10 October 2023
17 mins Read
Waterfront dining has long been synonymous with a sun-soaked Noosa escape. But while sitting pretty over the beach and river, or along Hastings Street’s best eateries, will never lose its uber-glamorous appeal, an impressive crop of inland eateries is making waves. From you-won’t-believe-it’s-vegetarian extravaganzas to pizza so authentically Italian you’ll forget where you’re holidaying, Noosa restaurants just keep getting better.
The style: Italian pizzas and antipasti dished up in a casual setting.
The quality: Two-day fermented organic dough is lovingly kneaded and woodfired into the best pizza in Noosa at Somedays Pizza, confirmed entirely by the mountains of takeaway boxes you’ll spy flying non-stop out of the kitchen of an evening. Choose from a red or white base at this Noosa restaurant, lashed generously with toppings artfully buddied up for maximum flavour hits.
Pizza and wine make a good pair. (Image: Somedays Pizza)
The 13-inch ‘Somedays’ had me at free-range pork and fennel sausage, while the Wagyu’s wagyu bresaola and crushed potato also stands out. And that all-important base? A chubby, blistery curve gives way to a thinner centre slapped with just the right amount of those incredible toppings without it all falling into a heap on your lap.
The location: Smack bang in the emerging Noosa Junction foodie scene and providing plenty of people watching, grabbing an al fresco table feels like the place to be.
The service: Exceptional. If the food wasn’t so good, you’d come back for the team’s kind, passionate hospitality alone.
The overall experience: Family-friendly dining elevated via serious attention to detail. A high-spirited, unpretentious must-visit whenever you’re in Noosa.
Satisfy your pizza cravings. (Image: Somedays Pizza)
Address: Shop 2/3 Sunshine Beach Road, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Dinner only. Monday to Thursday, 5 pm until late and Friday to Sunday, 4 pm until late.
The style: White linen-set, modern Australian dining focused on fresh seafood and splashed with Sri Lankan influences.
The quality: Shining a light on local produce and ingredients, ALBA by Kuruvita is yet another triumphant project from Chef Peter Curuvita. Famed for his work at Flying Fish in Sydney and Fiji, plus the eight years he spent finessing Noosa Beach House (which features further down our list), Chef Peter and his team’s delicate masterstrokes with crustaceans are worth the hype – and then there’s the accompanying sauces and curries you won’t find anywhere else.
Chef’s Sri Lankan Snapper Curry, which rose to fame in this neck of the woods over at Noosa Beach House, has been refined to perfection, while the Black Pork Chop Curry precisely pairs heat with stacked flavours.
Dive into mouthwatering meals oozing with flavours. (Image: ALBA by Kuruvita)
The location: Positioned at the end of a high-end residential cul-de-sac, home to Parkridge Noosa’s premium apartments and townhouses, this Noosa restaurant is surrounded by lush lawns, swaying palms and manicured gardens. It’s secluded and extra special.
The service: Endlessly professional. These guys know fine dining and how to nail being attentive without hovering.
The overall experience: An elegant dining experience packed with unrivalled flavour bombs that feels miles away from Noosa’s tourist traps.
The restaurant has a bright and airy atmosphere. (Image: ALBA by Kuruvita)
Address: 3 Alba Close, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Lunch Friday and Saturday, 12 pm to 3 pm. Dinner Monday to Saturday, from 5 pm.
The style: Casual Italian-inspired dining in an al fresco setting.
The quality: Catering to families, large groups and travellers on their way into Noosa proper, The Doonan is a multi-faceted dining space just outside of town. Drawing comparisons to The Grounds in Sydney due to the sheer extent of the space, the bar is set high right across the two-acre property. Its restaurant is The Doonan’s beating heart, serving up delicious share plates, pub classics prepared with care and flair, several grilled meat options and a generous scattering of seafood right throughout the menu. The pizzeria across the other end of the main complex is obviously full Italian, serving up fluffy bases loaded with locally sourced ingredients and gelato.
The location: You’re about a 15 to 20-minute drive from Hastings Street so if you’re craving a change of scenery away from the coast, this is the perfect option.
The service: Delightful and patient. I struggled to choose between two lovely-sounding chardonnays on the menu and my waiter walked me through the pros and cons before offering me tastes of both. The vibe may be chilled at this Noosa restaurant but this team is beyond attentive.
The overall experience: A charming dose of country hospitality set far enough (but not too far) away from the heavy crowds of Noosa’s main strip.
Address: 6 Beddington Road, Doonan
Opening hours: Lunch and dinner daily. Monday to Friday, 11 am to 2.30 pm and 5 pm to 8.30 pm. Saturday and Sunday, 11 am to 8.30 pm.
The style: Luxe modern Australian dining with a spotlight fixed firmly on fresh seafood and local produce.
