Half the fun of getting dinner with someone is working out the order. Who’s getting what, what you’re splitting, and if there’s room for dessert (there always is).
So we’ve done that part for you. Here’s what we’d order for two at some of our favourite spots around Mooloolaba.
The Casual Feed:
Rice Boi, The Wharf
Rice Boi is walk-in only, so expect a line on a Friday night. It moves quickly though, and by the time you’ve got a cocktail and a seat by the water you’ll have forgotten you waited at all.
Get the edamame and a couple of pork bao in first so there’s something to pick at, and add a bowl of the eggplant chips, which are the sleeper hit of the menu. Then order the coconut braised beef curry and the seven pepper calamari to share.
Dirty Moes, Mooloolaba Esplanade
There’s a lot on the Dirty Moes menu, from share platters to tacos, but when it’s just the two of you we’d go burgers.
Get the parmesan garlic fries and a dozen hot honey wings into the middle of the table first. Then a Double Cheese with Bacon each, which comes stacked with two beef patties, double cheese, crispy bacon, housemade mayo and BBQ sauce. If one of you doesn’t eat meat, swap theirs for the Vegan Cheeseburger. It’s built on a Beyond Beef patty and it’s a great burger in its own right.
If you’re not in a rush, there’s a shuffleboard table to settle who’s paying.
Beach Bar & Grill
Order two tap beers before you open the menu, because the parmi decision here can take a minute.
The pig and pineapple is our pick. There’s a whole lineup of parmis to get through though, plus a special that’s always running, so ask what’s on before you commit. Get one each of something different, grab a seat looking out at the water, and have a friendly argument about which one wins.
Via Mina, Brisbane Road
Via Mina does authentic Middle Eastern cooking, Lebanese at heart with a Persian twist running through the spices.
Get a couple of flatbreads to start, the zaatar and the spinach and cheese, and tear into them while you look over the rest of the menu. The kafta platter is the main event and it’s built for sharing. Finish with the baklawa and a Middle Eastern coffee, which gets a lot of love from the locals.
The Proper Dinner:
Bella Venezia, Mooloolaba Esplanade
Bella Venezia has been on the Esplanade since 1983 and it still feels like an occasion the minute you walk in. Think blue velvet seating, a Chef’s Hat to its name since 2023, and an alfresco champagne garden with a water view.
Share the charcuterie board to start, loaded with wagyu bresaola, truffle salami, capicola, cheese and truffle honey. If you’re more of a seafood couple, swap it for the king prawn sharer for two.
For mains, one of you gets the beef cheek tagliatelle, their most loved dish and for good reason. The other gets the Moreton Bay bug spaghetti, and you’ll both be stealing forkfuls from each other’s plate.
Split the tiramisu for dessert and don’t be scared of the wine list. It runs past five hundred labels, with fifty by the glass if you can’t agree on a bottle.
Casa Restaurant
Start with a drink next door at Casita Wine Bar, then head over to Casa for dinner. Same owners, and the two are made to be done in one night.
Order the Casa Paloma, their signature cocktail, and get the burrata and salmon carpaccio onto the table. Then the slow-cooked lamb shoulder, which is exactly what you want to be sharing when there’s two of you and nowhere else to be.
For dessert it’s the affogato martini, or the profiteroles if you’re being sensible, and a limoncello to finish either way.
Spero, The Wharf
OpenTable reckons Spero is the most romantic restaurant in Mooloolaba, and sitting out on the water at the Wharf as the sun goes down, it’s hard to argue.
It’s Greek share plates, so start with the grilled octopus and the zucchini flowers, then share the spanakopita and the charred chicken for mains. This is the one to book for an anniversary, or any night you want to feel like one.
Psari Bar & Grill, Brisbane Road
Psari is Greek for fish, which tells you exactly what you’re here for.
Kick off with half a dozen natural oysters, served with a retsina vinaigrette that gives them a Greek twist, and share the seared scallops with ginger, citrus soy and shallots. Then the barramundi and king prawn for mains, grilled with the chef’s special cream sauce and served with Greek lemon potatoes. Add a Greek salad for the table and you’ve got fresh seafood in a fishing town, done properly and without any fuss.
Save room for The Bomb, a chocolate sphere filled with sponge, vanilla bean gelato and chocolate pearls, finished with warm chocolate sauce.
Flo’s Creperie
Flo’s is known for its crepes, and they live up to it. What doesn’t get talked about enough is the French menu that sits alongside them.
Come for dinner and order the steak frites each, then share a crepe for dessert, because how can you not.
That’s nine dinners for two sorted. If you’ve got a go-to order somewhere we’ve missed, let us know, because we’re always hunting for the next one.
Meet us in Mooloolaba.