There’s a new kid on the block in Nobby’s and it’s quite literally all we’ve been hearing about. The doors to one of the most talked about new precincts – The Oxley 1823 – are open.

Nobby’s has long been a hive of activity for the Coast, whether you’re looking for somewhere to get your morning caffeine fix (aren’t we all) or a margarita (actually, make that 10) it’s one of the best beachside spots around.

Now Nobby’s is bringing back that charm you know and love but with all the good stuff you’ve been missing, like you know a grocer and butcher.

The Calile-esque look is a welcome addition to Nobby’s, it’s giving a resort vibe and we’re absolutely all about feeling like we’re on vacay while doing our weekly grocery shop.

Not only have the team at The Oxley brought us a gorg new hangout spot, they’re also bringing us the legends behind Rick Shores who have announced a whole new concept coming to the precinct mid 2024.

A side-step from the Asian-style menu at the iconic Rick Shores, the new restaurant concept is set to bring a Latin American flavour by their Executive Chef James Brady, who’s been wining and dining at some of the world’s top Mexican and Latin American restaurants all in the name of market research – sounds like a job for us!

The space will spread across two levels with the Latin American restaurant on level one, an open-air rooftop ceviche bar and private dining rooms so there’s literally everything you need for the ultimate long lunch all in one spot.

In stage one of the precinct’s opening, you’ll see some familiar faces, with the brains behind Burleigh institution Seadog bringing a new café to the block. Buoy (pronounced boo-ee) is promising to deliver a pared back menu that is less on frills and big on flavour, think a super considered menu with the classics you know and love as well as fresh feeds with hero quality produce.

But what about the coffee we hear you ask? Think boutique harvested coffee from Colombia poured by expert baristas with unique flavours of milo and caramel – yes, you read that right – because life’s too short for boring coffee.

Also coming back to Nobby’s, is the legendary Gourmet Meats under the guise of the Oxley Village Butcher so you can say hello to premium meats to level up your BBQ game with fresh cuts from the best farms around.

The Oxley Village Grocer is bringing all the fresh produce and groceries you need as well as market flowers for whether you’re looking for ‘just because’ blooms or something that says ‘sorry I didn’t mean to forget your birthday’ – eek.

Last but not least, all that shopping and socialising is thirsty work so the Oxley 1823 Sub Station is your stop for hydration station with juices and milkshakes that will def bring the boys to the yard, or a cheeky scoop of gelato because we’re in for a long hot summer.

We’ve been eagerly awaiting this pretty little newcomer and I think it’s safe to say it’s been worth the wait, so you know where to catch us kicking back for a bite and a beverage this summer.

Where: The Oxley, 2217 Gold Coast Highway, Mermaid Beach
When: Opening Saturday 2nd December

Words by Jacqueline Bojanowski.

No Gold Coasters, your eyes ‘dough’ not deceive you – at long last, the local legends behind famed pizza joints Franc Jrs and Francie’s are slinging their signature slice from a brand new location in Nobby Beach.

The newest eat-in iteration for the Franc fam – an old school vibing pizzeria – is packed with plenty of soul, promising that same trademark, ‘good, honest Italian food’ fans have long been smitten with.

Fromage fiends can settle in for their Franc fix – with laidback vibes alongside cult fave Classic pizzas, crisp, Detroit style deep-dish pies, and frozen Margi’s.

With a lineage that can be traced back to 1996, the Francie’s origin story is fascinating, rich – and similar to the effects of a few too many frozen Marg’s – a little fuzzy around the edges.

An operation now run by Anthony Pattinson, Claudia Pattinson, James Young and Carlos Lara – the charming, 60pax Coolangatta neighbourhood pizza joint known as Francie’s was born way back in an era when, along with pizza, Anthony counted Baywatch and RnB among his great loves.

The humble spot with a shoebox-vibing kitchen was soon overwhelmed by its own success – by year two they were averaging 150 peckish patrons a night – a number that blew out to 250-300 punters in the years that followed, a frenetic pace that they couldn’t maintain.

Ultimately opting to close the door on Francie’s (cue first crush levels of heartbreak), another opened in the form of Franc Jrs, the compact and casual takeaway style little bro.