The quality: Given all ingredients are sourced fresh and direct from Australian shores, Rickys offers a unique culinary adventure on every plate. If you’re seafood obsessed, you can’t go past the Mooloolaba king prawns with roasted cabbage and black garlic yuzu or the local white fish fillet with a prawn bisque. Otherwise, the roasted duck breast with salt baked baby beetroot is melt-in-your-mouth magnificent and the seasonal desserts are all too irresistible to overlook.
Indulge in a waterfront dining experience at Rickys.
The location: Unbeatable. Long renowned as one of the best restaurants in Noosa for so many reasons, Rickys’ position on the Noosa River is pure spectacular and gushed about long after your visit to the region wraps.
The service: Slick and full of experience. They’re warm and chatty if you need them to be, but also very happy to drift into the background if you’re here to focus solely on those sensational views and your dining buddies.
The overall experience: Delivering elegant riverside fare at an easy, breezy pace, Rickys is a quintessential Noosa holiday experience.
Rickys offers a unique culinary adventure on every plate.
Address: 2 Quamby Place, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Lunch and dinner Wednesday to Sunday, 12 pm until late.
The style: Imaginative vegetarian and vegan cuisine (bar one helluva smoked beef brisket) in a contemporary, casual setting.
The quality: Most of it is plant-based but don’t go thinking grumbling bellies won’t be silenced at Herbert. Ringing in a new generation of slick vegetarian and vegan food, so creative and lovingly prepared they look the part of a several-hatted restaurant, this Noosa restaurant has been generating serious buzz since opening its doors in early 2021. Don’t miss the heavenly Herbert dip of smoked sweetcorn, almond, chives and chilli before diving into the likes of crumbed baked eggplant, crispy oyster mushrooms, a Chinese-inspired mapo tofu with black sesame ice cream (genius) and the menu’s sole carnivore offering, the smoked beef brisket with corn polenta. The cocktails are equally wild, particularly the Pot Plant shaken with bourbon and served in a terracotta pot and topped with edible soil and fresh herbs. Too good.
Meat eaters prepare to have your mind blown.
The location: In the centre of the trendy Noosa Junction, so you’re about a five-minute drive up the hill from Hastings Street.
The service: As impassioned as the food. These guys clearly love what they do because they’re great at it all.
The overall experience: If you’re a meat eater, prepare to have your mind blown. This is hearty, soul-warming and surprising food you won’t find anywhere else in Queensland.
Herbert is ringing in a new generation of slick vegetarian and vegan food.
Address: 1 Arcadia Street, Shop 2 and 3, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Dinner Sunday to Thursday, 5 pm until late. Lunch and dinner Friday and Saturday, 12 pm to 3 pm and 5 pm until late.
The style: Modern Asian fusion in a lively yet casual setting.
The quality: Dominated by delicious Thai influences, the menu at Sum Yung Guys is crammed with rich spices and the freshest of herbs. Utilising local produce where possible, the team bring a distinct coastal energy to traditional dishes including prawn toast done with Mooloolaba bad boys and fried rice with Hervey Bay scallops. The ‘Crying Tiger’ short rib is another stand out, as is the beef rendang with coconut, cucumber and shallots. Don’t miss their very own Sum Yung Guys Lager poured on tap and plenty of other crafty winners on their extensive booze menu.
The location: It’s quieter in Noosaville but that’s precisely why locals love it. This Noosa restaurant is positioned within a little cluster of shops and cafes, just a 10-minute drive from Hastings Street.
The service: Put simply, the team is thoroughly Noosa – laid-back and effortlessly charming.
The overall experience: Believe the buzz. Sum Yung Guys’ more-the-merrier vibes guarantees a great time any way you carve it.
Address: 1/205 Weyba Road, Noosaville
Opening hours: Lunch and dinner daily, 12 pm to 2.30 pm and 5 pm to 8.45 pm.
The style: Light Years is a low-key spot offering a modern and playful take on Asian cooking.
The quality: Visitors will relish in delectable dishes at this Noosa restaurant while surrounded by soothing beachy interiors. Make sure to order the crowd-favourite kingfish ceviche seasoned with coconut, chilli and kaffir lime, or if you want something with an extra kick, try the mee goreng spiced fire cracker chicken, slathered with a signature sauce and topped with crushed peanuts and Thai basil.
The menu is also jammed with an unmissable range of vegan and gluten-free options, such as wild truffled mushroom dumplings, miso caramel eggplant, cumin-spiced fried cauliflower and more. Pair your meal with one of their amazing cocktails for the ultimate indulgence. The vibes are so good, there are further Light Years outlets in Burleigh Heads, Byron Bay and Newcastle.
