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14 reasons locals love Robina

This ‘burb is has all the bells and whistles

The Kitchens, Robina Town Centre (image supplied)
The Kitchens, Robina Town Centre (image supplied)

If there’s one place on the Gold Coast where you can shop till you drop, eat your body weight in quality nosh, do some srsly cool stuff, and wander amongst stunning natural parklands, it’s Robina.  There’s also a hospital, a train station and a sports stadium, one of which is exciting enough to make our list (hint; it’s not the hospital or the train station).

In honour of this central GC gem, we’ve compiled a list of 14 reasons why Robina peeps love their ‘burb, and why wider GC locals travel en masse to experience all it has to offer.

Michele hands rolls gnocchi, The Pasta Emporium (Image: © 2021 Inside Gold Coast)
Michele hands rolls gnocchi, The Pasta Emporium (Image: © 2021 Inside Gold Coast)

Pasta Emporium
With their Euro background and extensive experience in the food industry, mum and daughter duo Natalie and Sonia have created an artisan pasta boutique store like no other. Made with a high-quality durum wheat semolina (rich in fibre, protein, vitamin B and also digestion friendly), their fresh-as pasta can be paired with a selection of nasty-free slow cooked sauces. The.Best!
Where: Easy T Centre, 514 Christine Avenue, Robina

Palmer Golf Course
Carved out of 65 hectares of native woodlands with fairways lined by towering gum trees, this uniquely designed course is in the top 30 resort courses in the country #noice. A 6078-meter, 18-hole, Par 71 championship golf course (Aust Course Rating 72) designed by the Marsh / Watson team, its rolling fairways, manicured greens, towering eucalyptus and natural water course make it a local and visitor fave.
Where: Ron Penhaligon Way, Robina

My French Pastries (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)
My French Pastries (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

Zone Bowling / Timezone
This dual-branded entertainment venue is an uber-exciting entertainment experience, combining Zone Bowling and Timezone in one renovated super space. Perfect for a birthday of any vintage and for corporate functions, you’ll find ten pin bowling, the latest arcade games, a laser tag arena with a ‘futurism/apocalyptic robots’ theme, and super fun spin zone bumper cars (coming later this year). Just yay!!!
Where: Robina Town Centre, 1 Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina

My French Pastries
A venue called My French Pastries needs no introduction but since it’s amongst the cream of the crop here on the GC, we’ll give them one anyway. Jen and Antonio Marchesi have created something really spesh with French pastries made from scratch. Think key lime Chantilly, lemon meringue, blueberry and chocolate tarts, and if you’re not salivating, you must be unwell. A special shout-out must go to the scrumptious savoury goodies, providing a well-rounded experience for your tastebuds.
Where: Robina Quays Shopping Centre, 5/361 Robina Parkway, Robina

Eddy + Wolff (Image: © 2019 Inside Gold Coast)
Eddy + Wolff (Image: © 2019 Inside Gold Coast)

Eddy + Wolff
The trendiest of the Robina bunch, Eddy + Wolff opened in early 2019 bringing exceptional, modern Asian eats to the people. It’s a sleek, 22-seat venue serving up ten-outta-ten eats, just like it’s northern brother from the same mother, Can Tho Kitchen at Runaway Bay. The menu features BBQ-style dishes, snacks, larger plates and sides, all of which are designed to share and hail from Thao and Vien’s home country of Vietnam, China, Japan and Korea to name a few. The drinks list is tight and perfectly curated to match the food with an unmissable lemon sake. An absolute fave.
Where: 44 Commerce Drive, Robina 

The Kitchens
Fact; foodie marketplace-style situations are one of life’s greatest gifts. The Kitchens is precisely that, with an array of exceptional venues all in the one beautifully appointed area. Think tasty teppanyaki, big ‘ole burgers, a vegan foodie venue and even a craft beer bar offering delicious eats to name a few. There is more choice here than you can poke a stick at and bonus; it’s attached to one of the region’s best shopping centres #UnicornsDoExist.
Where: Robina Town Centre, Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina 