When it came to delivering a new and improved restaurant offering, the challenge was retaining the charm, while scaling up and refining the offering to meet demand.

The new venue is a 60 seater with indoor and outdoor tables, opting for counter service to streamline the experience.

Complete with mob movie vibing mood lighting, red leather and wood finishes aplenty, the interior fit out is a throwback to the classic, 1940’s Italian American style restaurant.

The result is a nostalgic feeling Anthony likens to the 90’s rite of passage – hitting up the local salad bar, “like Pizza Hut’s all you can eat, only really, really good”, he adds.

Anthony’s life-long passion for slinging ‘pies’ – is immediately apparent in the drool-worthy menu.

The offering is split into three types – Traditional 13-inch ‘Francies classics’, 16-inch cheese pies and square, Sicilian ‘Detroit style’ pizzas, as well as a full vegan selection to boot.

Now pizza, along with a sneaky pun or three, is certainly something we’re no stranger to – with catchy monikers such as Francie’s Classic, ‘Sage Against the Machine’ made with fresh fior di latte, roasted mushrooms, pancetta, sage & pecorino, only further fuelling our obsession.

Fans of the Franc Jrs Signature – the loaded and crispy edged, Sicilian style slice – can get amongst Tomato, made with roasted cherry tomatoes, confit garlic, whipped lemon ricotta & chilli sauce or the cheese-packed White Stripe, topped with hot honey.

And with the calibre of slice selection the Franc Jrs crew is slinging, we certainly wouldn’t blame anyone struggling to choose.

But if the fan following for these pizza purveyors is anything to go by – satisfaction is a sure thing (and a carb coma).

Where: Shop 2/32 Lavarack Road, Nobby Beach
When: 4pm-10pm Wednesday – Saturday  

Words by Kellie Leader.

We’re going to call it, Simon Gloftis is the man who started the foodie revolution on the Gold Coast. Starting with Little Beans, then now-iconic Greek eatery Hellenika and finally The Fish House, the restaurateur has a slew of local firsts under his belt.

His passion for the Gold Coast’s dining scene has seen him become one of the most familiar faces in town and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.

We chat with Simon about Hellenika’s soon to be opened rooftop bar and the game-changing plans he’s got in store for the Coast.

How did your passion for food came about?
I didn’t realise but obviously growing up in a European family, it was ingrained in me when I was a kid. My godfather has one of the most famous Greek restaurants in Melbourne and we used to go there as a family but I wouldn’t sit at the table I’d go and stand at the door of the kitchen and they’d pass me food and I’d take it out. Then I got a job delivering pizza, worked in a few restaurants, then went to pizza maker and floor manager then I went back to the kitchen. I eventually left hospitality and got my real estate license but every night I was going home and instead of studying the real estate course I was looking at cookbooks so I realised what I loved. I had three cafes on the Gold Coast and then from the cafes I opened Hellenika then Fish House.

What is it you love so much about it?
I literally wake up in the morning and start thinking about food, then I eat food and I don’t stop until I go to bed. It’s my life. I don’t travel anywhere other than for food. When I go to Europe I book the restaurants before I go, even if I’m popping down to Sydney I book the restaurants before I book the flights. It’s all I want to do.

How long have you been a Gold Coast local?
I went to Marymount College from year four. I was born in Melbourne then we moved to Brisbane, back to Melbourne then to the Gold Coast.

What do you love most about living here?
I just think there’s an energy here on the Gold Coast that the bigger cities could only dream about. We can actually make an impact with such a small decision. When I opened up Little Beans in Nobby’s it was probably the only real espresso bar on the Coast and people followed it straight away.  We needed these places. In a big city you can make an impact but you get lost. My whole success on the Coast has been because people supported me. They followed me from Three Beans to Little Beans to Piccolo to Hellenika to The Fish House and now back to Hellenika. I’ve got the same customers from back then and some of my staff have worked in all those venues. The Coast has been a massive support for me.

