First of all, if there’s a feeling that eating pizza evokes, it is stoked and second of all, Burleigh Heads has a new pizza joint and you will indeed be stoked upon sampling every single slice

It’s called Stoked Wood Fire Pizza, as if you didn’t know and it can, as of a short time ago, be found at Stockland Burleigh Heads in the new fancy food area that is also home to coffee legends Nook.

Who also, as it turns out, are the owners of Stoked (so you know it’s the goods).

It’s a corner spot, all glossy white tiles and a pink neon sign (our fave) but the pièce de résistance is the pizza oven itself, all the way from Tuscany and tiled (by the team) in an array of pink, gold and copper hues that we would like for our house thank you very much. Might also need a pizza chef to go with it though.

Speaking of pizza chefs, Stoked’s are two of the best around – Ollie who once owned a pizza caravan (surely the best kind of caravan) and Gervin, who has whipped up tasty eats from Europe to Melbourne and now, right here on the Gold Coast. Good news for us.

Also, remember Slurping Panda, the epic little venue in the Burleigh Arcade that is no long with us (RIP)? Well, the man behind that venue is also one of the owners of this venue. So double good news for us.

On the menu are a Romano style of pizza with crispy bases and well-proportioned amounts of toppings for each slice (which isn’t considered enough in the world of pizza making).

Let us discuss a few faves, which we, of course sampled, so we could bring you the very best story. Somebody gotta do it.

The Margherita though it may seem simple is in fact, not. Made with cherry tomatoes, Bocconcini and sweet basil and is a delightful little flavour-packed pizza. The Prosciutto is also the goods with, yep, prosciutto di parma, roquette and soft mozzarella.

Our favourite though is the Seafood pizza with Aussie prawns (fresh off the trawler), calamari, green mussels, roast garlic, chilli, parsley and cheese and it is the perfect balance of flavours, not too oceany and it looks pretty too.

The dessert pizza is of course, a must-try, it’s got all of the Nutella, plus bananas, strawberries and marshmallows and not one person will judge you if that’s your actual dinner.

One of the very best aspects of the new foodie space at Stockands’ is that the entire area is BYO and there is a bottle shop a mere ten steps away so you may pop in there while your pizza is cooking in the sparkly oven.

What a time to be alive.

Yes, you may also take the pizzas away and indulge in the privacy of your own home should you so wish.

Either way, do yourself a favour and go get Stoked.

LOCATION: Stockland Burleigh Heads, West Burleigh Rd, Burleigh Heads
HOURS: 11.30am until 8pm daily

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

Let it be known that if it were socially acceptable (and good for the waistline), we would eat fried chicken for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Burgers, wings, burgers with wings in them, just keep those tasty little goodies coming all day long.

Conveniently, Southport newbie Cychos Buffalo Wings are on hand to provide us with that exact lifestyle and for that, we are eternally grateful.

Now if you’re thinking, wait a minute guys, I’ve heard that name before, you are correct. Cychos itself is not a newbie so much, but the restaurant aspect of it is. The buffalo wing and burger dream team have been around for over four years in the form of a VERY in demand food truck. Which is where you’ve no doubt sampled their eats before.

As we said though, they are so in demand that Gold Coast locals have been hounding them for a space they can visit all the time and it’s really good to know we aren’t the only ones.

Cychos Buffalo Wings can be found in Australia Fair Metro and is the work of Cyrus Blaton and his wife Hanzel, passionate Gold Coast locals of 11 years who met as flight attendants while traversing the globe.

Which is important because not only did their travels lead them to one another, but also to the MANY delicious flavours of their world-class wings.

From Buffalo (the traditional American-style and our firm favourite) to Miso Orange – Japanese-inspired, Chinese Bourbon, Filo Adobo and Vietnamese Chicken, you can taste a whole world of buffalo wings, all from the comfort of a little side booth in our bustling CBD, Southport.

They’re all taste sensations and you should treat yourself to every single flavour. Plus, if you pay $25, you get UNLIMITED wings for one hour including French fries and rice. How many can you do?

Burger-wise, we recommend the Buffalo Chicken (obviously) because it has a deep fried buffalo chicken fillet with Cycho’s buffalo sauce, smoked cheddar cheese and coleslaw on a milk bun. SO good.

The Cycho Burger is also very yummy with a hand-pressed premium patty, grilled mushrooms, lettuce, caramelized onion, cheddar cheese and smoked spiced mayo on a milk bun. We gave both a good nudge.

If you need more sides, there’s loaded fries in four varieties and you may also eat sliders if you aren’t quite full yet.

There are a couple of beers on tap, a selection of wines and (the perfect accompaniment to any burger situation) exceptional milkshakes to wash it all down.

For dessert, deep-fried ice cream with Corn Flakes. Yes please.

From a food truck with three flavours to a stand-alone venue with some of the tastiest burgers and wings around – you’ve done good Cychos, thank you for bringing us the things we love most.

Get in there and show ‘em some love.

LOCATION: 6 Young Street, Southport
HOURS: Daily from 11.30am until 9pm

Words and photos by Kirra Smith

Today we’re venturing away from Gold Coast shores, not very far of course, to bring you very good news from the sweet little seaside village of Pottsville.

Just a short, half hour(ish) drive from the Coast, Pottsville is a hidden paradise with all of the sleepy, never-want-to-leave vibes and we suggest you pop down for a visit at the earliest available opportunity.

Particularly because a new, contemporary Australian restaurant, Pipit (cute name), has opened in the last week and it’s the (exceptional) work of award-winning chef Ben Devlin and partner Yen Trinh.

Having grown up close by in Byron Bay, and spent four years creating exceptional dishes at Paper Daisy in Cabarita, Ben felt it was time to open his first venue in the area. And Pipit it is.

The naturally-lit space is an open plan style of setup with polished concrete floors, a chic minimalist vibe, high bench seating looking out into the street and also (our fave) around the bar into where the chefs are whipping up all kinds of goodness.

From preparation to plating, watch the chefs work their magic while sipping on one of many five-star tipples on offer.

Pipit’s menu will be a celebration of the Northern Rivers’ coastal lifestyle, great produce and wood-fired cooking. It will change often (sometimes daily) to showcase the best available ingredients and you may choose your own adventure with an a-la-carte style of dining on offer or, our recommendation, letting the chefs choose for you with either four or seven courses.

If a-la-carte is your thing, there are of course, several dishes we recommend from the current menu.

To start, Eggplant tartar style with fresh peanuts, chicory and shiitake mushroom, no question.

For mains, Pipis steamed with kelp served with potato, macadamia and wing beans, Hot smoked mackerel with grilled bamboo, beach mustard and brown butter and Baby grouper with pomelo, lemon balm and fennel. It’s all incredible though, obviously.

Dessert should probably be Spent beer grain parfait with custard apple and wattleseed ganache. Trust us.

So, if a little roadtrip down south complete with a refined dining experience in a stunning space is on the cards this weekend (when isn’t it), make Pipit your venue of choice.

It’s more than worth the drive.

LOCATION: 8 Coronation Ave, Pottsville
HOURS: Lunch Friday to Monday and dinner Thursday to Saturday

Words by Kirra Smith