane – Elizabeth Avenue
- Elk Espresso – 16 Chelsea Ave
- Three Beans – 90 Surf Parade
Shopping in Broadbeach
Along with being a foodie’s heaven, it’s also a paradise for shoppers. Let’s uncover the top shopping areas in Broadbeach.
Let’s start with the biggest, which is Pacific Fair, a large sprawling indoor and outdoor mall that is an easy place to while away the best part of the day simply wandering, browsing, and snacking. It features many major retailers and brands such as Calvin Klein, BVLGARI, Carla Zampatti, Chanel, Coach, Country Road, Diesel, David Jones, Ella Bache, Fossil, Georg Jenson, Givenchy, Gucci, H & M, Hermes, Harrolds, Hugo Boss, Kiehl’s, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Sephora and man, many more.
In the central area of Broadbeach in-between all the cafes and restaurants along Surf Parade you’ll find some boutique fashion stores.
Victoria Avenue which comes off Surf Parade offers a relaxed pedestrian street known as Broadbeach Mall featuring shopping options on either side and a fun carousel for the kids. Niecon Plaza is a small shopping plaza offering some tasty cafes, a bookstore, and some other services. Opposite Niecon is the much larger Oasis Shopping Centre which features a range of fashion retailers, beauty services, cafes, discount stores, travel agencies and a major supermarket, Woolworths. You can also catch the monorail from here which takes you directly to Star Casino.
One block south of the Oasis Centre you’ll discover Oracle Boulevard which is a stylish new modern development featuring top espresso shops, men’s and women’s fashion plus homewares.
See our complete list of the best shopping on the Gold Coast.
Bars and Nightlife
An undeniably popular place is The Star Casino, featuring regular live shows and the ever-popular starting point for a night out on the Gold Coast, the Atrium Bar. From there the action centers around Surf Parade where you’ll find dining & lounge bars and two very popular nightclubs where you can keep it going to the early hours.
Here are my top picks.
Bars
- KOI Dining and Lounge Bar – Cnr Albert Ave & Surf Pde
- The Envy Hotel – Niecon Tower, Victoria Av
- Atrium Bar – Star Casino
NightClubs
- Love Nightlife – Albert Avenue, Niecon Plaza
- Platinum – Albert Avenue, Niecon Plaza
See our complete list of Dining & Nightlife on the Gold Coast
Transport
Public transport runs along the Gold Coast Highway including the G:Link Tram and public buses.
G:Link – the Gold Coast light rail service has two stations here
- Broadbeach South station – near to Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast Hwy.
- Broadbeach North station – near to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
Public Bus – the most commonly used bus stops
- Pacific Fair – on the ground floor there is a major bus transport hub, from here you can get to just about anywhere
- Broadbeach South station – near to Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast Hwy.
- Broadbeach North station – near to the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
See here for more about public transport on the Gold Coast
Broadbeach Accommodation
Broadbeach accommodation features a range of options including hotels, high-rise apartments, holiday apartments/resorts, and motels. There are a lot of family-friendly options here.
Here are my top picks for places to stay in Broadbeach
Meriton Serviced Apartments Broadbeach
Great location with indoor and outdoor pool, a sauna, hot tub, fitness centre, and ocean views – 2669 Gold Coast Highway
The Star Grand at The Star Gold Coast
The hotel guest amenities include pool, spa, gym, sauna which is complemented by the casino, bars, and 7 restaurants all at your feet.
Also See: top ten picks for places to stay in Broadbeach
Broadbeach Map
Let’s bring it all together, here is the best of Broadbeach map featuring attractions, restaurants & cafes, bars, nightclubs, and places to stay.