The Winner: Elk Espresso, Broadbeach
The beloved Broadbeach institution is a worthy recipient of this reader-voted poll. No matter what day of the week it is, Elk is bustling with both locals and visitors who have been lured in by its eye-catching seasonally changing breakfast menu. There’s always something new and exiting to try, like buttermilk fried chicken waffles with jalapeno-infused maple and blackberry butter, and aged-cheddar and beef-cheek croquettes with sweet-corn puree and kalettes. Make sure you add the hash browns to everything you order. Thank us later.
The Runner-Up: Daark Espresso, Chirn Park
Since 2013, Daark has been wowing the northern folk with its extensive all-day breakfast menu, dotted with favourites like savoury sweetcorn and cheddar waffles, and the hot smoked-salmon and fetta croquettes. Dishes like baked vanilla-custard French toast with candied banana, maple syrup and shortcut bacon are there to satisfy the sweet tooths.
The Runner-Up: Stable Coffee Kitchen, Currumbin
The opening of Cornerstone Stores in early 2018 was a breath of fresh air for the Tugun-Currumbin area. Not only did it bring boutique shops and a wine cellar to the area, it also gifted locals with Stable Coffee Kitchen – a dreamy cafe and coffee stop with a truly unique breakfast menu that goes against the grain. The Stable potato hash with poachies, cashew cream, pickled red cabbage and radish is a go-to, as is the Turkish cilbir with roasted-garlic labneh, quinoa, eggs, pickled cabbage, sumac-spiced butter and za’atar.
Bam Bam Bakehouse, Mermaid Beach
Bam Bam has certainly earned its stripes as an institution cafe on the Gold Coast. Its famed croissant features across the all-day breakfast menu in delicious fashion – the Bam Bam Benny with ham off the bone atop a toasted croissant is a must-eat. You can also tuck into a hearty bacon and egg roll (let that runny egg drip down your hand) or just kick back with a ham and gruyere-cheese croissant.
Paddock Bakery, Miami
As the winner of Best Cafe in the 2019 EAT/drink Awards, Paddock was also voted into the top ten of the Best Breakfast category – and for good reason. Settle under the canopy of trees with a coffee and tuck into the likes of cinnamon-doughnut French toast (yum) filled with salted caramel, topped with star-anise-spiced poached apple, red-apple gel, dehydrated apple shards, white chocolate cremeaux, choc-walnut crumble and vanilla-bean ice-cream. Hello, happiness.
Niche & Co, Tugun
While it’s well known for pumping out some of the coast’s best acai bowls, Niche & Co’s (mostly vegan) breakfast menu is dotted with deliciousness – if you’re after a vibrant superfood feast, this is the place to go. Think dishes like banana and raspberry pancakes with cacao-tofu ganache and coconut ice-cream, though to grilled housemade Moroccan flatbread with haloumi, baked eggs and a colourful salad.
Hot Shott, Main Beach
With its breakfast menu separated into ‘light’ and ‘hearty’ sections, Hot Shott caters for all appetites. There’s everything from DIY bagel boards and the popular Smokin’ Avo (finished theatrically with applewood smoke), through to brioche breakfast sliders and indulgent cinnamon-scroll buttermilk pancakes.
Double Barrel Kitchen, Mermaid Waters
The breakfast menu at Double Barrel balances go-to classics with tasty left-of-centre creations. The Breakky Baos with thick-cut bacon and a fried quail egg are a must-try, and there’s also rotating seasonal dishes like breakfast gnocchi topped with free-range poached egg and bagel chips.
BSKT Cafe, Nobby Beach
Soaking up the sunshine while enjoying breakfast at BSKT is truly one of the greatest ways to start the day. BSKT adopts a healthy, wholefoods approach, dishing up breakfast eats like the OG banana-buckwheat pancakes, the spiced tofu scramble with vegan potato salad, and the ‘healthy’ benny with lashings of kalenaise. Grab yourself a cheeky swirl of CocoWhip to finish.
