Surfers Paradise

The back arcades of Surfers Paradise have dozens of cheap Japanese and Korean "lunchbox" style restaurants and the quality is usually excellent, not to mention the price (less than $15 for a large main meal). A variety of quick eats is available in the mall off Cavill Avenue. For something fancier plenty of the hotels around Surfers offer buffet all you can eat seafood, which is normally pretty good quality and around $50-$60 per person plus drinks. Some offer lunch specials or early bird deals.

• Alfresco on Elston A delightful Italian restaurant with lots of great seafood options, depending on what you have a main could be $18 or $42!
• Chiang Mai Thai A good value, authentic Thai restaurant with mains $15-$20. Try the beef red curry.
• My Oliver's Kitchen @ Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club It's very cheap, but has fantastic and plentiful fresh food. They have a $10 breakfast buffet which will keep you full!
• Wassam Superb Japanese, try their soft shell crab or grab a bento box lunch. Prices from $15-$20.
• Surfers Paradise RSL Club The place feels a little seedy as you walk right into the pokie machine lounge, however, once you get upstairs it's ok. If you want some quality, cheap pub food this is the place, with meals around $10-$15 and a great value roast dinner from 5.30pm-8.30pm for only $6.50. And it’s a club so the beer is cheap! It's just a short walk from Melba’s and Cavil ave.
• Jack's Kebabs This is a super little kebab joint opposite McDonalds. It makes a very tasty kebab and it's popularity can be seen in the early hours of the morning as people stumble out of the clubs looking for a quick, hot and tasty meal.
• King of Noodles A little Chinese restaurant offering inexpensive Asian dishes, however, unlike some other cheap Asian restaurants, the dish sizes are good for the price (starting from $8). Offers a variety of vegetarian alternatives.
• Medexotic A Middle Eastern restaurant in the Chevron Renaissance building with friendly service, funky decor and yummy food. It also has belly dancing every Friday and Saturday night from 8pm.
• Hard Rock Cafe The most famous eatery on the Gold Coast; this place is half tourist attraction and half diner. The meals are huge and you can see a letter written by Slash to his ex-girlfriend or Keith Moon’s shirt from the 60’s. Hooray? Live music on Friday nights.

Most of the nightclubs are down Orchid Ave just off the main strip Cavil Ave. Ones to check out are:

• Elsewhere Bar A nightclub and live music venue.
• Cocktails and Dreams A multi-level commercial dance club.
• Shooters Superclub A nightclub with four different rooms with varying music, dance floors and atmospheres.
• Melbas A nightclub, with a bar, restaurant, pokies and cocktail lounge.

Southport

• Shiloh Jamaican Restaurant Great food and even better atmosphere, mains are $13-$22.
• Multi Asia A Chinese/Malaysian restaurant with exceptional salt and pepper prawns. Mains are $9-$13.

Currumbin

• Allure on Currumbin The most stylish restaurant in Currumbin! The food is great and they take a fine dining approach with sorbet served between the meals. Prices are $10-20 entree, $25-45 main and $12-15 dessert.
• Boatshed Steak and Seafood Lovely wine list and good steak, prices go up to $37 for mains but can be cheaper.

Coolangatta and Tweed Heads

Tweed Heads has a vibrant club scene based on service and sporting clubs, much larger than a shire this size would normally sustain. The background to these establishments is that for many years poker machines were prohibited in Queensland, but allowable in clubs in New South Wales. Thus clubs proliferated just over the border in Tweed Heads, thriving on holiday traffic from the Gold Coast and on day trippers from Brisbane. Visitors to the shire may be signed in by the doorman, otherwise entry is restricted to members. The clubs all have much the same offer, larges lounges, bars, dining areas and poker machine areas (foreign visitors please note that poker machines are called "pokies") and entertainment. Some quite big stars (often from yesteryear!) turn out at these venues, and they have value for money restaurants and provide a place to go have a waterfront beer.

• Outback Jacks Bar & Grill A bar and grill place on the Coolangatta foreshore open 11am till late.
• Shah-Jahan Indian Restaurant Try the chicken korma curry at this local Coolangatta Indian joint.
• Twin Towns Services Club A Tweed Heads club 100 metres from Queensland!
• Coolangatta Surf Club Inside is the Seabreeze Family Restaurant, a steak, seafood and salad type affair, but right on the waterfront and reasonably priced.
• Seagulls Leagues Club A Tweed Heads club.
• Tweed Heads Golf Club A Tweed Heads club.
• Tweed Heads Bowls Club A Tweed Heads club.