Just checked in and the kids are already melting down? You have four solid options for dinner near Royal Palm, all within a short walk or five-minute drive of our Palm Beach front door. We have ranked them by how far you have to go, from a ten-minute stroll up the highway to a pizza delivered straight to your apartment. No car park hunting, no long drive after a long travel day.
Balboa Italian: worth booking on your first night?
Distance: about a 10-minute walk north from our door, at 1069 Gold Coast Highway.
Directions: turn left out the front and follow the highway north past the shops. Balboa Italian sits on your left before you reach Nineteenth Avenue.
Hours: dinner from 5:30pm Monday to Thursday, with lunch and dinner Friday to Sunday.
This is the arrival night for parents who want a proper sit-down meal, ideally with older kids or after the little ones have had a nap. The wood-fired oven was shipped in from Naples, and the handmade pasta does the heavy lifting: the beef cheek gnocchi and the pappardelle al ragu are the two dishes reviewers keep coming back to. The Gamberi pizza layers prawns, mozzarella, garlic, chilli and rocket, and the focaccia with burrata is an easy shared starter. Book ahead for Friday to Sunday, when the two-storey room fills fast.
The Collective Palm Beach: what if everyone wants something different?
Distance: about a 15-minute walk, or a four-minute drive, further north at 1128 Gold Coast Highway.
Directions: keep heading north along the highway past Balboa. The Collective Palm Beach is the large open venue set back from the road.
Hours: lunch and dinner from midday every day, with kitchens running to 10pm, and to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
When one child wants pizza, another wants dumplings and you want a glass of something cold, this is the answer. Four kitchens share one roof: Fat Tomato does wood-fired pizza and pasta, Umami runs dumplings, bao and stir-fries, Rumba grills Latin-style seafood, and Onda plates up protein bowls and salads. Every kitchen has its own kids menu, so nobody argues. Best of all for a first night, walk-ins are welcome, so you can arrive without a booking and still get everyone fed. There is a rooftop bar upstairs if the adults want to stretch the evening out, and the shared courtyard means the kids can wander between tables while you finish a drink. On a Friday or Saturday it gets busy from about 6pm, so aim early if you have a pram.
Currumbin RSL: the easy early dinner with the kids?
Distance: about a five-minute drive south over the Currumbin Creek bridge, at 165 Duringan Street, Currumbin.
Directions: turn right out our door, cross the Currumbin Creek bridge, and Currumbin RSL is on your right shortly after.
Hours: dinner Sunday to Wednesday 5pm to 8pm, and Thursday to Saturday 5pm to 8:30pm.
If you want dinner done and everyone in bed by eight, this is your spot. The deck looks straight over Currumbin Creek, and the kids menu is genuinely good value: beer-battered whiting or chicken nuggets with chips, loaded nachos, or a La Bambino pizza, with a gelato cup and soft drink you can add for five dollars. There is a free Kids Club to keep them busy, and it is a club, so sign in at the door on the way through. Time it for around 5:30pm and you will catch the light going soft over the water while dinner arrives. Weekend nights fill the deck, so book ahead if you want a creek-side table rather than the bistro inside.
What if you arrive after 7pm and no one wants to move?
Distance: it comes to you.
Directions: no directions needed, just your apartment number.
Some arrival nights, the only sensible plan is the balcony and a delivery. Luna Rossa Italian at Tugun delivers wood-fired pizza and pasta across Palm Beach and Currumbin for a seven-dollar fee, so you can eat with the doors open and the waves going in the background. If you would rather pick up, La Bocca at Currumbin RSL does pizza for takeaway on your way past. Either way, the first-night mess stays out of your kitchen and everyone winds down without another car trip.
FAQs
How far is the nearest dinner spot to Royal Palm?
Balboa Italian is the closest sit-down option, about a 10-minute walk north along the Gold Coast Highway at number 1069. The Collective Palm Beach is a few minutes further on, and Currumbin RSL is a five-minute drive south over the creek bridge.
Can we get dinner near Royal Palm without booking?
Yes. The Collective Palm Beach takes walk-ins seven days a week and runs four kitchens under one roof, so you can turn up with tired kids and still be seated. It stays open until 10pm most nights, and midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Is there anywhere kid-friendly for an early dinner?
Currumbin RSL serves dinner from 5pm and has a proper kids menu, with beer-battered whiting or nuggets and chips, a La Bambino pizza, and a gelato-and-drink add-on for five dollars. The creekside deck keeps little ones happy while you sit down.
Can we get food delivered to the apartment on arrival night?
Yes. Luna Rossa Italian at Tugun delivers wood-fired pizza and pasta to Palm Beach for a seven-dollar fee, so you can eat on the balcony with the doors open. La Bocca at Currumbin RSL also does pizza for pickup if you would rather grab and go.
Whichever you choose, the point of a first night is to land softly. Get everyone fed, unpack in the morning, and let the beach out the front do the rest. When you are ready to plan the stay, book direct with us for the best rate, and have a look at what surrounds us in Palm Beach before you arrive.
Image credit: Balboa Italian