Why are you so passionate about bringing such quality dining venues to the Coast?
Some of it’s a bit selfish, I actually do things I like and then hope enough people like the same thing. I’m a big fan of healthy food, not as in quinoa salad, as in King George Whiting and Greek salad. When you come to one of my restaurants you will get the best produce in Australia, bar none. We’re either equal to, or better than, every other restaurant in the country and that’s my whole motto.                                               

Do you have a personal favourite of all the ones you’ve opened?
Hellenika. I love every one of my venues because they’re all a piece of me but when I walk into Hellenika I feel like it’s home. I eat there five or six nights a week, I’m happy there. I love the nice big wooden tables, the Greek music, the food, and the wine, the feeling. We all say there’s something in the walls at Hellenika, it’s looked after so many people. It feels like it’s been around for 40 years.

What have you got in store for Hellenika?
We renovated the whole building and I put a whole new level on it. Downstairs will be opening next Friday (1st September) and upstairs is probably about eight weeks away. Upstairs will be a bar with a retractable roof. Downstairs has gone from a taverna-style venue. It had that real rustic Melbourne-style Greek restaurant feel. It’s gone away from that now so when you walk in you’re going to feel like you’re in a Greek restaurant in Athens but something that’s modern today. We’ve gone from 110 wines on our list to 500, it’s amazing, there are 50 indigenous wines from Greece alone. We’re taking everything to the next level. We’ve added some new dishes to the menu – kept about 60% of the favourites – but added some really traditional Greek dishes. Things like Corfu Bianco which is my favourite dish, it’s potatoes and Kingfish baked in the oven with olive oil and lemon juice. So simple but so beautiful.

It’s going to be a touch more formal downstairs and then upstairs is a lot more casual. It’ll be all the mezze food, which is tapas in Greek. Things like pork belly, meatballs, zucchini chips, all that lighter stuff. The bar upstairs will be the main focus, we just want people to be able to come and have a light dinner or snack and drinks. We’ll try and be open until midnight every night upstairs so there’s no guessing if we’re open. You can feel comfortable to go at 10 o’clock at night and have a wine.

What are your thoughts on the rapidly growing dining scene of late?
To give you an example, seven years ago I had to explain what share food was. We had to tell people that food comes to the middle of the table and it’s sort of like a Chinese restaurant. Hellenika was also the first one to do double sittings. Now, that’s commonplace. Nine of my ex staff have opened up venues between Broadbeach and Palm Beach, most of your favourites were opened by my ex staff. I’m really proud of what’s happened on the Gold Coast, if I had a small part to do with it, that’s great.

How would you like to see our foodie scene change or grow over the next few years?
We’ve opened up all the venues I think it might be enough now, there’s nearly one restaurant per person. I think there might be a little bit of hardship to come, just because I know how hard it can be. I’m hoping we consolidate a little bit and maybe get more quality into what we’ve already got before we think about expanding too much further. We need all these local restaurants to make sure what they’re doing is the best they can do. I think it’s neglectful to customers if you start giving them things that are making them sick like artificial flavours and enhancers. I’m hoping we improve on what we’ve got before we grow too much more.

What’s happening after the rooftop is up and running?
I sold The Fish House to do an amazing project, which I can’t mention for a few months but that’s the next big one. Hellenika will always be my baby but I’ve got plans for something that will really be game changing. I can’t wait to launch it.

Being a Gold Coast local, we have to ask your favourites…
Beach: Nobby’s
Café: For someone who’s owned cafes, I don’t hang out in cafes. I do pop down to get a smoothie or juice from Smoothie Shack, that’s about the extent of it.
Restaurant: Can I mention a few? For steak, Glenelg Public House, again Aaron used to work with me. For soup I go to New Saigon and get my Pho. For ribs I go to Fire Cue. For sushi I go to Sapporo in Broadbeach, they’re the only ones on the Gold Coast that I know buys the same quality seafood I do (just ask them what their best dish of the day is and go with that). For hot pot I go to Itoshin in Mermaid Beach. My cousin owns The Lamb Shop in Burleigh so I’m always up there. Pinocchio in Mermaid Beach do a really good fennel salad.
Weekend hang: I’m working on weekends but my weekend is during the week. I’m just hanging out in Nobby’s. The boys and I always get together on a Tuesday and have dinner, that’s my thing. My family owns Miami Marketta so I’m there a lot to watch a band and hang out.