Celebrating over food is one of the highlights of life. Whether it is an engagement, baby shower, big birthday, a life occasion, achievement or a business event, a celebration in one of the Gold Coast’s private dining rooms can give you the atmosphere and privacy you seek to enjoy your event. It allows you to celebrate while mingling with your guests and letting professionals take care of the venue, food, drinks and entertainment.
When choosing the venue, it’s worth consider some of the following factors: the tone and theme of the event and its special requirements, the cuisine you want to serve and the way it will be served, the size of the group and your budget, and the location of the venue. For example, a formal venue would be as unsuitable for a hen’s party as a high tea house would be for a high-powered business meeting.
Fortunately, there are private dining rooms to accommodate a wide range of purposes, catering for everything from a casual morning tea to a high-end function. What each one will give you is the chance to hold the event of your choice in a space that is solely for your use.
For casual events, several venues cater for ‘The Ultimate High Tea or Brunch’. Each one offers many photo opportunities in their creekside, riverside or bush surroundings. Tarte Beach House in Currumbin is one of our favourite places. Nestled beside Currumbin Creek its intimate event space, The Hideout, is perched a few steps above the main dining area. It offers privacy for groups of 12 to 36 to dine over a stylish brunch, an indulgent lunch or a pastry-featuring high tea. This relaxed setting brings coastal vibes to informal celebrations such as birthdays, baby or bridal showers, or special achievement celebrations.
Bumbles Café shares the theme of water views from its quiet spot at Budd’s Beach beside the Nerang River. Bumbles’ many interconnecting event spaces include The Library, a private book-lined vintage space used for high teas and lunches, and The Blue House, its adjoining cottage which serves a French bistro menu for up to 50 guests. Its location and flexible spaces mean that the venue is suitable for “wedding ceremonies and receptions, film and television wrap parties, every type of celebration you can imagine, farewells and wakes, small conferences, launch events, club and corporate team annual dinners.” (Bumbles’ website)
For a taste of vintage glamour and luxury, Brooklyn Wine & Tapas also has a private library space available for functions, seating up to 26 people.
Bon Appetea, housed in an old Queenslander in Mudgeeraba, provides a charming rustic space for a high tea in its private dining room. There’s more than a touch of nostalgia with all elements of your high tea made in house and served on vintage English crockery.
Some events call for a more extensive menu than is offered in a café. Private dining rooms in restaurants are a way to enjoy the cuisine offered by a restaurant within a private space.
The Gold Coast offers a wide range of Asian (and Asian inspired) food in private dining rooms across the coast. These range from the traditional omakase-style Japanese restaurants One Eighty Labrador (the restaurant seats 22 people in total, with 8 in a separate area) and the exclusive 8-seat Black Door Chevron Island to the Cantonese Jasmine Room in Southport (with a private space for 16), or Korean barbecue Hwaro92 Robina, a 12-seater private space perfect for bonding over a charcoal-fuelled K-BBQ. Alternatively, you can banquet at one of the three elevated Asian-inspired dining rooms at the atmospheric Madame V, Palm Beach (16 to 50 people) or at Modern Asian Maggie Choo Broadbeach hosting up to 14 people to enjoy one of their banquets. Some hotels offer luxurious private dining rooms including QT Gold Coast’s semi-private Kampai Room seating 16 within Yamagen Restaurant, a private dining space adjoining JW Marriott’s Misono, luxurious private dining rooms in Akoya and T’Ang Court at The Langham, three sophisticated dining rooms in The Star Gold Coast’s Uncle Su, (seating 36), and the pinnacle exclusive Japanese dining experience for 16 people in Kiyomi’s private dining room behind closed wooden doors.
