Bam Bam Bakehouse

Bam Bam Bakehouse is a French-style artisan bakery and cafe on the Gold Coast Highway at Mermaid Beach, opened in 2015. Its team of bakers, pastry chefs and cooks makes everything from scratch in small batches throughout the day, so the pastries are as fresh as possible, and the bakery has built its reputation on croissants, to the point that Tourism Australia names the croissant as the thing to order in its guide to the coast's best coffee shops. It is open every day of the year except Christmas Day, from 6am to 2:30pm.

The pastry counter is the main event. Alongside plain croissants and pain au chocolat, the twice-baked almond croissant is the signature, and there are playful variations such as a Snickers twice-baked pastry and Nutella or cinnamon cruffins. Sweet treats include a vanilla custard bomb, a Nutella choux bomb, salted caramel eclairs, a lemon meringue tart that is gluten free, and tiramisu and strawberry tarts. For celebrations, the bakery makes almond croissant cakes to order, including a showpiece luxe version.

Bam Bam is more than a takeaway bakery. All-day brunch is served from opening until 2:30pm, the cafe is fully licensed, and the coffee is from Single O, so it works for a long weekend breakfast as well as a quick pastry and flat white on the way to the beach. A bake-at-home almond croissant is also available if you want to take the experience back to your apartment.

The cafe suits pastry lovers, couples, families with a sweet tooth and anyone looking for a reliable early breakfast. If you want specific pastries or a cake, ordering ahead online is the safest option; the website notes that pre-orders need 24 hours' notice. Prices for pastries and cakes are listed online.

Mermaid Beach is home to several of the Gold Coast's best-known restaurants on the same highway, including Little Truffle and Etsu Izakaya, so Bam Bam makes a natural breakfast stop on a day spent exploring the area's food scene. Contact details and a get-in-touch form are on the official website, along with links to the bakery's social media channels.