Barefoot Barista

Barefoot Barista began around 2009 as a home-like gathering spot in Palm Beach, where locals swapped stories over coffee and food while sitting on timber logs out the front. It has grown since then, but it still describes itself as a community hub built on flavour, freshness, people, culture and community, with food, coffee, drinks and music, and it remains centred on the local community it grew out of. The original cafe is on Palm Beach Avenue, the same street as the modern Asian restaurant Madame V.

The Palm Beach cafe opens every day from 5am until 3pm, an unusually early start that makes it a natural first call after a dawn surf or swim. Menus for each venue are published on the website, so you can check what is on before you go. The business also runs Bruce, a separate space with a beachfront deck that it describes as a place to slow down over good food and drinks, and it hosts functions for small and large groups across its three spaces.

The second Barefoot Barista is beachside at Currumbin, on Pacific Parade, open daily from 6am to 3pm. It is billed as a breakfast and lunch spot by the seaside, with all-day breakfast and lunch, fish and chips, chicken burgers, a crispy squid salad and gelato. The official Gold Coast tourism organisation has also highlighted its coffee and ocean-view patio, with dishes such as a green pea pancake and an acai bowl.

Both cafes suit early risers, surfers, families and anyone who prefers a relaxed local cafe to a polished brunch destination. The early opening means you can have breakfast before most of the coast is awake, and the website lists the menus and function options for each space.

With one venue in Palm Beach and another in Currumbin, Barefoot makes it easy to fit coffee into a day on the southern beaches, whether you are heading to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, Jellurgal at Burleigh Heads or dinner on Palm Beach Avenue. Function enquiries for small or large groups are made through the website, which also links to the cafe's social media for news.