Eat · restaurants and cafés
Where to eat at The Star Gold Coast
Nine kitchens from a 5:30am café to a Tokyo-style omakase room. Opening days matter more than menus here: several of the best tables are closed on Mondays.
The quick map of the kitchens
| Venue | Food | Where | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kiyomi | Modern Japanese | Lobby Level | Dinner 5:30pm–late; bar from 5pm |
| Nineteen at The Star | Rooftop restaurant and lounge bar | Level 19, via The Darling | Breakfast daily 7–10:30am; lunch Fri 12–3pm; dinner Tue–Sat 5:30pm–late |
| Cucina Vivo | Italian | Lobby Level | Dinner Tue–Sat 5:30pm–late |
| Uncle Su | Cantonese, Beijing and Szechuan; yum cha at lunch | Ground level | Lunch Wed–Sun 12–2:45pm; dinner Wed–Sun 5:30pm–late |
| Garden Kitchen & Bar | Grill and bar with The Lawn | Casino Level | Lunch Sat–Sun 12–3pm; dinner daily from 5pm |
| Harvest Buffet | Buffet, poolside | — | Breakfast daily 6:30–10am; prawn and oyster lunch Sat–Sun 12–2pm; dinner |
| Mei Wei Dumplings | Hawker-style dumplings, open kitchen | Ground level | Lunch daily 12–3pm; dinner 5–9pm (to 10pm Fri–Sat) |
| Food Quarter | Casual, late | Casino Level (18+) | Daily 7am–5:30am; kitchen to 2am |
| M&G Cafe and Bar | Coffee, light bites, sweets | Ground level | Sun–Thu 5:30am–5pm; Fri to 7pm; Sat to 8pm |
The dinner worth planning around: Kiyomi
Kiyomi is the resort's Japanese restaurant on the Lobby Level and the one with the longest list of awards on its own page: a Good Food Guide chef's hat in 2021, and Best Japanese in South East Queensland at the Restaurant and Catering Awards in both 2021 and 2026, among others. The bar pours Japanese whiskies, sake, shochu cocktails and more than a hundred wines. A private dining room seats 10 to 16 and is where the omakase menus are served at dinner; those menus are only offered in that room. Children are welcome under supervision but there is no kids menu, no highchairs and little room for prams.
The view: Nineteen at The Star
Nineteen sits on Level 19 of The Darling, and you enter through The Darling. It is the only restaurant here that serves breakfast with a skyline, every day from 7am to 10:30am. Lunch is Friday only; dinner runs Tuesday to Saturday. The lounge bar opens Wednesday to Saturday from 4pm, with Spritz Saturdays from 4pm to 7pm on the terrace. The dress code is stricter than elsewhere — no thongs, slides, open footwear, activewear or gym shoes — and the venue closes on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day.
Italian, Cantonese and the grill
- Cucina Vivo Simple Italian cooking with seasonal produce and a long list of Italian and Australian wines. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday. A balcony styled on Amalfi's cliff-top restaurants and a private dining room can be booked for celebrations; there is a published kids menu. A 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.
- Uncle Su Live seafood, hand-made yum cha at lunch and Cantonese dishes alongside Beijing and Szechuan specialities, led by chef Song Yao Su, after whom the restaurant was renamed in 2021 (it used to be Imperial). Open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner. Three private rooms take up to 36.
- Garden Kitchen & Bar On the casino level, opening onto The Lawn. Lunch on weekends, dinner every day from 5pm. Thursday is Jazz & Gin with live jazz from 6pm to 8pm; Tuesday evenings and some Saturdays bring line dancing on The Lawn.
Casual, early and late
For breakfast, Harvest Buffet opens daily from 6:30am to 10am with an omelette station, walk-ins only. On weekends it turns lunch into a prawn and oyster buffet, and Friday to Sunday dinners add seafood such as Humpty Doo barramundi. On Friday nights one child aged 5 to 12 eats free with each paying adult, and children up to 4 always eat free. M&G opens at 5:30am for coffee. Mei Wei Dumplings is walk-in only with an open kitchen. Food Quarter is the late answer — open until 5:30am — but it is on the casino floor, so 18 and over only.
Private rooms for a birthday or a proposal
The resort publishes private rooms at Kiyomi (10–16 guests), Uncle Su (three rooms, up to 36), Nineteen (up to 26, set menu), Cucina Vivo, Garden Kitchen & Bar and Harvest Buffet. If a meal is the reason for the trip, mention it in the wishes box of your room request and we will tell you which nights the restaurant is open before you commit to dates.
The Stay & Dine package listed for 2026 includes a $50 daily food and drink credit that can be used at Nineteen, Kiyomi, Garden Kitchen & Bar, Cucina Vivo, M&G, Food Quarter, Mei Wei Dumplings, Uncle Su, Isoletto and in-room dining — but not for drinks-only orders or the minibar, and not on the day you check out.
Sources read for this page on 29 October 2026 (official pages unless marked secondary):