El Camino Cantina (image supplied)
El Camino Cantina (image supplied)

El Camino Cantina
A good time Mexi-joint at Robina Town Centre, what’s not to love? Rocking one of the most colour-filled interiors you ever did see, a menu packed with family-friendly Mex-cellent eats, and frozen margaritas, it’s love at first sight/bite/sip. The legendary venue is one of seven Queensland restaurants, synonymous with funky neon signage, sweet sombreros, and an all-round winning ambience. Gather the crew and get on it.
Where: Robina Town Centre, Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina

CBUS Super Stadium
Home of our beloved Titans, CBUS Super Stadium is one of the best regional stadiums in Australia and it’s ours, all ours (insert wicked snigger). Not only do Gold Coasters spend their weekends cheering on the boys here, but we’ve also been lucky enough to watch A-league and international football games, the Nitro Circus, and the Rugby 7s as part of the Commonwealth Games. High five to CBUS for being our homegrown hub of sporting joy.
Where: Centreline Place, Robina

Robina Pavilion exterior (image supplied)
Robina Pavilion exterior (image supplied)

Robina Pavilion
A tried and tested (regularly. Very regularly….) favourite, Robina Pav features a sleek look’n’feel, dreamy deck overlooking the water, a specialised kids area, and plenty of good vibes. Boasting a menu packed with epic eats from woodfired pizzas to stacked burgers, it would be rude not to get involved with the impressive cocktail menu #IfWeMust. It’s the perfect spot for sun-soaked afternoon sessions with you posse.
Where: 229 Ron Penhaligon Way, Robina

Robina Parkway Dog Park
Obviously one for the locals with hairy mates but if you live further afield and have a furry friend in tow, we highly recommend. There are all kinds of fun things for your doggo to explore including tunnels and hurdles, and they’re bound to make a new buddy or two in the process. If you don’t have a pooch, get down there anyway and score free pats a-plenty #GoodForTheSoul.
Where: Lot 21, Robina Parkway, Robina

Parkway Coffee (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)
Parkway Coffee (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

Parkway Coffee
Ahh Parkway Coffee how we love thee and your equally irresistible sibling Third Base in Palmy. Like its southern sister, this Robina crowd pleaser offers similar laidback community vibes, and also serves up the same level of tasty brunch eats. Their Reuban Toastie with beef pastrami, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, gherkins, and thousand island dressing on golden toasted sourdough is the perf example of Parkway’s culinary prowess. Pair your feed with some quality time in the garden…and day made.
Where: Robina Quays, 361 Robina Parkway, Robina

Cheltenham Park
If open spaces and oodles of greenery, in the middle of a city no less, is your thing (yes please), Cheltenham Park is the business. There are plenty of areas for the kids – human and fury – to run themselves ragged (#yeahmums!) bushwalking tracks, and big leafy trees to stretch out beneath with a picnic and your favourite people. Perfect for escaping the rat race without chewing through the petrol in search of a tree change.
Where: Cheltenham Drive, Robina 

The Sporting Globe (Image: © 2019 Inside Gold Coast)
The Sporting Globe (Image: © 2019 Inside Gold Coast)

The Sporting Globe
The spacious, sports-themed bar and restaurant made a big splash on Robina Town Centre when it first moved in and continues to do so in 2023. Within The Sporting Globe there are no less than 50 high definition screens including two 5m2 screens and a nine-screen video wall, so yeah nah, you’re not missing a single second of the action. They’re also serving up perfect sport-watching food, frosty bronsons galore, and an all-round cracking good atmosphere. It’s a sure thing.
Where: The Promenade, Robina Town Centre, Robina

Alpine Indoor Climbing
Robina’s state-of-the-art climbing centre is positively R.A.D if you’re somewhat of an adrenalin junkie, or someone looking for a new sporty-spice-esk challenge. Alpine Indoor Climbing is a favourite amongst both professional and beginner climbers (including those lacking in coordination, AKA us). There are varying levels of challenges and you can go across, straight up, or anyway you like really, and there are cushioned pads underneath should you lose your grip. Good times.
Where: 86 Robina Town Centre Drive, Robina

Words by Bianca Trathen.

