Pavement Whispers: Paradise Centre set to open a brand-new beachfront dining precinct including Queensland’s first Wahlburgers
Surfers Paradise has come a long way from the by-the-slice pizzerias and late-night kebab shops. The beachside suburb has hit the headlines recently thanks to a string of high-profile new openings, including most recently COAST Beach Bar & Kitchen. Now, Paradise Centre has unveiled plans for a brand-new dining precinct, just metres from Surfers Paradise Beach. Set to welcome eight new restaurants and eateries over two levels, the precinct will add a delicious new dimension to the city’s beachside dining scene. Here’s what you can expect when it officially opens next month …
Wahlburgers
Burger-lovers, assemble! Superstar Mark Wahlberg and his brothers Donnie and Paul are bringing their cult-status burger slinger Wahlburgers to the Gold Coast. The Surfers Paradise venue is part of a national rollout of the brand, which is set to include venues in Byron Bay and Sydney’s northern beaches as well as plans for venues in Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane to follow. Wahlburgers made its Australian debut in February this year, delighting Sydneysiders with an outpost overlooking Sydney Harbour at Circular Quay. The impressive new 140-seater is set to form a key component of the new Paradise Centre dining precinct, with a menu that will take you from breakfast and brunch right through to evening. On the menu, you’ll find burgers (obviously), alongside crispy fried pickles, tater tots (or potato gems, as they’re known here), milkshakes and ‘Wahlbrewski’ beers. Wahlburgers Surfers Paradise is set to open in September 2022.Gelato Messina
Ideally positioned on the ground floor, mere metres from the beach, Gelato Messina will be the go-to spot for post-swim scoops and shakes. In true Messina fashion, the cabinet will be brimming with all 40 gelato flavours, including 35 signature flavours and five rotating weekly specials. The brand’s signature gelato cakes will also be available for pre-order and walk-in customers — perfect for birthdays and special occasions.El Camino Cantina
Picture this – you’re gazing out to the ocean, the salty air filling your lungs. You have a taco in one hand and a margarita in the other. Life is good. If that sounds like your ideal scenario, we have some news that might be of interest – joining Paradise Centre’s new array of eateries is Tex-Mex wild child El Camino Cantina. The enormous 250-seat venue has claimed arguably the best location in the precinct, at the beach end of level one, and is set to bring its eccentric energy and party vibes with seating spanning inside and out. The interior decor will deliver a fusion of Tex-Mex flair and urban edge – think recycled brick, polished concrete and breeze-block features alongside its signature neon lights, cacti, crosses and graffiti artwork. When it comes to the fare, the Surfers Paradise venue will be the only one in the country to offer a morning menu, including fresh-squeezed juices and breakfast tacos. Best of all, the new El Camino will dish up the venue’s pocket-friendly specials including $2 Taco Tuesday and 10-cent Wing Wednesday and we’re told there may or may not be (there definitely will be) some bespoke menu items crafted exclusively for the new beachfront iteration. To say we’re excited is a pretty enormous understatement.Nahm Talay Thai
Trust us when we say this one is going to be next-level. Nahm Talay Thai is the latest from hospitality veterans Pattaree (Pat) Jiranuchaiwattana and Vitchaya (Alex) Hasitawet, the owners of Chong Co Thai at Pacific Fair, Westfield Coomera and two locations in Toowoomba. Having owned and operated successful venues for the last decade, Pat and Alex have funnelled their wealth of experience and passion into one truly incredible venue. Let’s get one thing clear straight off the bat, this is Thai, but not as you know it. The menu will take you from 7:00 am right through to midnight, and will feature wildly interactive and theatrical elements such as liquid nitrogen and a bubble gun to create smoke-topped cocktails. We’re already drooling at the thought of sinking our teeth into a soft-shell crab croissant. Nahn Talay Thai is targeting an early September opening.
La Playa
Another key component of the beachfront dining precinct will be La Playa (which translates to ‘the beach’ in Spanish and Portuguese). Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the interior is set to imbue a warm and trendy vibe. It will offer patrons a true Gold Coast experience with both delicious food and uninterrupted ocean views. We’ll have more delicious details for you oh-so-soon, but in the interim you can follow La Playa on Instagram.
Friends, this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’ll have all of the delicious details for you when Paradise Centre officially opens its new dining precinct in the coming weeks.
Image credits: Header Image – Wahlburgers Australia Facebook. Body Image 1 – El Camino Cantina render, supplied. Body Image 2 – Nahm Talay Thai, Fox Junkie. Body Image 3 – Gelato Messina, supplied.
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