The stylish interiors at Noosa’s Light Years Asian Bar & Restaurant really elevates the dining experience.
The location: Just two doors down from Somedays Pizza, Light Years has secured prime real estate in Noosa’s buzzy Junction culinary scene.
The service: Friendly, knowledgeable and fast. All those small dishes coming out of the kitchen get to tables quickly even when it’s pumping in there.
The overall experience: Dine on delicious flavour-packed fare inside a funky, beachy space.
Light Years packs a punch with delicious flavour-packed fare. (Image: Megann Evans)
Address: 1 Sunshine Beach Road, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Dinner Monday to Friday, 4.45 pm until 10 pm. Lunch and dinner Saturday and Sunday, 12 pm until 10 pm.
The style: Trendy South-East Asian fare made to be devoured with large groups.
The quality: The incredible menu at Bang Bang is bursting with fresh and vibrant flavours while guests are immersed in a moody space dotted with chandeliers, candles and distressed plaster walls. Dig into a Thai-style curry, ‘Big Bang’ meat and fish dishes or ‘Little Bang’ light plates or opt for the ‘Bang-quet’ and have the kitchen bring out five or seven delectable courses accompanied by rice and a Som Tum green papaya salad. The Harvest Moon cocktail, with gin, elderflower, kaffir lime, lemongrass and fruit, is the perfect palate-cleansing accompaniment but to be fair, there’s a whole drinks menu worth sampling. The flavour combos are all uniquely genius at Bang Bang, hands down one of the best restaurants in Noosa.
The location: You’re in the centre of Hastings Street, so rolling the good times onto its kicking bar scene will be a total cinch.
The service: They’re fast-moving and attentive, keen to get your dishes out to you as quickly as possible.
The overall experience: Bang Bang transports you to an uber-chic Melbourne restaurant while retaining those relaxed Sunny Coast vibes.
Address: 6/32 Hastings Street, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Lunch and dinner Friday to Sunday, 12 pm to 10 pm. Dinner Monday to Thursday, 5 pm to 10 pm.
The style: Chic beachfront Pan-Asian-inspired dining.
The quality: For the most iconic Noosa dining experience to write home about, we’re sending you down the Main Beach boardwalk to Bistro C. There are few places on Australia’s coast where you can enjoy a well-put-together meal and a glass of good wine just steps away from the surf.
If the exclamation-inducing location isn’t enough, this Noosa restaurant’s chic interiors (and that view) will instantly calm you. But the food is all-out wonderful. Blending Indian, Japanese, Chinese, and even more Asian influences, Bistro C’s dishes are designed with total adoration for all things packed with spice and flavour. Plus, the seafood is fresh and the kids’ menu has its own mocktail list. The crowdpleasers keep coming right across the board.
Bistro C serves an array of mouthwatering dishes and refreshments. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)
The location: A killer spot for weddings and functions, Bistro C is right on the beach offering uninterrupted views and good vibes from day to night.
The service: Busy, but always ready with a smile. When you’ve got Main Beach as your backdrop, what’s not to smile about?
The overall experience: A must-tick off if you’re keen on the total Noosa dining package. There’s a distinct electricity at this Noosa restaurant that you won’t find elsewhere.
Bistro C couldn’t be more ‘Noosa’ if it tried.
Address: 49 Hastings Street, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Lunch and dinner daily, 11 am until late.
The style: Italian fine dining in a romantic, moody setting.
The quality: Whipping up authentic Italian fare using the region’s finest produce and ingredients, Locale is a standout Noosa restaurant surrounded by beautiful tropical gardens.
Handmade pasta, in-house focaccia, classic antipasto and a traditional raw selection can all be found on the menu, with favourites including venison tenderloin carpaccio, veal and anchovy croquettes sourced from the Northern Rivers, squid ink tagliatelle and slow roasted White Pyrenees lamb shoulder. But the food is knock-out no matter your choice, paired perfectly with an expertly curated wine list.
Locale ought to be on your radar. (Image: Catharina Thuemling)
The location: You’re metres away from Main Beach but this Hastings Street spot manages to carve out its own sanctuary, sheltered from all the action.
The service: The team is passionate and confident, exactly what you’d expect from a restaurant this good.
The overall experience: Prepare to be impressed at every turn while dining at this Noosa local’s favourite.
Savour Locale meals with full-on flavours. (Image: Catharina Thuemling)
Address: 62 Hastings Street, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Lunch and dinner Thursday to Saturday, 12 pm to 10.30 pm. Dinner Sunday to Wednesday, 4 pm to 10.30 pm.
The style: Refined coastal dining with a modern farm-to-table ethos.
