If there’s a food truck involved, you know it’s an event worth going to. In fact, we’re rather partial to frequenting a market/festival/wedding/birthday/anything really purely because our fave food trucks will be on-site serving up their drooly awesome goodness.

We’re unpacking 9 of the best local food trucks, so grab a pen #OldSchoolLike and start scrawling your to-eat list now!

The Weiner Haus
The Wiener Haus is a GC-based food truck (and diner!) dishin’ up gourmet hot doggies and good vibes with a side of tongue in cheek…and das ist wunderbar! Offering authentic German Kranskies loaded with a variety of gourmet toppings, the Coast’s original food truck opened in 2013 and quickly became an institution. I mean, who doesn’t dig a German sausage?
Our pick: MAGNUM P.I. – Hawaiian Style with pineapple, bacon, sour cream & tasty cheese
Where to find them: At markets and festivals from Brisbane to Byron Bay. Diner located at Stockland Burleigh Heads, 149 West Burleigh Road, Burleigh Waters

Notorious E.A.T. Foodtruck
With a tagline “sicker than yo average catering” yeah, they kinda have our attention. Started in 2017 by Chef Jemma Wickham and now joined by fellow Chef Dan Fox, NOTORIOUS E.A.T. serves up mouth-watering burgers and other gourmet street food with THE COOLEST 90s rap inspired names. You’ll always find Jem or Dan on deck (or on the decks…) and nothing beats a hands-on team!
Our pick: Straight Outta Chooklyn Burger
Where to find them: Black Hops II, Nobby Beach Holiday Park, Candana Brewing, Brendale Brewing, Bardown Bowls, Glow Church

Hungarian Food Factory
For an authentic Hungarian street food experience including the ultimate langos creations, Hungarian Food Factor has been delivering a multicultural experience for seven mouth-watering years. Committed to sourcing the highest quality local ingredients, keep your eyes peeled for the red, white and green Hungarian flag at your next festival or market.
Our pick: Avocado Lovers Langos.
Where to find them: Various markets and events across the Gold Coast, check their instagram for the latest.

BUBBO dessert
The first Hong Kong-style bubble waffle/eggette brand in Australia, BUBBO’s yummos look as spectacular as they taste! The ultimate comfort food with a crispy outside and chewy inside, BUBBO cooks up combinations of flavoured waffle bases and assorted ice creams, sprinkled with various fruits and toppings…filled with all kinds of tasty and textured surprises!
Our pick: The Classic Original Waffle
Where to find them: Moonlight Night Markets at Dreamworld

House of Poffertjes
If mini-Dutch pancakes are your love language, then same – and let’s live happily ever after… No, but really, House of Poffertjes dishes out pure lurve in the form of the fluffiest, batter-iest, Dutch-iest treats ever served. They’re fresh, flavoursome, SO worth the calories, and always served with a smile.
Our pick: Traditional with butter icing sugar and syrup
Find them at: Moonlight Night Market at Dreamworld

Burger Lane Co
No prizes for guessing what this local fave food truck’s (not so) secret weapon is! With unbelievably tasty high-quality burgers, unfaultable service and owners who are totes down to earth and keen to interact with their customers, what’s not to love?! If you see it, do your tastebuds a favour and indulge!
Our pick: Southern Fried Chicken. If you know, you KNOW!
Where to find them: White Oat Distillery, Black Hops & Black Hops II and Balter Brewery. Opening soon in Paradise Point!

Vagabond Foods Truck
If there’s one thing we know, it’s always Bao-O-Clock. You win some, you dim sum, and the legends at Vagabond Foods Truck know a trend when they see it (or cook it). There’s no such thing as a flat bao here, with cloud-like dough and the tastiest fillings providing the ultimate texture mash-up. What more can we say other than we’re crazy ‘bao this food truck?
Our pick: Crabbin Out Bao
Where to find then: Moonlight Night Market at Dreamworld

OMG Decadent Donuts
The name kinda says it all with no further spruiking required. OMG not only caters to food allergies and intolerances, but also addresses cultural and religious considerations having certifications from Vegan Australia, Kosher Australia and the Halal Authority of Australia. Australian-owned with 100% natural and locally sourced products, what’s left to say other than OMG?!
Our pick: Berry Sinful Donut
Where to find them: Surfers Paradise Beachfront Markets, Burleigh Farmers Market, Gold Coast Vegan Market & Currumbin Community Market

Micasa Burger Truck
Just look for the epic Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace Pulp Fiction-esk truck and you’ve found the iconic Mi Casa! The owner, an international chef and catering guru, creates mesmerising American street food items at the speed of light, with Micasa holding the title as the first food truck in Australia to enable customers to order – and not wait around for their nosh. Hallelujah!
Our pick: Jules Burger
Where to find them: Moonlight Night Market at Dreamworld

Words by Bianca Trathen.