Everybody loves Italian food, so it’s great to share with friends in a private dining space. Located upstairs overlooking the main restaurant, Balboa Italian’s semi-private dining room provides an intimate setting for up to 12 guests, with the option to dine on handmade pizza and pasta either a la carte or banquet style. George’s on Sorrento offers a separate room that would suit celebrations such as a big birthday, engagement, small wedding or a business dinner for up to 60 guests. On the southern end of the coast, Cadillac Supper Club in Palm Beach offers a private wood-panelled dining area for up to 10 people. With a theme of Italo-Americani pizzeria and bar, there’s an edge of retro-vintage to this relaxed venue that belies the skill in producing its delicious food and cocktails. The Star Gold Coast’s Cucina Vivo fires up their woodfired oven for up to 20 guests in their private dining room, while the Imperial Lounge on the top floor of TRYP Southport serves up Italian food to 50 people while enjoying a view through floor to ceiling glass across the Gold Coast.
Spectacular views can also be enjoyed either upon entry to venues’ private dining rooms or from the room itself. Located in Surfers Paradise alongside the restaurant’s outdoor dining area, the private dining room at Coast Beach Bar & Kitchen offers breathtaking ocean views. Seating twelve at a sandstone table on velvet chairs, with soundproofing and climate control, the room is designed for ultimate comfort and exclusivity. Seamless service from your own waiter is part of the package. Hanks at Kirra is our latest view-boasting venue to add to your list. Seating up to 24 guests, Hanks’ Mediterranean menu serves up antipasti, handmade pasta and fresh seafood, all made to share as you take in the seaside views. Both Kirra Beach House and Siblings see the Gold Coast’s skyline from a southern perspective, their decks overlooking the expansive view, while Pipi’s 220-degree-viewdining room is high enough onPoint Lookout to see whales.
The elegant Glass Dining & Lounge Bar dining room for 10 fronts the Broadwater, or you can have drinks on the balcony at Nineteen at the Star before ascending the stairs to the enclosed upper-level private dining room for an elegant meal in complete privacy. Edgewater Dining boasts one of the best views of Surfers Paradise across water, enjoyed from the room’s private balcony especially when sunset hues are reflected in the sky and evening lights illuminate the skyline.
To make a celebration statement, fine casual dining is the Gold Coast’s dining mode. Little Truffle is the epitome of luxe dining in opulent surroundings. From velvet curtains to chandeliers, and truffles to souffle, the highly respected staff of Little Truffle will ensure that your dinner in one of their two elegant spaces will deliver a memorable experience. Several Broadbeach venues contain private dining rooms, are close to both The Star and the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre and are easily accessible by light rail. The dining room at Blowfish Ocean Grill + Bar is a lush sexy 24-seat area on the upper floor of the venue. With a menu focussed on both premium steak and seafood, as well as a well-curated wine and cocktail list, this is a place to have a seriously good time. Kost Bar & Grill is another venue that has raised the bar on Gold Coast dining. Notable for its seafood towers and roving trolleys serving caviar bumps and French champagne, the glassed-off private room offers diners their own intimate celebration space. Social Eating House has a private luxurious yet intimate dining room for eight people to dine in style, while Vida Broadbeach hosts up to 40, complete with AV for business presentations or celebrations.
Then there’s the venue that offers everything: The Island. Whether you’re planning a birthday, social gathering, family celebration, conference, product launch, corporate event, long lunch, gala dinner, or wedding, The Island Gold Coast provides a range of designer spaces to suit your event. Party on the Rooftop or hold a celebration in one of their more intimate spaces; it’s up to you.
When luxury know no bounds, consider the recently opened event space at the Mondrian in Burleigh Heads. The Vee Room is located on Level 24 of the hotel, a stunning private function area that offers sweeping views of the ocean and coastline. Perfectly suited to hosting a seated dinner for 60 people or a cocktail-style event for 100, a private meeting space with a view, or an intimate celebration, this versatile space could suit many needs. Doubling as the Sky House accommodation, you also have the option to extend your experience with an overnight stay, or two, making it ideal for special occasions that deserve a little extra time to celebrate.
With around forty private dining rooms to choose from on the Gold Coast, there’s plenty of choice to meet your requirements. All you must do is choose one that suits your occasion, hand the event over to the experts, and enjoy yourself.