Where to Eat in
Coolum Beach 2026

Coolum Beach is a small coastal town on Queensland's Sunshine Coast — the kind of place where the surf is world-class and the dining scene is quietly excellent if you know where to look. As a chef who's worked here for over 10 years, I've seen the food scene evolve. This is my honest guide to the best places to eat in Coolum Beach in 2026.

🍗 Best Fried Chicken — CHIBURS

I'll be upfront: I run CHIBURS. But the reason I'm including it at the top of this guide is simple — it fills a genuine gap in the Coolum Beach food scene. Before CHIBURS opened, there was no serious fried chicken option on the strip. The nearest comparable options required a drive to Maroochydore or Noosa.

What makes CHIBURS different from chain fried chicken: the chicken is brined for a minimum of 2 hours in a salt-sugar marinade developed over a decade. It's then hand-battered and double-fried — once to cook through, once to develop the crust. The result is a crunch that holds up in the bag, flavour that goes all the way to the bone, and portions that don't disappear in two bites.

Best for: takeaway dinner, beach nights, something different from pub food. Open Wed–Sun, 5 PM onwards.

🦞 Seafood & Beachside

Coolum Beach's position on the Sunshine Coast means fresh seafood is never far away. The esplanade strip has several solid options for fish and chips after a surf session, and the local fishing co-ops supply genuinely fresh product to the better kitchens in town.

For the freshest experience, look for places that change their menu based on what's running locally — snapper, king prawns, Moreton Bay bugs — rather than frozen imports. A good sign is a specials board that's actually different each week.

☕ Casual Dining & Cafes

Coolum's cafe scene punches above its weight for a town of its size. The David Low Way strip has a solid cluster of breakfast and brunch spots that do the morning-after-a-big-surf crowd proud. Expect excellent flat whites, avocado-based everything, and the kind of eggs benedict that justifies a 20-minute wait.

For dinner, the casual dining options lean heavily on the surf club and a handful of bistros. They're reliable without being remarkable — good for a family meal, less interesting if you're chasing something memorable.

🛵 Food Delivery in Coolum Beach

DoorDash and Uber Eats both cover Coolum Beach, though delivery coverage can be patchy depending on your exact address. If you're staying at one of the holiday apartments on the esplanade or a house further back from the beach, delivery is generally reliable.

CHIBURS on DoorDash — available for delivery across Coolum Beach and into nearby Peregian Beach, Yaroomba, and Mount Coolum. For the best fried chicken experience, pickup is always recommended (it travels better than most), but delivery is a solid option if you're set up at the beach house.

For pizza, the major chains have reasonable coverage. For anything more specialty (Japanese, Thai, Indian), you're likely ordering from Maroochydore via the apps — not ideal but workable.

📌 Local Tips

• Park on David Low Way early. The strip gets busy on weekend evenings. The Sushi Ari car park directly in front of the building is your best bet for a quick stop.
• Order ahead. Most of the better spots in town have online ordering now. For CHIBURS specifically, ordering on chiburs.com gets you a real-time ETA email so you don't arrive before your food is ready.
• Wednesday is the hidden gem night. Weekends at Coolum are packed with tourists. Wednesday is local night — shorter waits, fresher energy.
• Bring cash as backup. Some of the smaller spots are card-only but have technical issues more often than you'd like. Most now accept tap-to-pay on phones, which helps.