Noosa Beach House is a slice of holiday heaven. (Image: Steven Woodburn)
The quality: Chef Peter Kuruvita’s original Noosa success story may not have him helming the ship these days but new executive chef Bret Cameron has brought in a sensational new menu at Noosa Beach House. Sophisticated and spilling over with locally sourced seafood, the dishes include crisp skin duck with parsnip purée, red cabbage and radicchio, and gnocchi with roasted corn, Eastwell farm mushrooms, leek and pecorino. When dessert calls, there’s even more of the yummy, charred stuff: burnt pineapple is paired with coconut mousse and macadamia coconut crumb. Delicious. And while the all-day party at Noosa Beach House bar, best known during the daylight hours for its vibrant bar, rages on downstairs, the intimate restaurant space still oozes pure elegance.
Executive chef Bret Cameron has brought in a sensational new menu. (Image: Steven Woodburn)
The location: It might just be the very centre of Hastings Street – at least, that’s how it feels as foot traffic outside the venue is non-stop – but it makes for the best people-watching in the region.
The service: Stellar and always accommodating. There are no novices at this Noosa restaurant.
The overall experience: This is the hidden secret of the Sofitel and while the crowds are loud down in the bar, this slice of holiday heaven is nothing but soothing.
People watch as you dine. (Image: Steven Woodburn)
Address: 14/16 Hastings Street, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Dinner daily, 5.30 pm until 10 pm.
The style: Casual dining that dishes out indulgent comfort food with a Mexican twist.
The quality: Jimmy Fox claims burgers are its thing, but this is a street food hot spot that changes up the menu daily, bringing with it an outstanding celebration of flavours. One thing always remains, however, and that’s those gourmet burgers loaded up on soft, house-made buns. Our advice is to head straight for the pulled pork tacos, if they make it to the menu the day you’re visiting this Noosa restaurant because they’re nothing short of legendary. The salads are also packed with local ingredients and just excellent.
Nothing can compare to a pulled pork taco from Jimmy Fox.
The location: You can find this hidden gem in a shopping complex across from Noosa River.
The service: It’s warm and local around this part of town. You can expect some great chat and tips on what to experience next if you’re up for them.
The overall experience: Butcher’s paper on the wall. A makeshift sign. Eco paper plates and bamboo cutlery. It’s as stripped back as it gets but nothing can compare to the pulled pork tacos from Jimmy Fox. End of story.
Address: 7/203 Gympie Terrace, Noosaville
Opening hours: Breakfast and lunch daily, 7 am to 2 pm.
The style: Casual al fresco dining on all things Mexican.
The quality: Obsessed with margaritas and guac? Us too. This is why no trip to Noosa can skip a fun-filled meal at the Cali-Mexican-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar Paradise Arcade. Not only do the margs come on tap at this Noosa restaurant, but you’ll find an extensive cocktail list to boot. Spend a long lunch or evening eating your way through the generous servings of tacos, burritos and tostadas and don’t forget to order up a plate of cinnamon sugar-dusted churros for dessert. In no world will you regret it.
The food at Paradise Arcade will create a fiesta on your taste buds.
The location: In the middle of a lively paved alley in Noosa Junction, this hot spot is right opposite Herbert and across the road from Somedays Pizza and Light Years. You’re undoubtedly where the cool kids linger.
Dive into an array of Mexican-inspired meals.
The service: Eager to please and full of life, the staff here are a big part of the attraction.
The overall experience: The food and drinks at Paradise Arcade are guaranteed to create a fiesta on your taste buds.
Try the margaritas at Noosa’s Paradise Arcade.
Address: 8/14 Arcadia Street, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, 4.30 pm until late.
The style: High-end modern Australian dining.
The quality: Consistently superb, maintaining Sails Restaurant Noosa as one of the best restaurants in Noosa year after year. Highlighting the country’s finest seafood, Executive Chef Paul Leete works with the seasons to draw in the best produce available.
Expect caviar on blinis with crème fraiche, just-shucked oysters, Mooloolaba tuna tostaditos, Fraser Coast prawn linguine, Moreton Bay calamari and too many additional superstars to list. The short ribs are from Cape Grim in Tassie, while the slow-cooked Sovereign lamb shoulder hails from Victoria. It’s all utter perfection every visit.
Sails Restaurant highlights the country’s finest seafood.
The location: How do 180-degree views of Laguna Bay sound? Sails is situated in the corner right between Main Beach and Noosa National Park. It’s gorgeous, to put it mildly.
The service: Warm, welcoming, and excellent. They’re a slick operation accustomed to servicing wealthy clientele so they know exactly how to make you feel at home.
The overall experience: celebratory dining at its finest – you’ll never want to leave.
Take in 180-degree views of Laguna Bay.
Address: 75 Hastings Street, Noosa Heads
Opening hours: Lunch and dinner daily, 12 pm until late.
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