Italian


One of Gold Coast’s longest-standing restaurants, Mario’s Italian Restaurant, turned 30 years old in August, marking the occasion with a huge family-style banquet. “It’s all about family and togetherness, while paying homage to family traditions,” says co-owner Marlon Pirie. From its humble beginnings in the late 1980s to its recent elegant refurbishment, Mario’s Italian Restaurant...


There’s nothing like Italian hospitality to make you feel at home. It’s like a big warm embrace, straight from the heart. That’s just how we feel when we dine at The Italian Kitchen. For starters, the place comes with self-assurance. Not only do owners Robert and Natalie have background as restaurateurs, but they know that...


The shores of Burleigh Heads are awash with masterchefs, our latest additions being husband and wife team Chef Fabio Rocco Ricciardo and his wife Federica Scalambra, a former pharmicist. Former chef to Ferrari’s Formula 1 team for three years, Fabio left the circuit to move to our shores, opening Belvedere Stonemill on the ground level...


After years on the top of the Gold Coast’s dining popularity list, De Vito Waterfront recently opened their little brother restaurant, Bambino Ristorante in the Benowa Centre on Ashmore Road. Run by Tarscha De Vito, Bambino is a two-level restaurant serving fine Italian food with a side of music…or is it the other way around?...


There’s nothing like dinner at a little BYO. It’s as close to dining at home as you can get, but without the fuss. Of course, BYO is a contentious point around town. There are those of us who love bringing our own bottle, but of course there’s no ‘cream’ profit for restaurateurs so, when we...


The sister restaurant to Mario’s, Beachside Pavilion is the ‘Elle’ of Broadbeach dining, a bright beauty sweeping up from the sand into beachside life. Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Beachside Pavilion presents as decidedly casual. Emerging fresh from the surf, her whitewashed walls still dripping with salt water, she’s bold...


If there was a family tree of restaurants on the Gold Coast, Mario’s would be the patriarch. Since it was established in 1989, Mario’s has been a favourite of many families, whether they are locals or tourists on annual holidays. Mario’s longevity, when so many other restaurants have come and gone, is testament to its...


Life’s a feast at Bacaro. “In heaven, after antipasti, the first course will be pasta,” said singer songwriter Steve Albini. Indeed, heaven could look much like this… the warmest welcome, antipasti and pasta washed down with fine Italian wine.. life is grand indeed! Bacaro is an airy café in the emerging M Arts precinct in...


Osteria del Mare reminds me that in so many ways the Gold Coast is fortunate. Not only are our climate and mountain-fringed seascape a joy in themselves, but the coast’s magnetism draws world travellers like flotsam to our shores for us to enjoy. One such couple is Andrea and Simona Riva, owners of the newly-opened...


Fancy a coffee with your new lounge suite, or something to eat? How about some fresh cannoli? Robina’s Home + Life Centre, opposite the Auto Mall, opened late last year with a great array of lifestyle shops – James Lane, Nick Scali, DecoRug, Vast Interior, The Good Guys, and Kitchen Connection, to name a few....