Alfresco Italian Restaurant

Someone from this business manages this listing.

#11 of 337 Restaurants in Surfers Paradise$$ - $$$, Italian, Pizza, Vegetarian friendly

+61 7 5538 9333+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Mon

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Tue

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Wed

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Thu

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Fri

5:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Sat

5:00 pm - 9:30 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

1,475 reviews

#11 of 337 Restaurants in Surfers Paradise

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Details

Someone from this business manages this listing.

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PRICE RANGE

$10.00 – $50.00

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean, Neapolitan, Campania, Southern-Italian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

meals, features

Location and contact

3018 Surfers Paradise Bvd Corner Hamilton Ave, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast, Queensland 4217 Australia

+61 7 5538 9333

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Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?

Yes

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About

Alfresco had been operating in Surfers Paradise since 1992. We serve Pizza, Pasta, Steak & Seafood and have a great wine & cocktail list to suit. Our restaurant holds a strong Italian influence set in a casual, fun & relaxed environment. We have both indoor & outdoor dining options Come & join us for a relaxed pizza & a beer or a full 3 course meal ! Ciao !

PRICE RANGE

$10.00 – $50.00

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza, Mediterranean, Neapolitan, Campania, Southern-Italian

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Dinner

FEATURES

Takeout, Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

1,475 reviews

Excellent

1,021

Very good

293

Average

104

Poor

Terrible

Perceptive I

50 contributions

Good food and service.

Jan 2024 • family

Attended this restaurant based on other reviews. Despite attending on a weeknight we were happy we had booked as on arrival the line of people eaiting for a tablle, was overflowing ontop the footpath! Service was quick as was our food despite how busy the place was. My Ravioli was delightful. Clearly it was hand made as each cushion varied in size but was still cooked al dente. The napoli sauce it came with was so delicious that I used the kids pizza crusts to wipe my plate. The pizzas were good...bit thin for my peference but full of flavour. The wait staff were very professional and even arranged for a special treat for our child when they found out it was his birthday.

Written 17 January 2024

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sarah

6 contributions

Surfer’s Paradise must do!

Sept 2024 • family

As a family of four - we absolutely loved this place. We were lucky to get a table - so recommend booking ahead. Food was fabulous and staff were attentive (but not overly so) - food came out pretty quickly, even though it was a busy night. The lovely staff were also so beautiful in listening to my daughter show off her grade 1 Italian lessons. A Gold Coast must!

Written 29 September 2024

Craig Dowsett

4 contributions

Can't wait to come back to the Gold Coast

May 2024 • family

Whenever we visit the Gold Coast from Perth we always have at least two meals here. The food is always fantastic good size portions and delicious . More importantly service is friendly and helpful

Written 24 May 2024

Jennifer L

17 contributions

Poor customer service , rude waiter.

Jan 2024 • couples

Busy Italian restaurant, I am a local and aware this time of year can be very busy. Dropped in early approx 1815 hrs and they seated us without a reservation on the proviso we finished at 7 pm . All good for us but it took 10 mins before they took our order of garlic cheese bread ( very yummy) and 2 main meals. Trouble is we didn’t get our meal till 1855hrs ….. not our fault of course and the very tall Italian waiter had the hide to come over as my husband was having his last mouthful and scowl at us for not vacating the table at 1900 hrs . So I suggest if they are going to make such demands they had better put another chef on and serve our meal in a timely manner. Can’t fault the food just the service.

Written 4 January 2024

kylie0570

58 contributions

Disappointing dining experience

Feb 2024 • couples

We recently dined at Alfresco whilst on holidays in Surfers Paradise. It's our favorite restaurant, however this time around we were disappointed in the food, service and general dining atmosphere. We were placed on a table at the back part of the restaurant and the wait staff seemed more interested in the larger groups that were in the same section. Our entree came out quickly (calamari), it was bland. The side salad was the best bit. Then we waited for over 45 minutes for our main course (pescatore spaghetti) - it only came out after someone realised that we had not been served. This too was bland (no flavour, like the seafood and spaghetti had been cooked separately and then dumped onto the plates) and it was just warm. Our coffees weren't hot either and we had to ask for sugar and side spoons. We didn't bother letting the staff know about our disappointment as they disappeared as quickly as they came out to drop off the food/drinks.