Alpine Indoor Climbing Centre (Image: © 2019 Inside Gold Coast)

Eddy + Wolff

They say good things come to those who wait and that certainly seems to be the case for the good people of Robina who have (probably) been waiting quite some time for an eatery of newbie Eddy +Wolff’s calibre.

The not-quite-open space has been the talk of the town for the last couple of months with owners Thao and Vien Nguyen (of Can Tho Kitchen fame) keeping tight-lipped on the location and style of venue. But it’s a secret no more with the intimate eatery set to open on Wednesday March 27th and here’s the low down for your learning pleasure.

You’ll find Eddy + Wolff in the midst of bustling Robina, just slightly out of the way and bringing all your Asian food dreams to life. The space, a former Laundromat, has been absolutely transformed into a chic, 22-seat venue with a curved, polished concrete ceiling, a neon sign reading ‘I love drinking beer’ (written in Chinese Mandarin, which is amazing) and a pink velvet corner bench seat we would give up everything we own for.

You can perch up at the bar, with iron shelves holding many a bottle of delightful spirits hanging overhead or, at said pink velvet couch underneath the front window. It’s all very edgy and understated and, to be honest, one of the most beautiful fitouts we’ve come across in our local travels.

Having taken over and transformed Can Tho Kitchen (from Thao’s Mum) in 2014, the pair were keen to create something quite different for the Coast. Eddy + Wolff is a combination of their travels throughout Asia and, a trip to sample many a Melbourne eatery, and it is indeed unlike anything else around these parts.

Eddy + Wolff (Image: © 2019 Inside Gold Coast)
Eddy + Wolff (Image: © 2019 Inside Gold Coast)

The menu is made up of BBQ-style dishes, snacks, bigger plates and sides, all of which are designed to share and hail from Thao and Vien’s home country of Vietnam, China, Japan and Korea to name a few.

Don’t go past the Vietnamese-style Pork Collar, Korean BBQ Quail (with a bit of a spicy kick) and the Isaan Tofu Salad with Kaffir lime and sweet and sour caramel. All absolute taste sensations.

Isaan Tofu Salad

The wine list is tight, curated to match the menu perfectly and featuring a select few Canberra beauties because Canberra, friends, is the city where the couple met and Eddy and Wolff are the streets they lived on at that time.

There are just four cocktails on offer and we highly recommend Peace to the East with Jinzu gin, maraschino liqueur, Yuzu lime juice and cucumber. Fresh and zesty.

All your favourite Asian beers, and a few local ones, are on offer too and a very tasty Lychee cider that can’t be found anywhere else locally. YUM.

As always, you may choose your own adventure in the dish department or go with The Lucky Eight set menu ($40 for lunch and $45 for dinner), which is made up of two dishes from each section of the menu – BBQ, snacks, a bit bigger and side dishes. Such good value.

Oh and, quite the fans of meaningful little touches everywhere, the team have created a sweet menu that features both an illustrated cityscape of the spots they’ve travelled and also little speech bubbles with words like ‘love’, ‘tradition’, BBQ, and ‘spicy’ in many languages, dotted throughout.

So you see, good things really do come to those who wait. We’ll be in Robina if you need us.

Korean BBQ Quail

LOCATION: 12-217/219 Ron Penhaligon Way, Robina
HOURS: Wednesday 5pm until 10pm, Thursday to Saturday 12pm until 2pm and 5pm until 10pm and Sunday 12pm until 2pm

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

Vietnamese-style Pork Collar

The Third Base Coffee team open Parkway in Robina

Parkway patio (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

The Gold Coast is no stranger to excellent eateries, they’re popping up all over the place, all the time. But perhaps the best kind of eatery is the kind that there’s two of, those so-good-they-made-another-one kind of vibes you know?

