Norté

Raw scallops dressed in a tangy mango leche de tigre set the tone at Norté, a kitchen that treats Latin American cooking as reason enough to stop along the highway strip of Mermaid Beach. A custom-built hearth drives much of what follows, turning an open flame into the restaurant’s defining instrument rather than a backdrop to it. The kitchen has become known for a churro topped with pickled spanner crab, jalapeño emulsion and yuzu ponzu gelatine, a dish that bends Latin and Asian reference points into something distinctly its own. Raw beef tostadas carry a smoky, spicy edge from smoked agretti and a fermented chilli sauce, while an empanada filled with tender kangaroo tail stands in for the usual minced beef, a local twist folded into an otherwise classic form. Slow-cooked short ribs, finished with al pastor aji amarillo and pineapple, round out a repertoire centred almost entirely on fire, with smoke and char treated as seasoning in their own right rather than a technique applied for show. Earthy tones and sculptural touches, the work of local studio J.AR Office, give the dining room a settled, grown-up feel that suits food this confident, with stone surfaces and warm timber softening what could otherwise read as austere. Upstairs, the mood shifts: Sueño, the rooftop bar that shares the building, trades the hearth for tequila and mezcal, pouring pisco sours alongside ceviche and tacos for guests happy to keep the evening going a floor higher, with views that stretch out towards the water as the light drops. Norté arrived as the coastal sibling of Rick Shores, carrying over some of that restaurant’s ease while pushing further into unfamiliar territory for the Gold Coast dining scene. Latin American cooking of this ambition remains rare in this part of Queensland, and the pairing of beachside informality with food this deliberately shaped by fire is precisely what makes a visit worth planning around.