Written 3 March 2024

Amanda B

4 contributions

SHOCKING

Dec 2023 • family

Absolutely shocking! Service non-existent. We waited 90 minutes for our main which was garlic prawns!(Are you kidding me?) when we decided to leave because we were over it! They still had the audacity to charge us for our starter and bottle of wine! If they focused on the tables that were seated and had ordered food as opposed to being greedy and trying to seat as many people as possible we probably would have got our food!

Written 28 December 2023

Raffaele Velardo

Hi Amanda, Thanks for your feedback and apologies you had to wait so long for your main meals. It is the busiest time of the year for us with record numbers of patrons, unfortunately there are longer waits for food than normal during peak service periods. Thanks again for the feedback we will use it to improve our service & timing.

Written 29 December 2023

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Desiree R

Malvern51 contributions

Feeling Frustrated…

Feb 2022 • couples

My partner and I came here early on a Wednesday night, the place was fairly quiet and the atmosphere was pleasant. The staff were friendly and our order was taken quickly. I had the chicken pesto pasta and my partner the parmigiana, meals were alright, bordering average, however definitely one of the better Italian restaurants in the area. I think the meals are reasonably priced for what they were, taking into account that the location is a more touristy area, so prices are generally a little bit higher to accomodate rent etc, although the meals were decent and staff accomodating, I left feeling frustrated as I waited 25 minutes for a cocktail to be told it was never put through and was not coming as the waiter who took the order, (I am assuming the owner) had forgotten… annoyed and feeling a little upset, not sure we’d return here again.. not the worst restaurant, but I guess not a great way to end the meal!

Written 3 February 2022

mia8101

Sydney2 contributions

Overall disappointment in service food and atmosphere

Mar 2024 • couples

I usually love this restaurant but this time I had booked well in advance but got a table that was a thoroughfare for staff. The gnocchi was not as soft as it should be and I feel that we were rushed, in and out in under an hour. It was so noisy that drink requests were totally wrong. I felt the staff didnt care about couples they were only concerned about larger tables. Once your meal was served they dont come near you. We did not get offered the dessert menu, so we decided to leave. At the time of booking, They asked why we were dining so I had said in my booking that it was my birthday. I thought I might get at least a happy birthday- But nothing Why ask? Very disappointed from a regular that use to attend the old restaurant across the road.

Written 20 March 2024

Raffaele Velardo

Dear Mia, Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us. We deeply regret to hear that your recent visit did not meet your expectations, especially considering your loyalty as a regular customer. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience you experienced with the table placement, the quality of the gnocchi, and the rushed service. Your feedback regarding the noise level and incorrect drink orders is duly noted, and we assure you that we will address these issues with our team to ensure improvements are made. It is disheartening to hear that you felt neglected during your dining experience, especially on a special occasion like your birthday. We apologize for not acknowledging your birthday during your visit. Rest assured, this does not align with the level of service we strive to provide, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention. We understand your disappointment and would like to make things right. If you would be willing to give us another chance, we would love the opportunity to provide you with the exceptional dining experience that you deserve. Please feel free to reach out to us directly so that we can ensure your next visit surpasses your expectations. Once again, we apologize for falling short of your expectations and thank you for your valuable feedback. Warm regards, Raff Alfresco Italian Restaurant

Written 22 March 2024

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Betty O

Broadbeach Waters181 contributions

Delicious food and excellent service.

Oct 2023 • couples

We’re very happy to have chosen Alfresco Italian Restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had booked a table and even though we arrived early we didn’t have to wait at all. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. The homemade focaccia was amazing and both the di mare and the pepato steaks were cooked to perfection. The staff were all very friendly and efficient. We were pleasantly surprised when one of the waitresses brought a dessert to our table to wish us a happy anniversary. It was really lovely of them. If you don’t want to drive or take an Uber you can go by tram as it is very close to Surfers Paradise Station. The only negative I can mention is that it was a bit noisy at times. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Written 30 November 2023

Dave S

1 contribution

bad manager

Feb 2024 • family

I visited this restaurant on holiday in the GC this week and was greeted by a man who I assume to be the manager. During the meal, I saw the way that he was speaking to the other staff members behind the bar and that he was being very hostile and rude towards them. The young girls looked uncomfortable around the manager the whole time we were there. Will not be returning.