Case in point, Third Base Coffee in Palm Beach. It’s the kind of high vibe, community space that sees it absolutely pumping with locals all of the time, a firm favourite amongst everyone who knows it. So much so that the team there decided they needed to build a newbie in the ‘burbs for the people of Robina. And so they did.

Parkway Benny Burger (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

It’s called Parkway and it can be found at Robina Quays on Robina Parkway and although it’s not exactly the same as Third Base, it does offer the same beloved local feel and a few of the menu favourites you absolutely must sample ASAP.

The new space is on a corner block with a big outdoor garden area overlooking the park and the perfect place for a spot of brunch and relaxation. There’s lots of parking too, love that.

Owners Kelly and Marie turned the space over in record time and used all local suppliers and builders to boot. As is often the way, the gals weren’t looking for a new space but lucky for us, they found one anyway.

Parkway bruschetta (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

The menu is still of the launch variety to see what the people like best but since we’re all here, lets discuss what we like best shall we?

There are a few dishes that have been brought over from Third Base, the most popular of the bunch and for good reason. These include delights like the Bacon and Egg Turkish which is like a Bacon and Egg Roll but LARGER with two rashers of bacon, two fried eggs and a choice of sauce. It’s next-level.

There’s also a Benny Burger, a Chipotle Burger, a saucy Ham and Cheese Toastie and an Avo and Greens Toastie and they’re all so very yummy.

The Bruschetta and the Mushrooms on Toast are tasty vegan and vego options and there are plenty of those if that’s your jam.

Parkway avocado on toast (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

You can sip on Kuhl-Cher coffee, roasted in Brisbane too.

If you need something quick on the go, there are muffins, wraps, raw slices and cookies to take away too.

Not only all of that, you can also hire the stunning space for events if you’ve got one coming up. There’s more exciting news that will come out of Parkway in the next little while too so stay tuned for that.

Double goodness, how fun.

LOCATION: Robina Quays, 16b, 361 Robina Parkway, Robina
HOURS: Monday to Friday 6am until 2pm, Saturday and Sunday 7am until 2pm

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

Parkway interior (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

My French Pastries brings magnifique treats to Robina

My French Pastries (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)
My French Pastries (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

Well the last few days of healthy eating were fab(ish) but we’re done with that and you will be too once you see what rolled into Robina on Christmas Eve.

It’s called My French Pastries and it’s the perfect way to kick off our 2020 food tour of the Gold Coast because as everybody knows, pastries are life and French pastries are even better than that.

The newbie isn’t technically all that new – husband and wife duo Jen and Antonio Marchesi have been baking authentic treats from home for the last few years, selling via an online page and wholesaling to local cafes.

Lucky for us, they decided to open their very own café at Robina Quays so we can pop in every single day for a sweet, indulgent treat (or two).

My French Pastries (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)
My French Pastries (Image: © 2020 Inside Gold Coast)

Antonio has been a pastry chef for 17 years and Jen is French, which is obviously the perfect combination. The pair decided they wanted to create a place that felt exactly the same as walking into a French patisserie with authentic, simple and quality eats and here we all are.

How good.

Everything is made from scratch using the very best produce (Belgian chocolate for example) and it’s extremely delicious.

So what can you eat?

Well sweet goodies like Key Lime Chantilly, Lemon Meringue, Blueberry and Chocolate tarts, which are both beautiful and very yummy.

There’s also Flan Patissier, which is the French equivalent of a custard tart, French Apple Turnovers, croissants (SO GOOD) and Croque Monsieur; a baked ham and cheese sandwich that will probably change your life.

So all the greatest buttery, sugary things.

Pop in for a coffee and a sit down or grab one of everything to take home and enjoy in peace.

Happy days Robina, we’ll be seeing you very soon.

LOCATION: Robina Quays Shopping Centre, 5/361 Robina Parkway, Robina
HOURS: Tuesday 6.30am until 2.30pm, Wednesday to Friday 6.30am until 3pm and Saturday 7am until 2pm

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

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