Alfresco Italian Restaurant presents Surfers Paradise with a glimpse of Naples through its frescos of the Amalfi Coast, its authentic Southern Italian cuisine and its bustling friendly service. It’s the casual dining restaurant celebrities keep coming back to, a place where locals like us are made to feel like family. Little could Raffaele Velardo have...

UPDATE May 2015: The crowds have settled a little, but The Marketta Street Food Market is still a happening event. There’s been the welcome addition of a souvlaki stall and there’s a real family feel happening in this now twice-weekly event (Friday and Saturday nights). Our favourite dining time is still early enough to avoid...

UPDATE, March 2016: Spaghetti & Jazz is now open for Breakfast and lunch Tuesday – Sunday. Lunch special includes two courses and a glass of wine for $29.00 Spaghetti & Jazz: the name may be quirky, but the restaurant is not. Situated on the ground level of a set of suburban shops in Robina, Spaghetti...

UPDATE January 2015: 26,000 pizzas and counting! The Star Gold Coast’s own Italian restaurant Cucina Vivo has ticked off two milestones this month with the famed wood fired pizza oven churning out its 25,000th pizza coinciding with the venue’s first birthday. While the Prosciutto e Arugula is the most popular pizza, the Nutella pizza has...

Dressed up for date night, coiffed, perfumed, accessorised. Should I pack my camera? It’s our fifth wedding anniversary and The Main Squeeze has managed to keep the venue a secret. “Be ready at 5pm,” was all he’d said. I cast my memory back to our first date. Dressed up, coiffed, perfumed and accessorised, I’d anticipated...

NOTE: Alfresco closed on 16 September 2012, continuing their business at Alfresco Italian Restaurant across the street. We were deeply saddened that Tony Velardo passed away on 14 September 2014. His passion for life, his warm welcome to all their clients and his sense of fun will be remembered by so many people with great...

Looking for a ‘go to’ casual BYO/Licensed restaurant with reliably good food and service? For many who live on the north side of the Gold Coast, Lambar is a favourite. Cosy and warmly welcoming, there are intimate touches which draw us in: the beckoning glow of a fairy light heart in the window, a cosy...

Excitement! There’s no other way to describe my reaction to the news of Gemelli’s opening. Hand-kneaded, thrown dough, wood-fired, handmade pasta… the words bring little ripples of anticipation. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to food. Yes, I enjoy experimentation, but let’s not kid ourselves that incongruent ingredients improve a regional dish! And let’s not...