Written 19 February 2024

Guby Eats

Gold Coast13 contributions

Novelty Ordering

Oct 2022 • none

The night we had dinner here it was busy and the service was slightly slow as we had to wait a while to order for mains and dessert etc. I ordered the Gnocchi with Bolognese, which was good, it was slightly sweet and rich. I also tried a few other dishes, fettucine with meatballs, that lacked some flavour and the meatballs were a tad try, they were both regular servings. For dessert we had the tiramisu, which was delicious though you could taste the grains of sugar. The meals were all presentable and the staff was nice, which built a nice atmosphere.

Written 11 October 2022

penny2503

Sheffield99 contributions

Wish we'd tried the pizza

Apr 2023 • couples

We visited Alfresco based on the great reviews we'd seen. We were greeted by a friendly man on the welcome desk who congratulated us for being on our honeymoon. We shared bruschetta to start which was nice. I had the ravioli with tomato sauce for main which again was nice. My partner had lasagne and was quite disappointed, it was a little lacking in flavour and didn't have much meat in it - it looked a bit like a microwave lasagne although I'm sure it wasn't. Overall the meal was nice but we have had better Italians, the pizzas looked great though so we wish we'd tried one. They did bring out a free small dessert saying happy honeymoon which was a lovely touch.

Written 18 March 2024

D-towner R

Darwin166 contributions

Family dining

Dec 2022 • family

The restaurant was super accommodating of our last minute booking (2 adults, 2 kids), stating that could seat us, but only at an outside table. The waitress we had (Sophie) was super friendly, bubbly and was keeping an eye on our table as the weather looked ominous of rain. We were eventually moved to an indoor table an enjoyed the restaurant ambience from there. The meals were all delicious - kids spaghetti bolognese, kids calamari and chips, adult carbonara and the steak. My only slight criticism would be that there were only 4 really small pieces of calamari on the kids serve and my son loved them so much he wished there were more. Apart from this, it was beautiful dining.

Written 1 January 2023

Mae Rose

1 contribution

nice, but not really vegan friendly

Apr 2021 • couples

Trip Advisor had this restaurant under their Vegan Friendly filter, which me and my partner always value as I am a vegan. The menu looked promising online so we went, but after trying to order i was soon told that essentially nothing on the menu is vegan. There are no mains, at least, as all pasta and pizza bases contain egg and everything else is a meat based dish. I was offered a side dish of veggies or an entree soup, so I chose the soup. It tasted lovely - however for a “vegan friendly” restaurant I’m quite disappointed that there are no real meals that don’t contain egg or milk, especially due to the fact that their menu is huge. The majority of restaurants nowadays have at least one animal product free main. In all of the Italian restaurants I’ve been to previously, they’ve had some vegan mozzarella on hand in case someone wants to substitute cheese on a pizza and at least one type of eggless pasta so a vegan pasta dish can be made. It was quite disheartening that this was not the case this time. Other than that, the atmosphere was nice and my (not vegan) partner thoroughly enjoyed his gnocchi dish.

Written 8 April 2021

raff747

Hi, Thanks for your feedback! Apologies for the information that was given to you regarding vegan options, we have had some new staff and it's obvious that you were misinformed regarding vegan options. We do have vegan pasta and pasta sauces, our pizza bases are vegan and we have other option including salads. Thanks again for your feedback. Ciao :)

Written 18 April 2021

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Ernest

Warsaw154 contributions

Intaly in Gold Coast

Jan 2025 • couples

Very nice Italian restaurant! Worth to try if you like this type of food. We had bruschetta and garlic shrimos for starter. Bruschetta - 8/10, a big starter, well served. Please add a bit more balsamico and it would be perfect! Garlic shrimps - 10/10, interesting course, very tasty. Then we go with carbonara - 10/10, nice creamy sauce, well balanced, with pancetta and bolognese - 8/10 a bit too bitter. It was along with resling - nice one! Staff - very friendly, quick, taking care of guests. Just please do not serve the main course while the starters are still in progress. We had to switch to main course to eat warm pasta and finish the starters after. Restaurant itself - calssic design, cosy, nice to spend time in, a bit loud though.