The best bars in Surfers Paradise cater to a wide range of tastes: rooftop cocktails, craft beer, sports pubs and day drinking. You’ll find most of them clustered around Cavill Avenue, Orchid Avenue, Surfers Paradise Boulevard and Elkhorn Avenue, so you never have to worry about distance being an issue. The real question is, what sort of night you’re after.
For nightclubs, dancing and properly late nights, use the Surfers Paradise Nightlife Guide instead.
Match The Bar To Your Night
To be honest, no single ranking system will cut it here. A rooftop at 4pm and a sports pub on game day are two very different experiences altogether.
| What You Want | Good Fit | Why Choose It |
|---|---|---|
| Rooftop drinks | The Island Rooftop | Open-air setting with CBD and beach views |
| Craft beers | BOBs Beer | Beer-focused venue rather than a general pub |
| Cocktails and beer | House of Brews | 32 taps, cocktails, food and rooftop space |
| Pub and group drinks | Surfers Paradise Beer Garden | Food, outdoor areas, games and 16 screens |
| Watching sport | The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines | Sports-first venue with 50+ screens |
| Live music | Steampunk Surfers Paradise | Regular live entertainment and food |
| Weekend day drinks | Cali Beach Club | Day-club format with weekend sessions |
Pick A Rooftop For The View
The Island Rooftop is a must-visit if you just want to soak up the views. Perched high above the city, the open-air space takes in the beach and the CBD, giving it a real sense of place that you just don’t get in the more enclosed spots around Cavill Avenue.
The only catch is that it operates only from Thursday to Sunday so far, so don’t go there on a Monday expecting to be let in.
Go here if the rooftop is as much a part of the plan as the drinks. If you’re just after a drink and nothing else, there are easier options a couple of streets away.
Choose Cocktails By Mood
House of Brews is good when a group cannot agree on one thing. It combines cocktails, 32 craft beers on tap, American-style food, and rooftop space on Orchid Avenue.
That breadth matters. One person can stick to beer, another can order cocktails, and nobody needs to start hunting for dinner an hour later.
For cocktails with fresh air and views, The Island Rooftop is the more obvious call.
Steampunk Surfers Paradise pushes in a different direction again. Live music and live entertainment add more movement to the night, and the venue feels less like a place you settle into one corner for three hours.
Go Specialist For Beer
BOB’s Beer is the deliberate stop for people who actually care about what’s in the glass. It closes on Tuesday and starts later on several weekdays, so check the day before building the evening around it.
That minor inconvenience is also part of the distinction. BOBs is not the generic pub you wander into because it happens to be nearby.
If the group wants more choice beyond beer, House of Brews gives you broader dining options and cocktails without losing the craft-beer angle.
Pick A Pub For Mixed Groups
Surfers Paradise Beer Garden has 16 HD TVs, pub meals, tap beer, cocktails, games, and indoor and outdoor seating.
It is easy territory for a mixed group. Some can watch the match, others can eat, and anyone uninterested in the score can disappear outside with a drink.
When the match is the whole point, The Sporting Globe x 4 Pines has the clearer edge, with 50+ screens across its sports-bar format.
Beer Garden is a pub that also does sport. The Sporting Globe is where you go because of it.
Plan Around The Day Session
Cali Beach Club is closer to a day-to-night venue than a conventional bar.
The planning detail that matters is simple: it operates Friday to Sunday, with daytime sessions from noon on Saturday and Sunday. General entry is normally free outside special events; daybeds, booths and reserved areas cost extra.
It is also strictly 18+.
I would plan around Cali rather than drop it in as an afterthought in the evening. Its format is too specific for that.
Pick The Right Area
Cavill Avenue and Surfers Paradise Boulevard offer you the most freedom of movement. The Sporting Globe, Steampunk Surfers Paradise and plenty of other venues sit close together.
Orchid Avenue leans more towards bars, pubs and later entertainment, with House of Brews in the middle of it.
Elkhorn Avenue offers BOBs Beer and Cali Beach Club, making it a good option if the evening starts with either craft beer or a planned weekend session.
One thing Surfers does well is compression. The mood changes quickly from one street to the next, but you rarely have to travel far to get there.
For nightclubs and late-night options, the Surfers Paradise Nightlife Guide provides more detail on Cavill Avenue and Orchid Avenue.
Take The Tram If Drinking
The G runs straight through central Surfers Paradise, and Translink currently charges A$0.50 per journey.
That is the number worth remembering. If you are staying along the tram line, driving means parking plus a sober driver, with very little upside. Trams also run throughout Friday and Saturday nights.
Cheap and practical do not always go hand in hand. Here they do.
Book Only When It Matters
Book a table when it’s actually going to make a difference: a spot at The Island Rooftop if you want to soak up the views, a booth or daybed at Cali Beach Club if you want to lounge in style, or a big table or guaranteed seats to watch a big sporting event.
Surfers Paradise Beer Garden takes both bookings and walk-ins, and the same applies to BOBs, House of Brews, and The Sporting Globe. But for just a casual night out with a friend or two, you’ll probably be better off keeping things pretty flexible, and Surfers Paradise is definitely the kind of place where you want to leave room to change your mind.
FAQ
What's the best part of town for bars in Surfers Paradise?
You’ll find the highest concentration of bars around Cavill Avenue, Orchid Avenue, and Surfers Paradise Boulevard, and if you head up Elkhorn Avenue, you’ll find BOB’s Beer and Cali Beach Club without straying too far from the action.
Are there any rooftop bars in Surfers Paradise?
The Island Rooftop is probably the most obvious choice for rooftop drinks, but House of Brews also has a rooftop area, where you can grab a beer, a cocktail or some food.
Which bars are good for big groups?
Surfers Paradise Beer Garden is a great place for groups because it’s got food, games, sport on the telly and loads of different seating areas, so you can pretty much do whatever you like. House of Brews is also a good option if some of your mates want to grab a cocktail and others want to stick with beer.
Can you drink in Surfers Paradise during the day?
Yeah, you can definitely do that – and the weekends are when it’s at its busiest, with Cali Beach Club running daytime sessions on Sat and Sun and The Island Rooftop opening up a bit earlier from Fri to Sun.
Where should you go for clubs after the bars?
If you’re looking for clubs and dancing, check out the Surfers Paradise Nightlife Guide; it’ll give you a rundown of the best places to head to on Cavill Avenue, Orchid Avenue, and late at night.
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