In the words of a wise man from the 90s; Stop, collaborate and listen. Friends, we’ve discovered something super special here – and it is not where you might expect.

Curious? You should be.

Harry’s Dining, an amazing noshery located in the G.O.R.G over 65s village Esprit de Vie in Mermaid Waters, is dripping in style and chef-kissed eats and sips.

Loaded with all the aesthetic and palate friendly goodness you’d expect from any on-trend restaurant, this joint is wowing patrons of every vintage.

Whether you’re popping in for brekky, settling in for a long lunch, or gathering the troops for a moonlight munch, one thing’s for sure; at Harry’s, every meal is not only scrumdiddlyocious, but also a genuinely down-right heartwarming experience.

Led by the culinary wizard himself, Head Chef Jason Wood (or as he is known, ‘Yes Chef’ because who’s going to argue with a man who’s cooked on cruise ships?), Harry’s Dining serves up more than just great food.

From the moment you walk in, you’re greeted with an atmosphere that’s as warm as a Sunday roast (and yeah, they do that – keep reading!) and as inviting as a freshly poured cocktail (yep, plenty of those too).

The interiors are the icing on the cake; beautiful, modern yet inviting, comfortable, and lively. They were aiming for a local feel full of friends and family and after visiting this warm hug of a venue, we can confirm we may never leave (do they offer sleepovers?).

Back to the food, let’s talk about the signature feed: the Humpty Doo Barramundi. Perfectly grilled and dressed to impress with gremolata, pickled ginger, and a luxurious champagne cream, it’s a dish that’s ‘reeling in’ rave reviews.

And if you time your visit right, you can score a deal on ‘Barramonday’ (get it – barra on a Monday) because srsly, Mondays should have at least one redeeming quality.

Of course, Harry’s Dining knows variety is the spice of life, which is why every day is a reason to return.

In addition to their sensational menu, there are daily specials beyond Barramondays, and they go a little something like this: Tuesdays are all about beef pie, on Wednesdays they wear pink (joking – they serve all-time burgers), and on Thursdays, take your taste buds on a world tour exploring cuisines around the globe.

Fridays are all about fish and chips, Saturdays are for steak lovers, and Sundays? Obvs, they’re reserved for the ultimate trad fam staple; Harry’s EPIC roast dinner.

Whilst the specials are off the chain good, the sky is the limit because the standard menu is stacked with crowd-pleasers for AM, PM and PMM (post post meridiam -aka night) with every meal feeling like a greatest hits album – back-to-back bangers.

So, we’ve established the food is all time but let’s not forget the real magic of Harry’s Dining – the people.

Here, it’s about sharing moments, making memories, and never having to justify ordering dessert (because life’s too short to say no to cake).

Whether you’re a local, a friend, or just someone with an appetite for ten-outta-ten Nosh, great chats, and great times, Harry’s Dining is calling your name, your parents’/grandparents’ names, and legit; All.Of.The.Names!

Where: 100 Lakeview Boulevard, Mermaid Waters
When: 7am – 7pm Monday to Sunday
Website: harrysdining.com.au
Instagram: @harrysdining

Words by Bianca Trathen
Images by Mathilde Bouby

Push your shakeable pancake mix to the side — you deserve more. In fact, you deserve the best. Save yourself the hassle of heating up the frying pan: here is where you can have a heap of perfectly cooked pancakes on the Gold Coast placed right in front of you with an impressive medley of toppings and extras.

Now, it’s up to you to decide which pancake style stacks your excitement the most (all of them can be your answer).

Sens Fusion
Looking for the perfect souffle pancake? We’ve found it! Sens Fusion is flipping the script with light-as-air Japanese soufflé pancakes. Whether you’re team sweet or savoury, these viral pillows of deliciousness are worth the wait. Trust us, you’ll be on cloud nine with their fluffing amazing pancakes! We went for the OG, served with melted butter and maple syrup, but if you’re feeling decadent, we’d suggest the Matcha Souffle served with matcha cream, matcha crumble and matcha ice cream. Get ’em while they’re hot—and fluffy!
Where:  129 Queen Street, Southport

Milkman’s Daughter
What’s not to get in a crush over at the Milkman’s Daughter? Apart from pouring epic coffee and being one of Mermaid Beach’s best hangouts, they are serving up pancakes you have to see to believe. The Lemon Ricotta Pancakes are bathed in vanilla turmeric custard, passionfruit reduction and topped with pistachios and edible flowers. The healthiest AND tastiest pancakes ever to exist? Quite possibly!
Where: 2/43 Alfred Street, Mermaid Beach

Kefi Cafe
Drop everything and pick up your fork. You can now have your cake and eat it in pancake form, all while getting a coffee hit! You heard correctly. Kefi is trying to put us in a food coma with their tiramisu-inspired Kefi Hotcake. We’re talking about coffee-infused pancakes topped with caramel, chocolate soil, maple syrup, mascarpone, and whipped Kahlua. We consent!
Where: 110 Marine Pde, Coolangatta

Chut & Co
Don’t let the title ‘pancake tacos’ confuse you- we’re not about to mix taco spices with maple syrup. However, we are about to tell you that Chut & Co have reimagined the perfect way to present pancakes; in a taco stand. It’s three little buttermilk pancakes, all in a row, piped generously with vanilla mascarpone and topped with raspberries, strawberries and an Oreo crumble. Who knew pancakes could be taco-licious?
Where: Mermaid Plaza, 2400 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach

Hudson and Rosie’s Table
Spoiler alert- these are the best pancakes on the Gold Coast. Sorry, you can’t contest, for this is a fact. These banoffee pancakes are truly bananas! Let me set the scene; the pillow-like ricotta pancakes are lush, standing tall on your plate and soaked in and surrounded by fresh banana toffee, maple pecan crumble and fresh berries. A velvety scoop of espresso mascarpone cream sits atop, proud and donned with pretty flowers. You reach your last mouthful and wonder, can life get better than this?
Where: 106 Alexander Drive, Highland Park

Palm Springs
If it’s a sweet treat you want, then it’s a sweet treat you’ll get. They call it the ‘palm pancakes‘, which sounds innocent enough. But Palm Springs wasn’t flippin around when they decided to conjure up this plate of pleasure: a deep-dish buttermilk vanilla pancake, dulce de leche with vanilla ice cream and Biscoff crumble. Pick your jaw up off the floor—you have a table reservation to make.
Where: 1878 Gold Coast Highway, Burleigh Heads

Hot Shott
You thought food combos peaked at cronuts and cruffins, didn’t you? Don’t worry, we did too. Until we discovered the valhalla of food combinations; a cinnamon scroll meets pancake. We’re not spinning fiction, although it does sound like a fairytale. Hot Shott has combined two of life’s greatest edible pleasures to deliver their cinnamon scroll buttermilk pancakes with vanilla ice cream, roasted macadamia, mixed berries and maple syrup. One word: cinna-mazing.
Where: 3/17 Tedder Avenue, Main Beach

Pancake Diner
Of course, we had to include a chocolate pancake edition on our list! Who are we, the Grinch? Then we thought, if we’re going for chocolate, why not make it a black forest? The Pancake Diners black forest-inspired stack starts with two chocolate pancakesserved with fresh strawberries, blueberries, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream with chocolate fudge, and chocolate chips. Because if you’re going to indulge, why not make it decadent?
Where: 16/221 Christine Avenue, Burleigh Heads

Pancakes on the Rocks
The humble apple crumble has been flipped. It’s your nan’s specialty, taken to a new level by Pancakes on the Rocks. Imagine buttermilk pancakes so fluffy they could make clouds jealous, crowned with marinated apples and a dollop of cream and ice cream. As if that wasn’t enough, a homemade crumble adds a crunchy, sweet finish. If you don’t feel like betraying sweet granny on this occasion or feel something a bit more savoury, their crepes are equally delicious!
Where: 4 The Esplanade, Shop T1.31, Surfers Paradise

No Name Lane
It’s a classic: the mixed-berry pancake stack. What a crowd-pleaser! While perfect as is, No Name Lane has made a good thing great, adding some seriously mouth-watering editions. Keeping a classic base, they top the perfect pancake rounds with mixed berry compote, mascarpone, vanilla anglaise, cinnamon crumble, white wine glaze, and vanilla ice cream. They’re berry-nice. Te-he!
Where: 16 Charles Ave, Broadbeach

Words by Chelsea Ipsen